All Is Well, You Can Rest

I just returned from leading a retreat at an exquisite property on Whidbey Island northwest of Seattle. To go to such a beautiful place with a group of like-minded people who are all committed to awakening is a special and wonderful thing. As often happens in retreats, it was not always easy, but it was truly heart opening. This retreat was a fierce process because I invited everyone to be present for whatever was showing up, and this sometimes brings up painful stuff we have hidden inside. Yet as we connected with each other, we created a sacred space for it all.

During the retreat, we worked with the themes of ‘Relaxing into Life’ and ‘Safety in this moment.’ Just before the closing circle, one of the women asked me if she could play a song. It is called ‘All Is Well’ by Karen Drucker.  This song touched me deeply because it is the core of this awakening work.  It was a perfect ending for our retreat.

Click on this link to listen: All Is Well

The lyrics are simple and yet so profound:

All is well.
I can rest.
I am safe.
All is well, all is well, all is well.

When you sing or say these words, your mind may not agree. Why? Because each one of us took on conditioning when we were growing up, and as an adult, the conditioned self tightens us and cuts us off from the great flow of Life. The storyteller in our heads, which is the voice of the conditioned self, narrates all day long, telling us how we should do Life and how others should act and be. The conditioned self is not bad or wrong, but it does judge a lot, not only others but also ourselves, keeping us caught in the narrow world of struggle. It is important to see and love it while not getting caught in its stories. Right outside of the conditioned mind we can connect with the truth that Life knows what it is doing and it is for us. So, as you spend time with this song, just let the words move through you again and again. 

As I listened to this song for the first time, I was reminded of Eben Alexander, neurosurgeon and author of Proof of Heaven, whose first words when he woke up from his seven-day coma were “All is well!” When you learn how to stop trying to make your life be what you want it to be and show up for it instead, you discover that all is truly well (the field of being is always with you and Life knows what it is doing) and it is safe to come here. You can then show up fully for the life that Life is giving you.

In order to open to ‘All is well,’ it is important to remember that the evolution of Life that is unfolding on Earth includes human beings. Everything is a part of this evolution, including you. You are Life evolving from unconsciousness to consciousness. Your life is not a random series of events. It is an intelligent and mysterious process that is for Life and for you. I like to call this unfolding ‘the flawless, methodical mystery of Life.’ It is flawless because each and every experience of your life is tailor-made to wake you out of your conditioned self. Also, the unfolding is truly methodical. There are basic steps we all go through on our journey out of the clouds in our minds back into recognition of the field of our being. Life is truly a benevolent process, even though it includes pain, loss and death.  Even with all of that, you are safe, you can rest, and all is well.

Image of Birches at White Lake in Autumn by Janet Zeh  www.ZehOriginalArt.com