In winter, a deep down stillness

 

Every season has its beauty, its divine glory, and if we tune in, its lessons  

for us. Winter is a fine teacher. I had a college professor once who said so little  

I sometimes wondered if he was actually teaching the class. His method was not 

to fill up the time with a lecture, but to gently, and yet persistently, introduce 

an idea and then wait in the silence for any of us to respond. He was capable of 

waiting a long time and those silent pauses seemed to declare their own insis-

tence that we participate. I still remember the poignant feeling of the creative 

inspiration arising within me, my hand rising along with it, and then speaking 

into the space he had created. The silence of winter can be like that for us, 

whether it is the silence of a snow-covered landscape or simply the stark witness 

of a deciduous tree. 

What will you bring forth in the silent, dark spaces of winter? Gratitude, or 

prayers that praise the light, or something new from a mining expedition into  

the treasure trove of your creative imagination? This issue of Enlightenment 

Journal offers inspiration for all of that and more. Angeles Arrien shows how to 

find the openings for gratitude that are there for us every day. Roy Eugene Davis’ 

article encourages us to be open to infinite possibilities for our lives—what better 

way to enter the new year ahead? For support with nourishing foods this season 

and for safe ways to strengthen your back with hatha yoga, read the articles on 

healthy living. 

You are warmly invited to the New Year’s meditation retreat at CSE Headquar-

ters as a way to consciously and prayerfully enter the New Year. And don’t miss 

the opportunity to be immersed in the teachings of Kriya Yoga and to meet like-

minded people from across the US and around the world by registering now for 

the upcoming International Kriya Yoga Congress, to be held at the Holiday Inn 

in San Jose, March 7–9, 2013. You can find registration details on the back cover.

I am envisioning you with your soul light shining in the heart of winter, 

attending to the possibilities that are arising within you. 
With love arising,
Ellen Grace O'Brian, Editor

EnlightenmentJournal@CSEcenter.org

FROM THE EDITOR'S CUSHION
Everyday, enlightenment.