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Writer's pictureShirley Riga

Waiting with Gentleness


I recognize the usual pattern

Of worry inside

Something is bugging me

And I haven’t discovered what

It has something to do with trust

In myself, in life

Deep trust

In my relationship with me

I am on a journey in my life

Of discovering my gifts

And owning them one by one

Opening the door and letting them in

I am the hardest on myself

Though I have befriended my

Judger transforming him

Into my protector

I have welcomed my gifts of insight

Intuition, senses and knowing

And still I stiffen to the thought

Of letting go

I have prayed for understanding

Always remembering

to couch the answer

In gentleness

And I wait recognizing

I have been at this crossroads

Before witnessing an unrest

Knowing some clarity is coming

I have great patience

I remind myself As I sit and wait

Like a favorite pet waiting for

The human’s next move

I remember gentleness

Is what’s called for

Asking for support

And leaning into love

Otherwise this waiting

Is full of worry

This waiting is uncomfortable

This waiting takes forever

I come back to acceptance

Of where I am; Of what I feel

I’m open to the silence within

As I sit with me.

Listen to Your Heart by Melodie Beattie

Cultivate the art of listening to your intuition, your inner voice. This is the guidance of your heart. It’s a voice that speaks differently from the one in your head. The heart whispers softly; the head prattles loudly.


The head has an agenda for our lives. It chatters away boldly, but its vision is limited. It leaves no room for the mysterious workings of the universe, nor does it take into account the side trips we need to get where we’re going, where our souls need to go. It’s the voice that says, This is the way it’s going to be.


The heart, the inner voice, speaks differently. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it pulls. Sometimes it pushes. It’s spontaneous, in the present moment, and often a surprise. The heart takes into account what has to be done and the best way to do that. The heart takes emotions into account—the way things feel, the way you feel, the wisdom of your soul. The heart leads us into and through the lessons we’re here to learn.


Cultivate your inner voice. Practice listening to the whispers of your heart. Practice trusting your intuition, what you really feel, what you really know. Practice until that voice is the one that you hear.


Be patient. Be gentle. Let yourself learn to hear the gentle and trustworthy words of your heart.


Participants’ Reflections:

  • I was not satisfied with a presentation I did yesterday and in the past, I would have really beaten myself up. During the meditation, I focused on my heart and on the appreciative comments I received about the presentation. I also could look forward to how to improve it, instead of trashing it and walking away. I am in my heart today, leaning into love, such a great line.

  • I love this idea of connecting head and heart. I’ve been stressing about something and I heard the message to relax and give it time. And that helped a lot. This morning, I got a creative idea and I know it’s from participating in this meditation group, from the joining head and heart.

  • I follow Matt Kahn, who says it’s an old paradigm that we have to get rid of ego. It’s better to join head and heart

  • The joining is our being in our authentic selves, which doesn't always fit into the world where head is necessary. It’s a beautiful place when they are connected. When we know who we are and we honor who we are

  • The ebb and flow

  • Cultivate is such a nice word. Probably originally for plants. This time together here is how we cultivate coming from our hearts. I can tell when I’m coming from my heart. When I’m striving using my head, it’s like a store bought blanket vs a beautiful blanket crocheted by a loved one. Head and heart work together. When you have the knowing of something you've said from the heart, you feel it. It's like poetry.

  • I love Melody Beattie. I’m struggling with a situation. My son is moving. I’m trying something different, I’m letting it unfold. I tend to keep myself busy when something is so painful. I’m trying gentleness, leaning into love, my love for him, for myself. They say the longest journey is from the head to the heart. I’m praying. I need to come to a place of acceptance. And to practice the three things you said: gentleness with myself, leaning into love, and asking for support.

  • This meditation group has changed how I react to things. I listen now more than immediately react. I had to work through family deaths with my brother and we have had a hard time because we are so different. He called me the other day, very angry. Instead of reacting, I just listened. I didn’t try to intellectualize it or rationalize it. I just listened, and then I responded from my heart. He was surprised that’s how I felt. Then he shared from his heart. We acknowledged how we felt and it felt so wonderful and special. So new.

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