Who speaks the sound of an echo?
Who paints the image in a mirror?
Where are the spectacles in a dream?
Nowhere at all – that’s the nature of mind!
Tree-Leaf Woman
As the sun began to set, the pond became still. I was hiking with my most cherished friend Jay around a small body of water in Northern California. Walking a trail high above the water’s surface, we were feeling gusts of wind at the higher elevation, yet visually experiencing the calmness below.
We continued our walk in silence. We were both in awe of nature’s endless capacity to express volumes of wisdom within a single moment. The sensory dichotomy between the breeze on our skin and stillness below was a simple reminder that even though life may feel chaotic, in our heart of hearts there is steadfast peacefulness.
Jay and I both had loved resting on the floor in our early school years while listening to the teacher read a story. Here on the trail, we had both dropped into that childlike ability to be completely absorbed in the ancient story unfolding around us. Perhaps it was imaginary, but it felt as though the sky, sun, wind, and the water had noticed our attentiveness to their conversation – and lessons.
By the time we had finished our circumambulation, the pond had become a glistening mirror. There was a near perfect reflection of the sky above. There appeared to be two skies, both with broad brushstrokes of deep purple across a canvas of oranges, reds, blues, and pinks. This was another sweet reminder of nature’s stillness offering the grace of clarity of life as it is.
Within the ups and downs of life, I am deeply grateful for the abiding wisdom tucked within the flora and fauna, the elements, and all forms of life. As the winter season settles in, I will heed its invitation to settle into this wordless wisdom. I hope you will join me.
Practice
This practice supports awareness of peacefulness
Prepare –
- Turn your phone and any other devices to airplane mode. Find a comfortable seated position.
- Gently circle one hand over the other 3-4 times. This will feel as though you were wringing your hands.
- Lightly rest the heal of your palms over your eyes for a few moments. (You may wish to place your elbows on a table, or another surface in front of you, to support the weight of your head.)
- Take a few, gentle breaths. Imagine on each exhale there is a little more softness across the surface of your eyes and eyelids. If it feels accessible for you, invite the sense that on each inhalation, peaceful easefulness is seeping into your awareness and throughout your being.
Practice –
- Gently open your eyes and release your hands to your lap. If possible, sustain the sense of peaceful easefulness, especially through your gaze.
- Slowly, and as peacefully as possible, look around where you are. As you do this, imagine you are looking from your heart-center, i.e., your capacity for sight stems from your deepest and most sacred self. After a few moments, allow your gaze to settle on the openness between objects.
- If you have difficulty doing this, try bringing one hand in front of your face with your fingers opened away from one another. Then, just notice the space around and between your fingers. As you allow your hand to rest back on your lap, invite a sense that your gaze is taking in infinite spaciousness.
- Softly close your eyes again.
- Rest your hands over your heart center and imagine that beneath your hands there is a clear, peaceful sky. Your thoughts are like clouds passing by, yet the sky remains untouched. Invite an awareness that deep peacefulness is always there within you. Like a loving friend, that infinite spaciousness is steadily present, always there in your heart of hearts.
- Quietly breathe here for as long as is comfortable.
Transition back into your day –
- Bring your palms together in front of your heart. Pause here for a few moments.
- Perhaps make a silent vow to practice looking into your eyes in the mirror with this sense of looking beyond the surface into the depths of who you are.
- If you wish, to help your transition back into your day, gently stroke your eyelids and your face with your fingertips. Then, look around once again.
- When you are ready, return to your day.
This poem appears in Mala of the Heart: 108 Sacred, page 102, edited by Ravi Nathwani and Kate Vogt and published by New World Library. H E A R T H is posted each new and full moon. The original post of “reflection” was in 2019, and its sentiments continue to be a steady inner guide. KateVogt©2024.
