It is neither difficult to see nor controversial to recognize that some of the greatest personal and collective challenges we face today all revolve around our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. In our busy, noisy, and fast-paced world, we have become highly disconnected from what is not only best for our body and mind but also for our soul. Today, there is no shortage of material goods or digital sound bites. There is, however, a serious shortage of focus, attention, equanimity, inner-peace, and stillness in our lives and our world.
Our minds are burdened by an overwhelming amount of racing thoughts, which drain our energy, creativity, and ability to respond effectively to life. We live today in states of cognitive overload with no relief in sight if we continue down the path we have come to accept as the “norm.” Our lives are equally overwhelmed by the amount of information, choices, opportunities, and obligations we have. We live in states of perpetual unease, always racing against the clock, and through these unsettled, hectic, and chaotic states, we compromise our entire wellbeing. True happiness, peace of mind, and spiritual enrichment have today become rare and true luxuries.
But it doesn’t have to be this way, and relief is possible. With just a little awareness, we can begin to see that there is another way to live. There is another way to engage with our mind — a way that can align it to work for us rather than against us. A way that can bring about instant relief, healing, and some of the deepest states of inner peace and wellbeing. A way that can set us free from the bondage of constant over-thinking judging, analyzing, worrying, and spiraling into all sorts of negative states of being. This other path begins with us making a choice to prioritize and cultivate our mental and spiritual wellbeing, through the practice of solitude, stillness, and meditation.
Whenever you give yourself the opportunity to look within and experience these states in your life, this is when you begin to feel the connection to all life. The connection is always there but typically blocked by things such as illusions, ignorance, and states of unawareness. By looking within, you begin to transform on all levels of your being, and in turn, start to transform your life to reflect a life that is in alignment with your soul’s path and purpose. And today, we have countless examples of individuals who have done just that and serve as a living inspiration of what is possible for each of us as well.
One such individual is Jurgen Ziewe, who has been an active meditator since 1969. Jurgen is an artist, out-of-body reporter, and author of several books about topics related to consciousness, spirituality, and the afterlife. Since learning about Jurgen’s work, I have had the pleasure of hosting him on two video episodes where we talked about the multidimensional nature of reality and life after death. In the spring of 2017, I read Jurgen’s book The Ten Minute Moment, which is a personal account of Jurgen’s experience with a solitary meditation retreat. It is a lovely little book that gives us an idea of what an experience like this can entail, should we ever choose to give ourselves such a precious gift, and the potential benefits that can follow.
To further explore the importance of cultivating solitude, stillness, and meditation in our lives and help more people, like yourself, be inspired to prioritize them, I invited Jurgen to share more of his insights via a written interview, which you will find below.
Evita: Your book The Ten Minute Moment shares your personal journey of a solitary meditation retreat in a remote log cabin in the mountains of Scotland. What is the greatest impact that this experience had on you, as you see it today?
Jurgen: The profound experience mentioned in the book formed a tipping point, which turned out to be irreversible. There is no going back. Now everything existing in the present moment is of equal importance because every appearance is supported by the all-pervading reality of stillness and unity. There is no getting away from the fact that all reality — and no matter how this reality presents itself in my daily life — is underpinned by pervading stillness against which everything else plays out, which of course is always transient.
I discovered I could no longer ignore or turn my back on this resilient fact. The reality of it is just too overpowering, too obvious. I only have to look at anything, any object at all, to find proof of it, to see this unity. Everything that exists, simply by my awareness of it, convinces me of this profound fact. I knew that from this moment onwards, this stillness and profound peace was against which everything else had to be evaluated and considered.
Evita: Given your vast experiences with meditation over the years, how would you describe what meditation is?
Jurgen: To me, meditation is simply accepting that I am already one with all. Meditation is the surrendered resting in this overwhelming fact. So I don’t have to do anything special, just accept this reality. With this acceptance comes the security that I do not need to go anywhere or aim for anything. I simply surrender to its fulfillment. Knowing that I am already here, united with my source, I simply rest in and relish the reality of it. There is nowhere else to go. I am already where I am meant to be. To me, that is meditation.
However, should I consider a traditional meditation technique when resting in my chair, such as focusing on the light or a mantra, I then simply take the position of the light, and rather than focusing on it, I radiate out from it into the universe surrounding me, because I am already the light or the mantra.
Evita: There are many types of meditation talked about in our society, and beginners are often confused about what kind of meditation to do. What is your recommendation in this regard?
Jurgen: To me, Meditation is an individual contract each one of us makes with their own source, God, or their Higher Self, a contract which is simply based on love. I realize that some people may take a different route, and that is why I think it has to be an individual path. With billions of people, there are billions of meditation techniques. The good news is that the moment I direct my attention within, I develop more of a sense of what is good for me and what is not. To me, to meditate is to find the best way to open a channel of communication to the inner teacher.
Evita: Many people who attempt meditation are often also frustrated by the constant chatter of thoughts expressed by the mind, which they cannot seem to turn off or escape from. What is your advice on how to overcome this?
Jurgen: Show kindness to your thoughts. When kindness and love rise in your awareness, these feelings are more powerful than thoughts. Giving preference to appreciation, gratitude, and love makes meditation and the focus much easier, more pleasurable, and more rewarding. I see thoughts like boats on the ocean, where the ocean is love. When love becomes the carrier of my meditation, then my thoughts become like sailing boats on the ocean’s surface, submitting to the carrying elements. If the ocean is calm, my thoughts are calm and pacified, and my meditation will be enjoyable.
