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blogging101, Creative Writing, Faith and Writing, Journaling, Quotes, Reflections, Writing 101, Writing Prompts
Lent Photo-A-Day (February 10 – March 27, 2016)
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Day 6 — Silence
Simon and Garfunkel may think silence is golden, but I think it’s pert near impossible to practice! THIS is honestly what represents SILENCE to me.
Earth From Moon.
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I think the only place one can find silence (ok, the only place I could find silence) is in deep space. “Huh?” you say. Not to go all sciencey on you or anything, but in order for sound to travel, there has to be something with molecules for it to travel through. On Earth, sound travels to your ears by vibrating air molecules. In deep space there is no air. In the large empty areas between stars and planets, there are no molecules to vibrate. There is no sound there.
Probably the closest we could come to silence on earth would be a person who is hearing impaired. For the rest of us, there is so much background noise that even if we’re trying to be silent we’re kind of engulfed in a cacophony of static. Now that’s just my opinion, and I know lots of folks who are good at meditation would disagree with me. But I’m with the poets on this one.
When I am silent,
I have thunder
hidden inside.
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Rumi
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But I’m not a stranger to trying to be silent. The women from our church used to hold a three-day retreat at Our Lady of the Mountains Retreat House every year. Those of you who’ve read my blog for awhile know it was one of my most favorite places in the world. The second year we were there we introduced the observance of Compline (Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day). Compline is the final church service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. And if you’re in retreat, it is carried out in silence.
The way it worked was, after all of our weekend activities concluded at 9:00 on Saturday night, we were given a written assignment to work on, something to help us reflect on where we were in our faith journey. So from 9:00 on, the retreat was conducted in silence. The 27 gals could work on their assignment anywhere they wanted in the building — the commons room, the dining room, the chapel, their own rooms — but they were not allowed to speak to one another until the worship service at 10:00 Sunday morning. Even breakfast was conducted in silence. (Needless to say there was a lot of poking and pointing going on. 😀 )
The first year was SOOO hard. One incident in particular still makes me smile. My friend Linda was in a bathroom drying her hair before breakfast when the bell rang to come to the dining room. Suddenly Mary Ann came rushing into the bathroom making all kinds of weird gestures with her hands. She knew Linda hadn’t heard the bell over the blow dryer. Mary Ann was pointing to her ears, the bell on the ceiling, down the hall toward the dining room… Linda thought she was having a fit! It wasn’t until Mary Ann grabbed her and pointed to her mouth that Linda got it. 😀 It was one of those happenings that became “legend” at the retreats.
We found out something very important that first year during that time of silence. If you really want to understand each other without words, you had to learn to listen with ALL your senses. It really made me think about praying, about whether when I pray I give my Creator my full attention. I’ve come to the conclusion I don’t. I’m too aware of all the background noise around me. And maybe when the Creator seems silent in my life it’s because I’m not listening with all of me. So, no matter how fruitless it seems to me, silence, or as much of it as I can manage, is important to at least practice on my faith journey because…
He who does not understand your silence
will probably not understand your words.
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Elbert Hubbard
I figure I have a lot of practicing to do…
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Picture Credits:
Earth/Space — pics-about-space.com
Girl signing — www.betterparenting.com
Retreat House — personal
Impromptu Promptlings 
In the middle of winter, (like right about now), at 2 a.m. I go to the back bathroom, and open the window. There are no summer sounds, no cars, not even furnaces humming. Just the deep quiet of the early morning. I just stare out the window and let the sweet silence embrace me. No thinking, only being in the moment.
Yes, it passes quickly often, but it is that moment within which I find bliss.
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That’s beautiful, Fim. I can just picture that.
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Oh for the sounds of silence! beautiful post and interesting again too – in the retreat, was use of the blowdryer and other noisemaking things not excluded for keeping the practise of silence – i suppose that’d make life impossible, no kettles, no cooking – me and my daft questions! Living alone and so often being housebound I have more than my fair share of quite silent times – but I talk to my dog (and to myself, then pretend it’s really to the dog!) and sometimes even sing around the house just to make sure to break the stagnance that too much silence can leave in the atmosphere. I talk on the phone of course, but it’s not the same as being present in the same place. I do like the quiet though, especially when I hear the birdsong going on outside – i moved to the back bedroom event though it’s tiny because then I can hear the birds in the patch of woodland that adjoins my back yard. I’ve learnt soemthing else new in ‘compline’ too. thank you 🙂
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Blow dryers were allowed. Ever try to pry 27 women out of their bedrooms in the morning without them doing their hair? LOL Sometimes I think I would like to try going away by myself for a few days to write. Just to a hotel somewhere. You make it sound intriguing. Especially the part about the birds singing. Maybe someday I’ll get that chance.
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a retreat would be lovely! Mind, I’m so reclusive at the moment, I should just make a retreat of ebing at home 🙂
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But the social part is a lot of a retreat, too. Sharing things that are weighing on you in your life, being there to encourage one another. I think you’d love an actual retreat! We even had hiking on Saturday afternoon (or naps!), tea at 4:00, and a little craft project together before winding up for the evening. We packed a lot into three days. 😀
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I really enjoy silent retreats myself. They are a great way to reconnect with yourself.
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Yeah they are. I think everyone should try one at least once. It’s an interesting experience.
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I have silence on one side I am more or less deaf. The older I get the more I treasure silence
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I don’t know how I’d react to going deaf. I struggle with pvc’s (premature ventricular contracts) and I figure it would either calm me down and make them a whole lot better, or ramp up my anxiety and make them ten times worse!!! 😮
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I have atrial Fibrillation is that not the same as what you have? I was diagnosed with that first and then four months later Heart Failure. The deafness is a gift from that sister of mine – years ago after a row I walked away from she ran after me next thing I knew BANG on the top literally of my head that is why I have Meniere’s and deaf on one side/left side.
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I get what your saying about silence in general,,unless we’re hearing impaired or in a sound proof room there is always some sort of noise,,it’s impossible to get away from. So, obviously when I say I Soul Stroll in silence, I mean that metaphorically…..I don’t consider the sounds of nature to be noise,,,they actually help me with all my meditations,,, whether it’s a walking mediation or sitting.
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Hearing impaired! Thank you! I was trying to think of that! I do agree. I think some people have a gift for absorbing certain kinds of noises, too, just because they hear them so much they learn to ignore them. Like the sound an automatic oxygen tank makes when it pumps. After awhile it just becomes a part of you.
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Hubby’s snoring had become a part of me!!! lol 😛
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I’ve got one of them, too. 😀
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