My Story - W. Thomas Wells - Silence

September 8, 2009

Hi Warren and Lorree, and a warm welcome to you both. Silence is such a

problematic issue !!

I'm not yet entirely sure of the validity for myself of the quotation below,

attributed to Paul Brunton* , but perhaps that's because I'm still struggling

with the duplicitous play of ego in my own life:

" The strange result of going deeper and deeper into the Real is that silence

falls more and more as a curtain over his/(her) private experience and private

thought. The strong urgency of communication which the missionary and the

reformer feel, the strong need of expression which the artist and the writer

have, trouble him/her no longer. The inner voice is tight-lipped, or speaks to

him/her alone. He/she begins to see how much apostolic utterance is merely the

overflow of personal emotion, how much artistic achievement is motivated by

personal ambition, how much spiritual service is simply another phase of the ego

adoring and serving itself. Thomas Aquinas came to such an insight late in life

and he, the author of so many books dedicated to the glory of God, could never

again write another line. Those who stand on the outside may consider such a

severe restraint put upon oneself to be harsh and fanatical, perhaps even

antisocial. But it is safe to say that all these critics have never tracked the

ego to its secret lair, never had all movement of their individual will stopped

by the divine Stillness.

from " The Peace within You " / Chapter 4: Seek the Deeper Stillness

* (from Wikipedia): " Paul Brunton ..........was a British mystic. He left a

journalistic career to live among yogis, mystics, and holy men, and studied a

wide variety of Eastern and Western esoteric teachings. Dedicating his life to

an inward and spiritual quest, Brunton felt charged to communicate his

experiences about what he learned in the east to others. His works had a major

influence on the spread of Eastern mysticism to the West. Taking pains to

express his thoughts in layperson's terms, Brunton was able to present what he

learned from the Orient and from ancient tradition as a living wisdom. His

writings express his view that meditation and the inward quest are not

exclusively for monks and hermits, but will also support those living normal,

active lives in the Western world. "

Love - John.

September 8, 2009

Interesting John...thanks for this perspective on it and your welcome!

I personally could never be in silence until recently and it took about a year

to not have any TV or music on, etc. I just kept pearing down the TV and

background noise. and working on releasing whatever wanted to be covered up in

my soul with " noise " and now I could even go on a silent retreat, where before

it would scare me! I think for me, it means my nervous system is quieted down,

and I can be still and listen from within. However, with that being said...I get

alot of messages from K or what I call Spirit from movement, but I think the

discernment of ego vs Spirit comes from a still place, and once we can

understand the language of Spirit, then less stillness most likely is required

for discernment....

Lorree

, " " <...>

wrote:

>

> Hi Warren and Lorree, and a warm welcome to you both. Silence is such a

problematic issue !!

>

> I'm not yet entirely sure of the validity for myself of the quotation below,

attributed to Paul Brunton* , but perhaps that's because I'm still struggling

with the duplicitous play of ego in my own life:

>

> " The strange result of going deeper and deeper into the Real is that silence