CULTIVATE INNER PEACE
Inner peace is cultivated in so many ways that even the simple act of placing our naked feet on the earth can call it forth. To know how to choose inner peace at any given moment, or enjoy it on a more ongoing basis, calls for learning skills that work constructively with the mind and emotions. Some of these are already described in the other sections of this website.
When we consciously cultivate inner peace, it expands our perception of life as we know it. The limits of our familiar comfort zones can be seen and we notice the wider contexts within which we live. It leads us to engage more fully with what it means to be human.
Maybe we are called to explore our fundamental nature and discover, for example, that it is interconnected and interdependent, not separate and apart. We may find ourselves drawn to the more contradictory aspects of our nature, such as being human and spiritual at once, and seek ways to balance and integrate the contradictions therein. It could be that we delve into practices that align us with time-honoured principles of living, or discover a need to serving the common good. In the quest for inner peace, we can discover ourselves as multi-dimensional beings with faculties that go way beyond what we have ever experienced before.
What follows are some reliable ways of relating to ourselves, others and life generally that not only expand our potential for wellbeing but also cultivate the wonderful way of being in the world that we call inner peace.
ENGAGING WITH INNER PEACE
The very nature of the mind is so changeable that for it to generate inner peace, we would theoretically need to choose, on a moment to moment basis, what brings peace to it instead of focusing on what doesn’t. The mind scans for potential threats, picks up on all kinds of contradictory information and is very easily distracted. By necessity, inner peace is gained in roundabout ways of working with the mind.
It is not difficult to learn a few tricks that stimulate immediate peaceful effects on the mind, but it is the well-tried and tested meditative practices that cultivate more sustained states of inner peace. Some basic practices involve learning to tune in, balance the breath, direct and broaden the mind’s focus, choose noble thoughts and cultivate stillness.
We can also give the mind jobs that specifically directs and occupies its focus. Establishing
practices means engaging at our own level of interest, and once we know what healthily brings peace to our mind, cultivate more of that.
It is over time that the meditative practices reveal their benefits for our wellbeing. We become ‘the thinker of our thoughts’ rather than being at the mercy of thoughts running riot. Our capacity to observe develops more acutely. The clarity of our thinking sharpens. We recognise self-talk and release self-limiting thinking. We feel confident influencing our states of mind. The way we think is less likely to ignite emotional reactions. We gain energy as well as serenity. Overall, meditative practices inevitably contributes inner peace.
When it comes to picking up a few basics about emotions and discovering their influence on our inner peace, there are quick tools that serve us on the spot, and practices that steadily build a foundation of inner peace.
Tuning In is an essential skill to have when engaging with both our emotions and mind. We learn to turn inwards in the course of the day and simply check what is going on. These brief scans may well reveal something of an emotional nature. It could be the tension of a gnawing fear of what someone will think of us, angry emotions about not being in control of something, or sadness about an experience that has been lived. With the awareness that Tuning In gives us, we learn to relate to, and engage constructively with, the emotions of everyday life.
In contrast to their ability of generating inner peace, emotions also generate stressful biochemistry and this is where skill building can really make a difference. These emotional effects often ‘hide’ in a tightness, ache or sinking feeling somewhere in the body. Most of us have typical areas where these tensions play out; it could be in the solar plexus, chest, shoulders, jaws or somewhere else.
Tuning in reveals where those more challenging emotions express themselves in the body. When we tune in, we encounter the messages our emotions carry and can learn to read them. There are great tools for developing these abilities, one being the release method EFT which is also known as tapping.
Tapping happens to be a very effective tool when it comes to relieving ourselves of the emotional charge of the old baggage that is an obstacle to inner peace. It addresses the invisible and visible self-sabotage we engage with.
Another basic is to learn to cultivate specific emotional states that encourage serenity, contentment, happiness and so on. Forty years of research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology testify to the direct influence that emotions have on our health and wellbeing.
An empowering form of cultivating inner peace is to practice appreciation. It can generate states of emotional peace within minutes. It involves the straightforward practice of focusing on everything we appreciate and feel grateful for.
Like states of love and compassion, the influence of appreciation can be observed in the lab. The far-reaching research done at the HeartMaths Institute, for instance, demonstrates the numerous beneficial effects that come from generating appreciation deliberately. It quite literally increases what is known as Heart-Brain Synchronisation. Known as coherence, it is a creation between our heart rhythms and brain waves. The Institute offers a wide range of processes and tools to achieve this, including the pathway through appreciation.
Today we have available to us a very wide range of helpful approaches, methods and processes that directly, and indirectly, cultivate inner peace. Beyond the inner work with the mind and emotions, it is cultivated when we align ourselves with ways of being in the world that are well-known for their beneficial effects and the quality of life they offer. These are what this section is all about.
ABOUT INNER PEACE
———————
TOLERATE THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES
———————
ABOUT TENSIONS OF OPPOSITES
Human beings encounter many contradictions in life. We want to eat the cake, but also keep it, we want to change a habit but find ourselves doing the same old thing. Should we take a good look at life in terms of contradiction, we would soon discover that duality is everywhere to be seen. It is inevitable that it exists within us as well as all around us.
Observers like C.G.Jung suggest that an evolution of human consciousness takes place in every process we live of reconciling the polarities and opposites of life. Jung also speaks of the hidden unity at the heart of all opposition, contradiction and polarity. When we are not aware of this invisible wholeness and unity, it is more predictable that it is the discomfort and tension of contradictory situations that get our attention and we look for ways of making it go away.
