Advent Series #5
Arising early to begin a full day with prayer and meditation, I hold you close, knowing that this amazing day unfolds with the Grace and Beauty of the One; that you are radiantly healthy and gloriously happy as you, too, step into this 5th day of Advent. May you align with the Truth of all being…Wholeness and Joy.
This time of year offers a sense of stillness, a quiet that seems to encourage us to spend time engaging in Holy Listening…listening for all of the ways that the Divine moves in, through and as our lives. This first week of Advent offers us the gentle reminder to listen patiently, in Faith that God is forever present…to acknowledge the presence and the gifts of Spirit as they sprinkle themselves throughout our days.
In ancient times, humans lived their lives more closely connected to their natural surroundings. They recognized the power of the gods in the wind, the movement of the Sun, in the forests and the animals. They felt their connection with Life and knew that their very survival depended on how they interacted with, and cared for, the world around them. There was no doubt that they were one part of a greater Whole.
Our way of life has changed over time. We have come to see ourselves as the culmination of the evolutionary process. The earth’s resources are here primarily for our support and enjoyment. We have lost our feeling of deep connection and interdependence with the natural world. In a sense, we have fallen asleep.
I don’t know about you, but in my grade school history books, early people were portrayed as primitive, foolish cave dwellers. And the science books spoke of evolution as the process that had allowed humans to finally take their rightful place at the apex of development…we had arrived! Nothing more was shared. It was never mentioned that perhaps these cave dwellers were attuned to their surroundings in a way that we could not even imagine; or that they had an inherent sense of Faith, unencumbered by doubt. There was no conversation about how these early travelers walked upon an earth that was clean, and pure, and empty of noise…that the natural way they interacted with their surroundings created a sense of connection with their world, and with their own Spiritual Nature. I don’t remember any indications that these early nomadic peoples recognized their vulnerability and lived with a sense of humility, as they acknowledged their dependence upon Sacred Power. No one ever shared with me that these primitive people were born into a way of being that I would only come to know later in life, after many twists and turns, and a good number of personal lessons. What was that way of being? Inner silence…Holy Listening.
Of course, we know that evolution is an on-going process. The humanity that we know ourselves to be is simply a stage in our development, one rung on the evolutionary ladder. Like all of Life, we are continuing to grow and change. One of the principles of evolution is that with each trip around the upward spiral, Life transcends and includes all that has come before. Perhaps we can make use of this principle in our own development. While we transcend certain lifestyles in favor of others, through our technological discoveries and more complex brain capacity, perhaps we can include Holy Listening as a means of keeping the pathway to the heart open. It is possible that as we consciously choose inner silence as a means of feeling our connection, we can build our capacity for compassion and our desire for unity. Greater complexity, diversity, compassion, cooperation, and unity are natural effects born of the evolutionary process.
Inner silence is not the same as being quiet, not speaking, removing oneself from external noise. Inner silence can happen amidst chaos. It is a deep stillness of the soul, a listening into the place within that has never been disturbed…that deep center that is always at Peace. Holy Listening is a conscious act. It is a choice to turn the attention inward so that we might hear the Still, Small Voice of Spirit as we attune ourselves to the quiet murmurings of the soul.
Here is your invitation for today: choose to take part in the conscious evolution of the cosmos, and of human nature itself. Take time for Holy Listening. With eyes closed, imagine yourself approaching a sacred well…this well exists at the center of your being. As you sit quietly next to the well, you begin to slow your breathing until it is slow and nearly silent. Then, picking up a single pebble from the ground beside you, drop the pebble into the well and listen for the delicate sound of its falling deep into the center of your being. There, in this sacred, silent, inner place, Spirit waits for you. What does It have to say today?
I trust that this Practice deepens your experience of waiting…that it blesses you with increasing Faith as you come to know that the Still, Small Voice is always present…the Guidance is always available.
Know that today and always, I am here to support you.
Know that today and always, you are stronger and wiser than you know.
May we all look to the Light…be well…stay in touch…know our unity…and thrive! And…
May we know the Absolute Beauty and Wonder of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day, as Infinite Intelligence continues to pour Its blessings upon our world.
