Silence in the Wind

Have you ever stepped out of a loud restaurant and felt the relief of silence? In that moment, nothing is more precious. We take a deep breath, our shoulders drop, and eventually our ears stop ringing. 

Welcome to the sound of a gentle wind from the mountains in Arosa, Switzerland. It’s the closest to a recording of silence I can find. I use earbuds and continue writing as I listen. Periodically, I pause to close my eyes and drop into deeper rest: 

Within a few minutes of sound wash, I begin to relax. Body and brain steep in silence and surrender. A clear effortless focus emerges without the chatterbox mind interrupting. 

Last month, I again attended a Day of Silence at a nearby, carefully tended renewal center surrounded by nature. 

At an opening meeting, the facilitator offers practices/ideas such as wandering in the woods, photographing the beauty of the day, creating art. Or my favorite, choose a comfortable spot. Do nothing. Adjust yourself to a different view and do nothing again.

Then she rings a bell and hours of silence follow. 

At day’s end, we share around the circle what silence is for us. A day of ungrasping, one woman says. A comfort and an allowing all that is, shares another. An energizer, says a third. 

For me, it’s a huge blessing to be with others and not have to talk. To be quiet in nature and listen to my heart first, in this very moment.

Yes, the value of silence is being explored by science. Books with lots of words have been published on its benefits. In the end, though, it comes down to an individual experience of the timeless heart. 

Mozart said: The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.

So ask, what’s my window into silence? Then, go through. 

That is living as music.