It is no wonder that we focus on ridding ourselves of uncomfortable sensations. Not many of us have been taught basics of handling the tensions of opposites when growing up. It is rare to know that when we consciously face and reconcile our inner and outer contradictions, inner peace follows.
Whether we want it or not, our lives tend to be littered with seemingly contradictory situations. The paradox is that the know-how of relating constructively to processes of reconciliation is quite simple and straightforward, but it does take practice:
-
We remember that a hidden unity exists in the situation (and seeks to be manifest)
-
We practice tolerating the bodily sensations that come and go until this unity becomes visible.
The tension of opposites in the body is often similar to the sensations we experience when feeling difficult emotions. By allowing these sensations—accepting their existence—rather than fleeing from them, subsides the discomfort and allows for reconciliation to progress. The tension of opposites rises and falls in the course of the reconciliation process. When we stay aware to to process, we may well be surprised by the effects it has to ‘stick it out’ in these situations, and
What seemingly irreconcilable differences, contradictions, polarities, oppositions are noticeable in our lives? Are we willing to let these reconcile and heal? If not, what are the obstacles in the way? Is there any reconciliation process underway? How do we engage with it constructively?
This skill-building becomes second nature when it is put to practice in daily life:
I notice seemingly irreconcilable situations in my life and remember that these contain a hidden unity that seeks manifestation. I tolerate the uncomfortable tensions that come and go in the course of the reconciliation process.
LIVE MINDFULLY
———————
ABOUT MINDFULNESS
Given that our attention is now considered a commodity to be bought and sold today, let alone fought over by various interests at large, it is essential to take good care of our consciousness, protect it and learn to direct it in ways that are beneficial. When we want inner peace, such skills matter. We practice different approaches to the best of our ability and discover that they grow into natural habits.
Mindfulness is a well-known approach of directing our attention to the present moment. The idea is to learn to direct the focus of the mind to the task at hand in daily life. To be mindful also involves noticing what is going on inside. When inner and outer life are attended to mindfully, inner peace is cultivated.
This is easier said than done. Most of us have gotten used to doing things while we are elsewhere in our thoughts. The mind is so easily hijacked by concerns of keeping us safe. It gets focused on what could happen, must happen and should have happened instead of noticing what is happening.
If we were to stay focused on the unique constellation of events taking place from moment to moment, we would probably feel not only content but also safe. It is not possible to be frightened of the future while we are fully present in the here and now.
Most of us know what it feels like when someone truly listens to us. It feels so good to be witnessed, seen and acknowledged. This is the quality of attention we need to use when we practice mindfulness. It is like a true listening to the present moment. We give attention to what goes on inside, what we are doing and what surrounds us.
The various mindfulness teachings cover areas such as mindful breath, eating, drinking and walking but also mindfulness of the senses, thought and emotions. To begin it often helps to run a commentary of the present moment: ‘I am reading this book’, ‘I am drinking this water.’ Mindfulness teacher Thich Nhat Hahn taught mindful walking to build such presence. The inner awareness is set deliberately to notice the details of what is going on and stating it to ourselves, ‘I notice the sole of my foot against the floor ... the stairs … the street ... the grass ...’
Despite our best intentions to be mindful, the mind’s attention tends to drift away from the present to get lost in trains of thought. To judge ourselves for getting distracted is not helpful to anyone. The idea is instead to remain mindful of whatever goes on within and without, including self-judgement.
Whenever the flow of mindful awareness is interrupted, the practice is to keep bringing back the focus to the experience right here and right now. With repetition, it becomes ever more possible to maintain our directed focus for longer periods of time.
This skill-building becomes second nature when it is put to practice in daily life:
I train my mind’s attention to focus on the tasks at hand and learn to hold it there. I observe what is going on right now, right here, and notice the effects this has on my inner peace and wellbeing.
CHOOSE LOVING KINDNESS
———————
ABOUT LOVING KINDNESS
A roundabout but practical way of cultivating inner peace is to be intentionally kind. It can be practiced at any moment and in any setting because it is not only directed to others but also to ourselves. It generates profound effects of inner peace.
The aim is to cultivate kindness rather than what life so often demands of us: to barter for advantages, make impressions, gain points or prove our worthiness. It can be fascinating to notice what happens internally and externally when kindness is intentionally chosen.
ENGAGING WITH LOVING KINDNESS
Most of us are already naturally kind, but our kindness might well be selective. This is a practice of stretching beyond the old comfort zones and test being kind in ever broader and more inclusive ways. It might feel contrived and artificial at first, and maybe we don’t like the feed-back we get from others, but this changes over time.
The cultivation practice involves being kind not only to others and the world we live in but also remembering to be kind to ourselves. Self-compassion is something many of us struggle with. In the relationship with ourselves, the kindness cultivation is expressed in the way we take care of our physical and spiritual health but also how we relate to our thinking, self-talk, beliefs and emotions.
The practice of loving kindness is extended to Mother Earth and the other species we cohabit with. Practicing kindness in all these relationships reaches far, wide and deep; changes can be noticed in our attitudes, judgements, communications, behaviours and actions.
CHOOSE LOVING THOUGHTS
We can extend the practice of loving kindness to our thinking as well. The basic idea is to choose loving thoughts. It inevitably involves an expansion of our conditioned, culturally limiting emphasis on what to perceive and think, and puts more emphasis on the quality of our thoughts, perceptions and beliefs.
