Be Still and Know Self

Many wonder how they can learn to still themselves and move into a state of peacefulness. Stilling the mind as a beginner can become very frustrating because it may seem as though your thoughts actually become busier the more you attempt to quiet them. That mind jabber is the ego’s attempt to stay in control of what you do or not do. Because it feels so normal for the ego to have the control, many people do not yet realize that there is a higher, more peaceful aspect of mind that, when tapped into, will eventually tame the ego with its tutelage.

What gives the ego so much power to sabotage? Fear. Fear of everything and anything that threatens a person’s beliefs and perceptions. Once we tire of being a puppet for the ego, we begin to question the validity of life and our self. Questions like: Which of my beliefs do I protect so much that I rise to anger when they are seemingly threatened; Do my desires cause me to be more giving or more selfish; What is my purpose in life?

It is the perception of self, one’s beliefs and also one’s view of God that are the most protected and most easily threatened. They are used in order to give personal meaning and purpose to one’s life. When a person feels their meaning and purpose are being attacked, they can feel very threatened and insecure. It’s time to aspire to a higher standard of being in the world; it begins with knowing yourself, not only as a human being, but also as a spiritual being. That means moving into the heart as much as possible and by having compassion for all human error with the understanding that we are all on a journey that was designed to serve us in exactly the way that it is manifesting.

Consider this analogy: Take a drop of water out of the ocean and put it into a glass bottle sealed with a cork. Throw it back into the ocean. The ocean represents God and the drop of water within the bottle represents you in your physical body; the cork being your ego. In the bottle, you can at least float in the energy (the ocean of creation) that created your soul essence and allowed your individuality. To move out of the illusion that we are separate from this creative force means taking the cork (your ego) out of the bottle and allowing your true essence to merge with the life essence of your body and mind.

Meditation is a wonderful tool for quieting the ego and tuning into the essence that is your true self; which is the very same essence of your creative force. If you are having trouble quieting the mind and becoming truly still, give this meditation exercise a try: Sit back, close your eyes and relax every fibre of your being. Breathe in the light of whatever you feel created your essence. That power can be anything that makes you feel safe and peaceful. Focus on It and It only.

Now, think of something that inspires you and opens your heart to a devotional kind of love. Let yourself feel the protection of that love right now as you float in it as if on a big soft cloud. You feel safe and relaxed. Gradually you begin feeling and seeing with your inner eyes, an energy of light touching the top of your head. Your thoughts are floating around you like feathers that never land. Feel yourself sinking deeper and deeper into a peaceful bliss as the light moves gently through each of your chakras with healing energy.

Your chakras are all open now and balanced. Float in this energy until it is time to come back into your normal waking state. Just think it and you will open your eyes and be back, feeling energized and awake. You’ve been given a healing.

With daily practice your meditation will become easier and easier. Know that any effort to know and understand all that you are helps to expand who you will become.

Remember to let each meditation unfold the way it will each day, with gratitude.

May these words inspire you to move inward more often, into stillness and peace, so that you can manifest that peace in your physical world as well.

Carolyn Gervais is a Tucson native and the author of I Dreamed I Was Human: Awakening from the Illusion; an eloquent explanation of complex metaphysical concepts that describe how human life connects with soul and spirit. She is an ordained spiritual psychologist, certified hypnotherapist, has a Masters in holistic nutrition, and has been a professional singer for more than 20 years. She is also a regular contributor to the Sedona Journal. www.awakeningyou.com Check out Carolyn’s Media Reel