Within the Silence, Find Your Flow
Sarah Rehfuss Bastian
Photo by Deleece Cook on Unsplash
It is only when the mind is still, tranquil, not seeking any solution, any answer, neither resisting nor avoiding, that it is capable of receiving what is true, that which is eternal, timeless, immeasurable. You cannot go to it, it comes to you; what liberates is the truth, not your effort to be free. Be still. Let life flow.
(Ramesh Balsekar)
(Ramesh Balsekar)
My first conscious experience with the concept of flow was in 1998. We conceived and miscarried quite unexpectedly five months after we were married. Although the pregnancy was unplanned, I experienced tremendous heartache and loss; I had always felt that my life purpose was to be a mother and had assumed it would come as easily for me as it had for my mother and grandmother. I had never experienced a loss of that magnitude and quickly found myself in a place of extreme grief and depression. It took some time to run the gamut of expressing my full range of emotions, but I eventually tired of searching for answers as to why this happened and accepted that motherhood was not on my path at that point. It was in that place of stillness and release that a miraculous thing happened—life began to flow. Although a child was not born from that conception eleven years ago, a passion for holistic healing was.
My life began to unfold at a rapid pace after attaining that inner silence. Sometimes it seemed magical the way books with the information I needed just appeared. Mentors materialized just at the right moment, and this period became one of intense learning and a zealous desire to know as much as I could about healing the mind, body, and soul. I hadn’t really considered what flow was until I began reading The Celestine Prophecy. In his story, James Redfield sees the increase of synchronicities in our lives as a sign that our personal destinies are developing. I was both surprised and encouraged because his description matched the magic I was experiencing on a daily basis, including a sense of alignment with my purpose that compelled me willingly forward. The very next book I bumped into helped me clarify it even more by giving it a name. Charlene Belitz and Meg Lundstrom, co-authors of The Power of Flow, assert that
Flow is the natural, effortless unfolding of our lives in a way that moves us toward wholeness and harmony. When we are in flow, occurrences line up, events fall into place, and obstacles melt away. Rather than life being a meaningless struggle, it is permeated with a deep sense of purposefulness and order.
Until I recently began studying the principles of quantum physics, I didn’t realize that the concept of flow could also be explained by science. Synchronicity is based on the idea that everything in the cosmos has a bond to everything else. Even inorganic objects have a type of communication with each other. In other words, all of life is a dynamic living matrix, and its numerous life forms are not as separate as formerly thought. In a detailed study of synchronicity, psychiatrist Carl Jung writes, "The universal principle is found even in the smallest particle, which therefore corresponds to the whole." In the world of physics, Wikipedia states that the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Paradox (EPR Paradox) illustrates that measurements performed on “spatially separated parts of a quantum system can apparently have an instantaneous influence on one another.” Building on this theory, numerous experiments over the past thirty years support the idea that something faster than the speed of light is indeed connecting the universe, although it has not yet been named by physicists. By assuming the interrelation of everything, we can understand the coincidences that occur in our lives when we are aligned with our purpose and experiencing flow.
Once I realized what flow was, I wondered if I had been experiencing it all of my life without ever being conscious of its presence. Looking back, to my great surprise, I found a theme of experiences and opportunities in holistic healing that were constantly placed in my path but never really embraced. It wasn’t until these experiences reached a critical mass that I realized my interest in healing. At three, I was exposed to the power of hands-on healing, intention, and prayer as I miraculously healed from a severe kidney infection without any other intervention. As a ten-year-old, I began seeing a chiropractor following a car accident, and I discovered a new way to heal the body without allopathic medicine. Upon further contemplation, I thought of many more people who had come into my life to present a more holistic way to deal with my health issues. As I struggled with severe food allergies in my twenties, I explored ways to heal the mind and emotions and encountered the field of Applied Kinesiology. The proverbial floodgates opened and opportunities in holistic health rushed in once I finished my graduate degree and was married.
After experiencing, defining, and acknowledging the presence of flow in my life, I then explored how to maintain it. I found that the ancient Greek aphorism, "Know thyself," is of great importance when keeping flow coursing in life. Acknowledging your foundational beliefs is essential because these values can greatly affect the amount of flow you allow into your life. When I experienced doubts, fear, confusion, or control issues, my flow channel became constricted and obstacles and challenges made my daily life a struggle. It took faith and trust to let things happen and allow my life to unfold. Spending time in meditative silence everyday has helped me to maintain conscious awareness of the synchronicities showing up in my life, allowing flow to proceed unhindered.
Although each person’s path and journey looks quite different, the concept of flow applies to all. If you aren’t quite sure what your path is, take some time to review your life and find a theme. Which people, books, opportunities, and experiences keep showing up for you? Make sure you are setting aside your expectations, doubts, and fears, and relinquishing control, allowing the passage for flow in your life to be expansive. Most importantly, find that place of stillness within and listen for the steady stream of flow to rush into your life.