Many of us meditate these days and have direct experience of observing our mind in action. When we intentionally observe it, we are likely to discover that the same things are thought about over and over again. Trains of thought catch our attention and off we go. When we reflect on it, we could even predict where it will lead us and how we will end up feeling. Once we discover that our thoughts influence how we feel, it is easier to be motivated to learn how we influence our thinking. This is one such way.
Some thoughts energise us, while others wear us out. Our thoughts can move us to expand with excitement and potential but can also make us to want to curl up and hide. As it is estimated that we think some 60.000 thoughts a day, we might as well choose to think the very best when possible; those that make us feel well, content, happy. Choosing loving thoughts do that.
It begins by cultivating awareness of our thought patterns, noticing triggers that set off trains of thought, and realising that nothing is actually stopping us from consciously re-directing the focus of the mind at any point.
A great practice ground for engaging with loving thoughts is when we are with other people. Let’s say that something has just occurred that did not turn out as we wished. We are mentally and emotionally triggered and about to go down a familiar route of opinionated and judgemental thinking that puts the blame somewhere outside ourselves. But we notice where we are heading and know we are at a choice-point. We take a moment—a pause—and consider our options.
This pause interrupts the train of thinking about to run rampant. Next we offer the mind something to chew on, like asking questions such as: How can I think about what occurred differently? What would be the best possible way of perceiving what happened? Is there a creative way of relating to it that serves the good of everyone? Can it be thought of in an accepting, even loving way?
We can also cultivate loving thoughts with subjects such as our past or future. These are often represented in image memories and mental storylines.
Thinking about the future tends to trigger fears about the unknown and tells stories about the likely challenges we will have to face. We can quite literally change these future plots by intentionally thinking loving thoughts about them. We send them love, think kind thoughts about them and change the storylines. Playing creatively and visually with the content of our habitual future thinking loosens the grip of the old ways long enough to introduce more supportive storytelling and ideas.
Cultivating loving thoughts can also begin by simply fact-finding. What emotional effects are produced by different types of thinking? If I am feeling tired, what have I been thinking about? If I am feeling resentful, where have my thoughts been? When feeling great, how did my thinking contribute? It helps to know what kind of thinking we want to cultivate more of, and less of.
The principle is that each and every time we remember to pay attention to our thinking, we can freely choose thoughts that have the best possible effects on us. Repeatedly choosing loving thoughts builds new neural pathways. What we have been compelled to think becomes replaced over time by what we choose to be thinking.
This skill-building becomes second nature when it is put to practice in daily life:
I notice opportunities to practice loving kindness to myself, others and all life. I train myself to notice the quality of my thinking and choose to make it loving.
ABOUT SYMBOLIC PERCEPTION
It is deeply nourishing to live life symbolically; it is healing, liberating and meaningful—and it naturally evokes inner peace. It awakens awareness of the unfolding flow of life that is unencumbered by all our human designs. We open to profound states of being when we decide to live our lives symbolically.
It’s not difficult to learn to live life this way because just about anything can be related to symbolically. The basic idea is to get used to stepping out of situations, put on our symbolic glasses and look at them again. Instead of events only being taken personally, they are placed in the context of storylines already known in the collective human psyche, those narratives where everyone and everything has a meaningful role to play.
Our job is to remember that there will always be discoveries to make in every situation, dynamic or conflict we experience. We are looking for the greater story that is being told. Each relationship and experience carry purposes that will be revealed as the 'show' plays out. The purpose behind what happens at the beginning and middle is most likely to be discovered towards the end.
Symbolic sight is surprisingly productive as it also happens to employ the mind very constructively. It directs the focus to the creative potential inherent in just about everything.
Let’s say we have been stuck in a conflict that we have been blaming on others. We are waiting for them to put it right. There is little creative energy in being stuck in waiting rooms of hope that others will do what we want them to do.
With symbolic sight we can instead put the whole situation into the context of a story being told. When we get the hang of doing this, it brings new vitality and activates potential. It becomes easier to understand how to relate to the situation, and it also invites accepting, even respecting, everyone’s symbolic role in the conflict.
With symbolic sight we are freer to explore: Does this situation remind me of a story I have read or a film I have seen? Who are the main characters in it? What archetypes are featuring? Are there villains, victims and heroes? Who is playing what character? What drives each one of these characters? What would need to happen for a happy ending for everyone? What hidden motivations drive our own character? What are the likely outcomes for characters like ours? If this was played out on stage, what would the audience wish our own character to do?
Symbols help us to relate to the rich mess of contradiction and complexities which makes up human life. They help us to deal with those paradoxes that confuse the mind. Symbols offer us insight and understanding that feels true and comforting. The meaning is naturally understood by the deeper layers of our psyche. Symbols are never static either; they reveal ever new layers of meaning over time.
ENGAGING WITH SYMBOLIC PERCEPTION
Make yourself comfortable and set an intention to learn to use symbolic sight in life. Tune into one question at a time to write your answer.
Which situation in my life would I like to look at with new eyes?
What roles are being played out in it?
What is my role?
What motivates the character I am playing?
What are the likely outcomes for this role?
What does the audience wish my character would do?
What type of roles do I tend to play in life?
What types of casts do I tend to be part of?
Are there any typical themes expressed in these roles and productions?
Looking back, can I spot any predictable story-lines and roles in my relationships?
What are they?
Where do they repeat?
What have my characters been trying to achieve in these storylines?
What are my most familiar characters trying to achieve today?
