In The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran wrote of returning to “sing a deeper song” and I wondered what that meant to me.
Do you understand your “song”?
My personal song comes from my love of learning and a deep desire to share what I learn with others. My song has led me on many adventures. Some of them were side trips; some carried me along in my own personal direction. Always my path has been about learning and enthusiastically sharing what I learned. Our songs change over the years but if you look deeply you will see an underlying theme to your personal song.
I have changed my “tune”
I’ve been moving through major change, one of retirement and searching for relevance and meaning and a place of service in that new status. I’m no longer in the coaching business, but I am still writing. The topic of my writing has changed, which means my tune has changed. At the core, I am still true to my values and my beliefs. How and where I share them has shifted.
What “deeper” means to me
The word “deeper” for me means to go deeper within, to connect more deeply with Tao, and to bring that understanding and connection into my life. This exploration of what lies beneath the surface will change the song I sing and maybe even the way I sing it. My sense of “deeper” is within, not without. “Deeper” could be interpreted as delving more deeply into a topic on the physical plane. Scientists look deeply into something outside themselves for answers but they use their inner intuition to guide their explorations. Songwriters look deeply within themselves to express feelings that are shared by others. Business people can keep their values present in all their dealings. What does “deeper” mean to you?
How do I go “deeper?”
In Stephen Mitchell’s translation of the Tao Te Ching (67), he says, “Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.”
Rumi in “Tending Two Shops” says, “Live in the nowhere that you came from, even though you have an address here.”
Create time for stillness and contemplation
We must listen to what we understand in the silence and put it in action in our daily lives. We can study, but we must always be aware that words both reveal and conceal. We can learn to interpret what we feel on our subtle levels. We can trust our intuition. We can allow the tears to come when we find something that touches our heart. We can arrange our environment to remind us to be with the stillness within. We can meditate. We can read the ideas of others that feel meaningful to us and apply what appeals to our own life. How do you create time for stillness and contemplation in your daily life?
Live a mindful life
My first step in “singing a deeper song” is awareness. I work to be present in the moment. I work to stay mindful of my words and actions. I take time to reflect – on my day, my life, on nature, and life. I identify the values I choose to guide me. I measure my actions to see that I am living close to those values. I observe my physical plane self. I inhabit my inner plane self.
I “sing” about what I discover
Whether through my actions, my words, my deeds, my writing, or my presence, I constantly sing my song. When I am in tune with life it is a great song. When I go exploring in an article like this, it is an inquisitive song. What does your song sound like to others?
Rumi says, “When you do things from the soul, the river itself moves through you. Freshness and a deep joy are signs of the current.”
Deeper is relative
“Going deeper” is relative. You start with where you are. You add some actions to your life that you feel will take you deeper. Don’t compare your “deepness” with someone else’s. We are each where we should be. We each have a different section of “depth” to explore. We each will express our deeper song in our own unique manner.
How are you working to sing a deeper song?
