“It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up.” Eckhart Tolle
Photo: Georganne Spruce
Don’t forget I’ll be teaching a Release Your Fear Workshop in Asheville, NC this Sat., Nov. 8, 1-3:00 pm, $15 at the door. For more visit: http://awakeningtothedance.com/workshops-2/
Can you easily find that quiet place within? How do you do that? Do you go there often? If you feel blocked, do you know why?
So many traumatic things have happened over the last month that I have felt wound up all the time, not recovering from one shock before the next one hit. But during the last two days, there have been moments when I could slip into silence, and just be there. Although I had several things to do yesterday, what I felt most was that it was the day after the big event—the election. I was just being with the results.
In the Silence, We Accept What Is
Some of the people I voted for won, others I voted for didn’t. Regardless of where I’ve lived, I’ve always voted. I take the concept of a democracy seriously and accept my role in it. It can only continue to be a democracy if the people are willing to speak out through their votes. I’m very concerned about that because only one third of the electorate voted this time. Why?
Were people fed up with Washington politics? Did they ignore this election because it wasn’t a presidential election? Could they not decide for whom to vote? Did the changes some states are making to the voting laws and districts confuse people?
The result of the election is just another happening I have to accept. Life is like that sometimes. We can’t control everything, but acceptance doesn’t mean we have to like or agree with what has happened. It’s like forgiveness. When we accept what happened, we simply let the incident be what it is, and we go on.
Experiencing the Silence Can Soothe Our Stress
This week I’m beginning to go on with many things, especially starting to create time in each day to bathe in silence and make room for the lovely creative thoughts that visit me with ideas for writing or solutions to challenges. When I take time to bathe in the silence, life feels good for a while no matter what is actually happening.
The other night, at the end of a snowy day, I build a fire and spent the evening bathing in its warm, frequently distracted from my reading to notice the way the fire glowed or flared up when one piece of log fell against another. Time became irrelevant. Only the crackling of the fire spoke to me and I relished each syllable.
Silence Opens Us to New Possibilities
Being in the moment allows us to feel and experience life fully. Those quiet moments are when those wonderfully outrageous thoughts come to us of doing wonderful things our egos don’t think we can do. As a child, I saw Jane Russell dancing down a staircase and in my day-dreaming state I became that dancer. I have never danced down a staircase, but I did become a modern dancer. Perhaps the dancer part of me was born in that moment before I even tried to dance.
When there are difficult decisions to make, I am grateful for the silence, for in that moment, I can open to the spiritual part of myself that tends to make the best decisions. In that place I can see more options, and I can release my fear of not making the right decision or of the criticism of others. I can not only listen to my inner guidance, but I can hear the messages it sends me.
Creative Ideas Emerge in the Silence
The autumn is a time when I am constantly awed by the beauty of nature as it slips toward winter. It always leaves before I am ready and suddenly winter is here with the cold, wind, and snow, but more than any time of year, winter reminds me of the value of being in the moment.
As the aroma of lentil soup cooking fills the house, I am perfectly content, needing no entertainment other than watching the wind blow the red and yellow leaves from the trees. I don’t need to go out and find companionship. Because I have stopped racing around doing things, I will rediscover that quieter part of myself within the silence, waiting for us to become reacquainted, waiting to send me another poem, or bless me for taking the vacation I need in the middle of the week.
Wisdom Lies Deep Within
We can be truly conscious only when we stop to listen to our inner voice and stop to take care of what is festering before it becomes a problem. When our egos become deeply involved in an issue, where they lead us may not be a wise place. But when we feel the ego expanding, we know it’s time to find the silence because that’s where we will find the best solution. When I go within, I often ask, “What is the wisest thing for me to do?” The answer I receive is always a better choice than what my ego alone would choose and I am most grateful.
© 2014 Georganne Spruce ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5
Related Articles: Eckhart Tolle – Being in the Present Moment(video), The Wisdom of Silence: Learning to Talk Less and Say More, Finding Your Silence
Awakening to the Dance 