PHOTO: MARIJA STRAJNIC
“Each of us has an ever-faithful companion-presence. Something that is always with us.
“Something that helps us live with inner integrity and depth, to see through the outer coverings of others and of the world to their purpose and core being, and to get over placing ourselves at the center of everything.
“This companion-presence is Silence. It never goes away. We go away from it, become distracted and forgetful, and lose the manners needed to nurture companionship with it.
“We go away from Silence into the world of noise as if into a vast buzzing of insects, pushed to exist within the permanent irritation of dissonance.
“Our choosing to live in the noise of our thoughts and emotions – within the incessant clamor around us – happens almost without our recognition…”
“But Silence was here before anything else, and it envelops everything else. It is the most primary phenomenon of existence, both palpably something and seemingly nothing. Silence is prior to sound, not the cessation of sound. It is already present.
“If we drop into quietness just for a moment, we feel the presence of Silence as an invitation. The center of our bodily being is the organ for receiving this invitation from the Silence.
“As we enter the mystery of Silence, its presence resonates throughout the fibers of our flesh, while extending beyond the flesh to the soul inwardly and to the cosmos outwardly.
“Our body’s center is the necessary meeting point where the inward Silence of solitude meets up with the great Silence of Cosmic Wisdom.
“When we do not cultivate this meeting point in the right ways, we lose access to our soul, to the presence of the Silence, and to our individual place in the Wisdom of the World. Without Silence, we are lost and cannot get still enough to find our way back.
“Silence bears the wholeness we keep looking for while we do not know exactly what we are looking for. It is around us and within us. It goes to the deepest depths of the soul into the outermost reaches of the cosmos and continually unites the two at the centering place of a heart.
“Here we discover the power of re-creation. Here everything comes alive again is if for the first time.
“This secret and this mystery are so revolutionary that all who aspire to commercialize the world conspire to bury the secret in the noise of the world. And intimation of the strength of this mystery causes us to run to that noise, though we are not conscious that we are doing so.”
~Robert Sardello from Silence: The Mystery of Wholeness
16 comments
NBlais says:
Dec 9, 2014
I imagine the silence Robert describes as being one with self and accepting of the world around.
sandra says:
Dec 22, 2014
learning to visit often the silence, and be very still, relaxing into it, i will hear something simple and powerful!
Faith says:
Dec 25, 2014
So difficult to do in practice and so important to keep reminding each other.
Bverex says:
Dec 31, 2014
Wow. Silence. What a concept. Noise is ever-present. Silence is… golden?
Freegrace21 says:
Apr 9, 2015
Agreed! Wish was so easy…. Silence with Self is necessary beginning and its rough!!
Kathe Jordan says:
Jan 22, 2015
Henri Nouwen said, “We are addicted to our wordy world.”
Aleks says:
Mar 13, 2015
Yes, this completely resonates with me. Just what I needed to hear today.
I step away from beating myself up (because I do not have clarity on a re-occurring issue that is causing me stress), and realize that I have stepped away from ‘God’ and what is required to step back to God through silence xox
Freegrace21 says:
Apr 9, 2015
Me too
Taoist says:
Sep 25, 2015
“Stop thinking, and end your problems.
What difference between yes and no?
What difference between success and failure?
Must you value what others value,
avoid what others avoid?
How ridiculous!
– Lao Tzu
PECIALES says:
Apr 23, 2015
this is amazing! I needed to read this as I am looking for silence and connection to my soul. Thank you
Tracy says:
Apr 25, 2015
A timely word in my life today. I am grateful.
Michelle says:
Aug 8, 2015
This is amazing!Thank you so much for sharing. I read it to my husband this more. Such a beautiful meditation.
Jacqueline says:
Apr 23, 2016
What An Amazing Eye Opener! And Especially In Today’s Chaotic World!
I’m Traveling To Santa Cruz, California…In About Two Weeks, To
Visit My Beautiful Daughter…And Even Tho’ I Miss Living There, On Occasions, (We Bought A 25 Acre Ranch In Northern Arizona) It Is So Entirely Peaceful And Serene, Here…That I May Have Some Reactions
To The “Bee Hive” Of The City Life…That Bears Witness To Non-Silence!
Doris says:
Jul 1, 2017
Thank you! This is so meaningful for me. I’ve just stepped out of the world of noise when I retired.
Didn’t realize how distracted I have been all these years. I have caught blissful moments of the silence and quiet, but never seemed to have the time to practice being in the silence like now. I am grateful for this opportunity and welcome rediscovering who I Am.
” Be still and know” ❤️
Karen says:
Dec 31, 2017
Shh listen to the silence, it speaks.
John says:
Jan 1, 2018
When I found this post in Dec 2014 I had also found my way to a place in the Arizona desert, where I stayed for weeks in an old RV with nowhere to go, nothing to do except listen to what is behind that living silence. Many coincidences with MM like that all that year and since. Always thankful for your work and guidance MM! I love you