Piety calls me
Inner peace to be my guide
Soul springs to His voice.
~ Dr. Thomas Maples
Piety: A Lullaby for the Restless Soul
Shh. Listen. Can you hear the noise around you? It’s everywhere. In moments like these, finding a sense of piety can offer profound inner peace, calming the listless Soul.
Every morning, I start my day in prayer. The silence of inner reflection calls me to express myself, focusing first on gratitude. Then, as I exit the car to go to the gym—yes, I pray on the way—no less than twenty TV sets barrage me. Everything from morning news to sports and sitcoms vies for one moment of my attention. It is not just me; dozens of people in the cardio theater are subject to the same onslaught just moments after awakening.
Got noise? Yes, it is everywhere. But let us take a moment to reflect on what is truly important. The only commodity one never has returned is time. Through that precious gift, we attain all other matters of value. How much time have we sacrificed to distractions? And what might we gain if we reclaimed it? So, how can we quiet the restless Soul and listen for God’s work as it moves to “work us” toward our potential? Let us explore, inviting you to discover the transformative promise that piety holds in restoring what is lost.
Why Piety?
Modern-day “noise” isn’t just external. It creates real psychological distress through a chronic sympathetic nervous system response. This response often manifests physically, including tight shoulders, shallow breathing, headaches, or hypertension. It keeps us in a state of constant alert. Being distressed is a state contradictory to the inner peace required for the deeper work the Soul needs to realize its aim.
To find our potential, we need a counter-rhythm—a spiritual calling that grounds us in the “work of works.” The Psyche(Soul) is present in that place. Begin with a simple practice: sit quietly in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on your breath. Inhale deeply through the nose, allowing the chest and abdomen to fill with air, then exhale slowly through the mouth. Continue this deep breathing for three minutes. Through this act of quieting the mind, reflecting on the breath, and practicing presence, one can learn to calm the choppy tides of external noise and realize one’s potential.
Surrender to the Calling of the Inner Space
Be still and know that I am God!
Psalm 46:11Rather, I have stilled my soul, Like a weaned child to its mother, weaned is my soul.
Psalm 131:2
Remember your mother’s lullabies? I have vague memories, blended into a tapestry with those similar moments of putting my own children to sleep. The hum of those sweet melodies still pulls at the soul strings of my memory. I hoped—God willing—to help the child soothe their inner senses and find peace from their inner noise. That is a plight of parenthood, one that I am glad is finished, but which I reflect upon lovingly today. However, this moment of clear reflection would not be possible without the commitment I made to practice something I had never had exposure to, the key to grounding oneself in a psychospiritual value such as piety.
Many will confuse piety with religiosity. Like any concept, one can use its shadow as a source of identity or as a means to divide. Imagine piety not as a rule-bound practice but as a cleared garden bed, waiting for seeds to be sown. This fertile ground invites potential and growth, offering the expansive space the Soul needs to flourish. We are called to an Interior Castle, a Sanctum Sanctorum, where this inner garden exists. By gathering in this space, we can quiet the noise and deactivate the sympathetic nervous system.
The Interior Castle
We need no wings to go in search of Him, but have only to look upon Him present within us. ~ St. Teresa of Avila
In her seminal works, The Way to Perfection and The Interior Castle, St. Teresa invites us on a developmental journey toward the center—the seventh mansion—where God dwells. While many view this strictly through a spiritual lens, we must remember that “Psyche” is the Greek word for “Soul.” While Western medicine has spent decades trying to confine the psyche to the “mind,” treating it as a series of chemical reactions, those who practice the art of psychology understand that a very different process takes place in the inner sanctum of the therapy room.
