Stillness
Stillness is naturally present in us all; it is part of our behavioral repertoire. It is a quality of being that is still, quiet, calm and inactive…a state of tranquility. Stillness is always available, always there for us to access. Yet, the stillness is not empty. Eckhart Tolle said, “…thoughts coming out of stillness have power.”
It is often quite challenging to find stillness in the modern world. Even White Noise, which is designed to mask distracting sounds so we can focus our attention or help us sleep, can interfere with our efforts to find stillness.
Achieving the ability to access stillness and silence are great accomplishments for me. Living a life dedicated to co-dependence and the painful, useless martyrdom that comes with it, left me fearing stillness and silence. The extreme discomfort I experienced caused me to go to great lengths to avoid both.
As I discovered along the journey to my authentic self, silence and stillness are great allies; trusting guides and companions. Hermann Hesse put it well, “Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” And Donald Hicks noted that, “In the stillness of life, we find our higher self.”
In stillness we discover creativity. In stillness we hear the authentic voice…our voice merged with the Divine energy of creation. I have long been an ardent fan of the teachings of Lao Tzu. Preparing for this blog I went to the writings that reveal his mastery of simple truths. “Stillness reveals the secrets of the universe.”
This eloquent quote is stillness reduced to it’s quintessence. Nothing more need be said.
Blessings!
