April: Week 1
“The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still small voice within.” ~Gandhi
Gandhi had a small carving of the “three monkeys” (Ok, so this is not a photo of monkeys…but these critters are too cute) as a reminder of the inner discipline of nonviolence.
For this first week, we begin with inner communication.
Before we were ever aware of our own thinking, others were already communicating with us. As infants and children, we absorbed tone, language, reactions, and expectations. Over time, many of those voices become what we experience as our inner voice, especially in moments of stress or conflict.
Part of the work of nonviolence is to begin to notice this. To gently recognize that what we hear inside is not always truly our own voice. And from there, to begin the deeper work of discovering ourselves within.
Our true inner voice is also our conscience. To practice nonviolence—and to practice community—, we have to come into relationship with that voice, to listen for it, and to trust it.
This is a practice of learning how to be in relationship with ourselves. To offer ourselves care, respect, and attention. To recognize that there is something within us that is worthy of love, honor, and deep listening.
Take time this week to get quiet and notice your inner voice. How do you listen to yourself? What do you notice about your relationship with yourself, your inner communication?
Do you make space for awe, for the sacred? Do you hear yourself? Can you step outside of yourself, even briefly, and offer yourself wise and compassionate guidance?
As the Chandogya Upanishad reminds us, “As vast as the infinite world beyond is the world within the lotus of the heart.” There are worlds within us.
What does your heart need?
Where do you want to know yourself more? What would it mean to be in communion with yourself, as you would with a dear and trusted friend?
Take time for that this week. It will spill into everything else.