Concentric Rings

If you sit on the bank of a still pond on a windless day, the surface can be mirrorlike, the water a perfect reflection of the sky and surrounding land. When a fish comes from below and breaks the surface, ripples will flow out in all directions in concentric rings of energy, unfolding wave after wave. A stone dropped into the pond creates even larger ripples, traveling farther still. Watch carefully, however, and the waves, after running their course, will soften until the mirrorlike reflections of the water return.

Our minds, while usually filled with endless ripples of thought, can also become still and reflective. Regardless of the weather on the surface, we can at any time drop into the depth and stillness within. With practice we learn to allow the myriad emotions and thoughts to flow through us and the events happening around us to simply be felt and known, like waves of energy moving across the surface of the great depths of our being.

One cold morning in early December, I grabbed a blanket and went into my backyard for a meditative sit at my sit spot. I put the blanket over me like a tent and enjoyed the dark and calm of my “fort.” Although my body was still, my mind was racing with the events of the week and my plans for the future. As I sat, consciously trying to calm my mind, I slowly started to become aware of an emotional tension in my body that I hadn’t noticed.

As I squinted through the now slightly calmer waters of my thoughts, I realized that the source of the tension was actually external: The raucous caws of two crows coming from the tree above me rose into my conscious mind. The emotional intensity of the crows became a tangible, felt presence. What was going on?

I eased my head out from under my blanket cocoon and pondered the crows as they sat only twenty feet above me in the leafless branches of a large silver maple tree. It took me a minute before I realized that perched on a big limb near the crows was a large red-tailed hawk. I’ve seen redtails in my neighborhood rocketing down and taking crows, and a hungry hawk is perfectly happy to nab the occasional crow nestling; hence, the reason for the fear and distress I could feel in the crows’ calls. The arrival of the hawk was like a stone thrown into the calm waters of the local birds’ lives. The crows’ calls were auditory waves rippling out into the world. These waves had been rolling through my body for some time, but it was only when my own thought waves quieted that I had noticed.

Eventually, the hawk, having had enough of being screamed at, flew away, and the crows grew calm. As the disturbance ripples from the hawk died down, the songbirds, who had been quietly watching from the safety of the bushes, also started moving again, and I could hear their soft communication calls as they resumed the business of the day. I, too, continued with my activities, and as I brought my attention back to my mindful sit, I noticed the emotional tension in my body was gone.

Try: The next time you are experiencing a strong emotion, difficult thought, or challenging circumstance, try stepping outside. Pause for a moment and use the vastness of the sky above to help you drop below the turbulence of whatever is unfolding.

Recall that above the clouds the sun is always shining, and below the waves the water is deep and still. Without needing to push away or change anything that is happening, let the feel of the wind and sun help you connect to the depth and inner strength that is always in you. Turn your attention outward, and let your senses take in the world around you. By allowing yourself to reside in this larger container, difficult thoughts and emotions can still ripple across the surface, but they need not consume you. You are the still pond, the deep ocean, part of, but much bigger than, the rocks and waves.

On another day when you are feeling at ease, playful, or simply bored, take a seat on a park bench or anywhere you can do some quality people watching. Notice the impact or “ripples” created by someone walking their dog, going on a run, or even the flow of traffic on the street. Which events cause a “disturbance?” Who notices, and how do they respond? If a dog walker passes another person on the street, does the person smile, move toward or away from the dog, bend down or subtly change their direction of travel? Look for the ripple effect of how one action moves over time and space. Some ripples will be small and localized, and some will move like large waves. Witness and reflect on how even simple events ripple out from a source and how they are met.