Scotties and the peace of early mornings

As spring finally clawed its way into Central Oregon, early mornings brought wonderful peace and quiet.

The Scotties love the quiet, enjoying it in the backyard. They lie down and survey the acres of green vistas in front of them, seeing the morning dew glistening upon the grass.

I would love to know what they are thinking about. They look like contentment itself. Maybe they hear from God, the same way we can when we seek and find silence.

Mastering and enjoying silence is powerful. Silence brings healing. Healing of both body and soul. Silence is the secret to helping you make your world a better place.

Silence makes you receptive to the inner voice of Divine Mind, letting you enter the kingdom of God. Your body, we are told, is the temple of God. You reach that temple's inner sanctum through silence. There your Spirit communicates with the One True

God.

For those of us on a soul journey to higher consciousness, finding access to this inner sanctum dramatically raises our consciousness. Early in this journey we invested our time in affirming the truth of life, that God, or Universal Mind, is all around us and in us. We worked at listening for those spontaneous thoughts that gave us a glimpse of better ways to think and act; helping us induce greater peace and harmony into our lives.

Now, through silence, we rise higher and find that guiding voice regularly in our "ear."

Sages of old taught, "Be still and know that I am God" - for the stillness announces the presence of God. "God is closer than breathing, nearer than hands and feet." When you fully comprehend this concept, you realize, deep within, that nothing, absolutely nothing negative, has power over your life. You know the power of all creation is a part of you, helping and protecting your body and your life's affairs.

We live in a world hooked on speed. Technology changes daily, everyone is in a hurry rushing to the next task or tempest. Transmission times for data are now so fast that new ocean cables are being laid all over the world. We used to transmit important data over satellites. But now they are too slow.

"Many people still believe international telecommunications are conducted by satellite," says NEC executive Atsushi Kuwahara. "That was true in 1980, but nowadays, 99 percent of international telecommunications is submarine."

Speed disturbs silence. Speed everywhere and in everything means that you always think you have to rush. That rushing around takes all your attention and energy. There is no time for silence and contemplation with your higher self. Your focus is entirely on the material world and "getting by."

The real you, your soul, loses touch with that inner sanctum and God.

Silence and a raised consciousness brings you into contact with Love, Peace, and Grace. We are all searching for these things. Too often we think we can find them with financial success, more friends, or artificial stimulants. Those things do not bring authentic peace.

It may be old-fashioned, but the 23rd Psalm is a great guide to finding peace through silence and quiet: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." This opening line establishes confidence in the power of faith, for the shepherd (God) protects the sheep and they are cared for at all times.

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters." The image of lush pastures means we have all the material things we need, and the still waters convey complete peace and joy.

"He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." My soul has often been filled with fear, sickness, and anger, but when I'm resting by still waters, confident in God's strength in my life, my soul renews. Now I walk on a path filled with unconditional love for those around me, vibrant good health, and perfect joy. I think positively about life. These feelings and actions are the "path of righteousness," which put me right with God.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." Here is a crucial element. The valley is not "the valley of death," it is the valley of the "shadow of death." Why is the word shadow in this line? Because there is no real death as we humans think of it. Because the real you, the spirit and soul of you, never dies.

Silence and quiet offer the pathway to your inner temple. The 23rd Psalm helps lead you there. There you meet the essence of God, which lives within. Here in the West, we call that the Christ within. When you learn how to commune with that universal mind, you comprehend the meaning of "I am spirit." Your spirit is eternal. Someday your spirit will move on, out of this dimension. That means you will advance to something even better. Silence brings you full circle into finding eternal peace. The world does not give you that peace and it cannot take it away from you; but you must seek, through silence, to find it.

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10