​The Still Point Within - first in a series by Rev. Sandra Leader

Dear Ones,
Although our seasons aren’t as dramatic as those in the north, there still are distinctions that are obvious to those of us who have lived in California for any length of time. The temperature is dropping. After months with no precipitation, we’ve had our first rains, with more expected in the coming months. On my daily walk this morning, I was observing the differences in the quality of the light. The leaves on the deciduous trees are shriveling and falling to the ground, and I could detect the smell of decaying plant matter as it breaks down and returns to the soil. And, of course, the days are getting shorter, and we are experiencing more darkness than light in a 24-hour period.

"Seasons" acrylic on paper, by Rev. Sandy

As November arrives, I always like to set a firm intention to respect the calling of the
season. In these days leading up to Thanksgiving, it is so easy to get caught up in the more highly charged emotional climate and the frenetic pace that can surround the way our culture observes our major holidays.
​
After the long, light-filled days of summer and the rapid growth they propell, we have
been harvesting the fruits of this dynamic period of expansion. But it doesn’t go on forever. The natural imperative of this time of year is to slow down and prepare for a period of dormancy, and for good reason. It is time for rest, rejuvenation and integration of all that has been created and cultivated during the summer months.

---

Reflected over and over in the universe is what is referred to in Eastern teachings as unmesa (expansion) and nimesa (contraction). We see it in the heartbeat. We see it in the breath. The teachings say that this material world is created and recreated in an ongoing pulsation of unmesa and nimesa. The manifest universe is nothing but a vibrational field descending in density from the first initial movements of desire in the mind of God or Shiva into form, flickering back and forth so rapidly that it is impossible to detect. What appears to be solid is, in fact, a three-dimensional, five-sensory picture show. God’s dream emerges into form out of the stillness of the vast, all-pervasive field of infinite potential and then recedes back to stillness again continuously. It is the dynamic dance of Shiva, the still point out of which everything arises, and Shakti, the creative power of the multiverse.
​The seasons replicate this same pattern in slow motion – an expansive phase in the spring and summer and the need to withdraw back into an introspective or contractive period in the fall and winter so that the world as we know it can be recreated again. For our own individual health and well-being, it behooves us to take our cues from nature.

"Calm in the Center" mixed media, by Rev. Sandy

​I encourage you to make time every day to return to the still point within, where you too have access to the powers that recreate you and your life in an optimum way. Whether it is through meditation, a mindful walk in nature or sitting for a cup of afternoon tea and staring out the window. Even taking five minutes to sit and close your eyes, check in with yourself and perhaps do a Treatment (affirmative prayer) is a great reset that will help you maintain your equilibrium. You will find that consciously prioritizing your spiritual practices, even in small doses, will create a buffer that helps you stay centered and balanced when the pace picks up and old emotional wounds get triggered by the intensity of familiar holiday dynamics.
Even when the whole world around us seems to be awry, we always have available
within us an unimaginable power that can help us to recalibrate and maintain a state of inner calm and peace. We just need to remember to access it.

With love and blessings,
Rev. Sandy 

---