Quiet Mind
For some of us the phrase quiet mind might seem like an oxymoron. Quiet may never be a state which would describe one’s mind. It may seem as if no matter how many meditations or yoga classes one takes, one is never able to quietly be present without analyzing, judging, comparing, or questioning what is going on around one, what might go on around one, or what might have gone on around one. If someone is talking one’s mind might be questioning if they are telling the truth or if their expression communicates distain for one. For those who have such an active mind life is very stressful.
A friend of mine just posted this reminder “Silence is not nothingness but fullness.” (Chimyo Hirioka)
Every artist knows that it is not the color or the lines which hold or capture the meaning. It is the blank space or the space which holds the color or the lines which the color holds. Every musician knows that the space between the notes is just as important as the notes. Writers know that what is not said or the space between the words holds the essence of what one is attempting to convey.
Those of us with very active minds have not trained ourselves to see the blank space or the silence which holds the words. We are focusing on the words and the possible hidden meaning of the words rather than the silence between the words.
I am sitting at my kitchen table typing. Across from me is my photo board which contains all photos I received with holiday cards and letters this past holiday. If I look at all the photos it is tough to identify individual photos or even the gestalt of the whole of this family of love which fills the two by three foot board. If I focus on the blank wall which surrounds the photo board ironically the photos on the board come into focus.
Sunday I attended a performance of the Pittsburgh Symphony. The orchestra performed Jean Sibelius Concerto in D Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 47. Mr. Ray Chin was the guest violinist. At times notes quickly follow or even chase each other but, at other times, there is a more defined space holding the notes on either side.
This morning I talked with a group of men who are in recovery for addiction. The music of their active addiction has not allowed for any spaces or silence. Often addiction is not only a physical illness but an attempt to avoid the discomfort of emotional pain and the fear of being who they are. In recovery they are learning that it is safe to embrace the silence which allows for the fullness of who they are emotionally and spiritually.
All of us or certainly most of us have a lot of internal and external noise which blocks the silence and the negative space. If not careful we begin to believe and act as if more power, money, sex, stuff, or the right religious or philosophy will fill the void when, in fact, we merely have to be still and allow the fullness of who we are to become manifest reality.
We can remind ourselves: “Be with the silence. Be with the negative space. Allow the heart to open.”
When we allow this reality, music, art and the magic of being us will become the playground for the dance of this life journey.
Written February 19, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
RSS Feed