In part 1 of our Home Study of Lessons for Living, we discussed how to live a spiritual life of integrity, wherein our outer actions match our inner Truth. Learning to authentically express all that we are as spiritual beings–while remembering we are not our emotions or childhood programming–is not an easy task! To review our last discussion, please visit “Home Study: Lessons for Living, pt.1.” Today we look at the importance of inner stillness on the spiritual Journey.
Today’s text: Lessons for Living, vol. 1 transcribed by L. Taylor
Available at: www.hopeofthenewage.com
Study pages: pp. 52-53
On page 52 we receive some wisdom from Eagle of the Night, one of my most trusted allies on the spiritual Journey. He talks about how in His day, silence before speaking showed a command of one’s emotions and a willingness to be mindful when communicating. Silence was taught to all children as a thing of value, revealing a heart of respect and patience. On the surface there may have been a quiet demeanor, but beneath that beat a heart of passion and awareness:
“The surface of the water was still, but beneath that surface many things lived and there was great richness and color. You can be a living symbol of a time that was once past and is now coming again. People are learning to live with stillness.”
To a degree, we are seeing a turning in our culture toward greater spiritual awareness through the mainstreaming of things like yoga, organic foodstuffs and holistic medicine. Of course, there is a sufficient contracted energy to balance it out and we have seen that, too, if the form of technology inundating our lives. From cell phones to smart cars, we seem to be more insulated from stillness than ever before.
A few weeks ago I read a book review by a woman who called herself a “soft-core Luddite.” This term refers to a movement among English textile artisans who opposed the Industrial Revolution in the 19th-century on the grounds that it was leaving them without work and changing their way of life. My young author mentioned she preferred to write her books with pen and paper, allowing her to unplug from the outer world and turn inward to her creative source.
The Farmer’s Almanac for 2012 talks about the growing popularity of “technology fasts” wherein people choose to unplug for a period of hours or days in order to get back to Nature’s pace. A few years ago, this was less common as many of us exuberantly embraced the benefits of wireless technology. Now some are starting to realized it all came at a cost. The slope from “getting connected” to being completely out of touch with reality was more slippery than we thought.
On page 53, we are reminded that having our minds buzzing with constant input is not nourishing to the spiritual Energy present within each of us. Stillness is the soil from which a healthy spiritual life springs:
“Teach (others) that the empowerment they seek can be coming from a quiet, calm center. Quiet awareness, stillness, rooted in being. And from that place you act; from that place you move. Teach people to hold the silence in their hearts. Teach them to know stillness and the Hush.”
This Hush is so important because it is within that sacred space that we can know our Truth. “Should I quit my job? Is it time to forgive my parents? When should I talk to my children about sex?” Many of us think that such answers lie in another’s opinion or in the weighing of pros and cons and analyzing it all with the mind. Indeed, we should take in all the information we can from others’ experiences and the dissection of facts, but such mental analysis can only take us so far.
In the end, the guidance we seek can only come from once place: our own inner GPS, which is accessible within the Hush of stillness. Hooked directly into the Divine, this system of intelligent guidance is capable of leading us all the way from cradle to grave with more satisfaction, less frustration and greater success. But there’s a catch: the GPS only has one volume. And that volume is set on whisper.
In order to catch that whisper of Truth, that inner sense of which way to go–or if we should go at all–we must become still. There must be a willingess to be still in mind, silent in words and deeply connected to the Divine as we know It to be. That sacred force can then communicate to us in both overt and subtle ways so that we can follow the path of greatest fulfillment and ease.
As we do so, we become an example of hope and possibility for others. As published in our 3-part blog story, “Laura’s Hope for Healing,” attending to our own growth becomes a catalyst for others needing encouragement nearby. We can know that with each mindful choice we make we are influencing others in positive ways. Yet, we must always remember that each soul must find his or her own Path (p. 52):
“Not everyone will understand. But you are doing (what you must) to honor your Path. And if in the end there is no one there but you, so be it. You are not here for anyone but your own self, for none of us can live the life of our friend. We have to live our own life–and our friend has to live theirs.”
Sometimes it is hard to remember we cannot control those around us, especially when we believe it is for their own good. What we can do, though, is provide an example of what it means to live a mindful life: to honor silence, draw our actions out of a conscious stillness and follow the GPS the Divine gave us. In the end, our lives are the only thing left to show the world what it is we believed. What will yours say?
Taking a pen and a piece of paper or journal, contemplate the following this week:
1. Do I practice silence before speaking? Do I struggle with this more when happy or upset?
2. How does my inner GPS tell me which ways to go/how does it feel when Truth wells up within me?
3. For which people would I like to be modeling a mindful life? Do they see me at my most or my least mindful?
4. What can I affirm to myself when I am tempted to micro-manage others’ lives?
In session three of our Home Study, we will be diving deeper into Lessons for Living and what the Angels have to say about living a spiritual life in this very physical world…don’t miss it! Be sure to click and follow our blog so you can be alerted when our next discussion commences!
For more book discussions, please peruse the other selections from our Home Study category. We also invite you to experience more uplifting insights from the Higher Realms at www.hopeofthenewage.com
Grace and Clarity 