Saturday, March 7

A Reflection from Scott Hardin-Nieri

Silence is an invitation to liberation and captivation all at once. Despite not being an expert on silence, centering prayer, meditation, or morning "quiet times", I have experienced the powerful presence of the Sacred while engaging with silence.

In the spiritual communities I am a part of we have found it helpful to expand the idea of silence to include solitude and stillness.  This is to:  

1. Acknowledge the unique needs and postures that we each bring to the contemplative or attentive life.  

2. Acknowledge the history of suffering that has been caused in the name of silencing a group or individual. 

Silence, stillness, and solitude are messy and beautiful. They are to serve and to be liberative, not oppressive. This way of stepping out of the normal patterns and compulsions of modern life is difficult- at least it is for me.  

I have found it helpful to explore silence in three manifestations. These may be practiced together or individually:- I will only offer practices for silence to keep it short.  

1. Silence

2. Solitude

3. Stillness

Silence — 

“…by being attentive, by learning to listen (or recovering the natural capacity to listen) we can find ourselves engulfed in such happiness that it cannot be explained: the happiness of being at one with everything in that hidden ground of Love for which there can be no explanations.... May we all grow in grace and peace, and not neglect the silence that is printed in the center of our being. It will not fail us”.- Thomas Merton

What are ways you may quiet the ways you express or receive information? Is there a way you can extend the pause between words?  Written, sung, heard, read, spoken, or illustrated.  How might you increase the space for God to dwell between the words?  

Silence Practices

1) Silent sit- Set a timer for a certain time (2 minutes, 12? 20?). Sit in “unproductive” silence for that time. Likely, your mind will not comply with this plan — remembering conversations, lists of things to do, hopes for the day, or regrets might show up. This is normal. 

You may choose a word or phrase to help draw you back to center or focus. Examples: "Beloved" — "Thank you" — "Jesus have mercy on me" — "Such Beauty" — "Loving Freedom"

Oftentimes, I will find my mind wandering, and without judgment or urgency, I will imagine a word created in smoke or fog descending in my mind and heart, then dissipating. This might settle my mind for a bit, then it’s off to the races until the loving cloud “beloved” (or your word or phrase) invites me to presence.  

2) Silent Walk- step outside into your neighborhood or a place in the woods to stroll in intentional silence. -notice what shows up in your body- What do you hear?  

3) Media Fast - Take a break from news / social media / or known sources of manipulative influence for a set amount of time — 4 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours?

Reflection questions for any of these practices:

• What did you notice?

• What was challenging about this?

• Where did you find liberation, surprise, or where did you notice God?

Solitude —

"Solitude is the place of great struggle and the great encounter — the struggle against the compulsions of the false self and the encounter with the loving God who offers Godself as the substance of the new self." — Henri Nouwen, Way of the Heart

Stillness —

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.- Psalm 46:10