When I began writing this book, I knew it wasn't meant to be another guide to physical stillness. Mostly because my deepest moments of peace didn't come from sitting in quiet solitude; they emerged from surrendering to loving presence, guided by the voice of Spirit within. This understanding revealed to me that true stillness is not merely about being motionless, but about aligning our perceptions with a higher consciousness of love--a force I refer to interchangeably as Christ Consciousness, Higher Consciousness, The Universe, the Holy Spirit, God, or the Divine. This life-affirming presence exists beyond the confines of time, and when we attune ourselves to its rhythm, stillness naturally becomes the truth of who we are. Truth, as commonly understood today, is derived from Old and Middle English, connoting accuracy, righteousness, and faithfulness to religious doctrine. However, in its earliest Hebrew form, emet (?????), truth encompasses a broader understanding--a wholeness that endures from beginning to end, eternal and all-knowing. Further back, in Proto-Indo-European (PIE), the root of the word Truth (deru) was shared with the word tree, both symbolizing firmness, unwavering, and steadfastness. It is these early, all-encompassing definitions of truth--firm, solid, and enduring--that guide this book. And while stillness in a physical sense can realign us with the truth of our being, aligning with higher consciousness is equally available when navigating the chaos and uncertainty of life, when facing feelings of inadequacy, lack, or worry about the world. In many ways, the ability to cultivate unwavering stillness is a lost art, which is why I felt compelled to write this book. I needed the principles within to help me navigate my own perceptions while grappling with fear in the form of depression, overwhelm, and especially anger. For a period in my adult life, anger was a dominant force, leaving me feeling like I was constantly failing. This book is a reflection of the spiritual truths that helped me realign with stillness and heal emotionally. To this day, I return to these lessons in moments of impatience, when I crave peace but can't find quiet, when I forget how to surrender what is out of my control, or when I simply want to remember the essence of my badass self again. Having made mistakes, faced trauma, and walked difficult paths, I've learned that stillness isn't always found in silence or solitude. It arises when we embrace life in its fullness--grief, joy, and all the spaces in between.
