"The answer will arise from the stillness of your heart." This short phrase has been immensely helpful. I know that if I become stil enough that inner guidance is there. Fortunately, I was reminded of this phrase when listening to a video on Finding your Inner Guide this morning.
I had an unusual experience last night while I was half in and half out of sleep. As background, I've been reading the Book, When Breath Becomes Air. It is a memoir by Paul Kalanithi a neurosurgeon, who is diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. He is finishing his residency when the diagnosis is made, piercing all his dreams for which he has put much of his life on hold. No longer can he afford the luxury of looking to the future. He must deal with the present and how to find meaning there, knowing that the ending is death. The book makes a deep impression. It is one that I will long remember (if I can get beyond a certain amount of denial).
The subject of death becomes more real at 75 -- not in a morbid way because I'm very much enjoying life. However reality tells me that the next life is not some distant, fuzzy point in the future but a very real bookmark.
We watched the classic movie, Network, last night. Lead character, William Holden, delivers a short monologue on this topic that stayed with me.
Back to my inner guide, last night I heard a voice tell me that it would be there for me when the time came for me to leave this world. It promised to support me and ease my transition to the next world, whatever that may be. I felt reassured, grateful and peaceful. I have an inner fear of dying by myself. This inner voice reassured me that I would not be alone. I also felt that the next life would be okay. I have a strong sense of the spiritual but I am not particularly religious. There are a few biblical passages that are meaningful to me but I do not automatically go to the bible for reassurance.
I am grateful this morning for this inner guide. I do have an inner compass that will grow stronger when I look into the stillness of my heart for answers. This is a topic that I will probably return to.