NOISE

No matter where I go these days, I find noise. Audio distractions everywhere. When I go to a restaurant, the music is always too loud. Even the architecture and build out are designed to enhance noise, rather than reduce it. Tall ceilings, tile floors, metal and laminate counters and walls, no acoustic ceiling treatments, and to top it all off ... loud and noisy people. Conversations are loud, kids are screaming and running around like it's a playground, and the environment is less than hospitable. Not exactly a comfy environment for a nice quiet meal and quiet conversation. It's just noise, and more noise.

Retail stores are noisy, grocery stores are noisy, offices are noisy, even banks are noisy. I can't even go to Starbuck's or Dunkin' Donuts without dealing with noisy machines, loud music, and loud people. Maybe I'm just different. Maybe I'm the only one who would like some peace and quiet. But either way, it's just not good for us to be constantly distracted by a noisy environment. Whatever happened to the old days of "speakeasys" and "lounges" where you could grab a cocktail or coffee and just relax and chill out in peace and quiet for a bit. Maybe at night, a piano man but during the day, just some peace and quiet would be amazing. Instead, we now have a barrage of Sports Bars with 50 TV's each blaring sporting events with Announcers, rumbles, random music, whistles, etc. creating one giant cacophony.

These noisy distractions keep us busy in other ways we do not realize. We get overloaded with frequency distraction. Inharmonious ambient sound like an untuned orchestra coming at you full volume. There is no harmony. There is disharmony. And this creates spiritual channel blocking. We can't think clearly or try and connect to our intuitive Higher Self when there is an overabundance of random frequency noise building invisible walls within our psyche. I like to write when I have a meal, or read and study. If Maria is with me we like to talk about stuff. Sometimes, when it's just me, I drive down to park and sit in my car. In the older days I would go sit in the lobby of a hospital. It was usually pretty quiet there. Now I can't stand being around hospitals so that location is out. Instead, I may find a hotel lobby, or and office building with a lobby that has seating and tables with chairs. What I'm saying is that it is a struggle to find peace and quiet. To be removed from sensory distraction and confusion.

The entire universe works in harmony, just like a well tuned band. It's nature's music. And all this extraneous noise is blocking out our sensory reception of what nature is offering us to help bring calm and tranquility to a loud and busy world ... outside of us, and inside of us. Our daily lives are filled with all sorts of sensory distractions. It would benefit all of us to find a nice quiet place every day and spend 15 to 30 minutes just listening to whatever messages rise up from within us. Our unconscious and our superconscious mind has much intuition and guidance to offer us ... but we are either not listening, or we just can't hear it from all the noise and distraction.

Take a drive sometime - without the radio or ipod or CD player on - and just listen to what is going on inside you. Put the windows down and pay closer attention to nature. The Greek word for Messenger is "Aggelos" ... the origin of the English word Angel. You are a receiving messages from the universe within and without. Keep a channel open so you can hear what it is that you're suppose to be receiving ... and keep and open mind of what you are thinking ... transmitting.

Just a thought ...

Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.