What films, books, plays and shows am I drawn to today?
What classic myths, tales and stories am I still drawn to?
Do they resemble my own story-lines and themes?
Where could symbolic sight be useful to me in daily life?
Where would I begin?
When would I begin?
Take a moment before you move on to other things to reflect on the experience. Write down anything you find helpful for future reference and close the process.
This skill-building becomes second nature when it is put to practice in daily life:
I symbolic meaning in the literal events of my life and welcome the presence of serendipity in everyday life.
LIVE LIFE SYMBOLICALLY
———————
DREAM & IMAGE STREAM
———————
ABOUT DREAMING & IMAGE STREAMING
Much like the heartbeat and breath are ongoing, internal image streams are as well. These image streams process and order vast amounts of data that would be impossible to do with an alphabet. They are quite simply remarkable resources for co-creation but it initially takes some practice to connect with them.
We are strengthening the communication channels between our conscious and unconscious selves when we intentionally open ourselves to these image streams. The unconscious speaks through images, symbols, metaphors, serendipity, hunches and more. It is a language with its own brand of intelligence, logic and order, and to learn it, we simply show the unconscious that we are willing and open to engage, for example, by writing down our dreams. Our unconscious understands this willingness even in when it comes through small, symbolic gestures.
ENGAGING WITH DREAMS & IMAGE STREAMS
To help those who are unfamiliar with the benefits of internal image processes, Win Wenger developed a simple and effective tool known as ImageStreaming. The method initially stimulates our ability to notice these images streams. It can be further developed to access image associative processes for purposes like enhanced learning, creative inspiration, or other solutions that are tailor made for us.
In a nutshell, the process of stimulating image streams is simple: for 10 minutes a day - with closed eyes, and speaking out loud - we describe all the images we see stream before our mind’s eye. The idea is then to strengthen this connection by adding other sensory information as well, we mention what we hear, sense, smell, or touch to these descriptions. It may take a few weeks of practice for the results to be noticeable.
DREAMWORK
Dreams use a metaphorical language to communicate but can also be surprisingly concrete and practical in their tailor-made advice on our physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and practical wellbeing. Through our dreams we can learn about matters we are unaware of in different areas of our lives. They point out our blind spots, challenges, dangers, opportunities, longings and creative solutions. They expose us to what we would rather avoid and prepare us for engagement with optimal solutions.
With dream sensibility, we can access fields of information that lie beyond our conscious awareness. We can even bring questions to our dreams before going to sleep and wake up to answers. As we become more familiar with the dream communications we are likely to find how specific they can be as well. When a dream comments on our health, for instance, it is worth paying attention. Dreams can communicate early warnings, diagnosis, optimal treatments and give very precise advice on what we need to do to stay healthy.
Although not everyone is in the habit of remembering dreams upon waking, dream recall can easily be stimulated. It is helped by simple gestures like welcoming our dreams before going to sleep or saying thank you for them upon waking, and lingering in bed with our journal long enough to capture dream elements or the whole dream. It is the set and honoured intention to recall our dreams that yields results.
While many of us sense the meaning of the dreams we have, it inevitably benefits us to record them. There is great wisdom to harvest in many dreams. It helps to keep a dream journal and pen handy where we sleep, and write them down upon waking. A dream doesn’t need pages and pages of descriptions but the essentials matter. Just a few descriptive words of dream snippets also serve. By writing them down, we acknowledge our dreams and in return, they become easier to recall and their symbolic representations are clearer to see.
Themes often repeat in dreams, say a house or certain figures. If we want to keep track of these themes, an index of them can be added to our dream journal. It also amplifies our relationship with the dream world to draw, paint and include images to our dream entries.
To gain insights from a dream it is best to add the feeling tones and associations to the storyline. What is my first impression of this dream? How did I feel in it? What intrigues me most about it? What do I want to know more about? Does anything recall details in my waking life? What could it be communicating? Is there any important information for me in this dream?
We can also use a process of amplifying the symbols and images of the dream to delve deeper. We focus on one image or symbol at a time and allow our associations with it to rise. Using pen and paper we create spider charts of these associations. Insights tend to rise when we free-associate.
It can be really interesting to ask questions of a dream as well. Let's say we have had a dream of a female figure trying to catch a train. She is carrying a heavy suitcase that keeps bursting open so she has to stop and put everything back inside. And misses the train.
Questions could be: Does the feeling in the dream remind me of something in my waking life? When and where do I bring along too much and then miss out? What in my life do I need to keep, and what do I need to let go of? What do I stuff back inside again and again? Does holding on to things protect me from making moves of any kind? What was the destination of the train I wanted to catch? What destination would I like to move towards? What train would take me there?
Oftentimes a sense of recognition arises when we add details from the current situation to a dream. Thinking back to what has happened the day before or in recent times, are there any relevant connections, overlaps of themes, or suggestions? Are we being advised, guided or warned by the dream? Is it just commenting on things we haven’t considered?
The practice of cultivating connection with our dreams is stimulated when we go to bed and look forward to dreaming, upon waking when we are keen to write dreams down and in the daytime when we notice our day-dreams, collaborate with image-streams but also when we use creative visualisation. The rewards can be astonishing. It is very healing and whole-making to experience the creative relationship between the conscious and unconscious sides of our nature.
Dreams deserve to be honoured. It could be acknowledging them in any symbolic gesture or ritual we see fit, or by taking practical steps based on the information in the dream. Doing so respects, nurtures and strengthens the creative partnership between our waking and dreaming selves.
