Listening to Sacred Stillness: Is There Anyone Out There?

Is There Anyone Out There?

There are people who spend time each day listening to sacred stillness. Some of us have been listening every day for years. We believe in the power of listening and the sacredness of stillness.

Even those of us who believe ask, at times, is there anyone out there?

We listen, hearing stillness. The sacred stillness gives us rest and refreshes us. We feel restored, but we want more.

Sacred stillness is so limitless, so far beyond our ability to comprehend. We may by overwhelmed by the immensity of what we are doing.

How can it even be possible to listen to sacred stillness? Do we actually think we can discern what sacred stillness has to say to us? Is it really true? Is there anyone out there?

We struggle to open ourselves to the deep sacred truth all around us and within us. It feels like we are turning ourselves inside out to find and connect to spiritual life. We are stretching beyond what we imagined were our limitations. Why are we going to such difficult lengths for something which seems so far away?

If there is anyone out there, why are they so remote, so difficult to know?

We pause to listen to sacred stillness, trusting there is someone in the stillness listening to us. Sometimes it is easy for us to be confident there is someone there. Other times it is like trying to sleep during a long, restless night. We toss and turn, looking for a way to be comfortable.

If only we can keep our eyes closed long enough we can find the rest we seek.

Over time the stillness slowly enfolds us in its sacred embrace.

Who Are We Seeking?

We are listening for truth in sacred stillness without necessarily understanding why. We may be confident, usually, there is sacred depth all around us and within us.

How do we know who waits for us in the stillness? It is like we are standing in the mouth of a cave, unable to see into the dark interior.

Even if we could see who is waiting for us, would we recognize them?

How well do we know them? Have we even seen them before?

We may become familiar with spiritual life in some ways when we run into something new. It can feel like spiritual life has shown us one face and then transformed into someone else.

Like getting to know anyone, our relationship to spiritual life develops over time. We may find deeper intimacy, or might decide to spend some time away for a while.

The difficulties comes when we feel spiritual life may have abandoned us altogether.

Practices or experiences we have come to depend on no longer bring us satisfaction. It feels like we have begun a relationship with spiritual life and it has walked away.

Is there anyone out there? Anyone at all?

Like any strong relationship, our relationship with spiritual life is not based on mechanics. We may believe we can achieve certain results if we take specific actions. Our relationship to spiritual life, though, is not something we achieve. It is not as if our actions can coerce spiritual life into giving us particular results.

Our relationship is more intimate than that.

It can be like learning to ride a bicycle. Training wheels help us learn, but sooner or later the time comes to remove them. We may feel afraid or uncomfortable, but it is the only way to really learn to ride.

How Can We Know?

We want to be certain, to know. Having certainty before we try something is how we protect ourselves. We like to have things all sorted out before we begin doing anything.

Real relationships are more than acting out our certainties.

We cannot be certain outside a real, working relationship.

It is impossible to know whether there is anyone out there until we go and look. All the advance planning and sorting out we can do does not take the place of experience.

We may find it less risky to be certain. There may be less risk, but is that a real relationship?

We will never really know whether there is anyone out there until we go and see.

Spiritual life draws more and more deeply into relationship. It is not about intellectual certainty or our emotional comfort zones. It is only as we leave those behind that our relationship becomes real.

Spiritual life gradually peels away our assumptions and expectations. Like any other relationship, we learn to let go of what we thought we knew. We open ourselves to what is.

Listening to sacred stillness is a step in the right direction.

We listen whether we hear anything or not, whether we think there is anyone out there or not. As we listen we begin to recognize who we are seeking. It may not be certainty, but we grow more intimate.

We begin to know in our hearts as well as our heads.

Recognizing Who is Out There

Listening to sacred stillness helps us recognize who is out there.

Spiritual life draws us into deeper intimate relationship. As we listen, letting go of our preconceptions, we begin to see more clearly.

It is not someone out there, far away after all.

Spiritual life draws us into relationship with itself, all around us and within us. We are not concerned about whether someone, anyone out there is listening to us. Our question is whether anyone in here is listening.

The deep wisdom of sacred stillness runs through us. It fills us and pours out to fill the rest of the world.

We learn to listen without assumptions or expectations, opening ourselves. As we listen we are drawn more deeply into relationship.

The sacred stillness reminds us of all we have to experience.

We leave the training wheels behind and begin really riding.

Where will you go and see this week?

Is there anyone out there?

[Image by janinehunterhall]

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