October 6 – The Mirror of Still Waters
Stillness is our most intense mode of action. It is in our moments of deep quiet that is born every idea, emotion, and drive which we eventually honor with the name of action. Leonard Bernstein
Gregg’s Reflection
We once stood beside a mountain lake on the hike up Mt Huron. It was so still it reflected the mountain with perfect clarity. It struck me that my soul often feels more like a rushing river — noisy, muddy, and unsettled. Yet in stillness, something begins to settle, and like clear water, I begin to see what has been there all along.
The ancients taught that stillness is not passivity but depth. Laozi compared it to water: “The seed of mystery lies in muddy water. How can I perceive this mystery? Water becomes clear through stillness.” Meister Eckhart went further, saying that stillness is the very core of God and the place where creativity is born. When I practice stillness, I find that clarity emerges not by effort but by allowing the sediment of my restless thoughts to sink.
In that clarity, I see both the beauty of God’s presence and the truth about myself. Sometimes that truth is uncomfortable, but it is always freeing. Stillness doesn’t give me new answers so much as it reveals what has always been within, waiting to be seen.
Stillness teaches me that God is not hiding. It is my noise and my striving that obscure Him. In the mirror of still waters, His image — and mine — come into focus again.
Scripture
I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother.
Psalm 131:2
Ancient Quotes
The seed of mystery lies in muddy water. How can I perceive this mystery? Water becomes clear through stillness.
Laozi, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 15
To get at the core of God at his greatest, one must first get to the core of himself at his least… This core is a simple stillness, which is unmoved itself but by whose immobility all things are moved and all receive life.
Meister Eckhart, Sermons & Treatises, Vol. 1, p. 221
Modern Quotes
Stillness is our most intense mode of action. It is in our moments of deep quiet that is born every idea, emotion, and drive which we eventually honor with the name of action.
Leonard Bernstein, The Infinite Variety of Music, p. 149
Journaling Prompts
- When have you experienced stillness as clarity, like calm water?
- What “muddy waters” in your life need time and space to settle?
- How does stillness help you see both God and yourself more truthfully?
- Where might God be inviting you to rest until clarity returns?
Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 40 Reflection: Stillness & Silence