get still

we each have inside us a very wise and very quiet Voice that knows the way, but we have to get still to hear it. not only do we have to be still, but we have to practice being still -- not that there's some right way to do it, but just that, like exercise, it's the habit that makes the difference. i don't know whether that's because the Voice doesn't trust us at first or because we have to learn to hear, but it seems to be true.

of course, for those of steeped in western culture, it's very difficult to be still, to listen, to just wait for that Voice to speak, but there is value in the waiting, just sitting and waiting to see what happens.

quakers sometimes talk about waiting in the Light. i like that image, as if i'm waiting in sunlight or even moonlight. a meditation i do regularly has a first step which includes the instruction to "become wholly receptive" -- how cool, i feel myself just sort of melt into it.

but we seem to be wired to recognize Truth when we meet it, even if it's disruptive and contradicts other beliefs -- about ourselves, for example.

this silent receptivity and Truth-seeking is not unique to quakers, of course -- many other practices include some kind of meditation. in the joy diet, martha beck suggests that the first two daily steps are 1) to be quiet for 15 minutes, and then 2) to tell yourself one true thing. amazing how something so simple can make such a difference.