Life comes at us fast and hard. The blast of work, home, and family responsibilities gets overwhelming at times.   It can become difficult to keep our head above water in the swift current of daily life. During those times, we may feel like we’re drowning.
 
Creating WisdomSpace in our lives is the lifeline that keeps us buoyant, that lets us stay afloat in the flow of life without getting caught in its frothing current.  
 
WisdomSpace—the space between the chaos of life and our soul—is the anchor that grounds us to the inner balance and wisdom we’ve been given so we can flow naturally and easily, with a peaceful rhythm through the streams of daily life.
 
Creating space for wisdom, time to connect with our soul, time to sit in the quiet before the day begins and have a cup of coffee with the Creator, is the key to peace, happiness, and the pathway to inner guidance and direction.  Wholeness.
 
During those dawdling times each day before the busyness of life charges in, we’re able to connect with our inner voice, able to reconnect with our thoughts, emotions, and hear those Divine nudges with which God draws us, guides us, and leads us into deeper peace and compassion.
 
The wisdom teachers call it: finding the balance between our contemplative life and our active life.  This balance allows us to create a gentle daily rhythm of rest and activity.
 
So how do we create WisdomSpace in our life? 
 
The first step is to slow down, unplug from our cell phones and Facebook, and find a regular daily time and space to calm our minds and connect with our soul.
 
Ten to twenty minutes at the beginning of each morning is the preferred time, or if you’re a night owl, at the end of the day.  Setting a consistent time and place each day creates a rhythm of life that soon becomes a healthy habit. 
 
I like to get up early, typically around 4:30 am, pour a cup coffee, stroll into my den, light a candle, and then sit.  I find it becomes a soothing ritual, a safe place where the Creator and I (and my dog Riley) can hang out and simply enjoy being present with each other.  It feels like a space for Us—God, Creation, and me. 
 
During those 20-30 minutes, I simply talk with God like he’s there in the room, like he’s sipping his morning coffee with me.  Sometimes I cry.  Sometimes I ask him what to do with my life, and then I listen for the whisper of his response that often rises up like the sound of a flute deep in my chest. Oftentimes I’ m filled with gratitude, awed by an awareness of how blessed my life is.  And when the noise and chatter of my mind—the monkey-mind—gets the best of me, I simply look at God, God looks and me, and we are very happy. Safe. Content. Loved.
 
There’s no right or wrong way about what to do in our WisdomSpace.  The main point is to simply show up and be present to our self and God.
 
Some of the ways we can choose to be in that space might include the following:
 
1.  Listening to our breath. Sitting in the stillness, listening to our breath is a way of becoming aware of God’s presence, of calming the mind, and focusing on the simple natural beauty in and around us.
 
2.  Word or Phrase.  We can also ask God for a word or phrase to ponder in the quiet.  And when a word arises, we then gently draw our minds back to that word.  The word then becomes a mantra we can take into the day to root us when the day begins to whirl.  And writing the word or phrase on our to-do list can be a simple way of recalling the word throughout the day to re-center and ground us.
 
3.  Guided Meditation.  Using a daily meditation or reading to jumpstart our WisdomSpace is often a helpful launch point. One of my favorite on-line daily meditations is: Pray as You Go. It combines music, the Scripture of the day, and some questions for reflection. It only takes about 12 minutes to listen to and experience.
 
4.  Imagination.  We can also take a scripture verse or story and enter into it with our imagination.  For example, we can imagine we’re the disciple John resting against Jesus’ chest, feeling the flow, the energy of Divine love, as we experience Christ’s warmth, his gentle embrace. Or we can become Thomas the doubter, and ask God to prove to us that he’s really real and present in our lives. And then we apply the emotions, thoughts, and wisdom we’ve experienced during our imaginative time to our life, to gain deeper understanding and insight.
 
 
There are many other ways to create and enjoy WisdomSpace.   Walking, art making, writing, or spending time in nature are just some of the practices we can adopt to deepen our spiritual life. The most important point is to find a way that connects with you, a method that fits your lifestyle and personality, and then begin to practice it on a regular basis. After 5-7 days, then look back and ponder how this simple time of WisdomSpace has affected you.
 
We’ve all been gifted with an umbilical cord to God, a place deep within our hearts where we can find what it is we are looking for.  I call it WisdomSpace.  Some call it the Heart or the Soul, or the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.  Call it whatever works for you.  And regardless of what we name it, the way to tap into it is through a daily practice, a daily rhythm of taking time to nurture ourselves and sip coffee with the Divine in our WisdomSpace. 
 
 
brian j plachta
brianplachta.net