I know in my cells that prayer permeates a sick body, makes it
shimmer as the new life comes in, making the cells remember
how to respond to the harmonic whole. Music is like prayer
a mystical bridge between heaven and earth.
Outside my window the storm has passed. There was silence. Silence as thick as the blanket of snow that fell during that night. I sat up on my bed and entered the stillness. I had no more questions. I had no answers either. But I was filled with grace. With an inward silence, blessed by my angel after wrestling in the dark. The faith of this family, resonating with the steps in the stairwell, had quieted my fear and taken me by the hand.
~ from CIRCLING TO THE CENTER by Susan M. Tiberghien
Meditating in silence is a little like donning black robes. You turn off your internal music and distracting narrative, and stop worrying about whether you fit in. You realize that stillness can offer another way of learning and communication. Rather than marching to a different drummer, you walk along quietly at your own pace, not leading, not following, just trying to experience the entire parade.
Concentration in the silence without effort is the state of consciousness of perfect calm, accompanied by the complete relaxation of the nerves and muscles of the body. One may say that the entire being becomes like the surface of calm water, reflecting the immense presence of the starry sky and its indescribable harmony.
And the waters are deep, so deep! And the silence grows, ever increasing. . . What silence! . . . One wave of silence followed by another wave of more profound silence, then again a wave of still more profound silence.
Have you ever DRUNK SILENCE? If so, you know what meditation without effort is.
When we accept each moment as a new opportunity for fulfilling our purpose, we are always present, always succeeding, always changing the world for the better. And we are always HERE ... NOW.
Peace be with you and within you, dear friends! How often do we spend a full hour in silence simply listening to the voice deep within our heart? How difficult this an be! Yt as we embrace times of solitude and embrae the Silence, we will come to hear the gentle voice of Love with our heart's ear. So Listen! listen to the still, small Voice for the Beloved's prayer to rise up within your heart. Listening is one way toward peace.
For nine years, the first and third Mondays of the month, I am in silence; I do not speak to anyone for twenty four hours. It's life-changing. It has taught me to listen. When we listen with no responsibility to respond, we can listen fully, which allows us to hear so many things we would not hear if we were talking. This did not start as spiritual exercise, but it has become a very spiritual practice. You hear the truth from deep inside yourself.
~ from "The Boston Globe" 8/5/2001 by Anne D. LeClaire, with thanks to Sandra Cosetti
Listen, listen, listen! All that you will ever need to know is already within you awaiting your inner ear. If you seek to understand your past, the answer is within you. If you need direction for today, the answer is within you. You do not have to seek "out there" for answers to your future. It is already within you awaiting your asking. You do not have to go here or there to find Go or the answer to your simplest or highest question. All you must do is be still and listen to the inner still small voice that forever sings the true song.
Listening requires entering actively and imaginatively into the other person's situation and trying to understand a frame of reference different from your own.
