Still Yourself and Listen

There is a breath breathing in you
that does not vanish,
a grace feeding you that does not cease.
The divine umbilical cord is never cut.

Still yourself and listen
to the voice that is singing you.
Wait and feel the hand that holds you.

Even in hardship give thanks.
Receive that blessing.
Move by that impulse.
Live drawn by that light. 

- Steve Garnaas-Holmes, “There is a Breath”

It is hard to admit that much of what we have, we don’t need. Our culture saturates us with the message that we are somehow less complete or will have less access to experiencing the world fully or are worse versions of ourselves unless we have … (you can fill in the blank). 

But this is not the truth. 

The truth is that even without acquiring, we already have most of what we need. The truth is that we were born already whole - complete in relationship with the Divine and with one another. The truth is that those essential essences have been with us from the beginning - and they are with us now. 

Our bodies hold these truths, but we’ve been taught not to trust their intuition.

Our hearts feel these truths, but we’ve been told to disregard them as “too emotional.”

Our minds know these truths, but we’ve been too distracted to learn how to listen.

Invitation

When you quiet the noise around you, what do you hear from the voice that is singing you? As you peel away the layers of all that tries to encapsulate you, what breath is breathing in you - what grace is feeding you - even amidst the hardship?