Silent Counsel
January 9, 2013
This writing is copyrighted and the exclusive work of Halli Bourne of True Self Wellness, LLC.
And silence, like a poultice, comes to heal the blows of sound. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
Back in 2000, I moved from a bustling eastern town to a dark, winter canyon in the southwest. Sitting bundled up on the porch of my fire-warmed log cabin, I listened intently for sounds of civilization. Hearing none, I uttered a deep sigh of relief, feeling as though I had escaped an unseen ominous force.
Silence is hailed by poets, spiritualists and psychologists alike for its value in calming an overactive mind. As industrialized society grows increasingly more complex, the need for silence calls ever more loudly. In a report from the World Health Organization, “..there is overwhelming evidence that exposure to environmental noise has adverse effects on the health of the population,” (“Burden of Disease From Environmental Noise, 2011).
Here are a few tips for inviting silence into your life and experiencing its calming effects:
- Turn off the cell phone.
- Turn off the television.
- Turn off the computer.
- Drive your car without the radio on.
- Visit nature preserves and wilderness areas.
- Practice silent meditation.
- Practice silent breathing.
Silence is a wise teacher revealing obtuse ambition and slanted thought. Edward Abbey, on an extended assignment in Arches National Park, shares what silence brought to him:
“Alone in the silence, I understand for a moment the dread which many feel in the presence of primeval desert, the unconscious fear which compels them to tame, alter or destroy what they cannot understand.” May we be brave and seek the counsel of silence.