Wintertime has many spiritual gifts for us; perhaps the greatest are opportunities to be still and quiet, teaching us the way to inner peace.
Wintertime has many spiritual gifts for us; perhaps the greatest are opportunities to be still and quiet, teaching us the way to inner peace.What speaks to you in the quiet of Winter? What do you hear in the pause between the gusts of wind, blowing the last of the leaves from the trees? In that place of silence, we hear our own heart, and our soul, speaking softly. We hear the gentle, quiet voice of the Divine, if we allows ourselves to listen. In order to listen, we need to slow down and become still and quiet.
Wintertime is indeed a time to be still. We take our cues from nature – everything has gone dormant. All life composts its old self, allowing what no longer is vital to die away, sitting and waiting quietly. But waiting has a purpose. These plants and animals are going deep inside to conserve their resources, find new life within, and to build up energy for the growth of spring.
There are many great lessons for us in winter. The importance of stillness, silence, and going deep inside is of great value to our own journey of growth. It’s hard for us to comprehend and value stillness and inner peace in our culture. The western world is based on the external, superficial, and excessive activity that business, work, hectic family schedules, deadlines, and “making it” emphasize.
How many of us have run at that hectic pace until we simply burned out? If we never had a wintertime, our planet would experience the same thing. Nature knows that a time of rest and reflection is essential to growth and well-being, even if it looks stagnant in the short term.
Can you stand, still and quiet like a tree in winter, and listen to the Spirit within? Can you sit, like the Buddha under the Bodhi tree, and feel the peace of unmoving presence? Without the times of stillness, motion loses its impact. It is in these moments of stillness and silence that we awaken, that we sense the quality of peace most palpably, and we deepen our connection to each other. I am reminded of the aftermath of 9/11, when there was a moment of silence around the world, seeing images of every major city during that moment, people of all creeds standing still and quiet. Honoring what we share, which is our humanity.
Beyond our differences in language, religion, culture, race, gender, and sexuality, we share the silence. The Divine Presence is beyond words. You can join nature in its meditation on that inner stillness. What you discover in that silent moment will connect you to all other beings. As we deepen into the wintertime, let’s remember that inner connection to consciousness… still, quiet, peaceful, and ever present.
