“In stillness lies the sound which is the creative existence of God. Whoever masters the stillness and the science, and can understand it, receives all knowledge.” Yogi Bhajan

To listen one must be still. Have you ever tried listening to someone talking while you are engaged with another task. I know I have been guilty of this and still struggle with it daily.

Can we not disconnect from our iPhones long enough to simply engage in a conversation with another human being? Can we not truly give them our undivided attention? What is so important that can’t wait while we have a face to face conversation with a human? What is more valuable?

One of my newly acquainted friends recently pointed this out to me. She said, “I can’t talk to you while you are working on your phone, I don’t feel as if you are really listening.” My immediate reaction was defensive and wrong. I thought to myself, “Wow, is she ever needy. She wants all of my attention... Whatever!” As I look back on the situation, she was the one that was correct. We were having breakfast with each other. What was so important that couldn’t wait a half an hour? NOTHING.

I was called out on my own problem with listening as I was reading my card today, “Deep Down” and digging into the lesson today on listening/stillness by Yogi Bhajan and Dr. Jivan Joti Kaur.

I find it imperative that I quote the lessons in order to get my message across accurately. I deeply encourage you to read the entire blog and think Deep Down about it. Don’t think outward about others, but inward about how You can be a better listener and be still.It is easy to look outward, however, we learn the most when we turn inward.

Yogi Bhajan lectured on the topic of listening he said,

“When we are listened to, we respect the person who listens. When we listen carefully, we can read the intention and the conflicts in the speaker. Listening includes attention to all the senses. We “hear” the nonverbal messages and “feel” the context of the communication.

Listening is very weak in humans. Whatever little degree of intuition we have. We don’t listen. Whatever consciousness our soul tells us, that’s too little, very feeble. We don’t relate to it.

Normally, when two people talk, you get most of the essence of the talk through the cues, rather than the words. An ordinary human being with a normal life only listens to six percent of a total conversation.

You take certain important cues, certain things that either concerns you mentally or emotionally. You only become alert and connect at those times. You are not worried about the whole conversation. You get messages like a jumping frog. This is normal.

Fifty percent of the time, you only pretend you are hearing or listening. Are you aware of that? Your expression, real expression, what you want to say is always ten percent of the total conversation that you started out to project to the other person. You use a lot of words as a preface, like 'I want to talk to you.' These are common phrases which you use and which you do not listen to. You don’t care. You develop the habit to not listen.

Actually, today I want to tell you one of the greatest secrets: man is born as an animal to listen. This is one secret which, if you will never learn, you will never have the essence of life. It is man’s basic quality: a being who listens.

When some of you stop listening, you don’t want to listen. That is the time when you make the greatest mistake of your life because your constitution, your construction, your building, your faculty, your power is in listening.” - Yogi Bhajan @3HOFoundation

Dr. Jivan Joti Kaur, @3HOFoundation, talks about the importance of stillness in our lives to create the ultimate level of consciousness. He said,

“Yogi Bhajan, often talked about a most elevated state of consciousness called Shuniya, where the ego is brought to complete stillness. A power exists there. We do not hassle or try to act. With folded hands of devotion, Infinity acts for us. In that state of “zero,” if we can focus our mental projection on a clear intention, which acknowledges our higher self and the Creator within us, it will be so.

“There is no miracle. The mind is infinite when it concentrates the magnetic energy of the psyche. There are only two things: energy and matter. Any composition, permutation of any energy into matter and matter into energy, can be caused by a disciplined mental concentration. That mental concentration is in you, it is not outside.” — Yogi Bhajan

We are given challenges, not as a punishment, although karma may be involved, but as an opportunity for growth. I get the image of The Source throwing me a challenge and with a smile and a chuckle saying, “Ok, let’s see how you do with this one.” In other words, it’s not what the event is, it’s how we deal with it. We all have choices. We can react from our emotions and past agendas, or we can respond from a place of consciousness. This is where Shuniya comes in.”

My prayer for you today is that you will find stillness. Learn to listen to your inner voice and with intention listen to what it has to say. Listen to God. If you are not still it is hard to hear God. In the same way, I pray that you will soften your heart to listen to others. Give them the same respect that you yourself would like to receive. Disconnect from your devices and distractions. Listen, just listen. Again I encourage you not to look outward for others to change. We learn the most when we turn inward when we change the world within us the world around us changes.

Sat Nam 💜🙏💫

Siri Manpriya

💫Today’s @innercompasscards Reading💫

Deep down inside, you always know exactly what you need. This is your intuitive knowledge. Often, however, the connection is not clear enough to make good use of it. Working with your intuition is all about making contact with that inner wisdom and trusting what the voice of intuition tells you. If you cannot discern that voice, the messy mind is creating too much noise. A calm mind, on the other hand, strengthens the access and repairs the connection you have with your intuitive body. Look at it like troubled water in a glass, which only becomes clear again when stillness allows the mud to sink. This card invites you to become still, make contact with your inner voice. Both your body and your intuition are capable of sending you messages through feelings. These feelings tell you which way you should go. Only you know what is right for you, yet you often let your surroundings tell you where to go. You let fear of change or rejection stop you. When an ocean is calm and clear, you are able to look deep into the water. Unmoved, deep down, you know what is right for you.