Wordlessness
/I have heard a few people say, "I'm running out of words," describing how they feel about politics, the pandemic, forest fires and hurricanes, and personal stress. We are exhausted with trying to process all that is happening. It is hard to wrap our minds around all of the events of the world right now.
We are all running out of words, but being out of words isn't such a bad thing. There might be peace on the other side of wordlessness.
Getting to wordlessness is a goal of mine in meditation. It is there where I stop my racing thoughts, quit figuring out solutions, and pause on planning. It is in this wordlessness where I begin to feel a sense of peace.
When we quiet our minds enough to feel the stillness, that is where we realize the ridiculousness of words. We exhaust ourselves with labeling things, editorializing, and providing commentary to every move everyone is making.
What would it be like to be truly wordless? Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor describes this feeling so well in her famous TED talk, telling about a stroke she experienced and what her near-death journey taught her. If you do not have time to watch the entire thing right now, forward to the 13-minute point and you will hear her experience of entering a realm of silence. It is a powerful description.
If you have lost a loved one, I hope you can imagine for them the peacefulness Jill describes.
This idea of oneness with spirit, God, energy, and love is a concept that is part of most spiritual belief systems. Native Americans call it a "Sacred Silence." Christians call it a "peace beyond our understanding." Buddhists might refer to it as "emptiness." Jewish people call it "the great I Am." Christian mystics knew it as "a cloud of unknowing."
We know of this phenomenon, but often it is hard for us to experience. Sometimes, we only know it in hindsight after an awakening or spiritual experience. Jill experienced it in the effects of her stroke and realized, "We have the power to choose moment by moment who and how we want to be in the world, right here right now." We can choose if we live as if we are one with the vast universe or if we are separate from God.
It is easy to feel small, stressed, and fragile right now as a human being. That is fear running the show in our brains. Shifting into something beyond what we can see, even if for just a few moments, provides the hope that helps us know that our oneness with love can overcome our fear.
Try this practice to tune into oneness with nature and then realize you are one with God.
Wordlessness in Nature
Humans are the only species with words. Language exists in many species, but words, as we know them, are unique to humans. Have you stood at the top of the Grand Canyon and felt complete awe? Have you been near the ocean and felt memorized by the tide? Have you laid in the grass and watched clouds float by with a sense of peace? What about gazing at a star-filled sky and being amazed?
Those are wordless moments. These moments can be available at any time. We just have to call them into our attention. Here is a process to help you do that:
Find a comfortable seat in nature. Select a place where you can close your eyes and relax for a few moments.
Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Notice your breath as you inhale and exhale a few times.
Now, notice your own pulse. You might notice it in your hands, neck, or heartbeat. Be still and notice your pulse encouraging blood to flow throughout your body.
Now, see if you can sense this same pulse in nature. Can you feel the pulse of the earth? The trees? The plants? It may take a while to be able to tune into this, but it is possible.
Sit in the presence of nature, knowing that you are in sync, you are aligned, you are one. There are no real words to describe this feeling. Just be.
Sending you love and peace,