CREATIVE VISUALISATION
Whether we are aware of it or not, a lot of what comes to be in our life is created by our thoughts,
words and emotions, not only through the actions we take.
When we intentionally invoke the creative energy of congruent thoughts, feelings, words and
actions, we are also co-creating outcomes in life.
As we creatively visualise all kinds of things daily, we are already using these skills. When we
want something, we usually start by having pictures of it in our minds and feeling strongly about it.
We might talk about it with others, and chat about it to ourselves.
If, for example, we keep thinking about something we really want, and then speak of it as if it
is not possible, while deep inside we feel we don’t deserve what we want, we tend to get
mixed outcomes no matter what our actions are. The thinking, feeling and words are not aligned
Behind the actions we take.
When all of these modalities are instead trained to be congruent with one another, and form a single
affirming focus, they are aligned with our actions. This is a skill that amplifies our intentions.
Creative visualisation at its best is thinking in pictures and aligning our thoughts, words and
emotions in support of them. The thoughts and words give direction to the goal in the visualisation,
while the emotions provide the energy to move in the direction.
We can add any details we feel belong. We need to see ourselves in that visualisation, and
experience it taking place in the present, right now. Once we feel emotions of it already existing, we
are aligned and can express our gratitude for its existence.
It helps to feel into the qualities of this congruent state so we can recall it more easily in daily life. The
idea is to repeatedly activate those emotions of it already existing and do what we can to practically
progress our goal. The focus is not on the goal per se but on seeing, sensing and feeling ourselves
within that vision again and again. It is good to be attentive to little signs, nudges and synchronicity
that take place when we are engaged in creative visualisations.
This skill-building becomes second nature when it is put to practice in daily life:
I engage creatively with my dreams, explore image-streaming and use creative visualisations to express my human potential.
ABOUT ALIGNING WITH SEASONS & CYCLES
The nature of reality is imbued with movement and change. From atom to galaxy, life is in constant motion and flow. Inner peace is cultivated when we align with the cycles and seasons of nature. We remember the fundamental truth that we are not apart from it but an integrated part.
Yet it is rare to be shown the basics of how we collaborate with these rhythms of shifts and change. And without an understanding of the evolving nature of our existence, it becomes complicated to collaborate with it for our benefit. We are more likely to react emotionally to change when it confronts us, and grasp for whatever we believe will make us feel safe and secure; what would stabilise the situation. Knowing how to relate to the changing nature of reality begins by accepting it. We need to cease fighting against it.
Nature provides us with all the metaphors we need to understand more about how to live in peace alongside this movement of change. It shows us great rhythms of construction, deconstruction and reconstruction, and we can see in our lives cycles of gestation, birth, growth, fruition, disintegration and death, and that they are followed by the rebirth of whole new cycles. The seasons of nature move between order and chaos, growth and dormancy, contraction and expansion, simplicity and complexity. The one constant is always movement and change.
Looking at our own experiences in this context, we may observe that, at any one time, our lives will reflect different phases of several cycles at once. In one area of life we could be at the very beginning of something, at another we are gestating, while in others, we are expanding, reaping rewards or coming to closure. When we try to rush or control these phases, it often leads to pre-mature or superficial results.
By increasing our awareness of rhythms and cycles in everyday life, it is much easier to see what is needed and to act on it. The urge to speculate, control or resist the way things are can soften and the focus turn to all we can observe, explore and align with instead. Some of us might also discover the benefits of collaborating with moon cycles or the yearly progression through the solstices, equinoxes and quarter days of the year. Or notice the different phases that our creative work goes through from inception to completion. There are always seasons, cycles and phases going on.
THE STILL POINT
On the other hand, there is stillness at the centre of all movement. Every ferociously spinning tornado is absolutely still at its centre. Throughout the ages the wise have pointed to this centre of stillness as the indicated position to place our being. So stability can be found within the ongoing changes of life.
We can cultivate this positioning by ‘seating ourselves’ at this still point regardless of every atom in our body spinning and the earth spiralling around the sun at great speed through space. With practice, this centre becomes a place of constancy and safety, no matter what else is going on. In daily life we can access it in practices of stillness, and learn to tune in and discover where we are in relation to it. We never need stray too far away from it, for example, with the practice of tuning in.
This still point is more than a point of reference in our lives. According to the unity physics being written today, it is a point of singularity which carries infinite creative potential.
ENGAGING WITH SEASONS & CYCLES.
Take a moment to relax the breath and centre yourself.
Tune into one question at a time and write your answer.
What seeds of intention have I been sowing in my life in recent times?
What could now be gestating in my life?
What is showing the first signs of life?
What is growing in my life?
What is expanding in my life?
What is coming to fruition in my life?
What is being harvested in my life?
What is being shed in my life?
What is deconstructing in my life?
What is coming to a close in my life?
What aspect of my life is in the dark?
How can I embrace the seasons & cycles of my life?
What cycles do I already notice?
What yearly seasons do I feel connected to?
How can I align with this awareness on a daily basis?
Take a moment, a couple of relaxing breaths, and continue by exploring stillness
Do I sense a still point at the centre of my being?
If so, am I in the habit of returning to this still point during the day?
How far away am I from it right now?
How far away was I an hour ago?
How can I come back to this still point?
What would it take to remember this still point when a lot is going on?
If I don’t sense a still point at the centre of my being, do I want to connect with it?
How would I do that?
When will I begin?
