Over the past year and a half, I’ve completed over 14 sewing projects. I’ve gone through five spools of thread. A spool of thread holds approximately 1400 yards which is the equivalent to 14 football fields, all slowly unwinding with my focus and intention.
A spool is a great metaphor for life. The thread is the stories of my lives, past and present with my soul as the core of the spool. The continuous thread holds the stories of this lifetime and all my lifetimes, all my triumphs and tragedies, deaths and rebirths, wrapped around the steady presence of my true essence, my soul.
Life is hard and we struggle to survive sicknesses, day-to-day challenges and loss of loved ones; when we feel so helpless witnessing the suffering of our loved ones; when we experience the violent oppression of souls so distanced from their own inner wisdom; when we lose what we worked so hard for. We do our best to heal and move on, because this thread, our life, is continuous and carries us, all designed so brilliantly wrapped around our quiet, steady soul. Our soul is our strength. Our soul holds our peace.
The doorway to our soul is present when we quiet, when we gentle ourselves, when we sit in silence. Taking the time to sit and feel past the tangle of emotions we can reach our soul. It takes courage to sit quietly and not listen to the blaming and the shaming. Not listen to the ego screaming. Like a tangled jungle, we patiently focus past the tangled vines and see the steady sun and feel the steady hum.
Every moment we choose to sit with our struggles and feel beyond the pain, we find our soul. Our soul holds the love we yearn to feel. Our soul holds the wisdom we search for. Our soul holds the answers to our myriad of questions. Take the time. You deserve your presence.
The silent observer is the wisest part of your being.
It’s always watching, witnessing, steering us towards our true meaning.
Sometimes we feel desperate when trying to find our life’s meaning or purpose.
We criticize and judge ourselves, leaving a sense of being totally worthless.
We go through our ups.
We go through our downs.
Life is comprised of both beauty and frowns.
In those times of sadness and heart-wrenching despair.
Laying on the cold bathroom tiles, choking for air.
Tasting the saltiness of your tears as they roll down your face.
Desperately longing for someone’s embrace.
During these times of despair, we may feel helpless and alone.
Although the truth is we always have company, our higher self, witnessing every moan.
So whilst sometimes we may forget our purpose on this earth.
Remember that the silent observer has never forsaken your value or worth.
The silent observer is the vast, non-physical part of yourself, you see.
The part that is not contained nor limited, like the ego’s sense of ‘me’.
Whilst we move through life and inevitably experience times of pain.
It’s important to remind ourselves that these moments offer something to gain.
Our times of deep suffering are where we get to know ourselves best.
These moments are the universe putting our inner strength to the test.
When we start to lose our way, it is our purpose we often forget.
And until we ask for help, the silent observer knows not to interject.
So I invite you to turn inward, and connect with this powerful force.
Your teacher, your compass ... that which we call Source.
This teacher knows that life is a never-ending opportunity to learn and grow.
To expose the rawest parts of ourselves we thought we lacked the strength to show.
So remember my dear one's, life may throw you about, leaving you lost and in a tangle.
Although it’s important to gain perspective, knowing you are always protected by your guardian angel.
Whilst the silent observer may not speak or act.
This presence is always there
Seeing you as perfect
Seeing you as whole
Knowing there is nothing you ever lacked.
Participants’ Reflections
Thank you. It was unusual what I focused on this time, which was your last words ‘see you on the other side of fifteen minutes.’ My meditation took me to silence and to the Simon and Garfunkel song, The Sound of Silence. I’m a movie buff and I reflected on that movie. He was able to feel the love when he went to silence and let go of all the chatter and plastics. That was nice to feel and acknowledge that. Also, I was listening to Joanna Macy on On Being this morning. What she said at the end of the interview about being alive in this transitional moment is to just be grateful for every moment, for every blade of grass. Thank you.
Thank you so much. I greatly enjoyed the metaphor of the spool of thread and our lives. Metaphors really get to the core of things. Yesterday, I was with my daughter and son-in-law and granddaughter. We were looking through photographs and there was one of me with a toddler. I could not tell if it was my daughter or granddaughter. It was fun to have my daughter figure it out. I was visually seeing the threads of my life yesterday. During the meditation, I was looking at an old maple tree with one limb which has a its’ insides exposed. A bird came by to find something to eat. The gifts of nature taking care of every moment were played out by that bird. This week my eyes were opened by a landscaper to learn which plants in my yard are edible. Nature really does take care of us at so many levels. Thank you.
It was really nice today because it was about being in silence, there was nothing else to do or think about. It was being really calm. I could hear my fan going around. I was just being by myself. I was in a field of iris and they were a pretty lavender color. When I opened my eyes, I realized I had purple on. Purple is a real calming color for me. It was just so green and calm, and where I needed to be today, with my soul. So thank you.
Thank you. I’ve been trying to make On Being a Sunday ritual. Joanna Macy is a wonderful person. And yet another metaphor in this group. I was extending the spool metaphor thinking about the flexibility of thread and its endurance under stress. So thank you.
Thank you. Thank you for joining me this morning. Thank you for taking time for yourselves and spending time in silence. Silence goes a long way. Silence is the journey to connect with ourselves. Silence offers us respite. Silence gives us wisdom. Silence helps us find our Source. It’s a journey I have documented over the last 15 months. I witness it in each of you and I witness it within myself as my Higher Self, my Source. The soul emerges through silence, and it’s an incredible gift. Thank you all for being on this journey with me. I hope you all have a gentle day.