The Sound of Silence

For the past few years I have enjoyed the spiritual practice of discerning a "word for the year." Among others, my words have included fallow, dance, Jesus, play, and trust. My word for 2024 is SILENT and I have thoroughly enjoyed leaning into this invitation to be more quiet, still and present in my daily life.

In keeping with my word for the year, my Belly of the Whale 10th Anniversary gift to myself was a week-long SILENT retreat at Mercy by the Sea Retreat Center on the Connecticut shore of Long Island Sound. I love to play with words and was especially delighted by the opportunity to embrace a "silent" retreat on the "sound" ... a place to dive deep into the "sound of silence!"

Another play on words that I have been enjoying is that SILENT and LISTEN are born of the same letters, just dancing together in a different order. In this day and age of constant cacophony, bitter sound bites, and the acceptability of insults, the reminder to be silent and to listen is especially poignant. We are born of the same sacred DNA, dancing to different music, and yet still standing together on sacred ground - if only we open our eyes and ears to that reality.

What would happen if we intentionally took just one minute of silence before entering into a conversation... one full minute to remember that we are sacred siblings created in God's image? Might that change the way we connect with one another? Of course we can still disagree... but perhaps we can do so without being so disagreeable.

In the United States we are entering into the final days of a bitter and contentious election season. Let's not give in to the narrative of nastiness and negativitiy. Instead, let us be silent and listen before we speak. Then maybe, just maybe, we will have eyes to see and ears to hear that of God in one other as we walk together toward the polling stations in November.

The video below is an invitation to share a minute of sacred silence together. Feel free to play this any time you need a gentle nudge to pause before you speak.

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10