Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Seek Silence
When enough of us learn how to become deeply and profoundly quiet, then the hysteria of the world will begin to subside. - Marianne Williamson
Every single day, we are bombarded with noise pollution. We have become so accustomed to noise, we’ve grown desensitized. If it’s not the T.V. or music, people chattering on their cell phones, horns honking and trucks backing up, it’s our alarm clocks; it’s our hairdryer; it’s the microwave alerting you that your dinner is ready. Excessive noise, like excesses of any kind, wreaks havoc on our nervous systems and on our psyches. By 5 or 6 o'clock, our ears are ringing, our heads throbbing, and we feel so weary, we collapse from mental exhaustion and auditory overload.
This week, find ways to experience silence. If you’re alone in the car, turn off the radio. If you are cooking, turn the T.V. off. Stop yourself first thing in the morning, when normally you might absent-mindedly switch on the news. Let the bird singing outside be the only sound to accompany your breakfast. And don't be afraid to be absolutely alone. Learning to live with periods - even pockets - of silence, will help to soothe frayed nerves and lighten your heart. You may find you experience moments of bliss, even as you cut the carrots or fold the laundry. It is during these small moments of breathtaking silence that we “hear” our soul force.
Erich Schiffman, author of Moving into Stillness, writes, "When you experience yourself in stillness, that is, when your mind is at its most focused, energetic, present, alive, relaxed and whole hearted state, you will "hear" the voice of God whispering in the depths of your being. You will recognize his voice as the voice of your soul. That voice speaks your deepest and most genuine desires."
Don’t believe it? Just try it. Find silence this week. Find it today. Find it in this very moment. Listen in stillness, and you may sense a profound serenity you’ve never imagined.
Every single day, we are bombarded with noise pollution. We have become so accustomed to noise, we’ve grown desensitized. If it’s not the T.V. or music, people chattering on their cell phones, horns honking and trucks backing up, it’s our alarm clocks; it’s our hairdryer; it’s the microwave alerting you that your dinner is ready. Excessive noise, like excesses of any kind, wreaks havoc on our nervous systems and on our psyches. By 5 or 6 o'clock, our ears are ringing, our heads throbbing, and we feel so weary, we collapse from mental exhaustion and auditory overload.
This week, find ways to experience silence. If you’re alone in the car, turn off the radio. If you are cooking, turn the T.V. off. Stop yourself first thing in the morning, when normally you might absent-mindedly switch on the news. Let the bird singing outside be the only sound to accompany your breakfast. And don't be afraid to be absolutely alone. Learning to live with periods - even pockets - of silence, will help to soothe frayed nerves and lighten your heart. You may find you experience moments of bliss, even as you cut the carrots or fold the laundry. It is during these small moments of breathtaking silence that we “hear” our soul force.
Erich Schiffman, author of Moving into Stillness, writes, "When you experience yourself in stillness, that is, when your mind is at its most focused, energetic, present, alive, relaxed and whole hearted state, you will "hear" the voice of God whispering in the depths of your being. You will recognize his voice as the voice of your soul. That voice speaks your deepest and most genuine desires."
Don’t believe it? Just try it. Find silence this week. Find it today. Find it in this very moment. Listen in stillness, and you may sense a profound serenity you’ve never imagined.
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