The silence is thick and rich. I immerse myself in it. Savor each sip. It isn’t easy to come by or always available. Often the mind is so dense with thought that the boat of awareness cannot navigate. But then one can just sit there unmoving and let the thoughts bang up against the ship. Sooner or later the thoughts will die back.

The stars are all around us. Underneath us as well as above us. Life is within us and so is death. The universe is having a party and a wake at the same time. What to do but be?

There are still taboos in the literature of awakening. One of the strongest is that you mustn’t learn silence without a good teacher. Hush, little baby, don’t say a word. Silence is who we are and our culture insists that we listen to noise.

Listen and you will hear a symphony of silence.

Vicki Woodyard