Listening to the Silence Within
Silence is an interior necessity. — Carolyn Myss
In the Wisdom traditions, sages, saints, monks, and Prophets journey alone on a quest into the desert, the mountains, or the forest. Many emerge having undergone transformation, enlightenment, or a renewed commitment to the service of a divine being. Others choose the seclusion of a monastery to lead a life of contemplation in silence.
In today’s world of unlimited information and entertainment, going into silence in search of answers to life’s questions may seem unnecessary and unappealing. What is the point when we have instant access to answers by typing the query into our favorite search engine? Maybe it feels selfish to remove ourselves from others to be alone in silence? Maybe we resonate with Ann Lamott’s view, “my mind is a bad neighborhood that I try not to go into alone.”?
What are some of the benefits to intentional silent time?
To access our inner wisdom.
We cannot find out what to do by simply thinking about it. We need to gain our inspiration and our direction from much deeper resources. †
Silence gives us a new outlook on everything. *
To understand the nature of our mind and universe.
From the Bhagavadgita, when the mind is still, the self begins to reveal its nature.
Silence will teach you everything. +
In the silence of the heart, God speaks. *
To access creativity.
Without great solitude, no serious work is possible. **
“It’s only by sitting still or letting my mind relax that I find that the thoughts that come to me unbidden are far fresher and more imaginative than the ones I consciously seek out.” Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired. #
To connect more deeply with others.
The more we fathom our own hearts, the more we find there the being of others and, beyond that, the very heart of the world itself. †
In silence we find new energy and true unity. *
To enjoy your own company.
Leonard Cohen, singer and poet who had experienced a successful career and all the pleasures of the world told Pico Iyer that sitting still was the real deep entertainment he had found in his sixty-one years on the planet. #
I encourage you to take a few minutes every day this week to sit with only your awareness for company. What do you notice? Ask a question and wait for the answer.
“In nature we find silence-the trees, flowers, and grass grow in silence. The stars, the moon, and the sun move in silence”*
Resources and further reading
*Mother Theresa
†Looking Inward, Seeing Outward. By Reggie Ray in Tricycle magazine Spring 2009
** Pablo Picasso
# From the book of Pico Iyer, The art of stillness. Adventures in going nowhere