Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Strategic Monk

Home
Contemplative
Listening to Sacred Stillness: Clinging to the Icy Edge of Stillness

Listening to Sacred Stillness: Clinging to the Icy Edge of Stillness

Last updated on: October 11, 2019 at 7:07 pm by Greg Richardson

Listening to Sacred Stillness: Clinging to the Icy Edge of Stillness 2019-10-11T19:07:43-08:00 Greg Richardson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Clinging to the Icy Edge of Stillness

Some of us like to believe listening to sacred stillness should be warm and comforting. We like to think we settle into stillness for a nice, quiet rest. Sitting still we close our eyes, taker a deep breath, and spiritual life wraps us in its arms.

There can be days like that. We find a rhythm in our contemplative practices and grow accustomed to how they feel. Spiritual life seems to welcome us into deeper listening.

Most of us, sooner or later, find ourselves in a place where we are clinging to stillness. Sacred stillness seems to be trying to slip out of our grasp.

Listening to sacred stillness no longer feels welcoming or comforting. It is a challenge for us to remember the warmth we have felt in the past. We find ourselves clinging to hold onto icicles hanging on the edge of stillness. They are slippery as they seem to slowly melt away in our hands.

Where are the warmth and rest we felt when we first began listening to sacred stillness?How much longer will we need to spend clinging to the icy edge of stillness? Why are we here?

We can feel the cold edge of stillness slowly slipping out of our hands.

It becomes more and more challenging for us to follow our contemplative practices. We may begin to question how or why we ever started theses practices in the first place.

Many of us begin to feel like a climber trying to traverse an icy crevasse. We remember why we started on this path but are not sure we know how we will take our next step. Some of us see neither how we can continue forward nor how we can turn back.

We stop where we are, clinging to the icy edge of stillness.

Clinging to the Edge of Sacred Stillness

Our relationship to spiritual life is more complicated than we like to think it is.

Many of us would like to think spiritual life is all about sorting things out and putting things in order. We like to assume we are getting spiritual life organized, mastering the lessons we need to learn.

Spiritual life is not about having a place for everything and putting everything in its place. Listening to sacred stillness is not about imposing what we believe on stillness.

We listen to sacred stillness to allow it to master us.

There are times when we realize we are clinging to the edge of sacred stillness because it is stronger than we are. Some of us like to believe we are making our mark on spiritual life. It is spiritual life which is putting its mark on us.

We like to assume we can sit in a comfortable chair next to a fireplace and listen to sacred stillness. The fact is we are often not paying attention when we are comfortable and warm. It is easy for us to get distracted or fall asleep when we are wrapped in blankets.

Sacred stillness has our full attention when we are clinging to its icy edge. We grasp the melting icicles of stillness with all our strength and listen as well as we can. It is stillness which is holding us up, keeping us there. Without the edge of sacred stillness we would fall.

Clinging to the edge of stillness is not about comfort, but about clarity.

It can be easy for us to get confused when we are holding onto so many things. We assume things are necessities when they are luxuries.

Clinging to sacred stillness helps us appreciate the difference.

Clinging to the Edge of Stillness in the Night Sky

I spent several days last week at New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California. The hermitage is in a beautiful part of the California coast with a driveway on Highway 1. The physical beauty can be breathtaking, especially watching the sun sink into the Pacific Ocean each evening.

As attractive as the days at New Camaldoli are, I love getting up for the first service of the day at 5:30 AM. I walk out of my trailer and am inspired by the canopy of stars in the night sky.

Living in the city it can be a challenge to remember there are stars in the sky.

I stood with my eyes on the heavens recognizing childhood friends like Orion and Cassiopeia. There was at least one shooting star and a sliver of moon.

Standing alone in the dark looking up at the stars, I was clinging to the edge of stillness.

After the prayer service the Eastern sky was pink with the dawning of a new day. My feet could find the ground again.

We are clinging to the edge of sacred stillness, trusting it will hold us up.

Clinging to the Cold, Sharp Edge of Stillness

Our practice of listening to sacred stillness is not about making ourselves feel comfortable. We do not pay attention to stillness because it makes us all warm and fuzzy.

When we listen to sacred stillness we are clinging to what is real in our lives.

Clinging to the edge of stillness is like remembering there are stars in the sky even when we cannot see them. We sit still and take deep breaths because we know the edge of stillness is there.

Our lives are filled with transitory distractions. Clinging to the cold edge of sacred stillness is how we remember what is real, what outlasts us.

We release our grasp on everything we do not need so we can continue clinging to stillness. Clinging to the icy edge of sacred stillness, we trust it to hold us up.

Our practice of listening to sacred stillness is about clarity, not comfort.

We hold onto the icy edge of stillness and allow it to master us.

When will we spend time clinging to the hard edge of stillness today?

How long will we continue clinging to the icy edge of sacred stillness this week?

[Image by Shyn Darkly]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual life mentor and coach in Southern California. He is a recovering attorney and a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is StrategicMonk.com and his email address is [email protected].

Blog

Sacred Stillness

Previous Post

August 31, 2019

Practices From the Inside Out: Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day?

Next Post

September 5, 2019 Monastic Strategies: Heading in a NonDirective Direction

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Book Reviews Everything Else Guest Posts Leadership Monastic Strategies Neighborhood Pilgrimages Sacred Stillness Spiritual Direction Spiritual Practices Work

Select a Month May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What British monarch is also Supreme Governor of the Church of England?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Prime Minister The King/Queen of England Archbishop of Canterbury Pope