The Art of Stillness

There are times in our lives that require us to be still.  Sometimes for the level of stillness that our current life’s creation calls for, the Universe does not give us a choice.  Sometimes we are forced into that still place.  Sometimes we get a flu that “knocks us off our feet”.  Sometimes we twist an arm or break a foot and we are “cast” into staying still.  There are many different scenarios that can force us into stillness but what remains consistent is our resistance to the stillness.  It’s when we resist that the Universe steps in - sometimes with gentle coaxing and sometimes we are not offered a choice.  Perhaps our resistance comes from our societal beliefs that we need to be productive ... and if we are not “doing something” we are not being productive.  Perhaps it is our fear of what might rise up from this still space that keeps us from it.  Whatever the reason may be, it is our resistance that causes the Universe to intervene.  Something to keep in mind though is that when the Universe steps in, it’s always from a place of love.  It’s easy to forget this when we view the experience from a place of suffering.

I’d like to share with you an experience I had recently that exemplifies this.  Please keep in mind that what I share with you here is my own personal experience and my opinions based on those experiences.  I don’t ask that you take what I say as absolute truth.  I simply share what I have learned with an open heart. 

It began with a small reaction on my hand that became aggravated by water (except for the Star Songs, which amazingly enough helped the reaction and eased the burn and the itch - even though essentially I was doing the very thing that caused an aggravation - pouring water on it).  The more wet my hand became, the more inflamed the reaction became and the bigger it got.  I tried using gloves when I needed to be around water, but even the moisture that was created between the waterproof material and my skin proved to aggravate my hand.  It was clear that what was needed by my hand in this time was to be dry, but I did not listen.  So my hand became more and more aggravated until it got to a point where the Universe intervened ... where the natural order took over to create what the Universe always creates ... balance and harmony.  My hand began to ooze and crust over and it created EXACTLY what my hand needed.  A cover to keep it dry and this stiff crust kept it still.

The Universe gently coaxed me at first with a small reaction, but now I was at a point where I no longer had the choice to keep my hand dry and still.  I couldn’t move my hand - literally.  It was as if it was in a cast - one created by the Gaia, but a cast nevertheless and for all the intents and purposes of one.  It was my right hand that was affected and I was right handed.   There was very little I was able to do.  I couldn’t do the dishes.  I couldn’t prepare meals.  I couldn’t type.  I couldn’t take pictures of the stones.  I couldn’t create listings.  It’s amazing how much I needed my right hand to do almost everything.  So here I was with lots of energy and inspiration and so much to be done and I couldn’t do anything.  If I say I was frustrated it would be an understatement.

When I finally began to listen to what the Universe was calling for, my suffering eased.  When I accepted what was needed of me to ease the reaction in my hand, it settled down.  But it was when I finally began to trust myself that things really shifted.  I had to come to a place of stillness before I was able to hear the still small voice within.  The voice that had the answers I needed.  While I was in that place of resistance there was too much internal noise from the struggle for me to hear myself.

What does any of this have to do with the Stone Beings ... well I’m just getting to that.  The stones are masters at the art of being still.  They are the very personification of stillness.  They have much to teach us about it.  Stillness (for the purposes of our discussion) isn’t about “not moving”.  Not moving is not the same thing as Being Still.  Being Still is a movement.  “Being” is a movement.  A movement that is not necessarily SEEN with the physical eye but a movement nonetheless.  When we look at the stone beings they appear to be “not moving”.  They are still but there is definitely movement there.  They are “being”. 

The stones can teach us much about this art of stillness.  And it is an “art”.  These Earth Elders are very generous in sharing their wisdom and experience.  They can help us through those times in our lives where we find ourselves forced into not moving and they can show us how to be still.  They can show us the movement in the stillness.  They can show us, not only how to get through something that can make us feel helpless and contained, but to come to a place of actually finding joy in that space.

The Stone Beings did that for me.  They showed me how to be still.  How to simply “be”.  They showed me that I can find peace in this stillness.  They showed me that I can find joy and pleasure from that sacred space.  I don’t know that it was any one stone in particular who helped me through that period of stillness.  I believe it was the many years of being around the stones ... a cumulative process.  It’s like being in the presence of a brilliant teacher for many years.  Some things are picked up simply by being around the teacher.  Teachings passed on naturally without purpose or intention.

You don’t have to be an expert in the subtle energies to glean this wisdom from the Stone Beings.  You don’t need to be a spiritual master.  You don’t have to be able to “hear” the song of stones.  You don’t have to be able to “feel” energy or see auras.  All that is required is an open heart and a willingness to be in the presence of the stones.  That’s all it takes.  You don’t have to wait until the next time you find yourself with a flu or a sprained ligament or sore muscle ... or any other scenario where the Universe forces you into a period of stillness.  You can do it now.  You can learn how to “be”.  You can learn how to enjoy the stillness and so when you find yourself in a place of having to stop doing and start “being”, you can do it with a greater sense of peace and perhaps even joy.

The stones taught me something else that helped me move through my experience.  they taught me about trusting myself.  It was “being” that allowed me to get through the experience with peacefulness and eventually even joy.  But it was that inner trust that shifted things with my hand.  There is much more to say about how the stones teach us to trust ourselves - but that is for another time.