Honestly, I don't know how to get "interior silance".

Anyone care to take a crack at this for little me?

Jessica
http://www.xanga.com/ADiscerningSoul

What is your understanding of "interior silence"? What contexts have you heard in used in? Why do you desire it?

(Thought I'd add my two cents by answering your question with a question! )

I wish to know interior silance to better my relationship with God our loving Lord.

from what I understand it's an inner peace, stillness.

Jessica
http://www.xanga.com/ADiscerningSoul

I can tell you what it means to me, but not everyone will see it the same way. And I can tell you what steps I take, but in the end, I think it is a gift from God, not something that we can grab and take for ourselves. Each person might come to it within their own relationship to God, but not the same way as someone else.

When I pray, I first start out with something like reciting common prayers (the Rosary is good), very quietly, almost under my breath. After some time of doing this, I will "talk" to God in my own words, expressing my appreciation or love, and perhaps requesting his protection and blessing for my efforts at prayer. All of this is done "sotto voce" - very quietly (especially if I am in the Adoration room, which is where I love to go). Eventually, I stop talking to Him and just listen for Him, trying to be aware of His presence. Sometimes I am aware of my breath coming and going, sometimes I just feel a stillness.

Thoughts will come and go, but I don't chase them, and I don't try to stop them, I just return to my listening. Usually the thoughts at this point are either ones of my own unworthiness or of God and his mercy, or of angels - it varies but I don't try to control them. Interior silence doesn't always mean that all thoughts stop -- it is more of a silence of the soul. Thoughts might be there, but I am focussed on something else and do not "hear" them. I might find myself quietly saying something like "thank you God, thank you God" without even being aware of it.

After some time of listening (but not always), I feel a presence or perhaps a warmth in my heart area that almost "grabs" me and holds me - and everything feels immensely still. At that point I do nothing. One time it felt like angels wings were wrapped around me, another time it felt as if I were in an embrace of the soul. Everyone will describe it differently. At that point there is nothing but silence and a deep sense of love and compassion. It can be almost overwhelming in intensity or it can simply be comforting. It can last a short time or seem endless.

To really experience the prayer of interior silence requires a deep love of prayer and consistent effort, but the ultimate experience is given as a gift from God. To be able to "listen" and wait for Him requires patience and dedication, yes, but ultimately God is merciful and responds to those who are sincere in their efforts. He could bless anyone at any time with this gift. This is his compassion.

For you, I would simply find as many occasions as possible to be alone with God, to listen for Him, and to be aware of His presence. Using "tools" such as vocal prayer are helpful, but reading might be distracting, I don't know. I find spiritual reading good, but not for this type of prayer.

Anyway, I think it is wonderful that you are looking for this type of relationship with God - it must please Him because the consolations He gives back are so sweet.

God Bless you....

Keeping the external world as quiet as possible is always conducive. However, I did read somewhere that "recollection" -- interior silence -- is a gift of God. Always do what you can to "make straight the path of the Lord" -- silence your own thoughts, talk to Jesus within you. Put forth your anxieties and issues, then quiet yourself.

Of course, asking Our Lady for her graces, and St. Joseph's help (he's the patron of the contemplative life) never hurts.

Blessings,
Gemma

I think for most people it's more of something you strive to do, out of love for Our Lord, than something that is achieved all the time. Maybe I'm wrong, but that has been my observation

I am reading an excellent book called "Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation" by Martin Laird. He is the spiritual director for the Wolverhampton Carmelite nuns and the Mother Prioress recommended that I read it.

I have just started it but am enjoying it immensely and it offers some practical advice for silent meditation or contemplation.

More on the author and his book...


Into the Silent Land
A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation
Reviewed by Patricia Raybon | posted 11/13/2006 09:17AM


"The bright evangelical mind—always so active and in pursuit—must leap great hurdles of spiritual and intellectual activity to shut itself down and be still. Theologian Martin Laird offers a roadmap to this practice of silence and God-awareness with warmth and reason.

Like many trained in Christian contemplative practice, Laird is a Roman Catholic, of the Order of St. Augustine—those charged by Pope John Paul II to be "teachers of the interior life." Laird, an associate professor in theology and religious studies at Villanova University, obeys the charge with grace and clear instruction.

In his compact primer, he charts the path leading to silent surrender and "watchfulness" before God. As such, the book's great contribution might be its reminder that in our noisy, chaotic, thinking world, God is not somebody we need to flag down or acquire: "God is the ground of our being."

Laird's book defines how to sink back into God's ground—physically with breathing, mentally with "prayer words," and spiritually with interior surrender. Through anecdote, Scripture, and classic wisdom, Laird illuminates a Christian path into the silent land. An able guide, he makes the trip more than worth the journey."