But sometimes, thoughts come along which need attention. Some thoughts are not really worthwhile, and I simply let them wither by not paying them any attention. Others are powerful and crave every ounce of awareness I can give. Their challenge makes me dig deep until I reach the level of wisdom. So sometimes, these big compelling thoughts can lead me to a much deeper level of awareness. I know when I have reached this level because it is like a crystal lake of reflection; with its mirror surface, it reflects my thought from all sides. I use kindness and understanding in my reflection and never condemn. I let no aspect be unattended to or rejected and showed all of its aspects the greatest respect. Because, deep down, I know I am the parent of my thoughts, which I recognize as my own children. Like a good father, I guide my thoughts into the clear light of understanding, then peace will result, or a clear plan of action will emerge.
Then there are thoughts that are like warm honey from a flower of wisdom and knowing deep within. They are the gift of inspiration which are offered to enrich my life and the lives of others. I show my gratitude to these offerings and store them in my soul for later use.
Then there can be habitual or addictive thoughts trying to steal my attention. I simply stop feeding these until they wither and instead favour the reality of ‘what is’ and the unspoken moment which doesn’t require thought. If I do not succeed, I simply rest my awareness on my breath or any other feeling I can devote my love to until I find rest and calm awareness.
Evita: Intentional silence, solitude, and stillness to experience pure being have become increasingly rare in our world today. Why are these experiences important to prioritize and cultivate in our lives?
Jurgen: Real silence, solitude, and stillness are only found once the self-referential chatter of our mind has stopped. The mind is a Perpetuum Mobile, always feeding and needing to be fed, always striving for answers while continually remaining unsatisfied. We may turn to solitude in nature, and yet the mind may be churning out its constant chatter. Real solitude is to be found when this chatter is disrupted by something that takes our attention into a completely new direction, which is inaccessible to the mind. This is actual experience, which enriches the heart and our feeling.
Instead of channeling our input through our senses via the mind, we channel our input through the heart. Instead of hearing and seeing the bird in the tree, we identify with and ‘become’ the bird in the tree by sending it our love and experience its existence. After all, in reality, consciousness is not limited to our own body and self, but it is everywhere we look at and place our attention on. The moment our attention is placed on the all surrounding ‘us,’ we experience true silence and stillness because there is no longer anything the limited mind can divide us from. There is only the experience of pure being.
Sometimes we need to create space in our lives to disrupt the constant flow and feedback of information. To be alone with our thoughts and our self is just as important for our mind and soul, as a good diet and exercise, is for our body. Daily, regular meditation can give us this space even in the busiest metropolis and provides nourishment for our soul.
Evita: At the end of the book, you share 12 markers of an awakened life that you noticed have manifested in your life. Which one, would you say, has been the most instrumental in changing who you are and how you live your life today, and why?
Jurgen: Number two. The constant feeling of being home. This is the most persistent experience because there is no longer such a thing as an outside world. I am always home wherever I am, even in the biting cold of the winter storm, because that too is the experience of what I am. Wherever I want to be, I am already here, and that fills me with great peace and satisfaction. My greatest joy is the constant experience that I am Here, that I have been chosen and blessed simply to be alive.
Evita: What do you see today as the greatest obstacle that humans of this Earth reality face to advance their spiritual evolution, and what can be done about this?
Jurgen: Reality is simple. It’s just that we are so engrossed in our mental interpretation of it that we have lost our natural means of communication with that which simply is. The present reality is the great leveller, there for all, from insect to human, and we don’t need the mind to access it. We simply need to be and live in the acceptance of our being. The most natural way to do so is to surrender to it without thinking about it. The moment we surrender, reality makes us a conscious part of its universal being and bliss.
How do we surrender when we are so accustomed to and in need of control when our first line of confronting a situation is via our emotions, instincts, and conditioned behavior? The first action would be to surrender to any given situation via our heart first, by accepting it, appreciating the presence of its reality. Accepting here-now reality and the way it presents itself by sidestepping the ego creates space for intuition to come to the fore and guide our interaction. Acceptance creates space and makes it apparent that we are an intrinsic part of the challenge. This offers us a greater view of the situation from within, and we are able to appreciate the position of others. Instead of controlling a situation on a whim, we are adapting to its inherent nature, which is not blindsided by self-interests. We derive strength and power from an underlying current of what is right and true, which will give us the authority and strength to act in harmony with its inherent laws and make our decisions with clarity.
When we wake up to this simple and amazing fact that stillness underpins all reality and gently and with kindness go about our daily business, we calmly take stock and begin to understand what needs to be done. We begin to see that that which we think is us, is in fact, only a minuscule part of the whole. Instead of seeing the world only in relation and separation from ourselves, we begin to experience the world around us as a whole and as our home. Once this realization manifests in our daily life, we begin to act in a way which benefits the whole. By asking, “how can I serve?” we benefit ourselves because we are part of the vast reservoir we are serving.
Evita: Thank you so much, Jurgen, for sharing your time, love, and wisdom with us here today. Your message is always shared with such an immense amount of gentleness and compassion, yet it guides us to the core of truth like a laser, with utmost focus and clarity.
And thank you, dear reader, for being here in this moment and sharing this space with us. For more information about Jurgen or his work, please visit www.multidimensionalman.com. If you’d like to experience Jurgen’s book The Ten Minute Moment yourself or any of Jurgen’s other books, you can do so via Amazon’s worldwide platform.