“Intriguing,” I thought. “I often find myself in places that have spotty internet while offering retreats and conferences. This little gadget might help.” I clicked on the email that read, “Portable WiFi.” I was horrified by what I saw: photos of snow-capped mountain peaks, deep woods, and light shining softly from inside a tent pitched under a star filled sky. “Oh no! Who would ever want internet in those places,” I mused to myself.
Daily contemplative sitting alone or with others readies us to be at home in such places, not only the external ones but even more so the internal places of wilderness. Through patiently and consistently letting go of our thoughts, the impulse that wants to fill emptiness with needless chatter or the clever maneuvers that knock us off our meditation cushions are blessedly silenced. We are embraced by a fidelity that surpasses wireless (or even wired). We discover the unbounded stillness of the Divine living uninterruptedly within the boundary of our finite being.
May you be blessed with this realization and may the gift of it radiate out onto a world so in need of networks of connection and healing.
Happy August!
Margaret and Nancy