Be Still and Know?
A NEW MOON OF GUIDANCE
Q:be still and know?
A: How often do you find yourself simply being still? I’m reflecting on the stillness that is calling me from what feels like a faraway land, beyond the bustle of New York City, beyond the constant flow of thoughts that rush as a river through my unconscious, beyond the momentum of life that persists even if my body is not moving at all. Psalm 46:10 reads, Be still and know that I am God. What does this mean to you, if anything?
Have you ever done the exercise of pulling back the words of scripture or sacred texts? How about reading between the lines? One of the most beautiful and mysterious aspects of the Word that I have found is that there are no linear rules that are as strong as the power that is beheld within it. For example, I can read scripture from left to right in English and from one passage to the next (linear) and receive a tremendous amount of insight and clarity. However, the greatest unfolding of understanding I have received in my life has come through a combination of the intuitive interplay between listening and the courage to follow the inner guidance that I heard while listening.
GOD’S GUIDING HAND
During a period of unfathomable duress 7 years ago, I found myself nearly swimming inside of the Word. I’d gasp for breath, seeking that which could pull me from the near abyss I felt myself being pulled toward as if someone had unplugged the drain in the bathtub of the false paradise I had been soaking in. It was a very special time with my Father in Heaven, my most trustful companion who guided me with exquisite love and compassion, cradling me in His hands as I moved through the death of one life and into the cocoon of a new future life.
The impulse was to keep going, as in not giving up the breath that is life itself, and yet the instruction was also to get very still inside. I would receive unfamiliar scriptures while in the shower and then afterward dive right into my bible and see if I could make sense of these plot points that seemed to be weaving a map. I was given clues as to how to reverse my tragedy while finding solace in my faith which was growing exponentially with every gift of inner revelation.
PSALM 46:10
It was a radical time, one where the veil was so thin that I felt I could drink in the light that was beaming off the pages of the scripture itself. Prophets and biblical characters were revealing themselves as actual Beings, friends I could relate to in their arduous walk through life. Dearest Job and his journey through loss and the faith that carried him became a lighthouse for me in the darkest of times. And I began to see the Bible as something else completely, a new understanding emerged as to what it means to speak of the living word of God.
Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am. Be still and know that I. Be still and know that. Be still and know. Be still and…Be still. Be.
Right now, as I navigate another time of challenge throughout many layers of my life, I am feeling the pull once again toward a deeper state of listening. It is amazing to me how I weave in and throughout different volumes of resonance and it has become clear I need to turn down the outer track and attune to the inner silence even more. There is no music without the silence that lives between the notes. On this new moon, I turn my awareness back toward the stillness that lives within me to listen more deeply.
May we all receive the message that we need this moon cycle to help us walk into the continuous unfolding mystery of our lives with greater courage and more love to share.
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We cannot change the world until we accept we are the world. This is the new conversation.