The Purpose of Silence

By Julie Redstone

Long ago, in the days before telephones and wireless
communication, there existed a zone of silence in the world that
covered the earth with a blanket of peace and quiet. It carried
in it the wishes and prayers of those who sought to lead a good
life, a holy life, and it helped allay the fears of those who
were concerned for the future. This zone of silence allowed
communication between heaven and earth to proceed more smoothly
since it was uninterrupted by earthly communication, and
individuals related more to the surrounding world of the
invisible, rather than to the voice at the other end of a
telephone.

This is no longer the case. The noise of human affairs has
replaced the silence of the spheres for humans to listen to. It
has replaced the quiet of an afternoon spent sitting under a
tree or by a stream with the busyness of working at a computer.
It has created the fear of being alone because one is out of
communication with everyone else. The idea of communing with
oneself and with God has been replaced by the need to be in
constant touch with others, with work, with world events, with
the latest trends on the stock market, etc. The list goes on
indefinitely.

The purpose of silence is to expand individual consciousness so
that the human being can be nourished from a deeper source. The
source is always there. Without the silence, it is often
difficult to hear what it has to say because outer voices are
clamoring for attention and are much easier to hear. Avoidance
of quiet has become endemic to a whole way of life for people
who pride themselves on keeping busy. It has become endemic to a
culture that prides itself on getting a lot done and rising on
the ladder of outer success, merit, education, accomplishment,
fame, etc. But there is an inner ladder of accomplishment that
can never be located in this way, for it goes not up, but down -
down into the depths of one’s being, down into the core elements
out of which one is composed, down into the sub sphere of thought
to the place where thought no longer matters and only ‘being’
becomes real. This ladder contacts the depths of the soul and
brings one closer to the realm of purpose in life, and, indeed,
the purpose for which each one was created. This ladder takes us
away from the distractions of outer life to the quiet zone of
eternity.

Silence needs to be regulated into one’s life so that depth can
be maintained. It needs to flow like a secret river between
one’s soul and the outer expression of that soul. Taking time to
be silent comforts the heart, enlivens the mind, gives liberty
and joie de vivre to whatever actions will be taken at other
times, and brings an individual out of a more shallow existence,
into a deeper knowing of themselves.

Silence translates the language of the soul into a sense of
purpose and direction for one’s outer activities so that meaning
in all things becomes enhanced, and random gestures or actions
become minimized. In this way, silence contributes to the
deepening of meaning in life.

There is no way for a society to emerge into a higher state of
consciousness without individuals becoming more conscious of
themselves – of who they really are, not who they have been
taught they are or who they imagine themselves to be. Infusing a
time of silence into the atmosphere of one’s life is essential
to the healthy growth of the total being, just as food is
essential to the healthy growth of the body. Both are needed so
that the spiritual can be connected with the material, and so
that all that exists within as Divine gift and talent can find a
means of outer expression.

Until such time as individuals come to value themselves enough
so that they preserve an element of silence within their lives,
life will continue to edge toward the frivolous and superficial
and away from the deep and profound. Silence is the road toward
spiritual growth, whether through quiet contemplation,
meditation, or sitting by a river and watching the sky, silence
reconnects man with his soul and restores the needed balance to
life as it is meant to be lived.

About the Author: Julie Redstone is a teacher, writer, and
founder of Light Omega – http://lightomega.org – a center for
spiritual teaching and healing whose purpose is to create an
understanding of the sacred transition into light that the earth
is presently going through.

Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=194337&ca=Religion