The Power of Silence
When is the last time you were in a place of total silence? A place where there was no music or television in the background, no voices, no traffic or even the sound of your fridge running?
These true moments of silence are rare and can actually be unnerving for many people when they do happen.
Have you ever heard the expression “the silence was deafening?” If you have ever experienced true silence, you can appreciate the power of this statement. Complete silence is so unusual that it takes on its own quality and can even be a bit disorienting.
Many people in our world actually fear silence. They can’t be home alone or in their car without background noise to distract or entertain them.
When you think about it, it has only been the last few generations who have had this ability to have constant background noise. It was less than 100 years ago that recorded music started becoming available. If you wanted to listen to music your only option was live performances. You would not have been casually listening to music while doing housework or bringing in the harvest. You would have been mostly left alone with your thoughts as you went about your day.
So, does this lack of silence in our lives have a downside? I believe it does.
When we are in a place of silence, even if it is not the total silence as described above, it gives us a different perspective on our lives and reality.
Throughout the centuries, even when silence was more easily come by, spiritual people have taken intentional vows of silence to pursue a deeper relationship with themselves and God. Even now there are options of “silent retreats” where the only goal is self-reflection and a deeper connection to source. Participants often find themselves leaving these retreats with deep insights and even healing of long-standing issues.
Our inability to find even short moments of silence in our modern world does not allow us to discover the power that can be found in intentional silence. If we were brought up in certain religious circles, even our time of prayer was filled with endless words and petitions with little focus on listening.
Those who practice silent meditation understand the power of setting time aside to clear the mind and simply “be” in silence. They know the discipline of simply listening and receiving from source is an invaluable component of their health and happiness.
From the perspective of healing energy, silence allows us space to process and release emotions and experiences that may have “stuck” with us during our busy moments where we could not give it the attention it needed.
For instance, if we were involved in an earlier conversation that ended with us feeling unheard or fearful but had to simply move on to the next thing in our day, those feelings are still sitting there, waiting to be attended to. Silence offers us that opportunity to process and integrate those experiences in a healthy way, rather than continuing to shove more and more unprocessed emotions into our body where they become trapped.
I would like to invite you to experiment a bit with the idea of silence and take some intentional time in your day or week to sit in total silence. Don’t approach this time with any set agenda, simply be, and watch what begins to surface.
Use the following statements to help you affirm your intention to make times of silence a priority in your life. It is important that you know that as soon as you sit down to calm your mind, you will be hit with a hundred things that you “should be doing”. When this happens, simply acknowledge the thought and remind yourself that this time of silence is just as important as any of your other responsibilities.
I am allowing space in my day for silence
I seek out silence to intentionally connect to source
My use of silence is a means to healing and insight
I am safe with my own thoughts; I am at peace in silence
I put aside all thoughts of other priorities and take this time for silence
Try this experiment of silence for a minimum of seven days and let me know how it goes. Give yourself a set time, set a timer, so that you can fully immerse yourself in the moment. Silence is a discipline and may not initially come easy and you may not like what comes up. Stick with it and you will find what people throughout the centuries have found…that silence is a most powerful voice of insight.
As you begin to recognize the power of silence and work towards releasing all that no longer serves you, including fear. This will allow you to step forward into your truth with confidence and an innate understanding of your divine purpose.
Check out my life-changing program: Transforming Fear into Action.
