Welcome to Still Point 12:10 my friend where we pause together to breathe, reset, and rise. 
Please click on the YouTube symbol to listen to the full Still Point rhythm including the meditation to begin.
If you don’t have time for the meditation now, return when you have time and be sure to continue reading the reflection.
Teaching | Teresa and the Interior Castle
Teresa of Ávila lived in a time of deep division and tension within the Church. Arguments were sharp. Boundaries were rigid. Fear was common.
Teresa’s response was not to harden.
Her response was to go inward.
She described the soul as an Interior Castle — a luminous dwelling with many rooms, all connected by the presence of God at the centre.
Not a cramped space.
Not a single room with locked doors.
But a place of depth, beauty, and welcome.
Teresa believed that when we live only on the surface of ourselves, we become easily threatened. But when we learn to inhabit the deeper rooms of the soul, we become spacious enough to hold difference without fear.
Unity, for Teresa, was not something we forced externally.
It was something that emerged naturally from inner stillness. Today’s practice is Grounding.
Grounding brings us out of the swirl of thoughts and into the steadiness of the present moment.
Begin by gently pressing your feet into the floor.
Notice the sensation.
The firmness.
The support.
Now bring awareness to your breath.
Feel the rise and fall.
The natural rhythm.
The quiet reliability of it.
If your mind wanders — that’s okay.
Simply return to your feet.
Return to your breath.
Stillness does not demand perfection.
It invites presence.
The Spacious Soul
Imagine your soul as Teresa describes it —
a spacious room, filled with light.
Some areas are familiar.
Some are rarely visited.
Some feel cluttered.
Some are calm and quiet.
You do not need to clean or organize anything right now.
Just notice.
Notice that there is room here —
room for joy and uncertainty,
room for faith and questions,
room for difference without threat.
This spaciousness is where unity begins.
When we are grounded in this inner room, we are less reactive.
We listen more deeply.
We do not rush to defend.
We discover that unity does not require us to agree on everything.
It requires us to remain present to one another.
Teresa believed that the closer we live to the centre of the soul — where God dwells — the more naturally patience, gentleness, and humility flow outward.
Unity is not something we strive for.
It is something we allow.
Bringing It Into Ordinary Life
As you sit with this image of the spacious soul, notice where it meets your daily life.
Perhaps there are conversations where you feel tight or guarded.
Perhaps there are relationships where difference feels uncomfortable.
Perhaps there are parts of yourself you struggle to welcome.
Grounding helps here.
Before reacting, feel your feet.
Before speaking, notice your breath.
Before judging, return to the centre.
Stillness creates room.
Integration | Unity Begins Within
Teresa teaches us that when the soul is settled, unity follows naturally.
We become less brittle.
Less defensive.
More patient.
Unity does not mean erasing difference.
It means meeting difference from a place of grounded love.
As you move through the rest of this week, return often to this image:
Your soul as a spacious room.
God dwelling quietly at the centre. You resting there.
Thankfulness — Carrying the Light
As we come to the close of this Still Point,
we turn our attention toward thankfulness —
not as a task,but as a quiet way of noticing what is already present.
You don’t need to search for something big or impressive.
Thankfulness often lives in small, steady places.
You might begin by noticing your breath —
the simple fact that it has been breathing you
through this pause.
You might feel gratitude for your body,
doing its best to support you today,
even if it feels tired or imperfect.
Perhaps there is a moment from this Still Point
that you want to hold onto —
a sense of ease,
a softening,
or simply the relief of having stopped for a few minutes.
Let thankfulness be something you take with you,
not something you complete here.
And as you go, may you remember that the light you noticed in this Still Point
is not something you have to leave behind.
It travels with you —
into conversations,
into decisions,
into the ordinary moments that make up the rest of your day.
If this Still Point has been helpful for you, you might know someone who could use a pause like this too.
Feel free to share Still Point 12:10
with a friend, a colleague, or someone who feels a little overwhelmed right now.
It’s a gentle space —
no fixing, no pressure —
just time to breathe, reset, and rise together.
Sometimes the most meaningful gift
is simply letting someone know
they’re not alone. Thank you for helping this circle widen.
As we come to the close of this Still Point,
take one more gentle breath.
Notice how your body feels now
compared to when you first arrived.
There’s nothing to hold onto —
just an awareness you can carry with you
into the rest of your day.
And remember to …
Breathe.
Reset.
Rise.
Until next time,
walk gently,
listen deeply,
speak gently,
and receive the world
with an open heart and a smile.
Bennach de ort – May God be with you.
