The Calming Power of Space
Photo by Josh Schrei
In the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism, there are considered to be five elements: air, earth, fire, water … and space. Space contains all other elements. Space contains all thoughts, feelings, events, experiences and incarnations. The inherent nature of our mind is vast, infinite space. Meditation helps us experience this spacious awareness that encompasses everything. As practitioners of the healing arts, that spacious awareness is one of the greatest gifts we can bring to others. It is also called simply being present. This phrase has become almost a cliche in spiritual circles today, and one might ask, what does it really mean? From the SourcePoint perspective it means patience. Day after day, hour after hour, it means listening to your clients. Giving them the space to be themselves. And it doesn’t just mean being present to the condition of the other person, to the work that is happening in the moment; it means maintaining an awareness of the underlying Order, Balance, Harmony and Flow that we call the Blueprint. It means getting out of the way, leaving space for that greater consciousness and order to work, for the body to respond to what we do from its innate capacity for wellness.
Allowing space, in our own minds, in our relationships with others, and in our healing work, is a great challenge. And, there is great healing power in that practice. It doesn’t mean we do nothing. We live, we act, we decide, we study and learn, we treat and prescribe, and yet, we also know when to leave space, when to let things unfold, when not to interfere. It’s a very subtle skill to develop.
Space and time are closely related. The more spacious the mind, the more time there seems to be. A few moments of meditative space and time can create more time, rather than taking time. This summer has been very full here at SourcePoint. We’ve had an advanced intensive, a module 3 and a mentorship program almost one right after the other. There’s been a lovely rhythm of work and more work, and it hasn’t felt crowded or “busy” … but I missed my August 1 post on this blog. Now, some space in the outside world is opening up to pay more attention here. We’ve been recording meditations from the workshops and the plan (always subject to change..) is to share some of those here in the coming months. I have many other things to share.
For now, here’s a meditation already posted that is worth revisiting. Take 7 minutes of your time to listen, and the space you feel will make up for the time you spend. Bring spaciousness to your work, and you will feel less tired. Bring spaciousness to your mind and you will feel more relaxed. It’s called
© Donna Thomson and Bob Schrei 2013
