Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Quicksand

I have only seen quicksand in movies. My favorite quicksand scene includes Indiana Jones and a big snake. In real life, I have never been close to something like it. Metaphorically speaking though, I have been in it many times. I have been in those situations that seem to suck me in whole. And although real quicksand is not as dangerous as we imagine, our perceptual quicksand is.

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Our circumstances, as we perceive them to be, can suck us whole. They can be hard to get out of. And, just as in real quicksand, the more we fight a difficult situation, the more we sink into it. When we find ourselves in a tough position, in an unbearable situation, in circumstances that are beyond what we think we can endure, we need to surrender to it. What is this situation telling me? What changes do I need to make? What do I need to let go of? When we find ourselves sinking, desperate, scared, not knowing what to do, we cannot see clearly or think coherently. Our thoughts are impaired by our emotional state and any decision we make in that frame of mind is reactive.

When we are caught in quicksand, the way out is relaxing. We surrender to silence, to stillness. This is not passive. On the contrary. In silence and stillness we strengthen our hearts and mind without doing. We listen to something more than words. It is a whisper, a knowing that comes from inside of us, an intuitive guidance, an A-Ha, I understand, revelation, discernment, tranquility, peace. It is within us that the confusion subsides, not by doing, struggling and extraneous effort, but by allowing Spirit to come through in the place where it is not drowned out by the noise of the world. Let us stop fighting against what sucks us in and let our Inner Being lift us up and out of the muck.


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