A stillness that holds
A call to rest in the dee places in uncertain days
A stillness that holds
There is a land of the living
and there is a land of the dead–
or so we draw the map.
Between the two there lies
a river, not a wall.
In this river there are stories
of waters being pushed back
with a people reaching
the other side.
There are bridges crafted of stone,
wood, or vine that stretch across
and bear the weight of a journey
made step by step.
There are sleek boats that slip
over the face of the water,
carrying those who hold lamps
and seek salvation.
There are still others
who can walk across
and whose feet leave an impression
throughout eternity.
There is the land of the living
and there is the land of the dead–
or so we draw the map.
Deep beneath both lands
and the flowing water,
beneath that named Light
and that named Shadow,
there is a stillness that holds
both our seeking and our yielding.
That which is known and
that which is unknown,
are the right eye and the left
of the One who gives birth
from the still point within
all life.
This stillness is our home.
We return here.
-Stuart
I keep having to remind myself not to turn on the news first thing in the morning. We haven’t had cable since 2010, but flipping open the laptop is so tempting. There is something in me that wants to know “what is going on,” and we do have a responsibility to be aware and engaged.
That being said, more and more I feel called to discern “what is going on” in my soul, on a deeper level. Beneath the distractions. Beneath the manipulation of fear and anxiety. Beneath…in the stillness.
I am drawn more and more to this image/experience of stillness.
I played with black clay the other day, and this image came out of Our Lady of Stillness. At least that’s what she seemed to say her name was. Brandon has been taking a pottery class with Mallory, and we talked about what it felt like to work with clay. So, I took a risk. Taking the time to make this statuette, to hold the clay in my hands, to pay attention to the image that was taking shape out of that stillness—what a wonderful experience. Our Lady of Stillness will be close to me now.
I think of those lines from Rumi as well: beyond all notions of wrongdoing and rightdoing, etc. I think of that image from the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra: gate gate paragate parasamgate, Bodhi, svoha. Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone totally beyond. Enlightenment, hail. I think of that line from the Tao te Ching, which flavored this poem of mine: “mystery and manifestations are from the same source…” (Mitchell translation).
Beyond. Beneath. Within, there is a stillness that we can rest in.
Blessings to all,
Stuart