There was a time in my life when I felt lost in any silence. I was so used to getting up, going to work, rushing around, dealing with the day-to-day of existence in modern society, that when I did find the rare moment of silence, I had no idea what to do with it. Occasionally, when my husband and daughter would be out for the day, I would sit in my home and literally not know what to do with myself. Enter Netflix.
In 2017, when I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, I took up meditation to help quiet my mind. It was my exploration of the spiritual side of meditation that eventually led me back to the Craft. But even when meditation became a regular part of my routine, I still generally used music or a meditation app to block out the noise of the outside world.
Recently, I read an article in the 2020 edition of Llewellyn’s Magical Almanac entitled Seeding the Silence by Sasha Graham. Grahams writes “Silence is the space of infinite possibility.” This got me thinking about my rather uncomfortable relationship with silence. When I am surrounded by silence, I immediately start looking for something with which to mask it, or better yet fill it. Why did I feel that way? What was I afraid of?
I decided at that moment to incorporate “silence” meditations into my meditation routine. Now, at least two or three times a week, I simply sit with silence. I reach past the distractions and noise of the world around me and try to locate the empty stillness which lies beneath it. When I find that stillness, I let it fill me: body, mind, and spirit. The silence beneath the noise washes over me, sweeping the cobwebs from the corners of my mind and refreshing my spirit. In that place, beneath the hum of the world, lies many truths, if we are willing to hear them.
As a witch, one of our purposes is to search for truths, to peel back the superficial layers of reality and find what lies within. A strong relationship with silence can help us achieve this.
To perform a silence meditation, prepare yourself for meditation as you usually do. Light a candle or incense if it helps you focus and relax. Leave the headphones off.
Close your eyes. Listen to the sounds around you. Identify each one individually. Bird tweeting. Wind. Laughter. Television. Car passing. Bird. As you name each one, let it fall away in your consciousness. Let its sound grow dim in your mind. Allow each sound to fall away, and let your consciousness travel downward with each layer that is removed.
Reach out for the emptiness beneath all the sounds, the blank canvas on which the soundscape of the world is drawn. Find that point, that place of stillness. It may sound like a slight buzzing or ringing, or like the sound of a steady wind. Let it surround you and quiet you. Let it wrap around you. Hold onto the silence as long as you can, then gently thank and release it, and return to normal consciousness.
It may take you a while to find the silence, so don’t be frustrated if you can’t locate it the first time. It has taken me quite a while to be able to hold onto the silence for more than just a few moments. But believe me – those moments are oh so worth it!