We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
–Van Morrison “Into the Mystic’
This beautiful song by Van Morrison always makes me think of the mystery of faith and love found in silence and what it means to be a Mystic.
How does the spiritual power of silence work?
Silence is a language in and of itself only interrupted by thoughts and speaking.
I have found this to be the “Way” to approach the real presence of God
One can gain great spiritual understanding just to be in the presence of a realized master even if no words are spoken or exchanged.
I am sure the disciples of Jesus experienced his magnetic power just by being in his presence when he wasn’t talking.
Truth radiates beyond spoken language. We also can reach higher levels of love and understanding by being silent ourselves.
In the Tao de Ching, one of my favorite verses is “stop thinking and all of your troubles will go away”
Indeed, one of the great spiritual pivots is to become aware we are not our thoughts and in turn we are the awareness, light and space within which all of our thoughts arise.
The real SELF; Satchitanada to the Hindus.
True peace is found in silencing the mind. This is where we meet the Divine in prayer and meditation.
Remember Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God”
In one of the early lessons in The Course in Miracles we are taught to see that our thoughts do not mean anything. How often do we follow our thoughts down some dark alley of illusion and stress only to find out we were dreaming it up all along?
The “Real” cannot be threatened.
Take some time alone and try to stay aware of your own consciousness. Don’t move on to other thoughts, just focus on your awareness of your own consciousness. This awareness of your presence is staying in the ‘I am”. This is one of the highest of spiritual practices.
Be gentle with this and realize how much peace comes flooding in when you sit in silence and focus on awareness of just being.
Become friendly with the spirit of life itself. One can use a soft mantra to help anchor the stillness
Breathe deep and bless anything and everything that does sneak in and come to mind as a thought.
