For the five minutes I got to watch this Yellow-Wattled Lapwing in the lawn in front of the college building where I work, before I felt guilty of overstaying and getting late to work, I was taken back by its stillness in its body posture. The golden yellow colour of its lappets and legs caught my attention instantly. I am used to seeing red-wattled Lapwings in the neighbourhood of our cottage.
I have often wondered how birds can be still like this. The only movements they might make in between might be turning the neck in different directions. The King fisher is another bird who can be still like a statue.
Stillness is a prelude for experiencing interior silence. Stillness and silence are protective for human soul. Our inner self is prone to drift and wander wildly and our mind can lead us astray by enticing thoughts. The gift of stillness is to protect our soul from the weariness of such wanderings.
The soul centred living is the dimension that we loose out when we are in constant pursuit of the mind centred living. Our thoughts are the reasons that make us relevant and connected. But the interior silence has a centering effect to bring us back to the reality deep within us. It is when we can gravitate towards an experience of the interior silence, we can feel bathed in the ambience of the Spirit within us. From a soulful living, the journey to live in realm of the Spirit is the sacred experience we often long for. It evades us till we habitually can create silence for the Spirit to dwell within us. Silence is the cradle where the Spirit rests.
It is silence which washes away our anger, jealousy, suspicion, irritability, etc. because the Spirit takes us to another plane of living to 'love others as ourselves'. We become intimate to ourselves and are drawn towards an experience of intimacy with God. This is the transfiguring experience within us following which, others become companions and co-pilgrims in life journey!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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