Silence, the way home

The 14th-century Sufi poet and mystic, Rumi, wrote, “Return to the root of the root of yourself.” His words remind me that I often live on the periphery or circumference of life, disconnected from the root of my being and existence. To “return to the root of the root” of myself means returning to myself, becoming more fully human, and entering the deep heart. Ultimately, though, it means returning to God.

For me that returning necessarily involves intentional silence. What does that look like on a daily basis? Each morning I sit in the same chair, at the same time, for thirty to forty minutes of silence. No talking, no reading, no thinking. I do the best I can to just show up. Some mornings it’s easy and the time flies by. Other mornings it is the hardest thing I do and time seems to stand still.

Throughout the day I try to catch a few minutes of silence here and there as my schedule allows. Most of the time I drive with the radio off. Unless there is really something I want to watch I do not turn on the television.