Quiet the Noise - Quietening the Mind
abracad, · Categories: self helpThe mind is the interface between body and soul, ie between the worlds of Spirit and earth. But the noisier is the mind the harder it is for us to hear the inner voice, ie our connection with Spirit.
The mind is a tool, and a powerful one at that. Looking at the enormous technological progress made by mankind it has served us well. We have tamed nature to provide food, shelter and comfort. We have understood and are able to cure many of the diseases that can afflict our frail bodies. We’ve even managed to land on the moon, and with ever-increasing knowledge of the cosmos may some day colonize other worlds. The mind is a truly amazing servant; but servants are mere implements to serve the will of their master.
So, the mind is a great servant, if only that were all it was. Have you ever tried listening to yourself, or more precisely your mind? It delivers a constant stream of inane chatter. For all its many achievements as our servant, the mind acts as though it’s our master.
Our purpose in this lifetime is to rediscover our Spiritual essence, picking up as much knowledge and experience along the way as possible. The trouble is the incessant mind noise tends to drown out the much quieter voice of the inner self or soul. And not only does it prevent us hearing our true self, often its voice is that of doom and gloom. It tends to dwell on the unpleasant, whether it’s re-living past failures, regrets and guilt; or creating all kinds of worst-case future scenarios - aka worrying.
No doubt this is why most major religions and Spiritual traditions include some form of meditation in their practice. But for many of us, especially with the complexities of modern life, meditation is difficult to impossible. It’s hard to find the time/space in which we can remain undisturbed. And it’s hard to switch out all of the numerous competing demands on our attention. So what can we do?
The key to "quietening" the mind is simply to recognize when it’s at work. Throwing the light of acknowledgement upon its surreptitious operation immediately neutralizes its negative potency.
The noisy mind may be quietened in one of two ways. The first, and preferable, is the meditative path, in which we are able to retreat into a quiet time and space and simply allow the mind to empty itself of all its junk. If you live with others it probably means negotiating a not-to-be-disturbed time in which to shut yourself away, perhaps with some gentle music, and simply be.
If you can sit in quiet meditation, calmly rejecting every thought that tries to enter - great! But your "me" time might be just time when you’re undisturbed and unplugged from external stimuli. It might be sitting quietly maybe with some relaxing music; it might be taking a walk in nature. The idea is to think about as little as possible, don’t fight your thoughts; simply pay them as little heed as possible.
Meditation is hard, and as you try to quieten your mind it will resist, indeed the mind is often likened to a spoiled child that will resort to numerous behaviors to gain your attention. The key is not to fight it, for in fighting the mind, you use the mind! If (or rather when) stray thoughts enter your consciousness just dismiss them as you would a worthless telemarketer that attempts to interrupt a relaxed evening.
Though conventional religion is falling a little out of favor these days, if you can find a faith - mainstream or other - that seems to fit, attending services/meetings can be a very good way to quiet the noise. There seems to be a collective energy that aids the process when a group focuses its attention toward the Spiritual.
The second path is keeping the mind so focused on some task that it isn't able to generate deleterious noise. This might come from one's work, or from engaging in (ultimately futile activities such as) quizzes, crossword puzzles and the like. Just as long as your mind isn't able to revisit what you should/shouldn't have done yesterday or manufacture what might/might not happen tomorrow.
Cherish and develop that most valuable of helpers that is your mind, but don’t allow the helper to run the show.
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Filed in: self help
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