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{"id":12229,"date":"2016-12-28T04:40:54","date_gmt":"2016-12-28T12:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.strategicmonk.com\/?p=12229"},"modified":"2016-12-28T04:40:54","modified_gmt":"2016-12-28T12:40:54","slug":"monastic-silence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/strategicmonk\/2016\/12\/28\/monastic-silence\/","title":{"rendered":"Monastic Silence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

Monasteries tend to be quiet places.<\/p>\n

Some monasteries are quiet because people go there to be silent. Not talking, being quiet, is part of the experience, part of the attraction, of being there. People visit monastic communities to drink from their deep pools of Sacred refreshment. Some visitors sit in libraries, reading or writing. Other visitors find places where they can take long walks and allow obstacles to fall away.<\/p>\n

There is a rocking chair in each room at the monastery to which I am connected.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut the whole world behind you and forget it. Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish. . . . Empty yourself completely and sit waiting.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Monastic silence allows us to rest, not paying attention to the distractions that surround us. As\u00a0we listen to silence\u00a0and practice forgetting, we may even set aside the distractions within us. We open our minds, open our hearts, open our souls to grow and learn.<\/p>\n

Some monasteries are quiet because no one has lived there for hundreds of years. Exploring the stone ruins of monasteries and abbeys, we recognize the depth of silence there. Seeing what remains of their efforts, we wonder what life was like for them.<\/p>\n

What brought these people so far from home to spend their lives this way? Were they drawn to the silence of these beautiful places? How did they decide who would do what each week, each day? Did their choices bring them happiness and satisfaction?<\/p>\n

There is a healing power beyond words in monastic silence. The silence allows us to listen to Sacred truths all around us. In the silence, the deep truth listens to our hidden depths.<\/p>\n

Monastic silence wraps us in itself.<\/p>\n

When and where do we experience monastic silence?<\/p>\n

How do we listen to silence?<\/p>\n

[Image by\u00a0VelikaBritanija<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"