Listening to Sacred Stillness: The Stillness of Dark Spaces

The Stillness of Dark Spaces

Each week I help facilitate a group of people who practice centering prayer. I arrive early to make sure everything is ready and to soak in the stillness of dark spaces.

It has been over a month since the day with the longest daylight this year. The days are growing shorter and evening shadows begin to grow long earlier each day.

I walk into the church where we meet to pray each week without turning on the lights. Even now, in the summer months, the church has its shadows. The stained glass in the windows darkens the California sunshine.

The first time I walk through the church I look for stray papers and anything out of place. I straighten up and remove distractions which have been left behind. When everything is put away I can begin my serious walking.

It is somewhat cooler in the church than it is outside and I walk up and down the aisles. The church grows darker as I walk. It is unlikely for anyone interrupt my reflections. The church grows full of the stillness of dark spaces.

As I walk I slowly pay less attention to where I am going and begin to listen to the sacred stillness.

Walking up and down the aisles helps prepare both me and the church for our praying together. My mind lets go of plans and expectations. The feelings of fear and anxiety which have accumulated in my heart are released.

Walking in the stillness of dark spaces helps me find sacred stillness within me.

As I walk in the dark spaces inside the church the stillness I find reminds me how to listen.

Whether I am walking the aisles or sitting and listening, the stillness of dark spaces attracts me.

Listening to the Stillness of Dark Spaces

We may be sitting outside looking up at the stars in the night sky. Sometimes we are watching a fire in the fireplace or the lights on a tree.

It can be early in the morning before the sun comes up or late at night long after sunset. Some places are filled with the stillness of dark spaces all day.

The cool, dark calm of certain spaces encourages us to spend time in contemplation. We take a breath and listen for a moment. Before we realize it our reflection has carried us deep into sacred stillness.

While we can spend time in contemplation with light in our eyes, the stillness of dark spaces draws us deeper. The shadows seem to help us listen.

Some of us prefer to listen in well lit places. They may be anxious about not paying attention or even falling asleep. For me, a little sleep shows me how tired I am and how restful contemplation can be.

There is spiritual life waiting for us in the stillness of dark spaces.

The stillness I find in dark spaces helps me release my grip on everything which distracts me. My breathing calms down and I remember to listen. The stillness of dark spaces mirrors the quiet in the deepest places within me.

Listening to the stillness of dark spaces reminds me how to listen well. Our listening is not about focusing our attention or not missing a single word. We listen by practicing being open. The stillness of dark spaces helps us recognize new ways to be open to the sacred.

We listen well when we are not distracted by whatever hides in the dark spaces around us.

The Powerful Stillness of Dark Spaces

When we walk through dark spaces we remind ourselves there are places within us we have not explored. Large parts of who we are remain dark even to ourselves. As we practice listening to sacred stillness we begin to see ourselves in a new light.

The stillness of dark spaces shows us how to recognize and appreciate who we are. The parts of our true selves we have kept hidden, even from ourselves, reveal themselves in the darkness.

The listening we do in dark spaces helps us see who we are in a new light.

There are voices in the shadows we need to hear. As we calm down, take a breath, and reflect, our listening grows stronger. In our contemplation we listen to the stillness of dark spaces and hear the voices in the shadows.

The powerful stillness in dark spaces is about our ability to listen without fooling ourselves. We can listen without being distracted by what we see. Dark shadows often help us pay attention to what is most important.

Listening to the stillness of dark spaces does not overpower us. The power of stillness in dark spaces helps us learn to listen more deeply.

As we allow the power of dark spaces to help us listen well we learn the lessons its stillness has for us.

Our Practice of Listening to the Stillness of Dark Spaces

I did not set out intentionally to practice listening to the stillness of dark spaces. My practice of listening in dark spaces developed and grew with experience, over time.

Many people avoid dark spaces, rushing past to spend their time in the light. They may be anxious or afraid of whatever waits for them in the dark.

For me the stillness of dark spaces has become a deep pool of potential wisdom and reflection. As my openness and listening have grown I have gained more insight and questions.

We listen to sacred stillness, exploring the deep truths of spiritual life. Sometimes in daylight and sometimes in dark spaces, we discover what stillness has for us.

Each week I practice walking and listening in the stillness of dark spaces. We gather to share in listening together to sacred stillness.

The listening we share in dark spaces is deepened by the listening I begin on my own.

How will we listen to the stillness of dark spaces this week?

Where will we find the stillness of dark spaces today?

[Image by DoNotLick]

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.