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: Echoes of Remembered Stillness

Listening to Sacred Stillness: Echoes of Remembered Stillness

Last updated on: November 12, 2019 at 4:48 am by Greg Richardson

Listening to Sacred Stillness: Echoes of Remembered Stillness 2019-11-12T04:48:32-08:00 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.

Echoes of Remembered Stillness

Some of us experience our contemplative practices as new each day, new every morning. We may struggle to find our level of listening, to settle into stillness, each time we practice.

Many of us, as our practice builds into experience, discover we can hear the echoes of remembered stillness. We sit comfortably, breathing deeply, and remember how we have listened to sacred stillness in the past.

Our practice is not about evaluating or assessing how well we are listening. We do not have expectations or goals about how well we are listening to stillness. It is not as though we are trying to recapture ways we have listened before. The echoes of remembered stillness do not distract us from listening to the stillness of the present moment.

When we have practiced listening to sacred stillness for a length of time, for years, it shapes how we listen.

We become different listeners by practicing contemplative listening. Some of us are able to relax into our contemplative practices. Others discover new ways to pay unfocused attention.

Each time we practice listening contemplatively we explore new ways to pay attention.

In my experience we will hear the echoes of remembered stillness when we least expect them. As I sit and listen, giving my consent to how spiritual life is alive in me, I will hear echoes of earlier stillness.

The sacred stillness in the world around me is the same as the sacred stillness within me. I am listening to the same sacred stillness today as I listened to a year ago.

As we practice listening to sacred stillness we experience it in new ways. We hear echoes of remembered stillness we have heard before.

Each time we listen opens us to stillness in new ways.

Remembered Stillness Reminds Us

Sometimes we remember and sometimes we forget.

Things happen we believe we will remember for the rest of our lives, but new experiences crowd them out. Moments we struggle for years to achieve fade into the forgotten past. People who show us things which change our lives can get lost in our crowded stories.

We become intrigued and distracted, losing sight of what is important to us in the swirling tides of urgent demands. Some of us get completely caught up in winning and earning and forget about what inspires us.

Some of us set aside days or weekends for remembering, but we spend them running errands and grilling hotdogs.

It is easy for us to forget stillness we have experienced and it takes practice for us to her its echoes.

We cannot hold onto the sacred stillness to which we practice listening. Our contemplative practices are not shelves on which we preserve and display our experiences.

Contemplative practices are not about compiling a list of our most meaningful experiences. We are not putting together our contemplative greatest hits.

I believe the echoes of remembered stillness we hear are intended to encourage us. Some of them remind us of how differently we listen now than we did in the past. They may help us recognize where our practice continues to have room to grow.

We are not evaluating how we are doing. They are not distractions. The echoes of remembered stillness we hear draw us into listening more deeply.

When we listen to sacred stillness we close our eyes and open our heart and minds. We give our consent to spiritual life to be alive and active within us and the world around us.

Listening to sacred stillness is how we stay out of our own way.

Hearing Echoes of Remembered Stillness

Many of the echoes I hear of remembered stillness do not come to me while I am practicing.

Throughout the rest of my day, while I am living everyday life, I hear the echoes.

They may be memories of particular times I spent listening to sacred stillness. Some them include feeling the sun on my skin or glimpsing the flickering light of a candle.

Each echo I hear draws me in and reminds me of the power of contemplative practice.

The echoes of remembered stillness we hear help us remember sacred stillness and spiritual life. When we get distracted by the concerns and anxieties all around us we hear echoes of stillness.

We take time to catch our breath or take a walk to help us breathe and we hear echoes of stillness. When we pause to look up at the leaves of a tree or the stars in the sky we hear the echoes of remembered stillness.

As we continue to practice contemplative listening the echoes of remembered stillness support us.

The more we listen the more clearly we hear the echoes.

Each echo we hear reminds us why we practice listening to sacred stillness.

Remembered Stillness Draws Us In

We hear the echoes of remembered stillness washing over us and drawing us in.

Remembering the time we listened to sacred stillness while watching the ocean, it echoes within us. We remember the time we sat listening to stillness with a group of people and their listening helped us listen.

When our schedule becomes overwhelmed and we run out of time echoes of remembered stillness remind us. We need to listen to sacred stillness as much as we need to accomplish our goals.

Spiritual life lives within us and in the world around us. We listen to sacred stillness and grow into the rhythm of spiritual life. The echoes of remembered stillness reverberate in us and help free us from the distractions which surround us.

We remember stillness like musical instruments which carry memories of every note they have played. Listening to sacred stillness shapes our ability to hear the echoes of remembered stillness.

We hear the echoes of stillness as our lives begin to vibrate in sync with the rhythms of spiritual life.

How often will we hear echoes of remembered stillness today?

When can we take time to listen for the echoes of remembered listening this week?

[Image by mirabelka szuszu]

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

November 7, 2019

Monastic Strategies: My Stepping Stones from Evangelical to Contemplative

Next Post

November 14, 2019 Practices From the Inside Out: Practicing Our Way to Gratitude

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

What food did God provide from heaven to the Israelites in the wilderness?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Olives Quail Manna Grapes