Take a moment before you move on to other things to reflect on the effects of contemplating your life within the movement of seasons and cycles. Write down any insights that speak to you and keep these for future reference.
This skill-building becomes second nature when it is put to practice in daily life:
I notice, appreciate and honour the phases, cycles and seasons at work in my life, and collaborate with them intentionally.
ALIGN WITH SEASONS & CYCLES
———————
ABOUT SILENCE & STILLNESS
Taking time daily to be silent and still builds into a remarkable resource in life. A reference point of tranquillity is created within us and becomes ever easier to return to. Doing things comes into balance with just being, and the benevolent effects show up many benevolent ways, including increased inner peace. When we consciously make silence and stillness an integral part of our lives, it has remarkable influences on our health and wellbeing.
Being silent—while also staying awake and aware—reveals what takes place in stillness. Some of us discover that being still means becoming more open, willing and receptive, or that inspiration, insights, intuition and solutions show up in that still space. Very different experiences can unfold, from the mystical to the light-hearted. The conscious act of staying still, silent and simply be is enriching in many surprising ways.
Sometimes our minds cannot, or will not, be still, and then we just let our bodies remain still regardless and allow our breathing, eyes and body to relax further while the mind carries on. It can be interesting to observe its activity for just a moment and then return the focus to the breath or the air we breathe. It helps us avoid being captured by trains of thought. A few minutes at a time will steadily cultivate inner peace.
There is no trying, chasing, or achieving while we purposefully still ourselves like this but it does help our efforts to create supportive conditions. Looking at an image of stillness, for instance, can help access the quality of it, or creating quiet conditions around us when possible.
Closing our eyes, what images of stillness do we easily see in our mind’s eye? Are they of nature, or somewhere in town? Do we have images or belongings at home that evoke qualities of silence and stillness? Are there people in our lives who stimulate peace, quiet and stillness?
The simplicity of claiming stillness and silence naturally extends into the habit of turning towards our inner centre of stillness and silence among everyday activities, say, while waiting in line, going from one place to another, before getting out of bed in the morning. We sink into what is, right here and now, and remain quiet until we are ready to move on. The hum of silence is discovered at the centre of our existence.
This skill-building becomes second nature when it is put to practice in daily life:
I get into the habit of setting time aside for periods of silence and stillness in my day, and also discover natural opportunities of being still and silent in the course of my days.
CLAIM SILENCE & STILLNESS
———————
ABOUT SENSING ENERGY & VIBRATION
What if our fundamental nature is composed of energy, vibration and frequency? Stretching beyond the veil of the senses, we can tune into it and discover how to beneficially collaborate with it.
Subtle energy is what animates all life. It has been called many names throughout history - chi, prana, huna, vital force, subtle energy, spirit and more. There is a great wealth of time-honoured and contemporary approaches across the world that teach us how to constructively engage with our own subtle energies to achieve physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Once we learn to sense energy and discover what ours is like, it is easier to manage incoming and outgoing energy. As energy managers, we learn to sense, engage, retrieve, increase, decrease, ground, balance and direct our energy consciously.
It is not difficult to know how much available energy we have. Most of us can describe our energy levels on a scale from exhausted to very energetic. We know intuitively where we are at on a sliding scale from 0-100.
It’s also pretty straightforward to sense the qualities and characteristics that colour our energy at any given moment. It can seem lively, abundant or smooth at one moment and at another, brittle, stagnant, collapsed or hijacked. Our chi moves around; in and out of states of expansion and contraction, and can move quickly, slowly or somewhere in-between. The volume of it might change from high to low. Some days it may seem quite steady and on others quite erratic.
If we were to observe our energy over a few weeks, our personal energy profile can be known.
We don’t need to see energy to know it. It’s about learning to sense it; it may be as a felt-sense. People who work with subtle energy notice it in different modalities; some see it, others sense it with their hands, get intuitive impressions or read it with the diagnostic tools of their trade.
SENSE ENERGY
We can easily feel our energy when we rub our hands together for a few moments and then hold them apart. There’s a tingling, a rush, between the palms. We feel it when , for instance, we suddenly get exciting news. The energy rises, expands and is coloured by the emotions we feel.
Sometimes we also sense where our energy is being directed and put to work; in the stomach, say, after a heavy meal, and the rest of the body feels emptied of it. At other times we shift from feeling energised to drained in an instant, without even knowing what has caused it.
SENSE THE ENERGY OF OTHERS
We also sense the energy of other people, of things, places and global events. It is common to walk into a room and sense whether the energy is heavy or light. Our own energy also begins to resonate with the energy around us. We pick up on things; sensing when an argument has happened or something secret has been shared. Holding a ring from a departed family member, we could energetically feel whether to wear it or not. Some places, situations and people expand our energy, and others deplete it. Our energy levels are equally influenced by collective emotional states and external events such as earth quakes and solar flare eruptions.
Our energy levels are impacted by what we eat, drink, and the rest we get, as well as our exposure to fresh air, sunshine, toxins and so on. As energy managers, we benefit from discovering and respecting what gives us energy and what takes it away, and learn to act on this information.
The idea is to learn to engage with our own subtle energy—to understand how and where our energy may be stuck, wasted or stolen; how and where it grows, flows and thrives.
SENSE THE ENERGY BODY
One way to make sense of subtle energy is to perceive our physical selves as existing within an energy body. This energy body has a central channel among other connecting channels, and is made up of networks and centres.
