by Sally Longley
Do you long for silence? For space? For solitude? Our lives are so noisy, so full, so bombarded with voices, opinions, and ideas, that silence perhaps seems foreign and scary to us. What would happen if we truly quieted ourselves, inside and out? What would we hear?
In her book, Conversations With Silence, Sally Longley takes us on a journey into this silence. She not only shows the reader how to create space for silence, but she beautifully describes her inner dialogues and outward experiences during moments where she has sought silence. She intimately lets the reader encounter her own times on a silent retreat, in a desert experience, in facing the silencing of trauma, and in finding a daily pattern of silence in her everyday life. She vulnerably lets the reader hear her imaginary and creative thoughts in prayer.
As a woman growing up with a strong servanthood ethic, sometimes it is difficult for me to take time out for just myself. The voices in my head tell me to do, to work, to be of use, and to conform. Sally shows me that it is okay, and sometimes very needed, to just be, and to think, and to listen, and to be okay with stillness. For it is in this silence that I can hear myself, and in the even greater silence that I can hear the voice of God. As quoted in the book, “Women need solitude in order to find again the true essence of themselves.” (Ann Morrow Lindbergh)
Sally says, “Perhaps the way forward is to tune into the movement of the Spirit, the symphony of the trinity, and notice what we are being beckoned into.” I am being beckoned into the rhythms of prayer, into the rests between the notes, into the fermatas at the end of the melodies. It is a place of stillness yet significance where I can find my voice, my uniqueness, and my God.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.
Sally Longley on Eremos – Exploring Spirituality in Australia
Leave a Reply