TheWisdom

of
Serenity
Reclaiming Authentic Happiness

Christopher Foster
www.TheHappySeeker.com
The Wisdom of Serenity
Reclaiming authentic happiness

Christopher Foster
www.TheHappySeeker.com

Copyright © 2010 – Christopher Foster – All Rights Reserved

Contents
Introduction 4 The secret of resilience 17
Facing our feelings 5 Face your fear 18
Defeat is not a possibility 6 A practical remedy for anxiety 19
You are not your role 7 You have no idea how much you are loved 20
Life is so simple 8 Trailing clouds of glory 20
You are not really frail at all 9 The illusion of original sin 21
Creation loves to hear your voice 10 Wisdom is born of stillness 21
Be still, and know 11 A gracious hand is on your life 21
The joy on the other side of despair 12 Your true name is bliss 21
Only Joy’s body died… 14 The indomitable spirit 22
The magic of your chuckle 15 Thank You 23
One of God’s greatest joys 15 About the author 24
See the Angel in everyone 15 Copyright info 25
Got a difficult decision to make? 16
Introduction
C
ourage is something we all need in these difficult times when all that is dear to us
can change – or even dissolve – with scarcely a moment’s notice.

I was brought up in London and was a child in London when the blitz began in World
War II. Winston Churchill, who held England together in those dark days, said on
one occasion: “Courage is the first of human qualities, because it is the quality that
guarantees all the rest.”

But as important as courage is to our lives, I believe there is something else that is
even more important. And that is to come to a place within ourselves where we know
for ourselves the timeless serenity and happiness that already exists at the core of our
being.

Everything changes when we touch this enduring

peace in ourselves and realize this is who we
truly are. I hope this little book will help you on
your journey to increasing freedom and joy.

4
1 Facing our feelings
I
t’s rare for my wife JoAnn and me to get in a fight anymore, but we did the other
morning. It wasn’t a big fight, and it didn’t last long, but it was intense while it
lasted. We worked through the situation as best we could and I retired to my office
muttering to myself that I needed to get back to work.

But it didn’t take long to realize that wasn’t the first order of business. It was much
more important just to be still, and let my connection with the core of myself be
renewed.

And so I sat back in my chair and just let everything go. When thoughts about the
argument rose up clamoring for attention – or any other thoughts – I let them all go.
And as I did this I became more and more aware of the stillness and peace that is
always with us at the core of our being.

It doesn’t come from some external source.

It doesn’t come from a book, or from another
person, or even from a belief. It is our own peace,
and all we have to do to reconnect with it is
surrender. Then there it is – bathing our mind
and heart with bliss, washing away the tension in
our body.
5
2 Defeat is not a possibility
A
s far as you are concerned, defeat is not even a possibility. You are a Child of
Light, and the Light that is in you is the same Light that rules the universe and
shines in the stars and in the eye of the eagle and the deer.

So take heart. Just because things did not go so well today does not mean anything.
Let stillness be your friend. Is your mind busy? Are your feelings churning away like an
angry sea? That’s all right. At the core of your being is peace, a serene, timeless peace
that cannot be shaken by anything that happens in this external world.

Turn to this place of peace deep within your own

being. As often as your heart fills with dismay,
or your mind rushes off like an angry terrier
to grapple with this fear or that, bring your
attention back to what is timeless and free and
can never be defeated.

6
3 You are not your role
Y
our role or position in this world is not who you are, and that is very good news.
You are love and truth. You are already happy, and already free. The world may
say, “Ah, there goes the CEO of a company. Or a janitor, or doctor, or a homeless
person. But none of it is true. You are eternal, and timeless, and free.

I was a child in London at the beginning of World War II when the urge to write
suddenly rose up in me. Someone had given me a large scrapbook, and I began
to write a story in it. I remember still the exhilaration I felt as I wrote that story –
something to do with two children exploring the depths of an unknown river.

Writing has been my love all my life but it is not

who I am. I am happiness and bliss, the same as
you.

7
4 Life is so simple
L
ife is so simple, and our culture tries to make it so complicated. You have
been given this little human vessel, frail and yet marvelously made, through
which to express the timeless qualities of Love and Truth, your own true character.
And that’s it.

