Listening to Truth

"If you will lay aside the ego's voice, however loudly it may seem to call; if you will not accept its petty gifts that give you nothing that you really want; if you will listen with an open mind, that has not told you what salvation is; then you will hear the mighty Voice of Truth, quiet in power, strong in stillness, and completely certain in its messages. Listen, and hear your Father speak to you through His appointed Voice, which silences the thunder of the meaningless, and shows the way to peace to those who cannot see. Be still today and listen to the Truth." -- A Course in Miracles

I know the ego's voice very well. It is so familiar and so conditioned that I mistake it for myself. It is interesting to find that when it is silent, I am still here. When I settle into listening mode, and breathe and rest in the silence, I am here. No anxious thoughts, no stories about who or what or where. No restless needs. And yet, I am here. With nothing, I am here. Who is this I that remains?

As I continue to rest and listen, rest and open, rest and be... as I become the listening silence... I hear the silence as absolute peace and joy, a pure knowing of Self. I hear nothing, and yet it is Everything. It is Home.

Out of this joyous, expansive peace arises whatever needs to be known, whatever image or thought. Sometimes the Voice speaks audibly. Most of the time it speaks through thoughts and images. Always it is a vibratory experience unlike any in my everyday experience. Always it is like manna from Heaven. Everyday it is fresh and exactly what I need.

Who is this I that rests in the silence? This is Self, the part of me that remains One with God, One with All that Is, whether I am aware of it or not. This I can never be lost or suffer. This I listens only to Truth.

"Remember always that you cannot be anywhere except in the Mind of God." -- A Course in Miracles