How are your New Year’s resolutions coming along? I did not make any; I do have an ongoing resolve to stay centered. This I believe is the basis of all life. No matter what we want to achieve, we have to be centered to access the resources within, to put forth the best of what we can be and do in that endeavor. This applies to all that we create, whether it is our own state of mind, or the manifestations of our relationships with family and friends, our careers, or the creative outlets of our artistic inclinations.
To be centered means to be at peace within, to sit in stillness no matter how chaotic everything is around us. Moving outward from that still center, we work from a foundation of balance which is strong and steady. We are not blown away by the winds of angry words of the disgruntled. We are not sucked into fixing the dysfunction of the world at the risk of loosing the integrity of our own center. We are not dependent on accolades from the world to maintain our self-esteem. From the still center of beingness we are able to feel our own wholeness and can access the fountain of peace, strength and courage, to help those whose lives we touch. In these times of outer turmoil it is easy to feel hopelessness and despair. I believe that we are called to make a difference where we can, within the vicinity of our own lives. If we can each be the pillar of strength within our own families and communities, it will magnify and collectively affect all of humanity on a mass level. It begins from within our own inner center.
How do we become centered? There are endless resources available everywhere, including free information on the internet. We have only to be committed to give this gift to ourselves. The secret to sticking with a method for reminding ourselves to become centered is to choose what resonates with us. It may not initially be fun, but how it makes us feel after practicing is what matters. We all function better in a particular modality. Some of us are more visual, auditory or kinesthetic. We would be inclined to stick with a practice that matches our personality. Making time at the start of our day for some kind of practice is the most beneficial. We come in contact with our energy source, feeling refreshed and grateful for the wonder of this life. We can then move into our day with a dynamic enthusiasm, expressing the joy we touched upon in our practice.
Meditation is perhaps the most common tool for centering. There are many forms of meditation ranging from sitting and focusing on our breath, to more active forms such as Tai Chi and Hatha Yoga, or engaging in some form of ritual that draws us into the sacredness of life. Writing down the stream of consciousness made famous by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way can be another form of centering. In this practice, the first thing in the morning, we write down all our thoughts in an unedited stream for a half to one hour. This clears our mind and makes room for focusing on the stillness within. Taking a walk by ourselves preferably in nature, loosing ourselves in making something that requires a focus, dancing, singing, or any activity where mindfulness draws us to the still center within, are good ways to return to our center.
The beauty of returning to the still center is that we create the state of mind that we want. How often do we feel tired, confused or scattered, not knowing the source of our distress? I believe that we are magnets for all of the energies that are emanating all around us, for example in the office, the subway, or the media. We are constantly being bombarded with the thought forms that are swirling around our environment. How we stay afloat within this swirling soup of fear, anger, frustration and all its counterparts, depends on how centered we are. We can become hooked in by these feelings, identifying them as our own if we are not aware. Being centered helps us to distinguish what is our own state of mind and to keep refreshing that state of connection to our source.
Here is one of my favourite poems that speaks of the still center. It is by Rabindranath Tagore.
Break Open the Door
When the heart is hard and parched up,
come upon me with a shower of mercy.
When grace is lost from life, come with a burst of song.
When tumultuous work raises its din on all sides
shutting me out from beyond, come to me, my lord of silence,
with thy peace and rest.
When my beggarly heart sits crouched,
shut up in a corner, break open the door, my king,
and come with the ceremony of a king.
When desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust,
O thou holy one, thou wakeful,
come with thy light and thy thunder.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Walking in Stillness for me is like walking as if you are in the eye of a Hurricane. It is the center of the vortex. There is so much energy of all kinds swirling about us. One truly false move and we can get swept up and thrown around. Therefore, as you say, to stay centered ~ we can let go of all that comes to mind. It can be processed and felt fully too, where we are a pillar of light, unable to be knocked around since we are both rooted to the earth and to the heavens above.
