In The Presence Of Truth Part 8: A Bedtime Story

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00:30

In The Presence Of Truth Part 8: A Bedtime Story

by Sally Clough

Rated

5

Type

talks

Activity

Meditation

Suitable for

Everyone

Plays

54

Hello, beloveds. I wrote this longer story about a woman who is feeling a little lost and meets a wise woman. The story examines their growing kinship while addressing some of the bigger spiritual questions. This is the final part. Music is generously provided by Nature's Eye. Thank you for listening, my loves, and take care.

Bedtime Story Spirituality Inner Peace Emotional Healing Wisdom Philosophy Self Discovery Mentor Student Life Reflection Philosophical Insight Intergenerational Wisdom Existential Awareness Mentor Relationship Spiritual Awakening

Meet your Teacher

United Kingdom

Meet your Teacher

United Kingdom

Transcript

Hello dear ones and welcome to today's reading the final installment of in the presence of truth as always dear ones just taking a few moments now to arrive here in this space knowing that there's nowhere you need to be and there's nothing that you need to do and when you're ready dear ones we will continue margaret had lived a full rich life one that had been as vibrant as it had been challenging born in a small village in the north of england she had been a child of fire and ambition raised in a family that valued resilience above all her mother had been a school teacher her father a quiet introspective man who spent much of his time in the garden it was there amid the roses and the wild time that margaret learned her first lesson about life her mother often told her stories stories that margaret would later understand as deep metaphors for the nature of existence but it was her father with his quiet demeanor and unshakable patience who taught her the importance of listening to the world to the seasons to the stillness of the earth beneath her feet as a young woman margaret had felt a deep calling to leave her small village to see the world and experience more than the peaceful quiet life her parents had envisioned for her she moved to london in her 20s and it was there that she worked as a journalist in the bustling vibrant chaos of the city she found her voice reporting on everything from political upheaval to personal stories of love and loss but it was in the quiet moments of reflection after the hustle of her work day that margaret began to question the world she had once felt so connected to she had fallen in love once deeply had married young built a life with a man who shared her curiosity about life's mysteries but the marriage like many things in life had ended with time it hadn't been a dramatic departure no cruel words or final arguments simply as both of them grew older they grew apart they were still friends but the romantic love faded and they parted ways amicably after her divorce margaret moved back to the countryside to a house that she had purchased years before it was an old ivory cottage and it was here that she had spent the last decade of her life over time she had felt the pulse of something larger than herself something that connected her to the earth the sky the trees it was in this place far from the noise of london that margaret began her journey inward she studied philosophy meditation and the works of mystics from all around the world but she had no interest in labels no desire to be called by any name or belief system for margaret truth was something to be lived not named and as she entered the later stages of her life with the knowledge that her time was drawing to a close she had come to the quiet realization that she was at last at peace emily had always been the quiet one the one who observed more than she participated growing up in a busy household she had learned early on that her voice didn't often rise above the noise of her family she had two older brothers both boisterous and confident who were always the center of attention her mother was a loving woman though often preoccupied with the demands of running a busy household and her father a man of few words had always been a distant figure more interested it seemed in work than in connecting with his children as a child emily had sought solace in books in stories that transported her far away from the constant hum of family life she dreamed of living in distant lands of being someone else someone braver someone stronger but even in her dreams there was a part of her that felt disconnected like a puzzled piece that didn't quite fit her teenage years had been a time of quiet rebellion she had tried to fit in with her peers but it never quite worked she was always the one on the sidelines the observer the listener it was in these years that she began to feel the weight of her isolation the sense that she was different from everyone else her friends went out on dates made plans built lives while emily floated through her days with little sense of direction or purpose after university she took a job in a small marketing firm in the city a job that paid the bills but didn't ignite any passion she lived alone in a modest flat and while her life was comfortable it was also deeply lonely she had always struggled with forming deep connections keeping most people at arm's length it wasn't that she didn't want relationships it was just something inside kept her from fully opening up her loneliness deepened after her mother passed away several years ago emily had always been close to her mother and her death left a hole in emily's heart that she couldn't seem to fill she found herself drifting through her days in a fog of grief and disconnection her mind endlessly replaying the things left unsaid the time she wished she had spent differently it was around this time that emily began walking long solitary walks in the park by the river anywhere to quiet the noise in her mind it was during one of these walks she had first seen margaret sitting alone on a bench as though waiting for something at first emily had been drawn to margaret's presence without understanding why there was something about her something calm and sure that seemed to resonate with the part of emily that was yearning for peace and so their paths crossed more frequently and eventually the older woman had invited emily into her home