Far from being resentful about this state, it’s brought to the surface a huge amount of insights surrounding how I live my life. The latest insight, which brought many tears, was simply how I do not let myself rest. There’s a strange guilt and defensiveness about letting myself truly do nothing. Like many, I defined my value in terms of the value I bring to others and to the world. A certain amount of repose may be necessary to “recharge”, but it was something to get over with quickly so I could get back to what brought goodness to the world.

This is something very common to many people. Our culture trains us on productivity. Even our “healing” techniques are about results, getting somewhere, making productive “healing time”.

I recently did some channeling on what “True Rest” is:

True Rest is a temporary suspension of ‘normal’ activity in which the typical processes of the mind, the body, and emotions, are allowed to revert to their actual, natural state.

All of you – and we say this without exception – spend the majority of your time in a state of constant contraction, in a state of constant tension. Without this conflict, both internal and external, there would be little growth. It is a function of the physical plane to provide you with a constant sense of imbalance so that you have something to move against. A state of rest, therefore, is a momentary setting aside of this perpetual process in order to touch again your actual natural state.

Getting to Rest

The key for me to this channeling is the word “allowing”. This should be no surprise to regular readers of my writings. If I try to rest, if I exert focus to recharge, then I’m not resting – I’m putting myself again in that constant state of contraction. This state of rest is a true letting go, a detachment from trying to get anything and entering an empty space without expectation or desires. If you think on how many messages we get on a daily basis on what we should desire and do, you can see why most people rarely get there.

This state of rest is really about being in a completely receiving state. As I wrote a year and a half ago, giving and receiving are essentially part of the same process. It’s all about energy flow: if you wish to give more, you need to allow more to come in. Likewise, you cannot accept and receive gifts from others and have the wonder of them “stick” without giving in some way. Most of us are focused on the giving, which is why so many of us are depleted, depressed, and aimless. Receiving is as loving an act as giving, for it lets another touch our soul. It is the touch that is loving – not the gift of giving. There is nothing more to Love on this earth than one soul touching another with a bare vulnerability.

Gateways to rest

As we channeled, we all have gateways to this state of deep rest. Exploring this has brought up many fears for me. More channeling described this:

When one is in that state of rest, a sense of time is suspended momentarily as you move into a state of being without any other distractions, thoughts, feelings, or sensations. It can be terrifying to give up all the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that you feel define you, which is why many of you resist moving into an actual state of rest even momentarily.

There is something tremendously transformative about that state of being, which was described earlier as “The Void“. Happiness is nothing more than connecting to Who We Are. With all those distractions bombarding us, most of which are self-created, it is hard to really be connected to Self. This is why many people meditate. And yet, if meditation is not about rest – such as if it’s turned into a job to do to reach enlightenment – then the inner path becomes a battle and war zone. It is not about happiness and joy.

It’s amazing to me how much of what we do “for ourselves” isn’t connected to this happiness and joy. To me, giving myself that gift of rest is all about that, and I know the more I allow myself enter that state, the more this gift will shine through to others.

So I invite comments for this one: what brings you that deep sense of rest, as described here? I’d really like to know.