The Relational Sanctum
Real psychological change rarely comes from a theoretical framework alone. It occurs in the “relational space” between the patient and the analyst. In psychoanalytic terms, we look at the transference and countertransference processes. Work in this space involves an unconscious dance between two souls trying to make meaning of what is in relationship to what was. By rectifying the past with the present, one can focus on what may come to be. Picture a moment in therapy: As the analyst gently encourages the patient to explore a long-buried memory, a tear falls, signaling a breakthrough. In that shared silence, a profound connection is made. It echoes the relational sanctum where healing begins. Once that divide is mended, the psychic energy can turn its creative force toward what can become real as an agent of grounded understanding and change.
This “space between” is a modern doorway into the Interior Castle. Imagine yourself standing at this threshold, poised on the cusp of transition. Picture the moment when you step from a bright, bustling corridor into the serene, candle-lit hush of a chapel or the sweet fragrance of an inner garden. This imagery serves as a sensory threshold, signaling the passage into a deeper, quieter place within. It is a sacred, liminal ground where “new avenues” are unearthed. By honoring this presence, we can go deeper to uproot answers previously buried by the noise of trauma, ego, or the mundane distractions vying for our attention.
Jung and the Sanctum Sanctorum
This interior castle is the Sanctum Sanctorum of the human experience. It is akin to Carl Jung’s concept of the Self—the central archetype of order. The Self emerges from the depths of the unconscious as one strives to make sense of that inwardly divine space, where many images roam, but ultimately seek union as a source of inwardly expressed creative potential.
When we practice piety, we are tending to this inner architecture. We are ensuring the Self has a receptive environment to speak to all the calling forces—the archetypes—that act as catalysts for soul-felt growth. Even amidst the noise of the cardio theater, the grounded Soul can find receptive engagement within the alchemical chamber.
Self represents this inner space, and it is a place where the soul-spring of vocation begins: not as a loud broadcast from the outside, but as a resonance from the castle’s center. In this alchemical hermeneutic chamber, glowing embers emerge from the ashpit of the Soul; hopefully, they find a new passion to ignite the spirit.
Hearing the Whisper: Vocation as Resonance
Why is this peace piety necessary? Because God’s call is rarely a shout. It is a still and small voice that requires a frequency of quiet reflection to be heard. In psychology, we call this Congruence—the alignment between external action and internal values. In the Catholic tradition of values, we call it Piety. It is the space where the tides are calmed, allowing us to distinguish between:
- The Voice of Pressure: The “shoulds” and “musts” dictated by the world.
- The Voice of Fear: The ego’s desire to stay safe and small.
- The Voice of God: The deep, resonant call toward our highest potential.
As the haiku says, the “Soul springs to His voice.” To “spring” is a psychological recognition of the call. Yet, we must quiet the inner and outer voices to hear it. When the voice calls and is recognized, it is the invitation to walk that “walk of walks.”
Will you recognize the path when it calls? Without piety to clear the static, I fear not. It is by adopting and adapting this value that the ear trains itself to the calling of purpose, promoting realized growth toward that divine Self that dwells within. No, not the sacred, but that small piece of God, in the image of which we were made.
God created mankind in his image;
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Conclusion: Reclaiming Your Vocation Through the Practice of Piety
Just as a child finds safety in a mother’s song, we see our inner sanctum of peace through the practice of piety. It is the spiritual frequency that tunes out the “cardio theater” of our chaotic lives and tunes in to the alchemical chamber of the Soul. By surrendering to this inner space, we allow the “work of works” to begin.
Piety is not a burden of rules; it is the gift of a stilled soul. It is a space where the burning ember of spirit can ignite a new passion toward a calling unknown, or even long-lost. As you move back into the world of noise, carry that silent space with you. Let it be the filter through which you hear God’s call, ensuring that when the Soul springs to His voice, you are quiet enough to follow.
Reflection & Action: Reclaiming Your Silence
The “noise” will still be there tomorrow morning—at the gym, on your phone, and in the “shoulds” or “coulds” given to us each day. This week, try to spend just five minutes in your Interior Castle before the world screams for your attention.
How will you practice piety today to clear the static and hear your true calling?
May the peace of piety be with you on your journey to advance confidently in the direction of your dreams.
More from Dr. Thomas Maples
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