Silence

I just read a book about The Silence that I find baloney.

As a person who has entered the Silence in various forms most of my life, and who has been meditating, using a variety of methods, since the 60's, I do know something about the Silence.

With regular quiet times of meditation, contemplation and prayer, the ego mind stills. Once the ego mind stills, there is an openness to commune with The Divine Presence - the still small voice, becomes clearer and louder.

By the ego mind, I mean our little selves, our racing thoughts, mostly of nonsense - thoughts about this and that dancing and judging and fearing and worrying, etc. It is about us - we are the imagined center of all that is. It keeps us busy so we don't deal with our actual Spiritual Essence.

But, with a meditative practice, the ego mind slows down and eventually vanishes, at least for the most part. I have found that this is absolutely necessary in order to go into deeper awareness. Once the ego mind slows, the Spiritual Core of us quickens and we eagerly spend time in the Silence. Once our mind stills, we live our lives with deep roots in The Silence, even when out and about in the din of crowds and busy motions of those around us. We discover that this Spiritual Core found in The Silence is real and is always present whether we sit in our meditative time or we engage in activity. We can hear guidance, know things, and experience wholeness no matter where we are.

In order to get there, it is relatively simple.

1. Spend 20-30 minutes every day doing whatever technique of meditation you like (mantra, counting your breaths, chanting, centering prayer, etc.)
2. Spend as much time as possible, at least 15 minutes reading inspirational books.
3. Journal stream of consciousness for 10 minutes or more - that is write whatever without censoring, just keep writing. Later read what you wrote.

It is however not easy, because we must discipline ourselves to do it - regularly, daily, always. It means we cultivate patience as it takes as long as it takes, but do not expect the first week you will become a great mystic. Realize it is a lifelong practice. It takes commitment, desire and letting go of any fear of The Spiritual Truth. It means we risk having to let go of dogmas that are filled with error.  It means we have to be willing to be made new and live in Oneness. The result will be a magnificently whole other kind of life experience.

God is found in The Silence. The noise is ego and drowns out most of the still small voice.