Shifting Sands

It is all too easy to become lost and disorientated when trying to navigate the ebb and flow of the currents of life. Sometimes we can feel lost in an eddy or a maelstrom, unable to break free. Other times we can lose the wind in our sails and feel a deep sense of frustration with the apparent stillness and inertia.

However, when we look beneath the surface to the Core, we realise that we are not lost, but we have been allowing ourselves to become jostled by the surface currents of life. Like a buoy in a stormy sea, we can be bounced around, but we are still anchored, and once the storm has passed, it is likely that we will still be in the same place as before.

So, we have a choice. We can allow ourselves to get lost in the chaos of life or we can sink beneath the surface and connect to the stillness that resides there. Being still is like being a tree; our roots are strong and firm, yet still full of life and energy. It is rare (!) to see a tree rushing around trying to get a million and one things done in order to get to class or work...

Trees are what they are. They seed, they grow, they flourish, they seed, they drop leaves, grow buds or fruit, and then they die. Yet looking at this magnificent species in such a mechanical way takes away their grandeur, their essence and their magic. So, instead we choose to sense the life and the power of the tree, which brings us a deeper sense of meaning and understanding. So why do we not apply the same wisdom to ourselves? Why do we rush around trying to get everything done, never pausing to consider the magic and the joy of being alive?

Becoming lost in the currents of life is human, but we each have a vast landscape within to retreat to, to seek out answers and to heal. We need to tend the garden within, but it is important not to remain focused on the ½ an inch around our feet, for we need to explore new terrain from the wild mountains to the ocean depths. Our inner landscape belongs to us, and we are own Creators, so why place limits on something that has none?

If we can tend our inner world with love and respect, and spend time in reflection and celebrating the joy of life, we can begin to become One with ourselves and our true nature. Then we do not have to bounce around powerlessly in eddy’s and maelstroms, we can choose how to react, and come from a place of inner wisdom rather than a place of outer panic or angst.

Gandhi once said ‘In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness...’ 

It is time to realise that everything around us is within us, and the more we awaken to the Truth of this, the more we can move beyond feeling rudderless and directionless. We can begin to live consciously and mindfully, and we can allow every new experience to feed the seeds we have planted within, like the rain nourishing the earth. It is time to blossom into the beautiful flowers that we know, deep down, we already are...