Be still and know both day and night
Be still and know that dark and light
ARE   ONE   (w)HOL(e)Y CIRCLE

When we are truly still in mind, body and spirit we come into an inner place of peace, calm, tranquillity, self-restoration, self-renewal. A state of being where we can replenish our drained energy, bring order to our scattered agitated thoughts. "Gather ourself" together after a period of stress or a traumatic experience. This is a state where mind, emotions and body can become less ruffled, less ragged - where feelings, thoughts and physical sensations can become integrated.

Accessing Personal Creativity & Inner Wise Guidance

To be still sounds like being in a state where nothing much happens, but this is not always true. Once we cease our mind ceases its "mental chatter" it becomes receptive to the communications of the unconscious mind - the deep well of creativity, insight and wisdom that lies within the psyche of us all.

A Safe, Skilful State for Decisions

When we are in a stressed, distressed or depressed state of mind we make poor decisions. Getting clear, calm and relaxed before important decisions (e.g. at work or in relationships) will greatly improve the quality of our decision-making. When we are under pressure and anxiety type stress, we often feel that a decision is "extremely urgent" and need to consider first if this urgency is just a symptom of our distressed state. When we are feeling low or depressed we often find that procrastination and loss of motivation get in the way of making decisions that do really need to be made. Accessing the meditative state of inner stillness will avoid these dysfunctional pitfalls.

People who have suffered, or are still suffering, a illness such as depression, anxiety states, paranoia, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness symptoms) often become "over-controlled". In other words they fear doing something crazy or having thoughts, impulses or feelings that spiral "out of control". Every decision and action can become a frightening risk once we have lost confidence in our own mental health - in our own sanity, our common-sense, rational thinking or our wisdom.

This is especially true of people who have suffered episodes of mania - i.e. overactive, over-exuberant, over-optimistic, over-confident, rash, wildly impulsive, "crazy" unwise and hasty behaviour - which they later regret. Becoming familiar with the state of "stillness" and how to enter it, can be very supportive in helping people to regain their self-confidence and self-esteem.

In situations of mental or emotional distress, it may be necessary to do some cathartic clearing of agitated internal energies before the journey into inner stillness can begin.

Reduce Medications

Learning natural ways to tranquilise oneself can reduce the dose of, or even eliminate the need for medication with tranquilisers. The same is true of anti-depressant drugs. However, reducing or eliminating medication should only be undertaken in close consultation with your Doctor, Psychiatrist or other regular health advice source . It may be unwise, for example, to stop a medication suddenly and it is usually advisable to have an independent person to monitor your condition in the potentially unstable period when a medication drug dosage is changing.

In the "Stillness Speaks" series of books (paperback and hardback versions) audiotapes and guidance cards, Eckhart Tolle (author of bestseller "The Power of Now") illuminates the fundamental elements of his stillness teaching, addressing the needs of the modern seeker by drawing from all spiritual traditions.

At the core of the books and tapes are what Eckhart Tolle calls "the state of presence," a living in the "now" that is both intensely inspirational and practical. When the pressures of future and past thinking disappear, fear and frustration also vanish, conquered by the moment. Stillness Speaks takes the form of 200 individual entries, organized into ten topic clusters that range from "Beyond the Thinking Mind" to "Suffering and the End of Suffering." The entries are concise and complete in themselves, but also when read together, take on a transformative power.

"Stillness Speaks" is also available as an audiotape set, an audio CD or a pack of "Inspiration Cards" - click one of the book cover pictures aboce to access details and order pages.

A Meditation Poem  +  Meditative Skills Resources