When the first snow falls (which it did here last night), one of its most surprising aspects is the immense quiet it brings. It’s a deep, penetrating silence that imbues all the sparkling landscape around. Yes, there’s a reason for that silence: Because of snow’s porous nature—so much air between flakes—sound doesn’t have something to bounce off, thus making everything seem muffled and far away. You don’t have to live in snowy countryside to feel this sense of stillness that snow offers. It’s not the snow that absorbs sound, it’s the pocket of air around the snow. Cocoon each troubled feeling you have with quiet space. Imagine each thought as a snowflake, and allow light and air around each one. Between every cell in your body there’s a pocket of space, as there is between each unique snowflake. In your encounters with other people, imagine a bubble of air around you. Your etheric body is larger than your physical one: encase that larger body in a porous sheath. By doing this, you’ll find that your hyper-sensitive senses feel protected. And your thoughts don’t seem as loud and sharp—they’re muffled too. Notice how your tranquility increases as noises—or troubles—decrease. Practice feeling like a quiet snowflake.