It's all about listening
The “center” of centering is listening. Listening is a lost art in the world. We are not taught the essentials of the art of listening in our culture. Instead we are told in many significant ways that are tied to how our culture determines its sources of power that we must listen and defer to them. This is not listening – it is reacting out of fear stemming from a kind of psychic interference that seems to threaten our survival.
Being wholly attentive
The art of listening involves unconditionally accepting and being wholly attentive to what is being communicated, while being both resonant and detached from it. So listening requires being able to fully hear and freely respond to a communication that is offered. Listening is a two-way street that is meant to be equal. No expectation or assumption can be part of the art of listening. One must be able to continue to honor one’s own authentic sense of integrity, allowing response to occur from this quite naturally.
Listening creates and comes from inner space and silence. This inner silence and the expanded spiritual space that it offers erases conditioning and fear, and restores trust and creative power. It is how we can lovingly connect with our own and others’ spirits.
When was the last time you simply sat and listened to yourself without fear, expectation, assumption or judgment? Settle back, close your eyes, and let your breath naturally deepen. This is how you create inner space. Observe your sensations while gently focusing on the rhythms of your deepening breath. Imagine there is a great void inside you that holds inner silence. Let yourself go into this vast center.
Here is where you can listen to yourself – your spirit, as it speaks to you. Here is where you are also free to listen to others as a gift. This is the two-way street, or fully opened channel, of being present. It is the exclusive place where love exists.
We cannot offer to others what we aren’t able to experience. Practice listening to yourself. Accelerate your ability by journaling, or recording, your reflective experiences, such as the exercise above. And be prepared to receive many miracles, including opportunities for self-healing, empowerment, creating your heart’s desires, and beyond yourself, offering an amazing service to someone in need.
Good post. It is difficult to listen without judgment, expectation, or assumption. Humans seem to have a natural tendency to judge. It’s likely a learned behavior, and one that we have to unlearn. I’ve been practicing listening, and have found it helps to tell myself that everyone else is in the exact place they are meant to be and are doing the exact things they are meant to be doing. By understanding that everything is just as it should be it helps me to avoid judging.