3 Quotes On Silence: What IS Silence, anyway?
April 17, 2025
Yesterday I came across two quotes on silence that spoke strongly to me. And then Wisdom gave me an added reflection as well.
They are simple but profound definitions that each touch on qualities of Silence that go beyond our common ideas about silence.
Here they are. I used bold below to indicate the phrases that especially captured my attention:
Silence is something that comes from the heart not from the outside. Silence doesn’t mean not talking and not doing things. It means that you are not disturbed inside.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
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The American theologian and civil rights leader Howard Thurman writes: “There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself,” for “a deeper note which only the stillness of the heart makes clear.”
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Br. David Steindl-Rast describes silence “not only as [something] perceived by the ears, but also a quietness of the heart, a lucid stillness inside.”
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Reading these yesterday, Wisdom brought me this additional thought: “Sometimes silence is simply your daily sensory experiences… those moments you feel fully alive. The body knows itself to also be the silence.”
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There we have it. Short and sweet, nice to ponder in this moment, right?
See you there, dear one, in the lucid stillness inside where the the sound of the genuine in ourselves lends a lucid stillness that resonates with heightened senses and the feeling of being fully alive.
Lots of love coming your way,
Mayet Leilani
My Pronouns Are “We/She”
April 10, 2025
In 2020 I had an unusual accidental conversation with a young man on Zoom. We were both early for an online event and ended up somehow seeing and being able to talk to each other, so we did.
They mentioned that their pronoun was “they” and asked me if I was a 20-year old now, would I choose different pronouns?
I hadn’t considered this before. But my answer came quickly and surprised me. Yes, I realized, I would. I would identify as “we.” Not the royal We, the composite “we.”
In fact, I sort of always have. From the time I was young I felt like both me and we. Not to worry, I wasn’t mentally ill; I had a clear sense of self. But I was simply always aware of those who walk with me, as I came to refer to them. They were family. And together we were the board of ME. We all had a seat at the table and “I” was the one in charge. Still do, still am.
I think that’s why I so quickly answered as I did with the sound man on Zoom. It was fun to think about and was nice to realize. I suspect that many of you also say that your personal pronoun is also we, now that we’re thinking about it, right?
Feeling very “we” with thee,
And sending love (and a wink),
Mayet Leilani
Life Blooms Because of You
April 3, 2025
Article highlights:
- What’s your work in the world?
- The light of being seen
As I was making my bed this morning I was thinking about the relationship between fun, childlike sensibility and beauty. I reflected that the childlike perspective is one that’s open, discovering, interested, amazed. My thought was that – with this perspective – it’s possible to see beauty and delight all around me and at any time. (See last week’s blog.)Messenger
My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird –
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.
Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, yet still half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,
which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
since all the ingredients are here,
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren,
to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.
“My work is loving the world…. Learning to be astonished.” Can you think of a better childlike job description for worthy grown-up work? I was riveted with the potential written into her poetic expression, excited at its truth.
I let that all sink in then reached for an old volume of my own morning thoughts and writings. As I thumbed it, my eyes fell on a message I took down one morning in early May of 2018. You no doubt will feel now the same delight I did when seeing how perfectly it fits our musings today.
I have a thought… this week, let’s each create moments of beauty by choosing something we rarely notice. Let’s see it anew. ALSO choose yourself as the subject of your deeply honoring interest – if so, I think you’ll ultimately be overcome by the wonder that you are.
From the glorious child-light within us all that notices the wondrous light in all things,
With love,
X💜Mayet MaHulili Leilani