Surrounding the physical body is a spectrum of subtle energies often referred to as the aura. Running vertically from the crown of the head to the base of the spine are a series of energy centres–-the chakras. Each chakra serves a different purpose. Together they handle the interface between the physical body and the subtle, cosmic energies.
In addition, the energy body is permeated by pathways that the subtle energy moves through. Chinese medicine has described and employed these channels for some 3.000 years to restore and maintain health. Known as meridians, each one is linked to a specific organ.
Along these meridians are hundreds of small points that lie close to the surface of the skin. These are used to stimulate flow, either through touch, tapping or acupuncture needles. The overall aim is to balance the flow of chi, which should be neither too intense nor too faint. Ayurvedic medicine also uses a similar system to describe the subtle energy pathways, named the nadis.
ENGAGE WITH ENERGY
Subtle energy surrounds us, inhabits us, and moves through us to nourish, nurture, heal and sustain us. We can care for it as lovingly as we can care for our physical bodies.
Using even a simple image of our energy body, we can influence our health and wellbeing. We could, for instance, focus on each chakra and see it as a vortex of incoming and outgoing energy, and visualise it functioning as optimally as possible.
With subtle energy practices, we can also physically tap meridian points to increase energy, release blocked energy and balance the system. Movement like chi gong, tai chi or yoga can intentionally be used to still, shift or dissipate excess energy. We can use the elements like water, fresh air or heat to cleanse and influence our energy. The breath can be consciously used to move stuck energy or to change the tone of it. Donna Eden is one among others who offers a great range of energy tools for self-care.
The sky is the limit for the energy work we can do in with creative imagination. We could create ‘energy hands’ that work with different aspects of our energy body. Or use imaginary feathers to brush off energetic residues of an experience, or visualise flaming torches for burning off outdated energy ties with people. We can ground energy with images of the earth or elevate it with images of air. The choice can be made to be selective about what we expose ourselves to in terms of vibrations of places, people and things. We can even protect ourselves with fields of energy, circles of light, or by expanding into our auras.
At any point during our waking hours, we can tune in and notice different aspects of our vital energy. The following questions use a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest and 1 lowest) but we can also read our energy without using a scale if we prefer.
Ask yourself questions to get a felt-sense response:
On a scale from 1-10, how much energy is available to me right now?
What is the quality of my energy right now?
How freely is my energy flowing right now?
How balanced is my energy right now?
You can continue checking in with these questions:
On a scale from 1-10,
how contracted is my energy right now?
how expansive is my energy right now?
On a scale from 1-10,
how hijacked is my energy by other people right now?
how inspired is my energy by other people right now?
how hijacked is my energy by my thinking right now?
how hijacked is my energy by my emotions right now?
how hijacked is my energy by my self-talk right now?
how hijacked is my energy by my past right now?
how hijacked is my energy by my future right now?
Right here, right now,
In what area of my life do I wish more energy to be invested?
What could I do to direct my energy?
What canI do to balance my energy?
How would I like to become my own energy manager?
Write down any insights you would like to keep for future reference.
IDENTIFY ENERGY DRAINS
Write down the answers to these questions as they can be useful to refer back to.
In what situation, relationship, place, activity, habit or addiction is
my energy stuck?
my energy wasted?
my energy stolen?
my energy manipulated?
my energy leaking?
my energy growing?
my energy balanced?
In what situation, relationship, place, thing or activity does my energy flow?
In what situation, relationship, place, thing or activity does my energy thrive?
CREATE ENERGY PROTECTION
Relax, close your eyes and tune into the quiet place inside you.
In your mind’s eye, imagine that there is a point of light above your head
See a beam of light spiralling down from this point, and it encircling you with a protective light
In your mind’s eye, see this protective layer of light grow thicker, stronger and more radiant
Project the image of this protective circle of light wider, and see it present throughout the activities of the day, or night, or whatever situation where you seek protection.
Whenever you want protection, imagine touching this point of light above your head to activate the light spiralling down to encircle you. Sense the circle of light instantly vibrating all around you.
These skill-building processes become second nature when they are put to practice in daily life:
I get into the habit of noticing and managing my energy levels with breathing, tapping and creative visualisation. I pay attention to the quality of energy of others, places and activities, and protect myself with circles of light on a regular basis.
SENSE ENERGY & VIBRATION
———————
CULTIVATE WONDER
———————
ABOUT CULTIVATING WONDER
Human beings are born with a natural sense of curiosity about the world around us. It is the norm to engage, explore and discover it. This joyful inclination is likely to become tamed once we learn to fit into the expectations of our carers, cultures and what appears to be socially accepted. As we grow more self-conscious, we begin to engage more cautiously with what is around us. Most of us tend to accept ourselves by fitting in but this often comes at a price.
It is never too late to nurture a natural sense of wonder back to life. It also happens to be a fine way of cultivating inner peace because it leads to connection. Experiencing wonder restores and heals broken connections with ourselves, others, the earth and the spiritual dimension of .our being After all, it is now scientifically proven that the nature of reality is connected, and that all living systems are in fact interconnected and interdependent.
Many of us have felt feelings awe and wonder when, on a dark night, we lie down on sand, grass, soil or snow and gaze into the vastness of the sky above. Questions may arise in that space about what it means to be alive:
Where do I belong in this vastness? What is the purpose of human life? What influence do I have in all this space? How do I operate in this vast unknown? What is my true nature? Who am I really? Are there other dimensions to life? What else exists in the universe? What creative dynamics are operating? What is consciousness? How was all this created?
