The quieter we become the more we can hear. This universal wisdom speaks of our ability to be still long enough so that we can connect with our inner self. Listening to others is wise. Listening within and knowing ourselves is a process of enlightenment. Seldom do people afford the time to check in with themselves. To pause and think about our thoughts, to hear, feel, and interpret our state of being seems to be a luxury that we regularly deny ourselves. We are more comfortable spending time listening to a friend than to ourselves. Knowing full well how important that act of listening to others is to their well-being, we might be encouraged to find time for ourselves to listen within. However, it is often less scary to hear the problems, concerns, and fears of others than to unearth our own. This avoidance of accessing self-awareness impacts all aspects of our lives. We resist self-discovery due to the time it takes, the effort to embrace our fears, and the inevitable realization that we may need to change. It is easier to judge others, than to look at ourselves. The treadmill of our daily routines prolongs the avoidance of not reflecting upon our strengths and weaknesses. We are more motivated to seek change when there is undeniable loss. Loss of health, friendships, jobs, and the demise of our peace of mind. These painful experiences encourage us to look within.
We witness how impulsive, reactive, and angry behaviour damages our relationships. We have also felt the immense improvement in our ability to communicate, to relate more effectively when we take time to slow ourselves down and to first acknowledge our inner state. Anger is not bad in itself, however, when we don’t take the time to listen to our anger and what it is telling us, this emotion spills out with harsh criticisms. Initially it feels like a relief to let our anger out, delivering it with force and intensity in hopes that it reduces our pain. We soon discover that projecting anxiety and fears on to others only multiplies our problems, and further fuels our intense emotions. When we listen to what anger is telling us, it most often reveals a fear that we harbour resulting from our own thoughts. These fear-based ideas of ours, usually do not stand up to the test of truth or reality. So, taking the time to ponder on what we are telling ourselves, to discern the truth of it, to determine if our thoughts are reflecting reality, is a necessary ongoing step. In other words, our thoughts may not always be logical or truthful, yet we act on them as if they are indisputable. Listening within thus creates discernment of the root causes of our doubts, fears, and resulting frustration and anger. Generally, the root cause lies entirely with us, not others. This is good news as we can more easily change our thoughts, than the thoughts and conduct of others.
There is a vail that separates us from our enlightened self, a fog or noise that we create to avoid listening within. This noise comes in many forms, distractions, busyness, addictions, apathy, and excuses which drown out our wise inner voice. Fears and self-doubt that go unchallenged, result in us telling ourselves false news and justifications that serve to hold us back. We appear to be not failing because we are residing within our comfort zone. Fear is the root of this self-made noise. Without fear the vail becomes thinner and weaker until holes of insight provide us a porthole to hear our wise inner counsel. Numerous practices unique to every individual assist us in becoming quieter. The quieter we become the more we connect. Practices like being in nature, assisting others, reflecting, journaling, meditating, exercising, praying, artistic expressions, music, and simply pausing to tune into one’s thoughts and feelings before acting, are all practices for seeking stillness. Stillness is not inaction; it is the courage to slow down enough to peek behind the vail, to mute the noise so that our inner voice can be heard. The vail is kept up by the energy of fear. Fear-based thoughts and feelings cause anxiety, so we create the noise to distract us from embracing those fears. Whatever form our noise takes, it makes listening within and without, challenging. Practices, and routines, that consistently calm our fears, that encourage us daily to seek self-knowledge, to become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions, displaces anxiety, and pokes holes in the vail, producing moments of inner peace.
Often the same busyness that we use to avoid connecting inwards is the excuse we make for not partaking in these practices: “I don’t have time”, “it doesn’t work”, “I will start self-care later when I have accomplished my current goals”. Yet, replacing our distractions with self-care activities makes our time effective, purposeful, and rewarding. Like most journeys of personal growth, we must overcome the initial resistance of fear. We must take the first step, push past our denial, and lack of faith, and make the leap. Once we engage in daily rituals of inner connection, the fog begins to dissolve. Unrealistic and fear-based thoughts become more apparent to us. Which allows us to challenge those thoughts that produce our anxieties and replace them with new mental perceptions of reality and potential. Pick one or several practices that appeal to you, stick with them long enough to see their results. Evaluate and fine tune each practice to make them unique to you. Keep practicing the inner connection, challenging fears that cause deafness to the vast resources of love and wisdom that are just behind the vail of our insecurities.
Namaste
Instructor Chris