I too wonder where some of my thoughts and feelings come from. Sometimes, I am sure they must be some repressed feelings having their cyclic turn at coming to the surface hoping that they may finally be listened to so that they can be remembered and let go of, so that they can return Home and find peace, as all things seem to desire. Then there are times when I ask, where is this coming from. However, I usually end up processing the streaming energy anyway. So I wonder if I may be dissolving rotating issues in the environment or in other people’s energy fields. Its not straight forward for me to see the answer to such questions. However, if an issue or a feeling arises, no matter the source, I usually do process the information, since it is something that I seem to know how to do. Someone has to clean up the garbage that has littered the earth. At least this is the story that I am telling my self.
Hello Bern,
I like the image of a pillar of light. Light removes the shadows and casts a glow on all it shines on. A fitting metaphor for moving in the world.
Perhaps there is a collective unconscious that Jung spoke of where all thoughts originate. We connect to this ever swirling field of thought-forms and those that match the impressions we carry in our own energy become magnetized to us. Depending on the degree of our identification with its resonance, we come to own them as ours.
“Someone has to clean up the garbage that has littered the earth.” This reminds me of the vow of the Bodhisattva. An act of compassion for the good of humanity. Big shoes to fill.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
May you always walk in deep stillness my friend!
I’ve missed you, Miruh…your posts continually strike at the heart of things. Have you ever heard the saying…find a rock, place your butt and centre? I have a favourite rock I sit on each day, and as strange as it may sound, each and every time, that rock grounds and centres me.
Thanks for the great post.
Good one, Miruh. Everything begins in stillness. Creation did too & does. So if it works for the grand Universe, stillness will surely work for us in daily life.
Miruh, I love your words of wisdom! If we all practiced staying centered, what a change could take place in the world! The Artist’s Way is a wonderful tool for this, as you suggest.
May you have beauty, love and peace in the New Year.
Love! Linda
Hello Marion,
I like sitting on rocks when it is warm outside, but in these wet days of winter, I would rather be holding a rock in my hand.
Glad you find the posts meaningful.
Happy sitting, stay centered!
Hello Pamir,
There must have been a deep stillness before that big bang!
Deep peace to you!
Hello Linda,
I agree, the ripple effect from the center of the one world we live in would be awesome indeed!
Thanks for the new year blessing, may it be returned a thousand fold!
Excellent message for the Oneness! remain centered to reach everywhere…
Even when we undertake to do some repairing job, firstly, the person centres himself well and then uses the tool rightly. Once firm on foot and rooted, the extension of other parts of the body carry on the steadiness. similarly, mind rooted in consciousness enables the well functioning of the body and mind…
The practice to connect and remain with our ownselves especially soon after waking up is truly wonderful. It helps us to be aware and remain meditative for the rest of the day.
Hello Merging Point,
Well said, “mind rooted in consciousness enables the well functioning of the body and mind…” In every aspect of life we need to be centered, as you pointed out, even in doing chores.
Thanks for your wise words my friend!
Deep peace to you!
The idea of having to do chores is a good topic. If one feels something is a chore, then resistance to what IS is felt. One would rather not be doing it. This then is a Clue. Why does One not want to do something. An investigation is in order to release the tension. We can then shift the attitude behind the action. We can make the action fun or not ever do it again. If we are, for instance, doing the dishes, we can set and attach an energetic intention or underlying spell or ritual with the action of washing the dishes. As I clean these dishes, which is a reflection of my self, I cleanse my inner worlds of the dirt which may be the result of negative charges holding the dirt in place. I dissolve these charges as I dissolve the dirt with this soap. Therefore, another layer of purpose is then assigned to the action. One can become creative with directing energy. What we do with every moment is not straight forward, from this point of view.
Hi Miruh,
I agree that meditation is of vital importance for centering and The Artist’s Way is very effective. I have been using The Writer’s Way for years which is similar for focusing. Welcome back and thank you for sharing this.
Happy New Year my friend.
Hello Bern,
Your suggestion is an excellent one to create a new perception. And I would add that just being present to what is, noticing how our minds inform us how we should be feeling, and coming back to what is, can be another way to bring joy to the things we would not normally enjoy.
Thanks for returning to share your insights. As always you make me contemplate things a little deeper.
Hi Alexys,
I know a lot of people who do this practice and swear by it. I am not one of those, I am a sitting down on my cushion, or chop wood and carry water type meditator.
Happy New Year to you too !
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