10. Spirals of Stillness

Stillness is not the absence of motion. It is motion unseen. In the heart of every spiral, there is a quiet energy that carries everything along its curves, even when nothing seems to move. Stillness is the eye of the hurricane, the calm within the whirlpool, the gentle curl of water in a shell held in the palm.

I sit by a quiet pond, watching a single leaf drift. It begins to circle, tracing a slow spiral on the surface, turning inward, then outward, and around again. Time stretches. Nothing moves, yet everything is moving. I begin to understand that the spiral is not only shape and motion, but also stillness. To observe, to breathe, to be present, is to follow the curve inward, to reach a centre that is always there, patiently waiting.

The spiral of stillness is patience incarnate. Life spins wildly around us, storms of work, thoughts, and responsibilities, but within each of us exists a quiet centre. Nature demonstrates this endlessly: a fern unfurls, a snail carries its spiral-shaped home, galaxies spin in silent grandeur. All are still, all are moving, all are spiralling.

Stillness invites reflection. Thoughts curl inward, emotions loop gently, memories fold in on themselves. In the centre of the spiral, complexity simplifies. Here, we touch the essence of what is important: presence, awareness, calm. To follow the spiral into stillness is to find the balance between motion and pause, between energy and rest, between self and universe.

Even in the busiest lives, the spiral reminds us to pause. We trace its curve, inhale, exhale, and notice the world around us, feeling the continuity of motion beneath apparent quiet. Stillness moves. Life moves. Spirals move. And we move with them, circling inward and outward, learning that the quietest motions are often the most profound.

The leaf finally drifts to the edge of the pond. I remain, tracing the invisible spirals around me, letting their quiet energy guide me. Stillness is not empty. It is a spiral, alive, eternal, moving in the spaces between breaths.