Advent Series #6
You are, as always, in my prayers this 6th day of Advent. I know for each of us the willingness to surrender to what is, in full Faith that all is well. This has been the message of my morning contemplation, reading, and meditation. Through four different sources, the Voice of Spirit rang out loud and clear. I would like to share what has been given for your contemplation, that it may serve to lift and carry you through this beautiful December day.
The season of Advent has long been held as a time of waiting. And waiting offers us a series of blessings, should we choose to accept them. We have spoken of Patience as the first gift offered. And it has become clear that it takes a measure of Faith to wait patiently, trusting that Infinite Intelligence knows what It is doing. Today I would like to suggest that the next gift we are offered is even more difficult for most people to accept and practice. This is the gift of Surrender.
When I hear the word surrender, I see white flags flying. This gesture means I give up. You win. Depending on the circumstance, it might even mean you were right, I was wrong. This tends to be a really challenging step for most people to make. Why are we so unwilling to surrender? Because we need to feel like we’re in control. At some fundamental level, it makes us feel safe. We feel competent and capable of taking care of ourselves and our responsibilities. But the act of waiting invites us to let go of control, to allow whatever is happening to simply be, without our participation. It requires a letting go of our personal agendas, our worries, our fears…a surrendering to whatever is unfolding in any given moment.
In her book Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting, Holly W. Whitcomb offers this insight:
“When we are forced to wait – either through hard losses or through much-anticipated transitions – we…experience the dismantling of all that is familiar. While we wait, we often find ourselves out of control…Loss of control can be terrifying; it can unhinge us as we lose sight of everything that is tidy and predictable.”
This is what we, as a global family, are experiencing right now – the seeming loss of everything that is tidy and predictable. The world as we have known it is coming to an end. We sense that life will be different on the other side of this pandemic. We know that there will need to be social, political, economic, and environmental changes in our country and the world in order for Peace to emerge as a way of living together on earth. And we don’t know what it will look like. And we’re not sure how to move forward. For most of us, it is a very unsettling, even frightening time and we don’t like it one bit! And yet, here we are, so it behooves us to consciously engage with what is being called forth.
How do we learn to loosen the white-knuckle grip that we tend to hold around the circumstances of our lives? Spiritual Practice. Are you surprised? Spiritual Evolutionary Craig Hamilton suggests that it takes more than a few minutes of silence in the morning to really become comfortable with the level of change we are experiencing. He says there is a need “to spend real time, real practice letting go of everything and simply being…letting go of all doing, all becoming, all engagement, and discovering the deep ground and essence of who we are beyond this world of time and change and becoming…When we allow ourselves to…let go and let everything simply be, we discover that at the ground of reality, the very foundation of this whole event of creation…there is nothing wrong…On a fundamental ground level there is no problem. And this discovery liberates us.”
The human brain is, indeed, a blessing…and sometimes it can feel like a curse. It is built for problem-solving, analysis, and logic. And so it makes a habit of looking for problems to solve. The law of expectancy tells us that what we are looking for is what we will find. So basically, we are wired to see problems, or to create them if none can be seen. It takes a strong intention, willingness, and commitment to rewire the hardware, gradually decreasing this tendency. But it is worth the time and effort spent. When we consciously and purposefully let go of the idea that there must be something wrong, we free ourselves up fully – we can give our full attention and life energy to wholehearted participation in every moment.
There is a form of meditation, originally taught by Ramana Maharshi, that is particularly effective at helping us surrender to what is. It is currently taught and referred to as the No Problem, No Preference Meditation by teacher Jeff Carreira. I invite you to give it a try. Begin by setting a timer for whatever period of time seems appropriate, so that you can let go of time altogether. I am currently using 30 minutes, but start smaller if you wish. Sit quietly, in a comfortable position. Allow your breath to soften. Consciously think to yourself, “I am entering the flow of meditation. There is nothing wrong. I have no preference for one experience over another.” Then just sit. Whatever happens in your mind, don’t make a problem out of it. Do nothing. Rest. If your thoughts wander, no problem. If you hear a voice saying, “This is stupid. This is not real meditation. You should be getting something done.” No problem. “Shouldn’t I be following my breath or clearing my chakras?” No, do nothing. No problem. Just keep sitting. As often as you need to, remind yourself that nothing is wrong. Everything is exactly as it should be. Keep sitting, being physically still, until the timer goes off. Then, consciously leave the flow of meditation, affirming once again that there was no problem and go on with your day. You will find that, with practice, you will be able to carry this sense of no problem into your daily life. The sense that all is well will begin to permeate your heart and mind. During meditation time, you will begin to lose interest in what your mind is doing, and become skilled at giving it no attention whatsoever.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (Christian Bible, John 1:5)
The Light of Consciousness, the Light of Awareness, shines in, through and as all of Creation. It is what we are…all things are made of Light. Whatever we might name as darkness is only our temporary misperception of what is Real, or what is True. As we learn to surrender, to give up our illusion of control, and to consciously and actively place our Faith in the perfect unfolding of all that is happening, we gain clarity…we gain peace and contentment. As we give our wholehearted attention to what is right in our lives, we cease the relentless focus on what is wrong. And slowly, if we are patient, we begin to see that all is unfolding by the Grace of God.
I leave you with two famous quotes, the first from Theresa of Avila: “Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything.”
The other is from Lady Julia of Norwich: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well”
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.
