Third Week of Advent, Monday: In the Silence of the Soul

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

And thou shalt have joy and gladness... –Luke 1:14

Several of the scripture stories surrounding the birth of the Christ include themes of watching, waiting, and being self-contained. The story of Zacharias, the husband of Elizabeth and temple priest, who is visited by the angel Gabriel, is one. Viewed metaphysically, his story is about how divine insight is revealed to us when we are open to it and can wait in the silence for it to unfold.

The visitation of angels can be interpreted as divine ideas arising in the mental field. Gabriel represents conscious awareness of our divine identity and the infinite potential within us. When Gabriel visits Zacharias to announce that he and his aged wife Elizabeth will give birth to a child, Zacharias questions: how shall I know this?  This vision does not correspond with facts. It is not logical. Have you ever had a glimpse of divine possibility? Seen or been inspired to something beyond what you had ever considered possible? Perhaps like Zacharias, you may have thought, “how can I trust this inspiration?” “It doesn’t make sense.” When this occurs, what do we do? Do we embrace the inspiration? Or dismiss it?

When Zacharias expresses his doubt, Gabriel tells him that he will be struck mute, unable to speak about this revelation until it comes to pass. Taken literally, it might sound like punishment. Understood metaphysically, it signifies that spiritual inspiration is received in silence and cannot be put into words.

After Gabriel’s visitation, Zacharias leaves the temple and is met by the people waiting outside who wonder why he took so long. This “crowd of people” represents the ordinary thinking mind that can become restless after we’ve been meditating for awhile. Zacharias cannot tell them what has occurred because this level of consciousness, the sense mind, cannot comprehend what is experienced beyond words and thoughts. When we see into the heart of the story, we find the encouragement to allow spiritual insight to be nurtured in the silence of the soul, to avoid the temptation to too quickly take it into the realm of thought and reason. If we can let it be, we often find that greater clarity comes along with guidance for right action.

Practice:

The time spent in superconscious meditation can contribute to new insight, inspiration and creative energy. After a time resting in our essential spiritual nature beyond ordinary thought activity, we may notice insights arising. It can be tempting to abandon meditation and instead spend the time thinking about these new ideas. However, welcoming thoughts into the temple of meditation (no matter how creative they are) can easily become a habit that will undermine the ability to meditate deeply. Time spent in meditation is the occasion to trust that we can let go of grasping or working on anything and simply be present. Trust that any truly divine inspiration that arises will remain with you when you are done meditating.

Contemplate:

In the temple of silence, in the temple of peace, I will meet Thee, I will touch Thee, I will love Thee, and coax Thee to my altar of peace.   –chant by Paramahansa Yogananda

Reflect:

Am I willing to let inspiration unfold?