Stillness of the Eternal: July 14 - 20

Awe enables us to sense in small things

the beginning of infinite significance,

to sense the ultimate in the simple;

to feel in the rush of the passing

the stillness of the eternal...

Abraham Heschel*

What Abraham Heschel says of awe, I believe could be said of mindfulness. Who of us cannot relate to the rush of the passing? The days fly by as we attempt to juggle the demands of life. Where does the time go? Yet within everyday busyness can be found the stillness of the eternal. Underneath the bills, the media headlines, and the fears for the future, is a still, quiet place where time ceases, where we are held by love, where our truest self shine. Mindfulness is a practice and a journey where we travel from the state of frenzy to the state of centeredness.

*Abraham Heschel was a rabbi, theologian and professor of Jewish mysticism at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Practice

Let's meditate together. Begin by checking in with where you are right now. Where are your thoughts? Where are you emotionally? What is your body saying to you? Where is your energy? Are you scattered? Sleepy? Anxious? Happy? Numb? No need to judge or change anything but simply be more fully aware. Take a minute or two to tune into wherever you are. Focus on the breath as a way to settle in. With each breath give yourself permission to relax just a bit more.

That might be enough for today. Cultivate calm. Cultivate peace. Remain in stillness for as long as you like.

Perhaps you're ready to journey a bit deeper. Use the senses to expand awareness. What do you hear? The tick of a clock, the hum of the AC, the wind, traffic, birdsong. Sit in silence but allow the sense of hearing to reach out further and further. Or use the sense of inner sight to see friends and family. Energetically extend to them kindness and wellbeing. Allow your awareness to keep growing. Envision your arms and heart expanding as your love reaches out to hold more and more. Sense the source of love from within as it flows upward and outward.

That might be enough for today. Cultivate compassion. Cultivate connection. Remain in centered openness for as long as you like.

If you wish, let go of the breath, let go of thoughts. Or rather, inhabit a place beneath the breath, beyond the thoughts. Instead of focusing awareness, allow awareness to naturally flow through you. Be open. Trust there has always been and always will be a place of complete wholeness. Abide in the heart of loving kindness. Remain as long as you like.

As you resume the busyness of the day and feel the rush of the passing, know at your deepest level you always remain in the stillness of the eternal.