Thanks, June. It was a quite heavenly experience. I hope to be able to repeat it sometimes in the future (would be nice to make it an annual occurrence!). I agree with you whole-heartedly: Jesus was and is the perfect example of actions speaking louder than words. I know he wants us to continue following in his footsteps.

Good point, Beverley. There are different kinds of silence. I’m often quite during a day simply because there is no one in the house to talk to, but that’s a different kind of silence than one I enter intentionally to sit in the Lord’s presence. “Heart and soul silence” – I like that!

Rie! Nice to have you visit. Hope all is well with you. I still read your blog when you post; I enjoy seeing how everyone is growing up and moving on to new phases.

Yes, the challenge for me was trying not to read or write. Of course it was all optional (nobody was enforcing anything on us), but I wanted to get the most out of the experience so I read and wrote very little. The time went by so fast that it was okay; more than the weekend would have been super strange. No one freaked out that I was aware of, but I do know that people do struggle at times with centering prayer because of things that come up in us. The leaders told us that the 8-day retreat requires pre-screening because it can be so challenging.

I bet that was an interesting summer, Jennifer! I’d have to be quiet a lot if I visited France. 🙂 My one semester of French in college wouldn’t do me much good now. It is interesting, though, how many different ways we can communicate without even using the same language of words.

I don’t really have a problem not speaking. I prefer listening anyway. If reading and writing were out too, that would be a challenge. Even imagining it, …

… and you’re in an environment designed for this purpose.

I think after a day or two I would start feeling very strange. The sensuality and the direct social interactions. I can imagine feeling almost panic at not being able to process it or keep it at bay. I imagine it would take a good while afterwards for all the ripples to die down.

Did anyone like totally freak out on this retreat by any chance?

David

This was so intriguing to read about. I’m not sure how long I’ve been silent. One summer I lived alone in Marseille, France, and worked long hours. Some weekend days could be solitary, but even then there were interactions on buses, metros, etc with people around me as I explored. Hmm. Thank you for your observations and insights here about how silence opened you up to see more communication around you and helped you interact with God in a new way.

Jennifer Dougan
http://www.jenniferdougan.com