Why search desperately here, there and everywhere for fulfillment when it is already
present within you, requiring merely the courage to let it be expressed and fulfilled in
your living?

Do not believe it when your mind says you need to achieve something special in the
world to find meaning. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. But you already
have meaning, just as the flowers and the stars and the earth itself have meaning.

You are Eternal Love, and what could have

greater meaning than that? You can express
it anytime too – in the poorest or finest of
circumstances.

8
5 You are not really frail at all
Y
es, your body has its limitations. It’s weak, and frail, at the mercy of sickness and
adversity and death. But there is another part of you that is forever free. It’s not
frail at all.

It is changeless, and deathless. It does not have a

name. It is who you truly are and it is untouched
by any human troubles. Unborn, undying, it is
the source of everything that is beautiful and
true. Find rest in the pure peace of your own
being.

9
6 Creation loves to hear your voice
Y ou are here to be a blessing to all creation, including your own body and mind.
Sometimes in a difficult situation they long for the comfort and courage that only
the sound of your own voice can give…

I first discovered this many years ago when I nearly started a major forest fire while
burning brush on a ranch in British Columbia. As flames began spreading out in an
ever widening circle, threatening a nearby haystack and surrounding forest, I became
anxious and tried to beat out the flames with a shovel as quickly as I could.

Unfortunately, when I looked back behind me I saw that the flames I thought I had
extinguished were starting up again. It was a moment of truth. I realized that I simply
must not panic or the fire would get away from me.

I began saying softly to myself over and over again, “It’s all right, it’s all right.” The
words flowed out from some source deep within and helped me stay calm as I worked
my way slowly and deliberately around the circle of flames, making absolutely sure one
little section of fire was out before I moved on to the next...

It took an eternity, or so it seemed. But finally I

stood up straight and looked around – there was
no fire to be seen anywhere and the meadow was
at peace again.
10
7 Be still, and know
O
ne of my favorite quotes of all time is this one from Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and
know that I am God.”

Tomorrow, as they say, is another day. But this moment is also unlived as yet. How
about letting it be used simply to be still? When you are willing to stop whatever it is
you are doing for a moment, and honor the simple instruction of the Psalmist, you will
make an extraordinary discovery.

You will realize the outer world is not quite

as important as you thought. Success, failure,
loss, achievement – how can they compare with
the conscious awareness of our own eternal
presence: the very source of all true courage, and
wisdom, and happiness.

11
8 The joy on the other side of
despair
D
espair has gripped me by the throat and tried to kill me a number of times. You
may be living a happy and blessed life and despair may be a stranger to you and
if so that is wonderful. But just in case you or someone close to you is looking despair
in the eye I want to say this: There is a light on the other side of despair.

A few years ago, without any warning, depression – or possibly a spiritual crisis – began
sapping my spirit and eating away at my body. It lasted for nine months and reached
a low point when I stepped on the scale in a therapist’s office and saw my weight was
down from 150 pounds to 128 lbs.

I had seen an array of healers but not one of them had been able to heal me. I gave
myself up for lost, and to be honest, would have been quite happy to leave this world.
But then an interesting thing happened. For some mysterious reason no one could
understand, particularly my primary care doctor, I began to put on weight and my
energy began to return. I was made whole again – in fact I emerged from the whole
terrifying ordeal in much better shape than I had been before.

How did it happen? I don’t know. It wasn’t

medications, because I had stopped taking
12
them. Perhaps grace brought me through and
opened my heart to the authentic happiness of
my own being. Trust life. It does indeed work in
mysterious ways its wonders to perform.

13
9 Only Joy’s body died …
L
et’s look at death for a moment, shall we? We’ve talked sex to death. We’ve
talked money and politics and celebrities to death. Why not talk about death itself
– the big elephant in the room that everyone tries to ignore?

A long time ago – another lifetime it seems now – I lost my first wife, Joy, quite
suddenly when she suffered a stroke on an airplane as we were returning to British
Columbia from a holiday in the Caribbean.

Joy was taken to hospital in Vancouver in a coma. As I watched her quietly slipping
away – I was absolutely numb with shock – Joy opened her eyes for a moment and
looked at me. I had the feeling she wanted to say something, and as I bent my head
close to hers, I heard her whisper a single word – “Home.”

