The whisper of God drowned out by Clare’s never-ending inner “to do” list…
posted by Clare
“Let us be silent, that we may hear the whisper of God.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Or, in my case, the constant background chatter of my own mind. External silence is not really that hard to achieve: turn everything off, go somewhere quiet, wait until everyone else in the house is asleep…It’s interior silence that’s difficult. It would be amusing and probably a little unnerving to transcribe my thoughts as they wander while I’m trying to pray, while I’m trying to “follow the silence”, as my spiritual director tells me. It always amazes me how many forgotten tasks and great ideas come to me when I’m trying to pray in silence–the tyranny of the urgent always dragging one’s attention away from the “one thing needful”.
The Holy Way and By Way of Grace by Paula Huston
John Main and the World Community for Christian Meditation. An interesting discussion on this topic, which one of the participants calls a “Superbowl of Silence“.
Thomas Keating and Centering Prayer.
Anybody have any experience with these authors or additional knowledge of them? Other recommended books or resources? Comments welcome.
