Is Trust Trapped?

We keep trust trapped in volition.

Recently I heard a very wise teacher express this koan-like statement. Trust is the foundation of our human experience. Without it, we second guess our safety, our relationships, and all of the mysterious ways of the cosmos we inhabit. How deeply we trust the unknown or the mysterious is directly related to our sense of balance.

If your trust is shallow, your nervous system is constantly on alert.

In our western culture, we are not taught to let life unfold as it may. We are taught to take life on by its tail and swing it around. We invoke cognitive process and power to make rapid choices and decisions. We have personal will, agency and the capacity to act out of our own volition. In many instances this strategy works brilliantly. In our western culture, self agency is highly regarded. 

The catch in this strategy is that we may not leave spaciousness for creativity, inspiration and the presence of the Divine. These often occur in response to our willingness to soften our demeanor, temper our speech and allow an organic unfolding of life. 

We are rushing much of the time. In our rush, we let the brain reign. The shortfall here is that the brain operates off of past experiences, conclusions and fears. These may not apply to the nuanced situation we are confronting. Holding open our decisions, judgements and conclusions takes conscious surrender and trust. Woven into surrender and trust is spaciousness. Not surrender as abdication rather surrender as a personal practice of Presence and Patience. Not trust as blind inaction, rather trust as a deeply rooted knowing that Grace fills all empty spaces. 

If  you are willing, try it out for yourself. Start a Trust Journal and record the instances when you slowed yourself down and waited for the unfolding. Note how it worked, how you felt and what arose in the spaciousness of patience.