Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Strategic Monk

Home
Contemplative
Listening to Sacred Stillness: Finding the Stillness Within Us

Listening to Sacred Stillness: Finding the Stillness Within Us

Last updated on: May 28, 2019 at 3:18 am by Greg Richardson

Listening to Sacred Stillness: Finding the Stillness Within Us 2019-05-28T03:18:34-08:00 Greg Richardson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Listening to the Sacred Stillness Within Us

We sit still, listening to the sacred stillness within us.

When we become confused or exhausted, when we think we can go no further, we stop and listen. The only way we can find our path past the voices all around us is in the stillness.

Some of us have little experience with the stillness within us. Like children who are afraid of the dark we have hidden from sacred stillness as long as we can. We may not know why we find stillness unsettling, why we are afraid of what we might hear. Still, we hide under our beds or pull the covers up over our heads.

It is a contemplative practice to listen to the sacred stillness within us. We take time to sit still, close our eyes, take deep breaths, and listen to what the stillness has to tell us.

In my experience God does not speak to us in billboards or blazing letters written across the sky. God does not force us to pay attention. We hear the voice of God in the stillness within us.

Our practice is not about listening to ourselves or reviewing the events of our day or our week. We are not practicing analyzing or sorting out secret messages written in the clouds.

When we listen to the sacred stillness within us we hear God who lives in our hearts.

Some of us must work hard to filter out all the other voices in our ears. We set aside the expectations of other people, the latest news, the music running through our heads.

The challenge for us is to find the sacred stillness within us and to take time to listen.

It can be difficult for us to listen well, especially to stillness within us.

Finding the Sacred Stillness Within Us

Some of us have hidden the stillness within us deep inside us. We constructed intricate defenses to protect us from the stillness we fear before we were conscious of what we were doing.

Our spiritual journey has become a trip of exploration and discovery. We find the defenses we have constructed and so carefully hidden from ourselves and overcome them.

The stillness within us draws us in even as we are afraid of what it might tell us. Learning and growing and coming to appreciate the stillness within us becomes the story of our lives.

How do we find the sacred stillness we have hidden from ourselves? What obstacles will we face as we overcome the ways we defend our inner stillness?

Each of us has built our own defenses to hide our stillness. The intricacies we face are personal to each of us individually. There are, though, similar ways to explore them and discover our inner stillness.

One essential to deciphering our inner defenses is remembering they are designed to protect us. Even though we have put our defenses together unconsciously, we know they respond to our fears.

Facing our fear shows us how to get through our defenses and listen to sacred stillness within us.

Many of the people with whom I work believe God wants to punish them. They believe spiritual life is primarily about people following the rules and not having any fun in life.

I work with them, guiding them on their path away from things which would rob them of their joy.

Listening to the sacred stillness within us is one of the ways spiritual life reveals more joy to us. Stillness is not about us sitting at attention and avoiding fun. We listen and open ourselves to the stillness within us.

Living Into the Sacred Stillness Within Us

Many of us look for a quiet place to practice contemplative listening to sacred stillness. Some of us practice together with other people in places of worship. We find a time and place which fits into our schedule for our own personal practice.

It can help us to practice listening somewhere peaceful. We separate ourselves from external distractions and noises which make it more challenging to listen. Many of us find it helpful to sit in a peaceful place, particularly as we begin our practice.

I have practiced listening to sacred stillness in monasteries and churches, at home and in other people’s homes. Sitting outside when the weather permits can be conducive to good listening.

As my practice grows over time I have also found the sacred stillness within me spreads out into the world around me. I have practiced listening to sacred stillness in waiting rooms and airports, and on airplanes.

Living into the sacred stillness within me has become a more central part of my practice over time. I have found opportunities to be someone who spreads stillness and listening.

The stillness I find in myself has become a resource for serving other people.

Sharing the Sacred Stillness Within Us In the World

We live in a world where it has become common for strangers to share their strong opinions. Many of us are willing to share our political or theological views with people we have never met.

Some people believe the Internet and social media have become places to scream our perspectives at each other. It is more and more difficult to avoid online arguing.

I have plenty of strong opinions of my own and am often happy to share them. As I think about how I communicate online, I wonder how helpful people would find my views.

There appear to be more people looking for someone who can listen well than for someone to tell them what to do.

People ask me to help them make decisions and understand what they believe. I believe, online and in person, more people benefit from my listening to them and asking questions.

Listening to the sacred stillness within us helps us listen well to other people.

How will we practice listening to the sacred stillness within us today?

When can we share the sacred stillness within us in the world this week?

[Image by deeps.adhi]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual life mentor and coach in Southern California. He is a recovering attorney and a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is StrategicMonk.com, and his email address is [email protected].

Blog

Sacred Stillness

Previous Post

May 25, 2019

Practices From the Inside Out: We Remember and We Forget

Next Post

May 30, 2019 Monastic Strategies: When We Are Living at the Speed of Life

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Book Reviews Everything Else Guest Posts Leadership Monastic Strategies Neighborhood Pilgrimages Sacred Stillness Spiritual Direction Spiritual Practices Work

Select a Month May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, what were the wise ones prepared for?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A feast A king The Sabbath The bridegroom