What is this life ...

...if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare (William Henry Davies, 1871 - 1940).

Do you ever think how crazy your life has become - how difficult it is to find time just to 'stand and stare'.

An old story relates that the Gods debated as to where to hide their wealth of wisdom and spiritual power. They finally settled on hiding it deep within Man himself. They knew he would look for it everywhere across the planet except there!

Thus, if you wish to make progress in anything - spiritual, material, or even financial - the place to start is to go within. This is where the Inner Genius lies, the Higher Self, the Power of God. Spend time with yourself in contemplation. Wait upon that inner voice. Do not bring your preconceptions with you. Allow what comes to be virgin-born.

How different this teaching is to that of the world; even of the spiritual authorities. The Church will tell you that spiritual growth comes through regular attendance, good works, holy communion and other outward forms. The business world will tell you to attend more seminars, read up on presentation techniques, and jump onto the latest trend.

However, the wise person knows that inner victory must always precede outer. There are no shortcuts. The way of silence is tougher. It takes time and patience. It is out of sorts with the ways of the world, which is precisely its power. You may not even know how to begin or what to expect. Just begin. Schedule regular time for it. All questions will be answered in time. By You!

Asoka Selvarajah

You don't have to become a Trappist monk to discover the value of silence. Just take a little time away from the distractions of 'too much to do' and 'too little time'. And while you're about it, give some thought to how much time you spend earning the money to pay for those things that appear to save you time - take that into account and it is little surprise that it is often actually quicker to travel by bicycle than to drive a car. And in the right environment (where you aren't surrounded by all those other people desperately trying to get from A to B with minimum observation or understanding of what lies between), you can experience some of that silence without having to worry about how much the next litre of petrol is going to cost you.