Listening to the sound of silence

O, God, when I listen to the voices of animals, the sounds of trees, the murmurings of water, the singing of birds, the whispering of the wind, or the boom of thunder, I see in them evidence of Your unity; I feel that You are supreme power, omniscience, supreme knowledge, and supreme justice. — J

Find a quiet location, relax, discharge your mind of all thoughts, then listen to the sound of silence.

I did just that Sunday afternoon sitting in a woodland glade at the bottom of my garden.

I could hear a whooshing, rustling sound, it was the wind in the trees. Nearby a a bird or birds singing. Somewhere in the distance, a motorbike, a plane, a child playing.

Walking through woods we can enjoys the silence. Stop and listen and we hear many sounds.

Two weeks earlier I had walked with a friend through watermeadows outside Farnham. Once we we were beyond the sound of traffic on a busy road we could hear the birds singing. [see An afternoon walk along the River Wey to Waverley Abbey]

One of the quietest places we can be is inside an anechoic chamber, a soundproof room.

In the late 1970s I was sat on a chair in one such place. The chair had a panic button as one can go mad. Was it silent? No, I could hear the blood circulating in my body!

– The Pilgrimage

Silence is the language of God

Silence is the language of God,
all else is poor translation.

— Rumi

Seeking Silence

Seeking Silence

Seeking Silence

Journey through the door of stillness,
And enter your silence a while.
Enter that space of restful quiet.
Your inner land of peaceful surrender.
That place where only two questions remain.

(Those greatest of prayers)

God, who are you?
And God, who am I?

When Jesus met a woman being accused of adultery, he bent down and wrote in the sand. In the moment of silence that followed the accusers gave up their anger and their judgements and went away. Through silent reflection we can give up the discord in our hearts and discover God’s peace.

Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Turn your phone off and sit comfortably. Close your eyes.

Now you’ve shut off the noise of the world, notice the noise in your head. The person you met earlier. The itch in your foot. Your frustrations. Your worries. Notice them, for they are important to you, but put them aside. Your task is to still your thoughts, and find a place inside that’s still and silent.

When you find that place, you are at one with the world, and with the consciousness of the God who created you. What will you hear?

Then, after a few seconds or a few minutes, you lose that place and return to the noise. How has the experience of silence changed you? What will you take from that peace back into the world?

Practise seeking silence. Next time, try to stay there a little longer.

When you have finished, meditate on this prayer;

God of silence, God of peace,
still my mind and help me find you
show me how to love your world.

— dekhomai

One of several cards picked up from Eden People at Celebrating Surrey Festival.