The value of silence is grossly underrated in our noise obsessed world. Without it’s practice we cannot acquire inner stillness which is the key to profound spiritual engagement.
It has long been the practice of indigenous people to cultivate the practice of silence. In perfecting that practice we are able to access the gifts that are available only to those who truly know how to listen. Constant noise, idle chatter and an addiction to electronic communication are barriers to the skill of deep listening.
When I listen to the world around me, out of inner stillness I perceive information not available through any other format.
The wind is never just the wind. It speaks in many different voices. It can tell when rain or storms are in our future. It monitors and relates the seasonal changes. It carries sound across vast space. It’s songs can be playful or mournful depending on its mode. I listen often to the message of the wind.
But wind is not the only source of sound, I listen to the birds. The crows warn me of a hawk in the area. And all birds tell this listener when they are fledgling their young or carrying on a court ship. In the heat of summer afternoons, if you listen closely, you can detect the slow respirations of the earth. In warm evenings in the early spring I can hear the earth worms moving among the dying vegetation slowly and meticulously turning it into new soil. Truly silence is golden and truly the ability to practice the skill of deep listening opens a whole new level of awareness to the one who listens.
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