Birdsong, by Andy

The birds must have built a nest over the front door of the community house long before I arrived in Alozaina. They fly in and out of the nest and sing loudly during our morning meditation. They like the fig tree right outside the open window. The first time I heard them I thought they were a distraction to my meditation and I attempted to ignore the noise. But attempting to avoid the sound didn’t work. Could there be another way to look at it?

Morning is the time I am most likely to be snagged by false thoughts, such as “I’m not doing my spiritual practice right,” “I’ll never get this,” or even, “I’m a spiritual fake.” Yet I know, from having looked at these thoughts from my right mind with Spirit, that they are not true. I would like to stop thinking them, but there they are. So my prayer is: “Spirit, help me find a way to shift away from them quickly.” Then I listen for the answer.

Click here for sparrow song

Ah ha! The birdsong! Each chirp speaks to me, telling me what I want to hear. Sometimes it is, “now, now, now.” Other times it is “God, God, God.” It is such a bright, happy sound, bringing me back to the present. I like to lose myself in it, to sink deep into the void of nothing but one chirp after the next. It is so restful, so joyful and restorative. I also like to notice the beginning of a thought forming in my mind. I don’t wait to see what the thought is going to be. Chirp! And it’s gone.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for such an immediate and joyful means of letting ego thoughts go!