Silence and the Deep

How often have you  been on a beach with a lot of people sunning themselves, playing, wading, splashing and enjoying the water? How many people do you remember swimming over their heads, diving into the depths? I’ve been to lots of beaches and have noticed that the vast majority of people never even get into the water let alone go below the surface of it. Boating also allows us to enjoy the water on the surface which is fun and sometimes challenging but is a very different experience from being underneath the surface, in the depths.

The same applies when looking at human activity on the land, on the surface of things. There’s lots of movement, busyness, noise and seemingly important ‘stuff’ going on but at the end of the day what new inner knowings have been discovered underneath and within? What’s uncovered concerning the inner motivations, feelings, wonderments and unresolved conflicts in our lives? How has going through the motions without any reflection brought you closer to discovering who you really are, where you’ve come from, why you’re here and what you’re connected to?

I was fortunate to be raised in and around the many lakes of Michigan and to become part of the underwater search and rescue team of a local fire department at the age of fifteen with our local scuba diving club. Getting under water and even under the ice in the winter changed my perspective on life. Early on I came to recognize that there was a lot more going on beneath the surface of things than I could ever imagine. Being on a sunken ship underwater is a very different experience than being on a floating ship on the surface of the water.

One of the wonderful and curious things about living underwater, in the depths of our being, is the silence that’s ever present. I go swimming with my grandson in the municipal pools here in our community with hundreds of other children. Now that he enjoys being underwater I’ve asked him to notice the difference in the noise above the surface and below it. Bringing this very observable difference to his attention was an insightful revelation to him. He likes the silence and the different perceptions from the depths. He’s learning about outer and inner realities.

Without being aligned with our thoughts and feelings in a conscious way we simply bounce off the stimuli that run into us moving through life. We wonder why we’re mad, glad, sad, or afraid. Much of the time we don’t even realize the anxiety and stress we’re taking in which eventually leads to manifestations that debilitate us and further add to our unconsciousness. It’s only when we’re willing to put on our scuba gear and dive into the unconscious waters within that we’re able to quiet our minds and intuitively float in the sea of tranquility leading to realignment.

Thankfully, I learned to love the underwater world in my youth. I then eventually learned to love the inner intuitive world during my adult years. What about you? How often do you yearn for a slower, quieter, more gentle way of being in the world? How aware are you of the inner realities that call to you without giving them any attention? What does this moment ask of you?

• Take the opportunity right now to witness your inner landscape. What’s asking for attention?
• Breathe deeply and rest in your exhales. Listen for the sound of silence beyond the silence.
• Bring a feeling awareness to you body. What’s the intuitive alignment message it’s sending?