It was a moment I shall never forget. I believe

Joy wanted to give me strength for the journey
ahead. She wanted me to know she was not
“dying,” as we tend to think of death – but was
simply releasing a physical form which no longer
served her. We are Children of Light and death
is very, very different than anything we have
supposed.
14
10
The magic of your chuckle
A
rushing stream has a magical sound as it hurries down a mountain – but your
chuckle is much more magical. It must be because you have a unique part to play
in letting the true character of Love and Truth be revealed through you in blessing to
the rest of creation.

11 One of God’s greatest joys

O
ne of God’s greatest joys – hearing one of his children laugh.

12 See the Angel in everyone

S
ee the Angel in everyone – it raises the odds they will see the light that is burning
in you.

15
13 Got a difficult decision to make?
N
o one but you knows what you should do with your life. You have to trust
yourself – trust a source of wisdom within yourself even though its counsel may
seem totally outrageous to your family or others around you.

Many years ago I was a young man of 23 working as a reporter on a large London
newspaper with a promising career ahead of me. The only trouble was that I was very,
very unhappy. I was sure there was a deeper meaning and purpose in life than I saw
reflected in the world around me – but what was it?

It was as if something was calling me. Then one day a wild and wonderful idea came
to me: “Go to British Columbia and you’ll find what is calling to you.” I knew it was no
use talking to my parents. They would be horrified. As I wrestled with the situation an
inner voice spoke again: “Go and spend a day by the sea and you will know what to do.”

So I caught a train to the Sussex coast and walked along the spectacular cliffs called
the Downs. As skylarks sang all around me my worries vanished and I knew deep in my
heart that it was the right thing for me to go to British Columbia.

You are not alone. You have not been left bereft.
Listen to the wisdom of the universe speaking to
you in your heart and you will know what to do.
16
14 The secret of resilience
R
esilience is the very core of the divine character, as critical to our happiness and
inner peace as water is to a healthy body.

Outside my front door there is a beautiful blue spruce tree that is probably about 30
feet high. Every day I sit on the porch and admire this noble tree and the impeccable
grace with which it meets life. If it is calm, the tree is calm. If the wind blows up, the
branches do not resist – they simply move gracefully back-and-forth – dancing with the
wind as it blows.

Be like the blue spruce tree. Trust life. Dance

with life. Bend, but do not break in the face of
life’s challenges and tribulations…

17
15 Face your fear
T
he next time fear comes up don’t try to ignore it or fight it or run away from it.
It doesn’t work. Turn and face the demon you may have been running from your
whole life. You don’t have to be aggressive, brandish a gun or a sword or anything like
that.

Don’t do anything. Just let the fear be present, neither resisting it, nor embracing it.
Be willing simply to feel it.

It’s uncomfortable to feel fear without reacting to it or trying to get rid of it. But when
you meet fear in this way and stay with it something remarkable happens. You realize
that the stillness of your own being hasn’t gone anywhere. It is with you now in the
midst of fear just as it is at any other time.

Give thanks for this still presence of God – your

own presence – and what was fear one minute
will turn out to be something quite different.
As Gangaji, a wonderful teacher, puts it: “When
you stop and open to what you have resisted
throughout time, you find that fear is not fear. Fear
is energy. Fear is space. Fear is the Buddha. It is
Christ’s heart knocking at your door.”
18
16 A practical remedy for anxiety
A
re you feeling anxious about something? Stressed out? Do you long to find more
peace and well-being in your life?

Do this. I make it a regular practice every evening. Find a comfortable chair and a quiet
corner, and begin breathing in and out with your abdomen. Make sure only your belly
moves. Put a hand on your chest to help keep your chest still.

The idea is to time yourself and bring your breathing rate down to below ten breaths a
minute. I find I settle in at a nice rhythm of six breaths a minute and I feel wonderful.
This is called abdominal or therapeutic breathing. Again, only your belly moves. Before
long you will begin to yawn, which is a good sign – it shows you are beginning to relax
and more oxygen is flowing through your system.

