By Annmarie Early

It’s constant—the ticker tape sound of the mind running on autopilot just beyond my awareness.  Oh, yes, at times it is very noticeable with its judgments and criticisms, analysis and commentary, but that one is easier to catch.  It is the quiet— just outside of experience— narrator that stands between you and stillness that always catches me.

 “There’s a tree, look at the leaves, so many shades of green on one leaf.  A squirrel.  I need to remember to call her when I get back. Ouch, that knee is hurting again. The sound of the wet earth below my feet. That was slippery. I could have fallen.  I’m glad I wore my hiking boots.  Ah, hiking boots.  I forgot to buy those inserts.”  And on and on it goes.

 The inner narration of the mind can be understood as a foe to vanquish, but it is also a companion that has kept you company on your life journey, be-friending you and guiding you. It may be so familiar that you simply call it you.  That’s just me—the voice that speaks constantly—it is who I am.

 You may have noticed the voice and heard that quieting the mind is the pathway to waking up.  Good luck meeting it head on.  Have you ever caught yourself in the loop where you try to quiet the mind and then you notice you are talking in whisper tones to yourself about quieting the mind—analyzing and providing commentary on the very process you are trying to overcome?  It can be mind-numbingly painful to recognize this.  Well, not so painful that it stops though.

 In the beginning, it is as if all you can do is find a crack—a small passageway to enter in through where you notice stillness.  Don’t be frustrated as the moment you notice the quiet you are likely to begin reflecting on the quiet in your mind—the narration will begin. You can get frustrated or try to make it go away.  It will only get bigger. Or, the chatter can go more quiet, but keep on talking at you as it is well trained and sneaky. And, remember, it’s there to help you out. You might not feel like you are a “you” without it for it has been your identified “you” for a long time.

 Notice the crack, the moment of silence, the experiential sense quality from within. Allow the noticing to lead you out, for now, and then return.  Return over and over until the crack widens and the silence stays stillness for longer. Practice positioning in the Sacred Heart Center and Sacred Wisdom Center and allow.  This is where a word mantra can help to keep the mind occupied enough to allow you to rest within stillness, but not carry you into reflective content. Play with breath, with 1 word repetition, positioning, allowing.  For when the mind finally releases just a little, you land in the landscape of everything that once was called nothing, and from here you encounter the truth of what you are.