Consciously cultivating wonder restores our natural curiosity about the mystery of existence. We are free to simply have a relationship with it in everyday life. It brings meaning to the ordinary and allows us to engage with the extraordinary. When the great mystery of life engages us, there is no limit to the possibilities that open up.
Reading the works of the great sages may inspire us to put their ideas to the test. What, for example, would it be like to really study our own consciousness? What would it be like to experience peace of mind? What would it be like to choose loving kindness in all our affairs, even just for a day?
We can deal with just about anything when we cultivate such curiosity. Our own death, for instance: Do I live each day as if it could be my last? What inner state do I want to be in at the moment of my death? What might happen after I die? Would I recognise myself in other forms than my physical self?
Nurturing curiosity is a way of fine-tuning our attention. We get to know ourselves while learning not to take ourselves so seriously. We can be playful and profound at the same time; relate to the vastness of an interconnected universe and make our day to day living really interesting.
ENGAGING WITH WONDER
Inner work benefits from intention setting. It tends to amplify the effects. If this resonates with you, begin by setting the intention that you want to experience wonder more often.
Tune in before responding to the following questions in writing
Relax your body, turn your attention inwards and respond to the following questions:
What fills me with wonder and awe?
When am I awestruck?
What do I love to explore?
When and where do I lose the focus on myself?
When and where do I feel profound connection and belonging?
When and how do I feel part of a greater whole?
When and where do I deeply feel like I belong?
When and where do I experience oneness with all of life?
How could I nurture such experiences?
How may I nurture a sense of profound belonging in the greater schemes of things?
How can I cultivate awe and wonder in my daily life?
How can I naturally offer more contributions for the good of all?
Close and reflect on what you might want to keep from the experience. Maybe it is to highlight something in your answers or write down a few reminders on post-it notes and put them up where they can easily be seen.
In this way you are creating your own personalised reference library where, should you want to, you can also track progress of seeing your intention manifest.
It is a practice of curiosity as well. In most situations, it is possible to ask: ” I am so curious to see where this is leading and what the hidden gold turns out to be about this situation!
This skill-building becomes second nature when it is put to practice in daily life:
I notice, pause and acknowledge the small and large wonders of life—in my own life and those that take place in the greater collective. I inquire with curiosity into the nature of existence and pay attention when insights come.
ABOUT ONENESS
Sensing the unity at the heart of everything is the ultimate cultivation of inner peace. It is an astonishing experience to discover oneself within a web of connections with others, and to be at one with everything else.
Today, in the field of unified physics, this oneness is proven in equations. It turns out that unity is at the very heart of everything, yet we have long been conditioned to see it otherwise, Our nature is interdependent, interconnected and even entangled with all other existing life systems. We exist in holographic interconnection with All. This is what the great sages over human history have consistently referred to as the true nature of reality: an interconnected whole.
In such a worldview each one of us is in a state of communion with all of life whether we are aware of it or not. As the interconnected whole changes, grows and evolves, so do we as parts of this whole. Our individual self is constantly evolving into ever greater possibilities and expressions.
If instead we identify primarily with our physical identity, it is only normal to also experience ourselves as separate from others. We might not want to feel separate but end up thinking, feeling, speaking and acting as if we are. This often shows up in the ways we are self-protective, self-reliant and use willpower to get our way in everyday settings.
When we identify ourselves as a separate self, the fear is to become dependent on – and beholden to – others. Asking for help is a no-no. We pride ourselves on not needing help. Deep within, however, there is inevitably a longing to belong. The inner self knows its true nature is connected, not separate.
Many of us experience tensions between our compelling need to express our unique, separate self and the longing to belong and be connected to others.
These paradoxes can gracefully be reconciled when we cultivate a relationship with the web of interconnection itself.
How can my connection to the whole thrive and flourish today?
How can my relationship with the web of interconnections grow today?
We can also explore the support available within a web of interconnections. We relate to by nurturing the relationship with this whole system and by communicating and listening to it and by respecting its feedback.
How we individually perceive this invisible network of interconnection and support is highly individual. Some of us personalise it and imagine heavenly committees that take on specific tasks, others have divine figures to direct their prayers to while others experience it more abstractly. Some of us are adamant that nothing exists beyond what our senses reveal.
ENGAGING WITH ONENESS
This process explores the potential of being part of an invisible, interconnected and supportive existence. There is no need to believe it exists. We can engage without belief but it is valuable to observe the effects of engaging.
On an ongoing basis – whether it becomes a part pf a ‘morning practice’ or takes place in the course of your waking hours – ask yourself questions about connecting, connection and interconnection. The following are examples you can personalise to suit your needs.
When do I feel part of a greater whole?
When do I deeply feel like I belong?
When do I experience a sense of oneness?
How do I nurture more of these experiences?
Do I believe invisible support is available to me?
If so, how do I experience it?
If so, how do I ask for it?
If so, how do I receive it?
What kind of thinking strengthens my connection to the greater whole?
What kind of self-talk strengthens my connection to the greater whole?
What kind of beliefs strengthens my connection to the greater whole?
What kind of feeling states strengthens my connection to the greater whole?
What kind of speech strengthens my connection to the greater whole?
What kind of actions strengthens my connection to the greater whole?
What help would I like to ask for from the greater whole?
This skill-building becomes second nature when it is put to practice in daily life:
I notice opportunities to perceive, choose, relate to the oneness at the heart of all and everything, and notice the inner peace of being connected.
PRACTICE ONENESS
———————