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What is Silence? Silence comes from the Latin word, silens, meaning to be still, quiet, or at rest. Other words related to it are: calm, peace, serenity, tranquility, poise, composure, noiselessness, hush, and solitude. Stillness is the tranquility of the inner life; the quiet at the depths of its hidden streams. It is a collected, total presence, a being ‘all there,’ receptive, alert, ready . . . It is when the soul abandons the restlessness of purposeful activity.
Within this definition we learn silence’s first fundamental lesson: It is not so much a lack of sound as it is a cultivation of interior stillness.
When we closely examine one of silence’s synonyms, calmness, we get a better idea of why our present age yearns to cultivate it. In Greek, the word calm is karein, meaning “the heat of the day.” It signifies a resting place at high noon, a spot preferable placid, peaceful, and cool. Silence is pictured as a shelter protecting us against that which beats on our senses and breaks us down.
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. . . . Let’s look at the beauty of silence. As with the rotation of a diamond, the more we rotate silence, the more we realize the many ways it can bring new light into our lives.
When we reflect on how many times we have seen a child totally engrossed in drawing, we get our first beautiful picture of silence. In this scene, silence is total absorption in something. There is a singular focus that steadies a person’s being and locks out distractions.
Here silence would say, “Picture the times you were engrossed in a novel you were reading, or a hobby you enjoyed. Do you remember how you were transported into another world? This is one of the centering powers you inherit when you practice me.
Two persons in love, blissfully gazing at each other, portray another profound quality of silence. In this form, it translates into contemplation, which enables two persons to enjoy an I-thou relationship with each other. It fosters intimate contact in which the whole being of one person absorbs the being of the other.
Here silence whispers to us, “Note how time stands still between two persons when they become still, contemplate each other, and truly experience the other. Note especially the way ecstasy and I go together.”
Some years ago while competing in a triathlon I learned how silence and physical strength complement each other under trying circumstances.
The first and most frightening event in a triathlon is a mile swim. It is a nerve-racking event in which you race with about fifty other swimmers who are constantly bumping into you or swimming over you in deep waters.
What made this particular triathlon especially scary was the roughness of the water. One minute I would see a group of swimmers, and the next they were lost to sight in high swells.
During our swim, a number of swimmers panicked and began calling for help to the lifeguards. I remember panic hitting me and how it began to unnerve me. I began to think that this is why a person can drown in a matter of minutes.
For some unknown reason I was able to go within myself and to talk to myself. Repeatedly I reminded myself, “Relax, relax, don’t fight the water but go with it.”
Suddenly an inner stillness came over me, and I began cutting through the water with new energy. Later when I reflected on those moments I realized the power stillness has in restoring our nerves and, consequently, our physical strength.
In cases like this, silence says, “Observe how the inner strength I generate is the real strength behind human strength. I am responsible for gathering together those inner powers that can help you overcome much. When you feel weakened and afraid, go off with me and allow me to restore the spirit within your strength.”
In Psalm 131 we read, “But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.”
Silence in this psalm is portrayed as the inner peace and security of a child without a care in the world.
Seven Benefits of Silence ... 1. Silence is Creative
More and more we are required to “think outside the box.” This requires us to come up with new ideas. This may be within a business, a school, or a non-profit organization. Creativity is not found within the known. Creativity means to bring the new into being. All “thinking about” is simply juggling with the old. You might come up with an answer but this is not developing creativity. Creatively needs the silence of “non-thinking.” It requires that you quiet the chattering mind. Silence and creativity are one.
2. Silence builds Trust
Silence allows you to trust yourself. You give yourself time to listen to your inner voice. You learn to discover your unique ways of knowing. You discover that you do know the answers. You simply think others know better than you do. You have been taught this for most of your life. Listening silently to the promptings of your heart, you begin to know your own voice. You connect to your own Higher Source of Knowing.
3. Silence gives Rest
Entering your inner silence gives you deep rest. The rhythm of the body slows. The rate of breathing slows. Your heart rate drops. You enter the present moment. You enter your essential self. There is no need to go anywhere. There is no place to go. This is your time for relaxation. This is your time for simply letting go and letting be. Learn to rest regularly in the silence of your body.
4. Silence brings Balance
Silence allows for balance. It balances your natural rhythms. You “do” and then you stop “doing.” You “do” and then you “be.” All of nature follows this rhythm. We are human beings who have somehow transgressed into human doings. We have forgotten the joy of silently being in the present.
5. Silence promotes Inner Peace
Silence is not just something we experience on the outside. It is equally, if not more important, to learn art of silence that is internal. Given times of stress and upheaval we can then retreat to our silent place of safety. The world may be crashing around our ears but we are anchored in our inward place of security. This is a place of real sanctuary from the noise and haste of this 21st Century. We become a disciple of silence. This then becomes our favored practice.
6. Silence promotes your Truth
Many of us are afraid of silence. We will do almost anything to avoid silence. When you are silent people often ask you, "Is there anything wrong?” For some people silence has become wrong. It is a form of communication many avoid. Living your life without periods of silence is akin to playing music without silence between the notes. Practicing moments of silence allows the peace of inner silence, an experience of renewal.
7. Silence allows Listening
Most people in our world long to be truly heard. Those who enter a period of silence each day learn to hear the song of their heart. They learn to listen to the song that only they have come to sing. When they listen to the song of their heart they find more love and compassion enter their dealings with others. This allows listening and real communication. Silence moves us toward real communion.
