Inner
Sanctuary
“Inside
myself is a place where I live alone and that is where I renew my
springs that never dry up.”
Pearl
S. Buck
I
wonder whether you are aware of the consciousness within you—the
part of you that listens to the dialogue, or the monologue, that streams
through your brain like that never-ending conveyor belt at your
airport's baggage claim. Your network of neurons constantly talk to
one another about happenings of the moment, happenings of the past,
drawing comparisons, drawing conclusions, arguing with one another.
And all the while, there is a consciousness that listens to this,
usually in silence. This consciousness is quite capable of simply
allowing the voices of the argumentative neurons to run on, while
remaining self-contained. Sometimes it's amusing to simply listen without getting pulled into the fray. It's enlightening.
But if you want solace, you'll only find it with the quiet consciousness,
the listener.
This
place inside that Pearl Buck mentions looks like your favorite spot
on earth. In my mind, it would be a glen beside a mountain stream,
where water tumbles over rocks and scrambles, white and foaming, into
pools of clearest green. Ferns grow on either side, and the fragrance
of moss and fresh earth is all encompassing. That is where I feel
most at home, and where the world and all its crazy-chaos cannot
reach me. I'll bet you have a place like that—where the world
recedes and you are there with only your silent alertness. Most
people identify their inner sanctuary in nature, whether it's a sandy
beach, or a wooded path, or even a sidewalk cafe, where the steady
hum of natural sounds produces inner silence. This is a place of
restoration and renewal. If you imagine it right now, you will feel
yourself grow calm and quiet.
These
springs never dry up. We should visit our inner sanctuaries as often
as possible. They restore us, body and soul.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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