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Be Still My Soul, a Poem about Slowing Down & Living Deeply

Be Still My Soul, a Poem about Slowing Down & Living Deeply

When you stop rushing so much, you can feel your life as you live it. If more wonder and flow sound good to you this week, read this poem. It'll remind you... to be still, my soul. To honor the beauty that others don't even notice. This isn't a race, after all: this is your *life* and it's meant to be felt, lived, fully.

Unplug. Look without labeling. Listen without dissecting. Get comfortable with not needing to know everything, not needing all the answers. Feel how wondrous it truly is, just to be here.

Be Still My Soul

Don’t speak just yet.

Sink into this place.

Sit in your heart.

Close your eyes if you must,

Breathe in,

Breathe out,

Feel the beating of your heart.

 

When the mind is quiet,

You will understand

That sweet, deep awareness

Opens the gates

To another kind of land.

There’s no way to

Hold peace

In the palm of your hand;

It’s a mind-body-spirit state

Where everything

Holds

Abundance and magic—

Even a tiny grain of sand.

 

Be still my soul.

Hear the winds speak, and

Watch how the leaves on the branches

Blow to and fro.

 

There can be

Thunder and rain,

Pleasure or pain,

But here you are still,

And that is enough.

Stop, look and listen:

See how wonderful it is.

But don’t think just yet.

For thoughts can be

Beautiful pathways,

But they can make you

Forget

The truth of your Self—

How you were born

Of your own star stuff.

 

Be still.

Look, and

Listen.

Even a mind must rest

To create its best.

So, do not worry,

Dear heart, head, and hands—

You will have your season

To work and to play,

And there is

Time enough for all,

Every single day.

There is time to make no plans.

 

And what of the mysteries?

How to piece the puzzle together?

Must you always struggle

To know the unknown better?

No, you must be sure.

The silence

You scurry away from

Is misunderstood.

It is not nothing;

It is everything,

Like the color

White

Or the other side

Of the world,

At night.

 

If you stop and see

What is here to see,

And if you listen only to

What your ears hear,

You will feel your Self,

Dear Soul,

Melt into the moment, and

Peace will be near.

Even in the

Middle of the night,

The light of Life

Is right here.

In this space, always

This space, is

All you could ever hold dear.

Be still, old soul.

Feel yourself—

Alive—

Right here.

 

Stop waiting to

Start living;

Stop time, and

Be lived.

Hear the sweet melody of

Your stillness, and the

Music that it

Gives.

. . .

Tell me:

Which part of this poem did you need to read today?

Tell me in the comments. I read every single one, and I'd love to know!

With love,

Jen

P.S. Clear away distraction so you can get to the heart of what you want your life to feel like. Get my book Sleep Rituals for 100 at-home practices that are all about you. And the present moment. And the life you really want.

Comments on this post (14)

  • Nov 22, 2024

    This is beautiful. I will be speaking on slowing down and am searching for poems that reflect this idea. Your poem is beautiful…

    — Maureen

  • Feb 15, 2023

    “Be still.
    Look, and
    Listen.
    Even a mind must rest
    To create its best.
    So, do not worry,
    Dear heart, head, and hands—
    You will have your season
    To work and to play,
    And there is
    Time enough for all,
    Every single day.
    There is time to make no plans.”

    I’d been watching this slow motion video I took with my daughter, son~in~law, and my first granddaughter who will be two this month, I’ve watched it over and over. I’ve been struggling with convictions of not being in the moment and worrying about the next, I’ve been searching “ be still” and your beautifully constructed words were made available for me, Thankyou, I felt like you wrote it for me. I’m hoping to remember and reference it often. Many blessings to you and yours, and all the unknown souls you’ve touched. Thankyou.

    — Jessica

  • Jan 02, 2022

    Hear the sweet melody of

    Your stillness, and the

    Music that it

    Gives.

    This is exactly what happened to me today. The music was made of the sea, wind and sun externally but also internally..as in the elements earth water fire air and space.. I love these words as they describe the moment so beautifully. Thank you

    — Janet McGregor

  • Jul 31, 2021

    Jo ❤️

    — Jennifer Williamson

  • Jul 31, 2021

    It’s not helpful to say ‘all of it’, but that was my initial thought. As well as the words, it was your pace… more so your pace. You helped me breathe tonight, thank you x

    — Jo

  • Mar 14, 2021

    Liam, thank you for writing this. It’s so much a cultural thing to go go go, to not stop to enjoy what we have and have accomplished or gained, to always look on to the next best thing. It’s not always so easy to spot that tendency in ourselves too. It’s just part of life to an extent. And learning to slow down, to savor, to enjoy and to really live the moment, the life, the radiance and the earth beneath our own two feet – it’s a way of life. It can change everything. Wishing you peace and acceptance and the joy of being alive. One breath at a time. :)

    — Jennifer Williamson

  • Mar 14, 2021

    I needed all of it. I checked in with myself during this pandemic today with the need to connect with more like minds. I was curious to connect and experience better mental health and talk about topics i was becoming very into with others and not just myself. I couldn’t what i was really looking forward, i think it was getting numbing in a way and so when i journalled i received “Ground yourself” Something i have been feeling pretty intimidated by, purely due to trauma and wanting things to happen quicker than they can, letting go and have what happens, happen. i was rushing, when i had no idea i was really rushing, i was just doing things out of curiousity or what i think i felt was curiousity, i felt i needed to get to somewhere fast i suppose. But it wasn’t really leading to a positive space, it was and wasn’t, mostly wasn’t. So, i asked myself through journalling what in terms of creativity do i need and got music, mainly folk and slowing down and being with it and feeling whatever i needed to. Both a frightening and wondeful endeavour which invoked upon my thirst for how i find music in different areas that could be considered deep or perhaps psychedelic, intoxicating. This lead me to connect with this poem, beautiful by the way and literally felt my soul telling me i was in need of peace and slowing down for at least one week of slowing down and see where things go from there. Thankyou for this poem, it helped.

    — Liam Maloney

  • Feb 06, 2021

    Susannah, THANK YOU.

    Daniel – I am honored. Thank you for this <3

    — Jennifer Williamson

  • Feb 06, 2021

    At this first hour of the day
    there is peace & silent reflection
    Then from nowhere you appear
    sharing words i need to hear
    with one stroke of your pen
    comes the poetry that reveals what my
    my unfocused mind has been missing.
    “Be Still My Soul, a Poem about Slowing Down & Living Deeply”
    Thank you,
    DWB

    — Daniel Wayne Button

  • Jun 30, 2020

    Jenifer – this is a stunningly beautiful poem. Thank you.

    — Susannah Healy

  • Apr 14, 2020

    Lauren, thank you for sharing this! I’m honored you shared my words and the group got something of value from them. Wishing you health and peace in these strange times <3

    — Jennifer Williamson

  • Apr 14, 2020

    Than you Jennifer. I think you were channeling this situation in which we’ve all landed. What a lovely reminder of the beauty we can choose to see if we are only open to looking. I shared this with a group today (I had googled ‘poems about slowing down’) and they were so thankful for the reminder to revel in, and learn from, the slowing. Hope you are safe and well.

    — Lauren Weinberg

  • Jan 26, 2020

    Thank you, Lisa! <3

    — Jennifer Williamson

  • Jan 26, 2020

    Absolutely gorgeous

    — Lisa Haniff

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