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August Salon
Sept 3, 2002
Enjoying the Silence
A classic cartoon that first appeared years ago shows two Buddhist monks seated in meditation posture. The older monk, responding to a question from the young novice, says, “Nothing happens next. This is it.” It’s a double joke: Of course, the beginning student wants to know what to expect after he closes his eyes, counts his breath, or follows whatever technique the monk has taught him, as if he expects the heavens to open and some explosive enlightenment to occur. But it’s also true that what happens “next” in a fully realized meditation is, well, nothing. Some apprehension of openness to the great Void may be as much as anyone might realistically expect from meditation practice. Yet, as meditation teachers have been saying for millennia, that “nothing” or “emptiness” is really a great something, a realization of the fullness of Being. It’s also the thing we dread most, the Void we may expect to enter at death, the eradication of our precious ego. That’s probably why beginning mediators often experience so much resistance to the practice.
VACATION BLUES
Maybe you can get a clearer understanding of what I mean by looking more closely at the phenomenon commonly known as “vacation stress.” You may be wondering how a vacation could be stressful -- but only if you haven’t taken one lately. First of all, there’s the ordinary stress of preparing to go away, rushing to pack while still doing everything else you normally do. Add to that the anxiety of getting where you’re going. Flying these days has clearly taken on an extra layer of stress, but even driving anywhere further than the nearest state park can be stressful, fatiguing, and perhaps dangerous. Once you get where you’re going, you have to check in and start doing whatever you planned on -- sightseeing, hiking, swimming, finding a place to eat – all the while pursuing that elusive feeling of relaxation. That can be especially hard to do when you find yourself surrounded by hundreds of other eager vacationers, all flooding into the same desirable locales in the last two weeks of August, hoping for peace and quiet but making it awfully hard to get a dinner reservation at a decent restaurant.
FEAR OF EMPTINESS
We probably are afraid of silence and empty space because we have trouble understanding the creative potential and power of lying fallow. When farmers do that, for instance, they are letting growing fields go “on retreat,” so to speak, so that they can regenerate precious nutrients that will go into the next crop that is planted there. The result, as farmers have known for ages, is a healthier, more nutritious crop of wheat or corn or strawberries. In the Chinese system of exercise known as qigong (or Chi Gung), one common foot posture is called an “empty step.” That’s when you put your front foot forward but don’t place any weight on it; all or most of your weight remains on your rear leg. As qigong masters explain, this is one of the most powerful moves you can make, because that front leg is free to move quickly to strike or block an opponent. A leg or foot that has all your weight on it is encumbered and can’t be moved nearly as fast or as effectively. And much the same is true of a mind or psyche that has become too busy and encumbered and needs some room to breathe.
WAYS TO ENJOY THE SILENCE
Now that we know that it’s good to create some open space for your mind and heart to grow and create in, how do we go about doing that? One obvious way, of course, is through some kind of daily meditation practice. By learning to enter that space of emptiness on a regular basis, even if only for 20 or 30 minutes, you’ll become more familiar with the sensation and less afraid of the negative connotations of feeling “empty.” In time, you will probably come to enjoy the silence, the respite from cares and concerns of daily life, at least in the sense of not allowing them to wear you down and dominate your consciousness. Meditation teachers usually acknowledge that it’s impossible to keep random thoughts, worries, plans, and even obsessions from intruding during meditation. But it is possible to let them simply float by without playing into their hands. Tell yourself that whatever happens during your meditation time doesn’t matter – especially if “nothing” happens. Even if you seem to spend most of the time calling yourself back from daydreams and fantasies, or trying not to worry about something that went wrong at work yesterday, you are still entering a creative space. In time it will be easier to let go of distracting thoughts long enough to get some inkling of the “nothing between.”
THE SOUND OF SILENCE
I think that what most people are actually afraid of when they create noise isn’t the silence itself or even the feeling of loneliness that may accompany it. What you’re really afraid of is the possibility of receiving some important intuitive hit that you might have to follow. It could be an inner voice telling you it’s time to change your job, to leave your partner, to move, or to take the spiritual life a lot more seriously. What will you do if you’re silent long enough for that “still small voice” to be heard loud and clear? You might have to act on it, or else acknowledge that you’re not being authentic. Sometimes the voice will repeat itself as if waiting for the chance to be heard. And, if you start learning to enjoy the silence, those voices that you missed may make themselves heard yet.
Next month I’d like you to report back about how you made out and whether you were able to let some silence into your lives. Until then, I hope you’ll all also continue to enjoy the last precious moments of summer.
God bless you on your journey,
Caroline
New Religion Section is Live on Myss.com
THE CMED INSTITUTE
Since the publication of Sacred Contracts, I have received inquires from many readers asking for my personal guidance with the selection of their 12 archetypes. Many people have also asked for my help, or the help of someone intimately familiar with my work, in casting a Chart of Origin, interpreting the placement of their archetypes in the Chart, and using the Archetypal Wheel for additional readings regarding health, career, finances, counseling, or spiritual guidance. Still others wanted to know if I could teach them how to lead focus groups on the Sacred Contracts material. This would require studying with me on a more advanced level of archetype and chart interpretation, such as casting an Archetypal Chart to gain greater insight into the unfolding of global events.
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Finding Your Sacred Contract Live Audio
Fundamentals of Spiritual Alchemy Live Audio
The Best Of Caroline Myss Live Audio
The Power Of Choice Live Audio
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Caroline Myss - Wayne Dyer
Nov. 23/02
Rosemont IL
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and Dr. Caroline Myss have played key roles in the movement of people interested in awakening human potential. These two innovative leaders have helped tens of thousands of people access their innate abilities by teaching how we create our own realities, for better or worse, and how to consciously direct human energy toward achieving goals. On Saturday, November 23, Dyer and Myss will collaborate for the first time ever--bringing to you their knowledge and experience of the amazing interconnection between our minds, bodies and realities, and how to work with this information to not only improve your daily life, but reach your highest human potential.
To register for Caroline Myss – Wayne Dyer
From the Expert Section on Myss.com
Sonia Choquette
Body Mind & Spirit Expos
Chicago, Illinois
October, 12th & 13th, 2002 at the
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont
Download a Registration Form today!
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