Wednesday, April 01, 2009

silver stillness

It was stated by Meister Eckhart......"no one knows what the soul is. But, what we do know is the soul is where God works compassion...." I'm wondering if our deepest compassion for recognizing and accepting our imperfections as well as those in others can only truly happen when we find the courage to peel away the layers of silence, past the point of the loud pings and into the sanctity of a reflecting hymn......maybe that's where the soul dwells?


Silence has many layered meanings before we can reach what John O'Donahue described as the intimate innocence of the soul. I envision this as an internal place where an eternal moonlight shimmers smiling ripples on the surface of a calm lake on a summer night. Meditation needs no encouragement when we can reach this place of tranquility. It simply happens, captured in our even breaths of belonging. This vision brings forth a feeling of being in the moment-- restful and awake at the same time.

I believe we have the capacity to lasso this intimate silence where we find the guidance of a Higher power whenever we choose to find the time to peel away the meaningful layers first. I also believe it is an important endeavour as it allows us to sit in a tender place where we can disrobe in front of a mirror which reflects our true essence, bruises and all. It takes courage. It takes time and effort to peel away the layers.....

The outer layer's initial silence shivers in shyness. It has a self-conscious blush to it. We yearn for interuptions....anything to break the awkward adolesence.

The next layer is still trapped in a doubting uneasiness. We are caught thinking......"should I talk to fill in the silence? I wonder what others around me are thinking in their silence? What can I think of to fill the discomfort? This silence is so damn loud!"

ping,ping,ping,ping,ding,ding,ring,ring,ring

The third layer is a stepping away from the noise, though it can be heard in the murmuring echoes. This silence is where stillness begins, in the drumming of reflections. Every now and then we can hear the pongbong of the reflection, like a stone thrown into a pond. Ease is coming......the stone has to settle........the stone has to settle.... the senses heighten and turn inward.

The fourth layer of silence is found in the lapping of the ripples under the eternal moonlight. We envision a mesmerizing rippling on the surface as the eyes gaze inside the deep welling place. It is there where a sense of vulnerable brokenness finds some comfort. It is where you feel the most honest and strong while looking at the shadowy reflections of life’s realities.

The fifth layer brings a harmonic meditation........a kneeling thinness of even breathing, where palpitations are replaced by cradle comfort rocking to a welcoming hymnal hum. Standing on the shore, under the moonlight smiling shimmers, compassion in the silver stillness of our souls offers us the gift of seeing the beauty of our imperfections....our unique signature written in the sand. It's worth the trip.



**the photos of the silver pieces were taken at an auction I attended with my friend Jen last week. When I looked at them afterwards, the phrase silver stillness came to mind.....

This weeks' Photography theme is "Reflection...." no drab there! For more reflections check out Carmi's Written Inc site.

10 comments:

Independent Chick said...

Beautiful, artistic photos and a great post.

I think our deepest compassion does come from peeling away the layers of silence. Saying what we mean and meaning what we say...from our heart. Always from the innocence of the heart.

Anonymous said...

Be still and know that I am God
this is what comes to mind as I read your blog this morning Dana.

Mavis

awareness said...

Stacey...thanks. I like these photos too...like the shine and the bits of colour.
i'm wondering now if when we pull away the layers we not only reach a different silence, we also reach a more authentic level of honesty with ourselves.

Mavis...whenever i read those words or think of them, i have this feeling inside me like i've been kissed.

ciara said...

great thematic photo. mine is up at ramblings

theMuddledMarketPlace said...

...love the concept of it being possible to lasso intimate silence-
if the circumstances are right...

bobbie said...

Extremely interesting photos, and excellent for the theme.

J Pearson said...

Wow - this is one of those writings that you just want to read over again and keep to hand for future use. It needs to soak in like many coats of varnish applied to wood; this brings out the rich grain and preserves.

awareness said...

ciara...i hope to check out the others today. thank you for stopping by.

mmp...it's those darn circumstances! Even if it is just for a brief visit, i find i need a daily dose of it, especially if i've been counselling all day.

bobbie...thanks. amazing how anything can turn into something. it was a large box of tarnished dented silver platters etc ready for auction...I zoooooooomed in.

David...thank you. it certainly felt like that writing it because i found myself envisioning the process in order to find the descriptive words. when i was finished, i read it aloud (which i don't often do.) and it had a good feel to it for me.

Sweetanlo said...

Wonderful post, and beautiful pictures!
I joined late, here's my reflective

Sweetanlo's Reflective Photos

PastormacsAnn said...

"I believe we have the capacity to lasso this intimate silence where we find the guidance of a Higher power whenever we choose to find the time to peel away the meaningful layers first."

Wow, so much here. You've really used the words skillfully to craft this post. Very reflective with the photos and the words.

I played this week too, albeit a bit late.

btw - if you have a chance, please stop by Sweetanlo's Reflective post. She has an amazing photo and is worried no one will come to see it since she posts so late.