THE MIDDLE WALL OF PARTITION

Most modern offices are comprised of large rooms divided into cubicles of various sizes using partition walls. Typically these walls of partition are head high and unlike permanent walls are easily moved. When we are frightened and feeling lost it is if a wall of impenetrable stone has risen between us and God. In truth the “wall” is nothing more than the flimsiest of partitions constructed of fear and false belief. It appears solid and robust at first blush, but just as the partition walls found in the office, with the right tools and a little effort it is easily removed. The tools? Prayer and meditation. The effort? Being of service to others. Prayer is pretty straight forward, though a thousand books could be written and only the surface scratched, meditation however seems shrouded in mystery and false expectation. If you aren’t meditating regularly, start. Keep it simple, begin by finding someplace where you can be undisturbed for fifteen minutes, if your living situation makes this difficult, take a walk. Yes, you can meditate while walking. Whether sitting (no need to fold yourself into a pretzel unless your into that sort of thing) or walking, be comfortable. Sit in a comfortable position or walk at a pace that does not effect your breathing. Now, think about nothing but God. Go over in your minds eye everything you know about God, gently, or if you prefer read a paragraph or two from a spiritual book or teaching and contemplate on it for your period of meditation. When your mind wanders, and it will, gently bring it back to the task at hand. Do not under any pretext speak to yourself negatively or condescendingly. Meditate daily. No excuses. The first purpose of meditation is to stop thinking about the problem and to think about God instead. If you are persistent, soon meditation will become such an integral part of living that when you find yourself caught in a situation where meditation is not practical (happens occasionally) you will miss it. Congratulations, you are now officially a meditator and yes, it really is that simple. There are many forms and styles of meditation, do not at this point go out and buy books on meditation or search the web. Keep it simple for a time, when it is time to investigate other forms, you will know and never forget, don’t concern yourself with becoming better at meditation, just do it.

Service work can take any number of forms. It can be as simple as dropping a coin in the random parking meter about to expire (I know, in some places this is illegal but a little civil disobedience is good for the soul) or even just picking up a piece of trash off the street or sidewalk and disposing of it to volunteering time and resources. The key here is just as with meditation is consistency. A kindly act once in awhile won’t fit the bill. You may have sensed a theme here. To remove the illusionary partition wall that fear and false belief raises between us and God, stop thinking about the trouble and think about God and spirituality instead, backing it up with unselfish, constructive action. Do not allow yourself to fall into the trap of thinking you need to do any of this perfectly or that anyone does. Avoid comparing your insides to others outsides.