These are the worlds I heard for the very first time, from Paul and Art's beautiful song: "People talking without speaking. People listening without hearing."
Speaking comes from "I am" or "I am That." It emanates from Being, perhaps from the Divine, if one listens deeply enough to the Silence. And we don't listen to another; we don't hear. We listen to ourselves, and what we are saying to ourselves, w hile they are speaking. WE judge them, we prepare what we are going to say, we know what they are saying so we tune out. Which mans we don't hear.
I am writing a book, calling it Awakening Heart listening. Perhaps I should call it "Awakening the Silence."
Yours is the most beautiful peace -- whoops, I mean "piece" -- but maybe not, that I have ever read on this distinction.
And I am learning so much about Biblical wisdom from you. I am deeply blessed by your presence in my life. Thank you.
I look forward to learning more about your book. It relates to my opening line, if we want to have better conversations, we have to be comfortable with silence, or we have no room for receiving.
Thank you for holding space within the silence. I have listened to The Sounds of Silence a hundred times and never really understood the words. I have had my emotions invade my silent meditations and never thought about them as fleeting as the weather. Thank you for enriching my silent time with hope.
I have a friend and a sister who also need this message so I passed it on with hope.
Thanks for passing this along. I'm finding it interesting to go back to the songs of my childhood and youth and looking at them with new eyes. Music was so important to the turbulence of the 1960s, and here we are again.
Thanks for the encouragement James. To avoid getting bored with myself, I need new angles. Sometimes finding a classic song to compare with the text provokes new insights, like Elijah and Simon and Garfunkel.
What a beautiful journey you have presented on silence. I especially liked that you named how people enter silence in different ways. Silence can be a gift and can also be a challenge..both sides of the coin.
Having participated in Group Spiritual Direction training through the Shalem Institute, I have gotten deeper appreciation with and in silence.
Todd, this struck me: "The story of Elijah finding the still, small voice of the Spirit is profound for our time dominated by the sounds of propaganda, lies, and threats. Silent contemplation is a resource for resistance and resilience." Some part of my mind has been wondering about the connection between contemplation and justice, and this might have triggered something inside. (I know about the Center for Contemplative Justice and the Center for Action and Contemplation, but I haven't been paying enough attention.) I'm also struck by considering what you say about Elijah's political situation. I haven't given this potent passage much thought since I've begun to understand more about the Bible's treatment of matters of justice and oppression. Finally, I wonder if the updated NRSV's translation as "sound of sheer silence" was influenced, at least indirectly, by Simon and Garfunkel. Thanks for a thought-provoking post.
These are the worlds I heard for the very first time, from Paul and Art's beautiful song: "People talking without speaking. People listening without hearing."
Speaking comes from "I am" or "I am That." It emanates from Being, perhaps from the Divine, if one listens deeply enough to the Silence. And we don't listen to another; we don't hear. We listen to ourselves, and what we are saying to ourselves, w hile they are speaking. WE judge them, we prepare what we are going to say, we know what they are saying so we tune out. Which mans we don't hear.
I am writing a book, calling it Awakening Heart listening. Perhaps I should call it "Awakening the Silence."
Yours is the most beautiful peace -- whoops, I mean "piece" -- but maybe not, that I have ever read on this distinction.
And I am learning so much about Biblical wisdom from you. I am deeply blessed by your presence in my life. Thank you.
I look forward to learning more about your book. It relates to my opening line, if we want to have better conversations, we have to be comfortable with silence, or we have no room for receiving.
Thank you for holding space within the silence. I have listened to The Sounds of Silence a hundred times and never really understood the words. I have had my emotions invade my silent meditations and never thought about them as fleeting as the weather. Thank you for enriching my silent time with hope.
I have a friend and a sister who also need this message so I passed it on with hope.
Thanks for passing this along. I'm finding it interesting to go back to the songs of my childhood and youth and looking at them with new eyes. Music was so important to the turbulence of the 1960s, and here we are again.
I appreciate this Todd. Right now, I am exploring rest, and silence, in the form you describe, can offer that, a deep stilling. Thank you.
Todd, you’ve outdone yourself again.
“We need silence, but the goal must be to strengthen love, not to live in fear.”
Im so glad we found each other and that you are writing for all of us.
Thanks for the encouragement James. To avoid getting bored with myself, I need new angles. Sometimes finding a classic song to compare with the text provokes new insights, like Elijah and Simon and Garfunkel.
What a beautiful journey you have presented on silence. I especially liked that you named how people enter silence in different ways. Silence can be a gift and can also be a challenge..both sides of the coin.
Having participated in Group Spiritual Direction training through the Shalem Institute, I have gotten deeper appreciation with and in silence.
Sandra, I'm glad to meet you again here on Substack after all this time. I hear great things about Shalem. Are you doing Spiritual Direction work?
Shalem has provided some wonderful experiences with Group Spiritual Direction, where silence is lived. I have begun to lead Group Spiritual Direction.
I have enjoyed reading your blog. I have resumed writing with The Christian Citizen
Todd, this struck me: "The story of Elijah finding the still, small voice of the Spirit is profound for our time dominated by the sounds of propaganda, lies, and threats. Silent contemplation is a resource for resistance and resilience." Some part of my mind has been wondering about the connection between contemplation and justice, and this might have triggered something inside. (I know about the Center for Contemplative Justice and the Center for Action and Contemplation, but I haven't been paying enough attention.) I'm also struck by considering what you say about Elijah's political situation. I haven't given this potent passage much thought since I've begun to understand more about the Bible's treatment of matters of justice and oppression. Finally, I wonder if the updated NRSV's translation as "sound of sheer silence" was influenced, at least indirectly, by Simon and Garfunkel. Thanks for a thought-provoking post.