Hello friends.
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks.
Welcome back to another instalment of the Calm Beneath the Storm.
Over the last two days we've been noticing the storms of life and the movement of thoughts and worries that rise and fall like waves on the surface of the sea.
And today,
We explore something hopeful,
And that's the discovery that beneath the waves,
There's another place.
A place of stillness.
A place of quiet.
A place of rest.
Let's begin though,
As always,
By letting our bodies settle.
Allow yourself to sit or lie comfortably.
Let your shoulders soften,
Your hands rest easily.
Take a slow breath in and out.
As your mind,
Your body and your heart come into alignment in this space right here,
And right now.
Now in the ancient prayers of the Psalms,
In Psalm 46 and verse 10,
We hear these simple words,
Be still and know that I am God.
For a lot of us though,
Those words can feel incredibly difficult.
Because when we try to become still,
We quickly notice how busy the mind can be.
When we try to still ourselves,
That's when it seems that our thoughts decide to keep moving.
Our feelings keep shifting.
Our attention keeps jumping from one thing to another.
Just like the waves that are constantly moving up and down,
Side to side,
Across the surface of the sea.
But there's something important about the ocean,
That if you were to ask a diver,
They'd tell you they completely understand.
And that's why at the surface,
The water can be rough.
The wind moves across it,
The waves rise and fall.
But when a diver gently descends beneath the surface,
Something changes.
Just a few meters down,
The movements begin to quell.
The water becomes quieter,
And the deeper you go,
The more stillness you find.
Even though the storm may still exist up above,
It doesn't dominate the deeper water.
And prayer too,
Can sometimes be like that.
It's not escaping the sea,
Or trying to get out.
Rather,
It's staying in and going deeper.
Prayer is like descending beneath the waves.
So for the next few minutes,
Let's explore that movement together.
A slow,
Peaceful descent.
Into stillness.
Bring your attention just for a moment to your breathing again.
Breathing in,
And out.
And imagine that each breath out allows you to sink a little deeper into the water.
Now this isn't falling,
Or struggling down.
It's just descending.
You're in control.
But you're allowing yourself to go deeper.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Allowing yourself to sink slightly deeper.
And what's really interesting to think about as we do this,
Is that the word that the psalmist used in Psalm 46,
For be still,
The Hebrew word is rafah,
Which means to sink.
To let go,
And to allow yourself to be submerged deeper into God.
Now at the surface,
There could still be waves.
Thoughts could appear.
Memories and worries might drift through your mind.
That's all completely natural.
Those are the waves above.
You don't need to chase after them.
Just continue descending with the breath.
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
And sinking gently into rest.
Perhaps you imagine the light from the surface softening as you move deeper.
The movement of the water becoming slower.
More peaceful.
More spacious.
Your body relaxed.
Your breathing calm.
And somewhere in this still and silent depth,
Gently remember the words of the Psalm.
Be still.
And know that I am God.
Notice that the psalmist says to be still.
No need to force the stillness.
Just rest here.
Held within the deeper presence of God.
And just remain here for a few quiet moments.
Breathing softly.
Resting in the deeper water beneath the waves.
And now slowly bring your awareness back to the room.
Feel your body again.
Notice the space that you're in.
Take one slightly deeper breath.
And as you rise from this time together,
And continue through your day,
Remember this simple movement.
When the waves feel strong at the surface,
You can always return to the breath and gently descend again beneath the waves into the deeper stillness of God.
And may grace,
Peace,
Oh peace yes,
And love be with you as you rest in the still waters.
Until tomorrow.
Bye for now.
