Stillness and Sacred Creativity

29 Jan Stillness and Sacred Creativity

Our internal dialogue is comprised of the many voices in our head. They distract, judge, compare, and appear to support us in solving problems. These voices take us out of the present, causing us to cycle old thoughts and memories about the past and worries or strategies around the future. Instead of being able to attend to what is actually in front of us, our internal dialogue snags our attention in a mess of stories and assumptions.

Learning to consciously direct our mind and stop our internal dialogue helps us to soften into each moment and open to all possibilities – what I call the place of no assumption impeccability.

Deepak Chopra writes: “In stillness, inner energies spontaneously wake up and bring about the appropriate transformation for every situation.” When we bring our attention to stillness we tap into our knowing, which is based in love and infinite choice, rather than our thinking, which is often based in fear and scarcity-based assumptions. Within stillness rests our innate connection to our impeccable spirit and sacred creativity.

Stopping our internal dialogue can take many different forms. Some great allies are: 1) giving our mind something specific to focus on, 2) taking more mental breaks and 3) sitting in stillness. Here is an overview of each different method. Explore using them all!

FILL THE SPACE

When you give your mind a chant or an affirmation, you are taking up the brain space your random thoughts would normally occupy. If you can bring your attention fully to the chant or affirmation you will begin to feel the silence between each word. You must be firm in coming back to your chosen words over and over again, and letting the stillness between the words permeate you.  I like to start my mornings off with chanting, and then take one chant into my day. An affirmation can be one word or a sentence: anything from “peace, peace, peace” to “May I open to all possibilities.”

TAKE BREAKS 

Get habituated to taking breaks during the day to sink into silence; when going to the bathroom, while eating, in between meetings or clients. Instead of running from thing to thing, thinking all the time, breathe into your feet. Notice the colors around you. Slow down. Walk more slowly between places. Reconnect with silence consciously.

SIT. BE.

Practice, practice, practice. Silencing the mind takes awareness and the commitment to keep coming back to stillness over and over again. A daily meditation practice can greatly increase your capacity to find silence during your day. I recommend you set an alarm (start with five to ten minutes and build up), for your practice and start with simply letting your thoughts float by with out attaching to them. You do not need to stop them, simply let them pass without judgment or assuming they are good or bad, right or wrong.

I recommend you set an alarm for your practice (start with five to ten minutes and build up), and begin by simply letting your thoughts float by without attaching to them. You do not need to stop them; simply let them pass without judgment.

As we grow our capacity to stay in the moment without our habitual, repetitive thinking, our words and actions become more impeccable and we catch and release our assumptions much more quickly. The more you practice, the more ease you’ll find as you rest into the present moment of no assumption impeccability.

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Heather Ash’s apprenticeship with don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements, began in 1994, and she now teaches with the Ruiz family. She is the author of The Toltec Path of Transformation and founder of Toci, The Toltec Center of Creative Intent. www.toci.org