Stilling the Mind

 

Daunting thoughts swoop in

Sending us into overwhelm

Worrying about this and that

Hijacking our sense of Self

Knocking us off our Center

Filling us with looming doubt

All an illusion

Created by the mind

Utter chaos

That strips life of the richness

The depth

The hope

The joy

The wonder

The beauty

The magnificence

That “is”.

 

It is human nature to trust the mind that is often chaotic with daunting thoughts that swoop in, sending us into overwhelm as we worry about this and that, losing our groundedness, our center as our sense of Self is hijacked and the dense energy of doubt fills us.  It is also our divine nature, the essence of who we are to find our way to clarity that it is all an illusion, created by the mind stripping away the richness of life, the depth, the hope, the joy, the wonder, the beauty, the magnificence that is. 

It takes effort to still the mind but the rest and the peace it allows in the midst of life’s challenges and storms is worth it.  A still mind doesn’t mean we bypass the human experiences or check out from reality rather it takes us into a depth of life where we can be present to all that comes our way, where we can recognize whether our thoughts affirm life or suck the life out of us, where we can stand with others in ways we never could before because we embody the truth of who we truly are and all that lies within us.    

As I swam the back cove at the lake, I was moving my body but resting in a deep stillness when I saw a friend sitting on the back of his houseboat meditating.  I didn’t want to interrupt the serenity he was experiencing but the movement of the water stirred him as his eyes opened connecting with mine.  We had a brief conversation as the meditation was now living, a part of him and me and out interaction.  He has battled an illness for months that had led him to this moment, touching this well of peace within and stilling his mind so he can heal in the hope, the love, the grace that is.  He is not denying the existence of the illness.  He is choosing to still his mind that was churning thoughts of doom and gloom that he won’t ever feel good again, that his life has no purpose anymore, that he won’t get to do the things he enjoys and that life isn’t worth living.  He was radiant as he was fully present to him Self, to me and to life, leaving me inspired and filled with awe that his choice to still his mind had freed him.  It didn’t cure his illness but he was free in a way he had never been before and bearing witness to this elevated my spirit.

The invitation this day is to begin a meditation practice that allows you to still your mind so it doesn’t steal your life.  Explore various forms of meditation through walking out in nature, lying on your back flat on the floor with your eyes closed and one hand over your heart and one your belly breathing in and out of your nose, sitting upright in a chair with your body relaxed and eyes closed so you can go within allowing the breath to wash through you.  Take a class.  Watch YouTube instruction videos.  Find whatever speaks to you.  You and your life are worth the effort.  And rest in knowing the graces of the heavens will do their part to lead you home to the magnificence that lies within you.