INNER PEACE, STILLNESS, BEINGNESS
I did some Zen drawing today, which I have not done for a number of years, and I was astonished at how quickly I slid right into that place of deep peace, stillness and beingness. It is a natural state and is always there waiting for you to sink into it.
A friend gave me a book about Zen drawing for Christmas and it reminded me of the book that originally taught me this meditative art technique and process. I fell in love with it then, during a period when I was experimenting with lots different artistic techniques and processes. I was amazed at the state of stillness I immediately fell into while doing this kind of drawing. And I was even more amazed at the sensitive, beautiful drawings that emerged as I kept my eyes off the paper and pencil, and on the object I was drawing. Stunning, how the brain coordinates the eye and the hand!
I have been practicing Transcendental Meditation for over forty-five years, and have done other meditation techniques as well along the way. I have meditated for countless hours for decades. I have a well grooved-in path to that state of stillness and beingness, and I am grateful for this space and place in me that feels like Home.
Being reminded of Zen drawing was such a gift from my dear friend, and really was an answer to a prayer and intention I had, to return to former pleasures and gifts to explore now. What surprised me as I read this new Zen drawing book was that Frederick Franck, the author of my first Zen drawing book published in 1973, was mentioned in the very first paragraph of this new book! I exclaimed out loud with delight, smiling, and thoroughly enjoyed the synchronicity of it! Michelle Dujardin, the author of this new book had learned from him through his book years ago, just as I had.
This got me to thinking about all of the ways and paths we have for accessing that place of inner peace, stillness and beingness within ourselves. Sitting under a tree, daydreaming, music, creating and experiencing art created by others, being entranced by an infant….these, and the countless other ways to be present open the gate to this state within us.
There are cultures and societies around the world that have not been affected as we in Western culture have been by the fast pace and stress of contemporary life. These people find it easy to sit under a tree and spontaneously enter that state of stillness…and they do this often…daily…even multiple times a day.
Do you find that easy to do? What are the ways you instinctively use, or have consciously cultivated over time to access your state of stillness and beingness? How do you get to that place of stillness and beingness?
Spending time in stillness and beingness is healing, it has the ability to quell anxiety, soften depression, elicit joy, allow inspiration, offer respite from stress, lower blood pressure, heal the body, etc. And at this point in time there are literally thousands of research articles on the benefits of spending time in this natural state of being.
I hope this article entices you to take a moment under a tree or however you wish to enter this delicious, divine space of Inner Peace, Stillness and Beingness.
I’d love to read your comments below.
I love you….
…and as always, I hope you SPARKLE!
Jan xo
Janice Masters, M.Ed., The Shaman Mama
www.janicemasters.com
*I created the Zen drawing on the header of this article many years ago when I had been doing this meditative art technique for a while. I found the sensitivity of it surprising then, as I still do now. It was if something I didn’t know was in me got accessed. Delightful!
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