When you think about it, silence is an odd phenomenon. Finding silence can be a hard thing when there is so much noise in the world. If you live with children the only silence there can be is after they are all tucked in for bed, and perhaps in the wee hours of the morning before anyone else stirs.
In fact, true silence is so rare feel uneasy when it gets too quiet. They begin thinking how they can fill that void. There is a huge strength to silence and we are so out of tune with silence it can be daunting.
Think about this for a moment. All sound, music, street noise, the wind, and whispers all come from silence, and then go back to silence. There are so many overlaps of sound, again all of the sounds mentioned above, we don’t notice the silence between because there is none. Silence exists under the sound, its always there but we don’t notice that when it is overtaken with noise of the world.
Creative people need periods of silence. They need this time to listen to their inner voice, the voice of our mind and intuition telling us the truth and giving us inspiration. It is hard to connect with this when there is noise. Ask anyone who practices yoga what they do with the silence – connecting with themselves, their inner self, their breath and heartbeat. The sounds of us just being alive.
To hear silence, it is good to sit, close your eyes, and just listen. If you are in a remote place, or at a time when there is no one around, you can hear it. Stay in this place for as long as you can and allow the sound of silence penetrate your body until it moves into your core. Sitting in silence and connecting with yourself is cleansing. Five minutes of this practice will make your day go much better and you will feel refreshed.
Usually, we all ignore silence and look for ways to fill that space. This is because we are inundated every day with noise and it feels odd when that noise isn’t there. Yet silence is always there, it is vast and invites us in to experience silence any time we choose.
Artists are probably the most people common to experiencing and utilizing silence in their lives. Touching that inner self for problem solving, cleansing, inspiration, and peace is what is necessary to create. Try to find a time every day to go there, stay there for a bit, and get in touch with your inner self.