The Irony and the Ecstasy of Still Water Time

I took a photograph of this egret on a glorious day in Point Lobos. One of those days that a mysterious combination of the Divine and Nature reveals a magnificent sense of well being. A sense of well being that comes from the Still Water Time in my life.

A Still Water Time defines our inward journey when it becomes the dominant energy in our lives. It is the settling place for the emotional waters brought forth by a junction in our spiritual journey that demands all the tools we have acquired so far to re-evaluate, redress, discard and acquire the necessary new tools for the next part of our journey. Still Water Time is the culmination of our darkest hours transformed into the realization, that it was , in reality, one of our shining moments.

I reflect upon my own Still Water Time. And, like the Egret that stands still and eats his prey whole, in a similar way I receive whatever life offers me, wholeheartedly. The major difference between the Egret and my self is that his still waters is a constant offering or denial to his survival. His survival imprint is simple and direct, the rules are encoded in his DNA and the relationship between the Egret and the water is predetermined.

My Still Water Time rules are not imprinted in my DNA. In order for me to recognize a Still Water Time, I know I have to allow it the space and time for the spirit within to stretch. I usually have to get there by forcing it through avoidance and ignoring the restless spiritual nudges within me. I read somewhere that in those times when I judge my self most harshly and I feel I have let my self down are the moments that enrich my spirit the most.

I look at the photo and step into the place of the Egret, taking a zen like stance and staring into the stillness, allowing Paul Russell's words wash over me as the stillness flutters and settles itself around me:

" I realize that meditation was not about chasing states of consciousness or
following a path but about letting go of the path, it's a long journey to realize
there's no path."

In the end, someone or something will throw a pebble or two in those still waters, causing circles to widen and disappear. That is the irony and ecstasy of a Still Water Time.