I began to think of sacredness as a kind of dialogue between the human spirit and certain designated places. These sites that call forth reverence, awe, humility, and wonder — we make them sacred. It is a way of honoring those feelings in ourselves. And when we hear the songs the places sing, we hear our own most ancient voices.
The contemplation of sacred mountains with their special power to awaken another, deeper way of experiencing reality, opens us to a sense of the sacred in our own homes and communities — a sense that we need to cultivate in order to live in harmony.
To be sacred, a place must be honored, treated with respect. It must gather and hold energy; be alive with the seen and unseen. Above all, a sacred place must be safe — for cells to open, boundaries to expand, what is normally hidden to come forth.
Sacred spaces help us access our own spirits. They offer us doorways through which we can pass, gateways to deepening our connections with nature and our elemental beginnings. Those connections lead us to wholeness; the more we experience the interconnectedness of our bodies and Earth's body, the more we heal spirit.
If we want to live like a feather on the Wind, we must strive at least once a day to taste the peace of paradise that dwells within us. We need to find some time each day to sit quietly in peace, in stillness, savoring the mystery of God within us. Such silent sitting will not only prepare us to find "eternal rest" at the time of our death; it will help us find infinite peace in the midst of the problems of life.
"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"
Blessings in and of the Silence, dear friends!
In silence and solitude you will come to meet the Beloved of your heart. For Silence is power, the power of the Divine Lover blesswing and, in the depths, transformin gyou. Seek always the Eternal Flame ever shining in your heart. And let yourself be nourished and refreshed in the Silence.
We are all joined in the holiness of the mind that God created. I therefore never consider myself alone in the silence. I'm 90 and live alone in a four room house surrounded by open space. I have no T and have always luxuriated in silence. The exterior silence is here. The i8nterior silence is a work in progress.
Friends, the wise tell us that God abides in silence -- that God speaks in the silent serenity of the heart. Let us not speak of silence; rather, let silence speak to us of God.
Together, let us enter through the door of serenity, the silence of our heart: a heart that is free, peaceful, quiet and calm, a heart that is one ... a heart so large and wide it embraces God of all and the all of God, the God who in silence speaks all languages, the God who in silence speaks in all creatures, the God who in silence speaks one word: the God who speaks of Love.
Begin each day anchored in stillness, taking nothing for granted, open to whatever the coming day's gift may be. Listen to the silence for ten minutes or so and realize how filled it is, filled with the breath of God! Su8ch silence wants to draw from you a quiet prayer that leans on that presence and seeks to harken to it throughout the day.
~ from RISE UP WITH A LISTENING HEART by the Monks of New Skete
