Motion And Stillness!

“There is motion in stillness just as there is stillness in motion.” -Alyjawan The Great 10/2023

This statement is paradoxical on the surface, yet it represents the feedback between action and awareness, doing and being. Motion in Stillness is the interior work that goes on in the inner world. When a writer sits still, eyes closed in focus, the mind moves with rapidity through memory, possibility, and meaning. Meditation, contemplation, even rest—these are not stagnancy, but subtle forms of motion. New neural pathways form. Insights surface when the conscious mind stops grasping so fervently. The soul, unrestricted by external noise, begins to reorganize itself in the dark, crafting a slow, sacred kind of movement that prepares one for outward expression. The sculptor’s still moment before the strike and the chisel makes contact, the composer’s long pause before fleshing out a key or tune—these are pregnant silences where motion gathers strength and subsequently takes flight. 

Stillness is never truly still; it is a chamber where meaning reshapes, where chaos settles into order, where inspiration, long submerged within us all, finally rises to the surface like a held breath returning to air. 

Stillness in motion, by contrast, describes the lucid still point found within the storm of activity. The runner in stride, the dancer mid-turn, the warrior whose every strike is effortless; they move without thought, and because they do not think, they are free. They are so conscious, that thought and action are one.  Stillness here then becomes the source of impeccable movement—it is the stillness of non-reaction, of being present. Consider Goku from Dragon Ball Super, his latest level of strength is his Ultra Instinct technique where he denotes that his body moves independent of his mind's interference. This motion he promotes stems from a place of profound balance not chaos and confusion. Mastery is not merely speed or strength but the stillness one can maintain amidst movement. 

Often-times many people struggle to stand and maintain this equilibrium due to the sheer difficulty of consistently getting oneself into the right conditions to even begin to allow your motion be fueled by stillness. Even Goku- as it stands currently– still does not possess the full mastery of Ultra Instinct. Whis and the other Angels in the show still vastly outclass him, not to mention the Grand Priest who is in another dimension altogether. 

Together, these principles embody a spiritual rhythm: when motionless, let yourself move within, and when in motion, be still within. Both are reminders that balance is not found by separating the two, but by recognizing that they exist together—the quiet beat beneath the turbulence, the invisible current beneath the stillness.  This is the dance of creation and consciousness, where mastery, artistry, and peace meet.

The dichotomy between motion and stillness is a dynamic that is perpetuated throughout Life in general. We believe these two things to be complete opposites and polarizing, when in reality, they are two sides of the same coin. War & Peace, Abundance & Scarcity, Love & Hatred, etc etc, the list continues, but you get the idea; one either begets the other or, due to the absence of one searches for its counterpart. Ex: The lack or absence of Love from an individual you love, causes resentment to fester, if unchecked, inevitably leads to hatred. A man born into either Wealth or Poverty ends up at their contrapositive if they consistently perform damaging or developing habits that will lead them there.  “The prospect of Peace initiates War.”--Madara Uchiha.

Motion and Stillness are no different. Our mistake is believing that these two opposing states of being cannot exist simultaneously and dwell within their opposite. 

-"In stillness, the muddied water returns to clarity."- Laozi

-"Be still and know that I Am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” --Psalms 46:10 NLT

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”--Exodus 14:14 NIV