Empowerment is in the Silence
Ram Dass said, “The quieter you become the more you can hear.” I’ve been in a deep pool of noise over the past few days as I traveled to the mourning & celebration of life services for my recently departed friend; it is such a relief to come back to my friendly keyboard with my thoughts slipping out of my fingertips.
BREATHE….
I inhale deeply as I write that last sentence. It is quiet, serene and warm in my office. I take a moment to express gratitude for my safe haven. Soon it will change, as well-meaning friends will show up at the door to continue the flow of condolences over loss. Food spreads will line the counters and beer and wine will be consumed. Noise, an infusion of tears and laughter and anger and all the emotions that can possibly spill forth will fill the environment. Expletives and kind sentiments will explode to mask the heartaches, and little by little the venting will release the dam and the feelings of love will flow out with even more velocity than the pouring wines.
We each have our own ways of dealing, of mourning, and of living. I am mostly introspective, although friends would argue that I am not introverted. It depends, partially, on the company I’m keeping, I suppose. Loud boisterous types annoy my sense of self. I prefer whispers and intimacies over large gatherings. But I also speak publicly and facilitate gestalt training groups, so I am around groups of people often. Maybe that’s why the solace and solitude are so valuable when I can steal those oh-too-rare moments of quietness.
Ram Dass has it right. “The quieter you become the more you can hear.” And this is a wonderful thing, only for those not afraid to hear. A lot of folks are scared out of their skin to even consider being still and listening to the self. I see it every month in the gestalt groups; so many folks are so alienated from themselves that they refuse to allow even one second of quietness. They self-filter; they run (generally screaming and crying) quickly away. It is as though the silence contains too much truth. But can the truth ever be scary? Sunlight burns if you get too much, but truth??
There is great empowerment in the truth. I have witnessed more than a fistful of clients experience miracles in personal growth; it is because of exposure to these miraculous experiences that I wrote, Escaping the Chrysalis: Gestalt Tools for Transformation into Divine Wholeness. Without the book, it seems near impossible to reach every human on Earth with gestalt techniques for impelling positive change. I can, however, provide the Gestalt Tools for Transformation into Divine Wholeness by making certain anyone interested in improved self-esteem, goal attainment, self-actualization, and reaching towards a greater potential knows about Escaping the Chrysalis.
Gestalt (wholeness) is a seed inside of each of us. And the gestalt tools for changing any behavior are contained in Escaping the Chrysalis: Tools for Transformation into Divine Wholeness. The release of the book is nearing, and my heart races with excitement for you, the reader, because I know the magic contained in the pages. Until the actual physical release, Escaping the Chrysalis is available on Kindle.
With or without the gestalt instruction manual, do something to place the focus on your magnificence. In the silence of your self, take 5 minutes each day to let the thoughts settle and chaos begin to make sense. Don’t fear the power of the quiet. Embrace the gift of solitude. In this peaceful space, get in touch with your whole divine self. Recognize your worth, and moreover, your deservingness. You deserve to be gestalt/whole and balanced.
Thank you, often.
~As always, with love, light, and gratitude.
KINDREDS:
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Jan this is amazing. My son was over tonight and he said that finally he is ready for that solitude. He’s decided to ask his roomie to move out, saying that he needs mental space, just to be and think. He echoed what you write here, that he has been terrified for so long, at finding/seeing the truth. I think what you wrote is very accurate. It is only through solitude that I am finding me.
I am sorry about your friend.
Love to you. XO
In our core, “mental space” is the nourishment of whole/gestalt beingness. Sounds like your son is ready to meet his authentic self. How precious and priceless is that?! And as far as your son being “terrified for so long,” two things come to my mind: 1) It is a much greater risk to not meet and embrace the parts and integrate the pieces into the whole/gestalt, than it will ever be to realize fulfilled empowered wholeness. 2) If “the opposite of courage is conformity,” it seems the path to real transformative growth is to face the fear, feel the fear, and do ‘it’ anyway. Fear is generally just a habit with teeth. And really, the teeth are generally false, and have little bite potential. Once the fear is observed, it loses power. The result is the personal empowerment that was really always inside. Be proud of your son, and more importantly, encourage him to encourage himself to be proud; he has faced the monster, and the monster is a mirage.
I have done just that – encouraged him, which he thanks me for often. It’s difficult at times. Always a balancing act between saying too little and saying too much. But then, hey, I’m his mother and he has 20 years more to let go of that mirage than I did, so I won’t turn a blind eye.
I am extremely proud of him. He’s got a great career going, can keep a roof over his head, has extra to travel and otherwise treat himself and now he is finally facing all that which has made him so angry and afraid.
Priceless, yes, that’s a good word. Precious, absolutely. He is giving himself the gift of – himself! XO
This is such a beautiful response, and one laced with ‘mother emotion’ that makes it all so real. I like not to use words like “should” and “ought” and “but” so here’s how I am wording my response: I hope that you go to the mirror and express gratitude to your reflection for making you proud; you are a lovely being. Your son is a reflection of you as a kind and brilliant and inquisitive and self-sufficient role model; your son too, is very blessed.
You are both “priceless.”
~With much love & lightness.
I love that last pic.
You’re so funny. I hated how my butt looked in those pants, but I loved the feeling of liberation so embraced the flatness of my butt and posted it anyway!
I think you look like a spectacular bird ready to take flight!
Now can I just say this one little thing – 17 BOOKS!!! What!?!?!? I am deciding on a plan of approach for my first so this really made me smile. Once again, rockstar = you.
Well I suppose now my secret’s out of the closet: My name is Jan, and I’m a writaholic….
Thanks again for the smile.
Much love.