My life began to unfold at a rapid pace after attaining that inner silence. Sometimes it seemed magical the way books with the information I needed just appeared. Mentors materialized just at the right moment, and this period became one of intense learning and a zealous desire to know as much as I could about healing the mind, body, and soul. I hadn’t really considered what flow was until I began reading The Celestine Prophecy. In his story, James Redfield sees the increase of synchronicities in our lives as a sign that our personal destinies are developing. I was both surprised and encouraged because his description matched the magic I was experiencing on a daily basis, including a sense of alignment with my purpose that compelled me willingly forward. The very next book I bumped into helped me clarify it even more by giving it a name. Charlene Belitz and Meg Lundstrom, co-authors of The Power of Flow, assert that
Flow is the natural, effortless unfolding of our lives in a way that moves us toward wholeness and harmony. When we are in flow, occurrences line up, events fall into place, and obstacles melt away. Rather than life being a meaningless struggle, it is permeated with a deep sense of purposefulness and order.
Until I recently began studying the principles of quantum physics, I didn’t realize that the concept of flow could also be explained by science. Synchronicity is based on the idea that everything in the cosmos has a bond to everything else. Even inorganic objects have a type of communication with each other. In other words, all of life is a dynamic living matrix, and its numerous life forms are not as separate as formerly thought. In a detailed study of synchronicity, psychiatrist Carl Jung writes, "The universal principle is found even in the smallest particle, which therefore corresponds to the whole." In the world of physics, Wikipedia states that the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Paradox (EPR Paradox) illustrates that measurements performed on “spatially separated parts of a quantum system can apparently have an instantaneous influence on one another.” Building on this theory, numerous experiments over the past thirty years support the idea that something faster than the speed of light is indeed connecting the universe, although it has not yet been named by physicists. By assuming the interrelation of everything, we can understand the coincidences that occur in our lives when we are aligned with our purpose and experiencing flow.
Once I realized what flow was, I wondered if I had been experiencing it all of my life without ever being conscious of its presence. Looking back, to my great surprise, I found a theme of experiences and opportunities in holistic healing that were constantly placed in my path but never really embraced. It wasn’t until these experiences reached a critical mass that I realized my interest in healing. At three, I was exposed to the power of hands-on healing, intention, and prayer as I miraculously healed from a severe kidney infection without any other intervention. As a ten-year-old, I began seeing a chiropractor following a car accident, and I discovered a new way to heal the body without allopathic medicine. Upon further contemplation, I thought of many more people who had come into my life to present a more holistic way to deal with my health issues. As I struggled with severe food allergies in my twenties, I explored ways to heal the mind and emotions and encountered the field of Applied Kinesiology. The proverbial floodgates opened and opportunities in holistic health rushed in once I finished my graduate degree and was married.
After experiencing, defining, and acknowledging the presence of flow in my life, I then explored how to maintain it. I found that the ancient Greek aphorism, "Know thyself," is of great importance when keeping flow coursing in life. Acknowledging your foundational beliefs is essential because these values can greatly affect the amount of flow you allow into your life. When I experienced doubts, fear, confusion, or control issues, my flow channel became constricted and obstacles and challenges made my daily life a struggle. It took faith and trust to let things happen and allow my life to unfold. Spending time in meditative silence everyday has helped me to maintain conscious awareness of the synchronicities showing up in my life, allowing flow to proceed unhindered.
Although each person’s path and journey looks quite different, the concept of flow applies to all. If you aren’t quite sure what your path is, take some time to review your life and find a theme. Which people, books, opportunities, and experiences keep showing up for you? Make sure you are setting aside your expectations, doubts, and fears, and relinquishing control, allowing the passage for flow in your life to be expansive. Most importantly, find that place of stillness within and listen for the steady stream of flow to rush into your life.
Resources
Balsekar, Ramesh. Let Life Flow. India: Yogi Impressions Books, 2006.
Belitz, Charlene, and Meg Lundstrom. The Power of Flow: Practical Ways to Transform Your Life with Meaningful Coincidence. 1st ed. New York: Three Rivers, 1998.
"EPR paradox -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, 12 Nov. 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2009. <www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPR_paradox>.
Jung, C. G., Synchronicity, An Acausal Connecting Principle, Bollingen Series Princeton University Press. Copyright 1960 by Bollingen Foundation, New York, N.Y. Second Edition Copyright 1969 by Princeton University Press.
Redfield, James. Celestine prophecy an adventure. New York: Warner Books, 1997
First printed in Inner Vision Magazine December 2010. Reprinted here with permission from InnerVision Magazine. www.innervisionmagazine.com
Balsekar, Ramesh. Let Life Flow. India: Yogi Impressions Books, 2006.
Belitz, Charlene, and Meg Lundstrom. The Power of Flow: Practical Ways to Transform Your Life with Meaningful Coincidence. 1st ed. New York: Three Rivers, 1998.
"EPR paradox -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, 12 Nov. 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2009. <www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPR_paradox>.
Jung, C. G., Synchronicity, An Acausal Connecting Principle, Bollingen Series Princeton University Press. Copyright 1960 by Bollingen Foundation, New York, N.Y. Second Edition Copyright 1969 by Princeton University Press.
Redfield, James. Celestine prophecy an adventure. New York: Warner Books, 1997
First printed in Inner Vision Magazine December 2010. Reprinted here with permission from InnerVision Magazine. www.innervisionmagazine.com