Time To Pause
A time to pause, a time for silence, is a time to hear one’s own voice
“Quiet is a think tank of the soul.” Gordon Hempton
During a recent cold spell, I took a walk
along the Boise River and found the usual brisk air of autumn had turned
brittle, the vibrant colors of the season suddenly muted, and a new quality in
the sounds of nature. I was abruptly reminded that winter is coming, and I will
welcome its arrival - it brings with it a time to pause, a time to rest.
Winter’s stillness wraps itself in a special kind of silence, a silence that encourages quiet reflection. With its unique quality, nature in the winter season is serene. And, while I’m not crazy about a deep chill, I do love serenity.
To me, the silence of winter is exceptional -
exquisite. The silence of spring has an
underlying roar as life bursts open.
Summer hums and buzzes. And autumn softly rustles. But winter’s frozen landscape offers a
tranquil silence, a silence so crystal clear that each penetrating sound
pierces and shatters. This is a silence that invites presence.
In fact, acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton
believes that quiet is
presence. Gordon studies silence and
soundscapes, and he believes that silence is essential. Silence is not the
absence of sound, but rather the absence of noise - the noise of
distraction. I agree. And for me, winter is a sanctuary which
offers that essential quiet presence. I
think the stillness of nature’s winter holds a valuable lesson. Trees go
dormant, bears hibernate, and we humans are offered the gift of pausing.
A time to pause, a time for silence, is a time
to hear one’s own voice. Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai is quoted
as saying “We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.”
Although she spoke in the context of silence imposed by oppressors - a harsh
and unwelcome type of silence, I believe that her words are also true when we
seek silence. By going to a quiet place, we are able to hear our own voice -
our inner voice - the voice of our heart. This is the voice which so often gets
lost in the noise of distraction. But in
silence we can listen to our voice and be guided back to ourselves - back to
our own presence - back to what is essential.
Father John O’Donohue, who I turn to so often
for his eloquent words, opened his book, Eternal Echoes
, with the poem, Matins
.
In it he speaks to the beauty of the things wrapped in the gift of
winter which I most treasure. These are the things which I hope a season of
serenity and pausing will bring.
I arise today
In the name of Silence
Womb of the Word,
In the name of Stillness
Home of Belonging,
In the name of Solitude
Of the Soul and the Earth.
I arise today
(Excerpt from Matins by John O’Donohue)
Recommended Resources
On Being with Krista Tippett and Gordon Hempton ‘ Silence and the Presence of Everything ’
The poem “Matins’ begins the book Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong by John O’Donohue
By going to a quiet place, we are able to hear our own voice - our inner voice - the voice of our heart
