I recently had someone ask me,
What about the people who prefer to be busy all the time?
For them,
There is no place for stillness,
Nor need for silence.
This person was clearly speaking about herself.
And may I add,
That at her own admission,
She lives in a constant state of anxiety,
But sees this constant busyness from an ironical perspective,
As a distinct positive.
No need to stop,
She says.
Just keep going.
Tap dance on the spot.
Of course,
She often says to me,
Where did that time go?
It always flies by.
Yes,
Time will always fly by quickly if we don't stop running.
And this is not an ageist comment.
For most of us do this,
Don't we?
This running.
No matter what our age.
Most see being constantly busy as a naturally good thing in all walks of life.
But the body has to break at some point.
And so does the mind.
One simply runs out of energy if not carefully polished and refueled.
And so does the mind.
I'm not speaking about standing still or daydreaming for hours,
Although both can be beneficial at time.
I'm speaking about turning inwards and seeking the source of energy that resides within each of us.
So let us sit quietly or lie down for a little while in a peaceful place away from anything that may disturb that tranquility.
Away from all devices and obstacles so that you may give yourself the gifts that silence and space can grant you.
It only needs to be for a little while.
The most important thing to begin is that you are comfortable and feel grounded and stable.
So in order to feel this,
Would you consider keeping your eyes open for a minute or so to focus on an object in front of you?
Breathing gently in and out,
Forming a gentle pattern of inhaling and exhaling,
Just like waves entering and leaving a sandy shore.
Release the tension in your face.
Release the tension in your eyes.
Yes,
Consider this for a moment.
The eyes,
The throat,
And neck.
And at the same time,
Release the tension in your shoulders again and again and again.
And now you may wish to close down your eyes or you can keep them softly open with a gentle focus on whatever you see before you or within you.
No matter how you interpret the following words,
Which are excerpts from the Four Quartets by the great 19th century poet T.
S.
Eliot,
Perhaps they can be observed as a reflection on the heart of the universe,
The still point,
The source of all,
The spaciousness within.
At the still point of the turning world,
Neither flesh nor fleshless,
Neither from nor towards.
At the still point,
There the dance is,
But neither a rest nor movement.
And do not call it fixity,
Where the past and future are gathered,
Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline.
Except for the point,
The still point,
There would be no dance and there is only the dance.
And now,
Perhaps for a little while,
Let us just be still and observe the healing powers of the quiet.
Restful state of being.
Here in the still point.
Here in the still point.
Here in the still point.
Here in the still point.
Here in the still point.
The still point.
The still point.
The still point.
Sense the still point.
And again,
In T.
S.
Eliot's words,
We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and to know the place for the first time.
I bow to that spaciousness,
That healing spirit that is within you,
Deep,
Deep within you.
I send you love and peace.
