Several months ago, I heard a song written and sung by Charlie Thweatt called ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER. I cried many tears as I listened to the power of the music, its beautiful melody, and the words that resonated so strongly for me:
…So now I dive into my freedom, with these wings I know I can,
To find the deeper kind of wisdom…and God’s peace I understand.
Now a part of my music collection, each time I play this song it helps remind me of what I truly desire – a deeper kind of wisdom, and the experience of God’s peace.
It’s also helped me realize that what I desire, and what brings meaning and purpose in my life, are connected. For in my deep yearning for wisdom, I am brought closer to the peace of God. And when I am with that peace, I feel my wisdom deepen. The two seem to go hand in hand. Wisdom helps me to learn and grow, and heal in mind, body and spirit. While being at peace is my experience of that, the well-being, wholeness, harmony and security I feel within.
What’s “Diving” Got to Do with It?
In my counselling practice, I seldom hear clients say that what they want is “peace.” But what I do hear them asking for are ways to cope with conflict, agitation, frustration, stress, anxiety, depression, confusion and more. So perhaps these are, at their roots, the same thing.
The “dive” that Charlie sings about matches what I often encourage my clients to do: to go within, to seek an inner experience of where the heart and soul reside. For this is where I’ve found my own inner peace to be. You might say that it’s the state of being mentally and spiritually ‘at peace’ – with the knowledge, courage and vulnerability it takes to face the challenges of daily living.
When I dive, I go to a place inside where my body, mind and spirit find ways to be peaceful with whatever is happening around me. Whether it’s a stressful person or situation that is challenging me, my willingness to go deeper eventually creates the harmony and calmness I seek. And this “going within” has served me well for many years.
When I dive, I also find myself going towards my freedom. As I write that, I am reminded of the words of poet David Whyte who, in his book Crossing the Unknown Sea – Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity, wrote:
Freedom is perhaps the ultimate spiritual longing of an individual human being. But freedom is only really appreciated when it falls within the parameters of a larger sense of belonging. In freedom is the wish to belong to structure in our own particular way.
For me, taking a dive into freedom is to connect with this “ultimate spiritual longing”. But to truly appreciate it, I also need that “larger sense of belonging” – which comes when I feel the presence of the Divine. I belong when I experience both God’s peace and my own inner wisdom. I cannot separate the two.
Do You Resist Structure, Too?
When I first read David’s words, I did not like his use of the word “structure”. It felt too confining, as though I had to think or live or act in a certain way. Yet what I’ve come to know about myself is that I only feel free when I have a structure, a foundation from which I can fly. Perhaps this is what Charlie was pointing to when he wrote: “with these wings I know I can.”
The structures I have come to value are my regular practices – like meditation, prayer, yoga, deep breathing, singing, dancing, bathing in the sound vibrations of a Gong Bath, and yes, even listening to music. These are what have helped me reconnect to my wisdom, peace and freedom. At the same time, I respect that others will create their own structures – to help them experience what they want, whether it’s contentment, relief, curiosity, wonder or joy.
Final thoughts…
Over the years, ‘diving into my freedom’ has taught me that there is a deeper kind of wisdom than I once knew; one found more in my heart and soul, and less in the ‘head knowledge’ I used to depend on. I often say that my healing journey has been like a journey of a thousand miles – from my over-functioning academic brain into the peace of my heart and soul.
No longer do I just let my head rule, so that my peace gets lost to worry, stress and confusion – or whatever leads my mind and body away from belonging and God’s peace. My choices and practices now support what I desire. And each time I ‘indulge’ in them, they take me deeper, closer, to what it is I truly want.
Then, when the music (or the practice) stops and I go out to meet my world of potential conflict, rejection, expectations, grief, loss or confusion – I have confidence that the “diving” I have done, and the “wings” I have grown, will bring what my mind, heart and soul most desire: an experience of “God’s peace”, and the “deeper kind of wisdom” that will take me there.
Thank you, Charlie, for your reminders! My tears of gratitude tell me it is so…
With Love,
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