and it was there in margaret's warm and welcoming space that emily began to feel a shift a slow subtle change as though the wall she had built around her heart were beginning to crumble now as emily sat in margaret's house listening to the older woman's words about the unity of all things she felt something stir deep within her a realization that her loneliness her sense of disconnection was not a result of being separate from others it was a result of forgetting the deep intrinsic connection that existed in all things it was a result of living a life based on illusion as margaret spoke emily began to understand that she had always been searching for something she had never lost the peace the oneness the truth they were all within her and margaret this older woman who was now nearing the end of her journey was the one showing her the way back to herself the fire crackled softly its warm light casting a peaceful glow across the room the evening had grown quiet with only the gentle rustle of the wind outside and the rhythmic sound of the flames margaret her usual fire and vitality softened now by age sat comfortably in her favorite armchair her hands resting gently in her lap emily sat across from her feeling the weight of this moment the weight of everything they had spoken of and everything that remained unsaid margaret's eyes though tired held a sharpness an intensity that had never dulled as though they were able to pierce through the fabric of existence itself she had always been a woman of deep reflection but tonight there was something even more profound in her gaze emily margaret said softly her voice steady what if i told you that none of this none of what you see what you feel what you experience is real in the way you think it is what if i told you that it's all a dream emily's heart skipped a beat a dream she asked her voice barely a whisper yes margaret nodded her eyes softening as she leaned forward her tone gentle but knowing this world your life everything you've ever known every moment you've lived is all but a dream a manifestation of one consciousness a vast infinite consciousness dreaming itself into all the forms we see around us we think we are separate that we are individuals but we are just one one dreaming many different dreams there is no you there is no me there is only consciousness aware of itself in countless ways the entire universe the stars the trees the birds the people even your own thoughts just fleeting images in the mind of the one unchanging consciousness emily sat still her breath caught in her chest as the weight of margaret's words settled over her life she wanted to resist it to hold on to the familiar world of form and structure but something within recognized the truth in what margaret was saying but if this is a dream emily began then what does it all mean what is the point of it and why do we suffer why do we love if none of it is real margaret smiled softly the corners of her mouth curling up with a mixture of compassion and wisdom the point emily is that there is no point there is no destination no end there is only the experience itself we live this dream because we are meant to each of us plays our part weaving the fabric of this collective dream and yes there is suffering because in the dream there is the illusion of separation but suffering is not a punishment it is a catalyst for awakening it helps you remember that you are not this body not these thoughts you are the one who is dreaming all of this and once you remember that you will see that even suffering is part of the illusion and joy is simply a return to the truth she paused for a moment letting her words sink in before continuing when you awaken when you remember who you truly are you will realize that there is nothing to fear death too is just another part of the dream it is not an ending but a return to the source the place from which all of this arises emily felt her chest tighten but this time it wasn't from fear it was from the profound beauty of margaret's words she could feel the depth of them the quiet power as if margaret was speaking not just to her mind but to the very core of her being so we're all dreaming emily whispered almost afraid to speak the words aloud margaret nodded yes my dear dreaming we are one consciousness dreaming of many lives the dream seems real but once you wake up you realize that the dreamer is you it's always been you there was a long silence the weight of this truth hanging in the air between them as though the entire room had taken on a sacred quality emily sat her mind quiet absorbing the enormity of its own she felt a warmth a peace unlike anything she had ever felt before it was as if a veil had been lifted and she could finally see not with her eyes but with something much deeper margaret's eyes soften and she let out a contented sigh you're beginning to see aren't you emily i knew you would i knew emily nodded unable to speak overwhelmed by the beauty and the simplicity of it all for the first time in her life she felt truly alive in a way that was beyond words margaret smiled one last time and as the fire crackled softly she leaned back in her chair her breath slowing it has been a pleasure my dear to walk with you on this path even if just for a little while with that margaret's eyes fluttered shut her body relaxing into the chair her chest rose and fell with a slow steady rhythm and emily sat there watching her her heart full of love and gratitude she didn't speak didn't move she simply stayed in awe of the incredible journey they had shared minutes passed then very slowly margaret's eyes opened again there was no fear in her gaze only peace a deep peaceful knowing i am going now dear margaret said her voice a mere whisper it has been a pleasure a soft smile graced her lips one last time then with the slightest sigh margaret breathed her last breath her form sinking peacefully into the chair as though she had simply slipped into another dream emily remained there motionless her heart full of love for the woman who had shown her the truth of the world she watched as the fire flickered the light dancing across the room and for the first time in her life she knew that she too was part of the same eternal dream and though margaret had left her physical form emily knew that she would never be alone again you