How do we stay spiritually tuned in a loud and noisy world?
I used to wish that my viola would simply stay tuned. My friend Tina would play Concert A on her oboe (how did she do that?), and then the strings and woodwinds play and adjust to find that note, all at the same time. Surrounded by all that warming-up noise, I struggled to hear my own instrument, anxious about being out of tune when the whole orchestra rehearsed.
We encounter plenty of outside interference that messes with our inner clarity.
My refrigerator is one annoying but minor example. For months I’ve been living with an old fridge that relentlessly runs way too long at a nerve-wrecking high pitch. If only it were Concert A! Instead, it has been testing my wherewithal not to succumb to that vibration, or not to unplug the blasted thing. The mechanical frequency affects my whole body, my inner ear ,and disturbs my sleep. Oddly, I often wake up in relief when it finally cycles off. I try to distance myself from the din (a tough task in my small apartment), talk to myself out loud, put sound healing meditations on to drown it out, or go outside when I can. I hear it running right now. Argh!
Why am I going on and on about this? Because it offers one analogy to my spiritual practice of staying tuned with or despite my current environment. In a world fraught with war and devastating news of serious illness or injury among friends/family circles, my heart has lots to say to me.
How well do I listen?
Unfortunately, there’s plenty of interference.
Like the grating fridge motor feels exhausting to my nervous system, the politics and disinformation, the violence of words and weapons destroying lives make for a grinding negative vibration that we cannot ignore. But how is that another analogy for the inner life?
Ultimately, what is told on the news is outside my control, but how I learn to harmonize and cultivate interior peace is rightly within my purview. With more clarity of attuning and aligning with divine spirit, I can better hear my own truth and be guided by grace.
That’s the goal, anyway.
How do I keep this mind-body-heart instrument tuned?
Yesterday I pulled the fridge away from the wall, took off the back cover (thank you YouTube video) and vacuumed the vents and coils as best I could. The problem didn’t get fixed, but at least it gave me a sense of agency and a glimmer of hope, if only momentarily.
Cleaning out the dust and debris on a regular basis to clear the air flow can apply to our well-being, too.
Sometimes I don’t want to listen to my heart because I feel anger there or hurt that is seems like just too much to handle.
The other day I put the pain into a prayer. First, though, I allowed myself a private tirade in front of the bathroom mirror, whisper-shouting over and over while letting my body shake it off. I saw my hands moving up and down in the mirror as though flicking water to the floor. Then I sat down to scribble the residual feelings out in colored pencil. The colors didn’t match the fiery emotions released a moment earlier, but I didn’t care. The intensity of my heart’s truth had eased in being uncapped. The pressure that had been building for who knows how long had dissipated. At that release didn’t take very long at all.
Courageously feeling what we feel has a way of clearing the flow and freeing up spirit energy.
How else do you practice staying tuned to your heart’s truth?
Talking with my coach, writing morning pages, walking along the wooded path near my home, leaning up against a favorite tree and listening for advice, resting, … are all part of my tuning fork set that makes up my spiritual practice.
Going outside to visit my favorite grove of trees, tending to my body with exercise and nourishing food, turning off the noisemaker, interrupting the story. Creating enough quiet so that I can hear myself think, my true self, my heart.
Additionally, color can serve as a tuning fork. Taking in the deep red and yellow flowers, the artwork on my walls, my colorful collage of this year’s intentions help me tune into my own heart. I can feel my body relax, and that’s where I find peace.
What is true in my heart?
Possible Ways to Clear Interference and Attune Again with Your Spirit
Stuck patterns of thinking can really mess with one’s creative radar and peace of mind. Like eliminating interference on your intuitive spirit channel, here are a few strategies (mentioned above) to interrupt the disruption and tune back into a better state of being.
- Shake Out Loud
What’s possible when you stand in front of the mirror, say out loud what’s bugging you the most while waving your hands as though shaking off water? Somehow it helps me clear my emotional truth and tune back in to some peace and calm. - Write
Whether it’s daily morning pages or just a scrap of paper, writing down the unhelpful looped thoughts/feelings swirling in your being can break up the old pattern. Letting just a little light in can make a world of difference. Maybe even disappearing ink would be fun! - Tap
Are you familiar with EFT? Emotional Freedom Technique has been very helpful to me on deeper matters to reduce physical pain (healing from surgery on my broken wrist) and/or emotional stress. I recommend the free Tapping Solutions app and/or a skilled practitioner for support. I highly recommend my friend Dr. Nicole Winbush, founder of Sankofa Healing Arts, who offers EFT sessions remotely for folks in Minnesota. If you’re curious, you can send her a message here. - Choose A New Tune
Insight Timer has become my go-to app for twice daily resets. Whether it’s music, sound healing or guided meditations, there are plenty of good options even on the free version. Here’s a 5-minute sample for you by Beautiful Chorus. - Heart Speak
Color, images, and music are among the languages of the heart. Gather one or more vibrant images into your space to uplift the vibration of your environment. Treat yourself to making a personalized intentions collage with us on Jan. 6, 2024, and you’ll have a customized “tuning fork” for your heart through the whole year ahead.
Fortunately, I did eventually learn to tune my own viola. And while I have not yet changed the frequency of my noisy fridge, I have found ways to stay in good relationship with myself while seeking a solution. Spiritual practice is key to all that.