Gift yourself a rest of silence each day. This will develop a greater sense of well being in all aspects of your busy life. You can be centerd and still while everyone else rushes around. Silence has been used as an anchor in the lives of all those who find it truly is a wonderful life.
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A Call to Retreat ... According to a Time Magazine article, "Get Thee to a Monastery", there is a startling increase in the number of people looking for the solace and escape offered by traditional religious abbeys, convents and monasteries. "Across the country, Catholic monasteries and convents, usually regarded as strange or the stuff of medieval myth, are besieged with would-be retreatants and booked months in advance." Today, more people are going on retreat than ever before. While the Christian monastic tradition is in decline all over the Western world, retreat facilities of every spiritual denomination are full weeks, even months, in advance. Spiritual retreats are more popular than ever, although they rarely entail the intensity and privations of medieval fervor. During the 90's there was a quiet explosion of the number of people in America longing for deeper meaning, greater simplicity and a connection to the Divine. Besides reading more books on spirituality, people are looking for places to escape the noises, pressures and anxieties of their busy daily life. This private time can certainly help us tap deeper into our inner silence, and in this respect a brief retirement from the distraction of daily living can benefit everyone. The retreat experience is seen as a temporary withdrawal from daily life designed to empower the individual to fulfill his or her spiritual value within the circumstances of daily life. The Time article states "While organized church retreats are not new, what is startling is that much of the increase is in individual retreatants, including many non-Christians, who say the Catholic and Buddhist Monasteries; Spiritual Ashrams; and Spiritual Retreat Centers and Resorts, with their ancient chants and beautiful grounds offer the most refreshing vacation going. God/dess is speaking to us all the time and our daily world is too busy to hear His voice. Retreat centers offer an environment for this conversation to take place. We all have this innate desire to return to our spiritual nature. These retreat opportunities are being recognized by many today as valuable ways to re-energize ones' soul by becoming aware of God's presence.
mon·as·ter·y (mŏn'ə-stĕr'ç)
- A community of persons bound by vows to a religious life.
- The dwelling place of such a community.
AVE MARIA! Retreat Resorts & World Peace Pilgrimages Choosing the journey toward a spiritually inspired life begins with a willingness to 'heed the call'. AVE MARIA! Retreat Resorts and World Peace Pilgrimages exist to show FOL Members a variety of meeting places and teachers when "the student is ready". To say that the journey is the reward is a beginning. Standing at the threshold of spiritual seeking, you may seek encouraging words of guidance, a glimpse of 'how it works'. Why does one make an AVE! spiritual retreat or pilgrimage? Webster's defines "retreat" as "a period of retirement or seclusion, especially one devoted to religious contemplation away from the pressures of ordinary life". "Spiritual" references "the higher intellectual or endowments of the mind, intellect, consciousness or the moral feelings or states of the soul". Making a 'spiritual retreat' is choosing a place of quietude, perhaps with a teacher or spiritual guide, to rediscover the divinity that exists at the center of our lives. In can be a place to recollect our scattered thoughts and focus on the one who calls and seeks and invites us to communion. We often take vacations to take a break from our mundane or sometimes hectic schedules. Unlike a vacation, which comes to an end often with great reluctance and sadness, the benefits of a spiritual pilgrimage, be it for a day, a weekend or a week, continues to benefit others and ourselves physically and spiritually, even after our return into our traditional daily world. We invite pilgrims on retreat to participate in a schedule of prayer, silent meditation and daily time-honored devotions to the Divine in nature. A generous amount of time will also be given to silence and meditation. Why do we enter into Silence? Silence renews us and provides a perspective that changes our relationship with the life we know. The solitude of a retreat will provide an interval of stillness and gentle concentration, a pause in the constant and unremitting demands of our daily life. By practicing silence, you nurture your listening skills. You find your true self. You hear the quiet voice within. What does one do with all this silence and solitude? An AVE MARIA! Retreat Resort or Pilgrimage offers FOL Members an opportunity to experience a variety of approaches to communicating with the Divine. One's channel to Inner Peace occurs through meditation and contemplation, and prayer. Most monasteries either ask for complete quiet or at least have silent hours. The idea is that in silence one can't hide from one's problems, or from their Higher Source within. The retreat environment provides one with time to experience the peace and joy of meditation and contemplation in his quest for the Divine. The simple regularity of prayers, meals, rest and communion offered by AVE! spiritual retreats keeps one spiritually and physically healthy. How can an AVE! spiritual retreat assist my ability to live in the world? A retreat is not a substitute for daily life. It is be a booster and an accelerator of the spiritual journey - you go a long way in a short time. But if it is not continued by some daily process, its primary benefit and effect will be lessened. An AVE! retreat, journeyed with other like-minded FOL Members, provides a focused and ongoing opportunity to learn and strengthen practices which may lead us to a 'shift in perception', thereby changing our relationship with life and the world around us. This, say some, is the 'miracle' of the spiritual journey in life. How does an AVE! retreat help one to grow as a spiritual being? We are naturally spiritual beings, living human lives. In the book of Hosea, God invites us to 'come to the desert to pray and He will speak to our hearts'. Retreat allows us to break our ordinary pattern of daily life. When we turn off the television and cell phones, we are in an environment to affirm our commitment to spiritual priorities. In stillness we nourish our life with the solitude of silence, meditation and prayer. What else can I expect on retreat? A retreat provides you the environment to rest your body, mind and soul. A retreat is an invitation from God to "come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". It is a place where one is re-energized and more aware of the body, mind and soul connection. It is a vacation from the stresses of life. Remember: Even God rested on the seventh day. Welcome to the Journey! May your path be blessed and your commitment rewarded.
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