You may find that regular therapeutic breathing

along this line every evening sets you up for a
marvelous sleep. It does me. I also believes it
helps my blood pressure.

19
17 You have no idea how much you
are loved
Y
ou have no idea how much you are loved. You may think you are alone, but you
are not. You part of an intelligent, exquisitely orchestrated Whole that is doing
everything everywhere simultaneously – in this universe and anywhere else.

It sees you, and loves you – and if you cut your finger, it is there in a flash to bring
healing. You are part of the Whole, and the Whole is part of you, and you are not
unimportant at all.

18 Trailing clouds of glory

D
o you think you have suffered a major trauma in your life? I know I have been
quite proud of all my tragedies. But ultimately, it’s an illusion. We have all
suffered abuse in various ways in this world. But we are Children of Light manifest in
human form – come to earth, as the poet Robert Browning beautifully said, “Trailing
clouds of glory from afar…” The one who you truly are is untouched and unhurt by any
of the dramas and tragedies of your life.

20
19 The illusion of original sin
L
isten to a child laughing and know that the idea of original sin is an illusion. Yes,
we are all born into an unhappy situation on this planet, and it conditions us in
many ways. But back of your conditioning the truth of you is exemplary and divine,
unspotted through time.

20 Wisdom is born of stillness

A
thought born of stillness will not only be a beautiful thought. It will also be wise
–which is even more important.

21 A gracious hand is on your life

T
rust the goodness of life, and trust the wisdom of your own beautiful spirit. There
is a gracious hand on your life which knows what is right for you and the direction
your life should take in any moment.

22 Your true name is bliss

Y
our true name is not John, or Arthur, or Elizabeth. It is bliss. It is bliss. It is bliss.

21
23 The indomitable spirit
M
y father was 95 when he died, and the last time I saw him was at the railway
station at Pevensey Bay in Sussex, England. I had been over to visit him and we
had a short holiday together. We said goodbye and I passed through the ticket barrier,
but then I looked back to catch a last glimpse of him.

He was 6’ 3”. But he stood straight as a soldier on parade as he walked slowly and
carefully toward the exit, using a stick to keep his balance each time he took a
small step forward. How I cherish those last few moments and the memory of his
indomitable spirit.

We will not fulfill our destiny or find the lasting happiness that is rightly ours on this
planet without the indomitable spirit that is part of our true character.

My mentor used to say we are like a beautiful

masterpiece that has been covered over by
imitations and forgeries. It is time to let the
conditionings that have obscured your true
beauty and greatness be swept away – and the
masterpiece revealed.

22
Thank You
T
hank you for joining me on this journey. I wish you increasing freedom and joy,
and I hope in one way or another we can stay in touch. I’d love to hear from you
anytime at [email protected] and of course I’d love to have you
as a regular visitor to my blog.

Also, please know that I plan to offer some kind of online workshop or retreat to carry
forward the message of this book.

If you enjoyed this free offering please support the book and
my work.

Some possibilities:

1. Subscribe to The Happy Seeker for free so that you can read more great
articles and keep up on my latest writings and offerings.
2. Email the book to friends or anyone else who you think might enjoy it.
3. Share the book via your favorite social media.
4. Stumble or tweet it.

5. Review the book on your blog.

23
About the author
C
hristopher Foster started his blog, The Happy
Seeker, in May 2009. He lives with his wife
JoAnn in a charming little townhome in south Denver,
Colorado, where after 12 years he still can’t get used
to the blue skies and sunshine. He has one son,
Durwin, who lives in Vancouver with his wife Wendy
and their three bright-as-buttons children.

Foster was born in London. He worked as a junior

reporter on the South London Press, and then joined a business magazine in Southern
Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). After traveling the world he joined the Daily Express in
London, planning to settle down. But it didn’t work. An intense urge to find the truth
of existence took him to British Columbia, where he was a weekly newspaper editor,
author, and lived for many years in a spiritual community.

Foster is the author of five books. His last book, The Raven Who Spoke with God, a
story of a remarkable young raven named Joshua, has been published in 11 languages.

24
Copyright info
All rights reserved. The copyright of this book belongs solely to the author.

Cover image from istockphoto.com

Design by Charlie at Charfishdesign.com

25