Stillness

How can I be still? I need to be.

The Power of Stillness

It is a quiet, US Thanksgiving Day for me in my new home, Tucson. I am on my own, house and dog sitting for friends and enjoying the day. I do not feel lonely. I feel peace and pleasant anticipation of what my life will be like here. It is a time for gathering with family and friends. But today I am gathering with myself, the dogs and the beauty that surrounds me. All is well with the world.

Stillness is part of me today. The sun is bright, it is warm outside and quiet surrounds me. Stillness feels natural. Stillness permeates me mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. It lets me rest, think quietly of anything I want to and be at peace. My outside world seems still as well. It is rare to have an Opening like this. I am going to drink it in.

There is power in stillness. Not a busy and active power, but a potent and quiet one that can transform. Stillness is a gift in a world that is constantly moving and changing. It gives perspective, allows you to pause and regroup, quiets the frenzy and slows the world. Stillness grounds you and often brings you right to the present moment. Its power is an ally as you face an accelerating pace and world.

Receptivity

Stillness increases our receptivity to things that matter, that sometimes cannot be seen in a frenzied world. Stillness is the environment for contemplation and reflection. Within stillness you can hear answers to your deepest questions, get clues to who you are, heal and find your true voice. Why wouldn’t you want to be in stillness? Often, it is not a matter of wanting, but of being able to get there.

I have thought about stillness and what happens within the Chrysalis of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. The cocoon provides profound stillness, first readying the caterpillar for a major change. Then, stillness is shattered as the caterpillar cells start to break down and the energy released by the breakdown begins the process of forming the butterfly’s imaginal cells. Do the imaginal cells experience stillness amidst it all? Is stillness necessary to creating the butterfly?

Pausing and stopping are essential ingredients of stillness. Pausing must happen on physical, mental, spiritual and emotional levels to create meaningful stillness. When we pause, our receptivity increases. I have been doing some meditation work where receptivity is central. It involves relaxing and releasing my mind so that I am open to the energy the meditation offers. It is unlike anything I have experienced before. The leader often says “nothing to do”. It is a joy to release my doing and my mind.

2025

Many are expecting a chaotic 2025. What role can stillness play? I think I can counter chaos with stillness. It will allow me to think and feel and gain perspective on whatever is happening. It will be a refuge from the chaos, that I sense will be needed. Chaos can be a calculated means of both control and disruption. If the chaos does not suit me, I do not have to engage with it. Stillness will give me distance. It may make it easier for me to find answers and to find my way. It can give me clarity.

Cultivating Stillness

I have been thinking about how I can cultivate stillness. Today is a perfect day for it. I can make finding and creating stillness a priority. It is always there. Even in the most chaotic times, it is waiting for me. I can maintain balance for, from balance, I can enter stillness more easily. I think stillness is part of my essential nature that society has pulled me away from.

I plan to create a practice of stillness. My intention to do so is strong.

Here I go, happily, into the stillness.

photo:  Xyrop, pixabay.com