Although this is a blog devoted to exploring balance, silence and contemplative living there is actually no such thing as material silence, as in the complete absence of sound. Even at the quietest retreat there will be the sounds of your own breath, the blood in your veins, the wind in the trees and the living, breathing world around. The universe itself sings. Astronomers say they have heard the sound of a black hole singing and apparently for more than two billion years it has been singing B flat - a B flat 57 octaves lower than middle C. That is an unimaginably low note but it is still a sound. A slow pulsing sound, perhaps like the pulse of incredibly slow breathing. Even in the darkest space, the place of black nothingness there is sound and there is energy. Astronomers also speculate that this sound is not just an interesting form of black hole acoustics but a key to the formation of stars and galaxies. So if we still our tongue, calm our spirits, relax our bodies and turn off all distracting noise, there is still sound. Searching for an experience of material silence is futile and misses the point, for the point of silence is not to have some type of spiritual experience but is a way of being in the world and a way to open to the world. So silence is not about external silence. It is about a practice that opens up our being to Being. It is about connecting to the deep reality of existence, esse, through the quietening down of distracting noise and the quietening down of our self-conscious mind. There is so much noise in the world. I was in Sydney on the weekend and enjoyed myself immensely wandering around that busy, noisy, full and exciting city. Yet the self-conscious chatter in my mind was just as noisy and full. No wonder so many people were plugged in to their devices and in a state of perpetual distraction. It is exhausting coping with the cacophony of inner and outer noise. Yet, if we can quieten down the inner noise, through attentive beholding or watchful awareness, something wonderful can happen. We see the city- the people, the buildings, the pigeons, sculptures and food outlets - differently. Not with a different story and a changed narrative but with new eyes and ears, that are simply open and present. We see with eyes and hear with ears beyond narrative. The esse of what is around us hums in the depths of silence and we may find ourselves in loving wonder, even for just a fleeting moment. We may also find ourselves with more love and patience to spare, even for just a fleeting moment. There is no magic to this. There is no special formula. There is simply the practice of silence itself. In fact it is all in the practice. The same practice day after day, year after year. The practice is straightforward - letting go, attention, awareness, beholding. When you find yourself distracted by yet more thoughts and stories, more noise and clamour, then come back to centre and refocus. It is like a spiral turning or a figure eight in motion. It is the same principle as in meditation but as Maggie Ross points out, meditation is just a beginning - “an entry-level, beginning step in an all-encompassing commitment”. (Ross, M. Silence: A Users Guide. 2014 p32) With Peace & Love Rebecca The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. One day tells it to another: and night to night communicates knowledge. There is no speech or language: nor are their voices heard; Yet their sound has gone out through all the world: and their words to the end of the earth. (Psalm 19.1-4) ___________________________________________ A major source for these reflections is the work of Maggie Ross, (particularly her latest book "Silence: A Users Guide",2014) whom I acknowledge gratefully.
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Rebecca Newland:
Exploring balance, silence and contemplative living Archives
November 2016
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