Famously,
Simon Garfunkel recorded a song called The Sounds of Silence,
And here,
As I record this in the outback of Australia,
It's dusk and the atmosphere is silent.
But there are many sounds,
You can probably hear them,
The parrots,
The galahs,
The rosellas,
Coming home to roost in the trees surrounding.
Silence,
Of course,
Is a presence rather than an absence.
Some people are afraid of silence,
Maybe what's lurking in their semi-conscious,
Ready to rise up into their quiet time.
Is it better to distance yourself,
Squash it,
Avoid it,
Or to embrace it?
A lot can be said and felt in silence,
Sometimes silence can disturb and sometimes soothe.
Silence is powerful,
Strength can come from silence,
Maturity born in it,
Creativity born in it,
Truth,
Healing born in it.
The practice of mindfulness is done in silence.
When you cultivate silence,
Clarity can develop,
Quietitude can develop,
Equanimity can develop.
Silence can calm the body in a way that can eventually allow you to choose,
Mindfully,
The wise path in the many crossroads of life.
Right now,
I invite you to rest in the sounds of silence with me,
And as you rest,
You may find it useful to anchor yourself using the breath,
The movement of the body,
The chest,
The belly,
As it rises and falls with the in-breath and the out-breath.
Just a gentle anchor as you allow yourself to float,
Anchored in awareness,
Moment by moment,
And as you rest,
A small part of you mindfully aware of the anchor of the breath,
Allowing your thinking to go on unhindered,
Not held onto,
Not pushed aside,
Just passing through,
Like the sounds and the sensations and the activities of your body,
Arising with you,
Passing through,
Streaming on,
No effort required,
As you stand back in yourself,
In your awareness,
And rest in the sounds of silence,
And as you drift away on your thoughts or sounds or sensations,
Just gently bringing yourself back with the anchor of your breath,
As you rest with full awareness in the sounds of silence.
And as we come to the end of this short meditation,
I just want to thank you for spending this time with me,
And wish you well.
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be peaceful.
