Brigid and silence

Last week, we spoke about music, so it may come as no surprise to ye to find Brigid and silence coming up this week. Also, I’m working on sitting in silence as part of my self-care this month, so the topic is on my mind.

Silence has long been part of spiritual traditions. Honestly – go google it. There’s loads of entries there. And there are good reasons for this. For a start, it’s a break for our ears if nothing else. Not to mention all the processing power of the brain that is used in just understanding sound! Brigid is less often connected with silence than with music, but there is silence in music as well…

Why is silence important in spiritual matters?

People have heard me before saying prayer is when we talk to the gods and meditation is when they talk back. Sometimes. Possibly more often than we’d like.

I mean, really, Brigid doesn’t need silence to get in touch with us. Any of her followers will tell you that. But sometimes we need the silence to be able to hear her. As in properly, actively hear her.

But in resting our minds, we can allow them to disengage with the mundane world. And yes, I know, I regularly talk about how important the mundane world is. And it is.

But so is the other world. So is the spiritual world. Brigid is liminal and she can bridge these spaces easily. As humans, it can sometimes take us a bit more effort.

Silence is one more way to do this. And yes, I know, Brigid and silence aren’t the easiest bedfellows. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t understand the power of silence. Seriously. You ever had a therapist sit in silence for you to realise something? Now imagine that with a deity instead of a human…

How to practice silence

It’s hard in the modern world and to be honest, “silence” is comparative. If you’re in the middle of a city, with noisy traffic and other background noise, then complete silence might be difficult. Unless you have some very good ear plugs.

So, when I say silence, it’s relative to your situation. I mean, my husband swears where we currently live is really noisy, but I hardly hear anything because the birdsong and dogs barking etc is part of the silence for me. It’s entirely possible the traffic in a city can act as the same for you, I suppose. (Yes, I’m a country girl, didn’t ye know? )

But try starting with “sitting quietly”. (Or lying, or standing, or sprawling, or… you get the idea) No added noise. No music. No radio. No television. No one talking to you. Just quiet. And start with 30 seconds or so.

Seriously. Just trust me. It’s hard to start with, if you’re not used to being without distraction.

It’s bloody hard to just sit with yourself and deal with yourself. Honestly. Other people are easy – it’s our own thoughts that get really messy. And that’s part of value of being in silence.

Sitting in silence with Brigid makes it a bit easier. At least you have company. It doesn’t feel as isolating. Lighting a candle can help as well – it at least gives your eyes something to focus on.

Make it a pleasant environment as well. Comfortable at the very least. Warm enough. Or indeed, cool enough. If your day is anything like mine here in Kilkenny today, don’t underestimate the power of ice in bowls. It helps!

Brigid, silence and mental health

I know for some of ye, the thoughts of silence is pain inducing, rather than alleviating. But it does help us slow down. Understanding our own thoughts, how our mind is acting with us, being aware of the things we are saying to ourselves…

I first came across this in recovering from disordered eating. (There’s nothing quite as horrific as saying aloud to others what you habitually say to yourself, just FYI. ) But the step before saying them aloud, or even being aware of what you’re saying to yourself, is to hear what you’re saying to yourself. And the modern world is very well designed to stop that. And yes, I have my opinions between that and mental health issues, but that’s another days work…

Quieting the mind is an important part of any mindfulness practice, but people tend to skip over the “acknowledge the thought” part. We have to make the effort to hear what we are saying, to acknowledge what our minds are telling us. Because whether we acknowledge it or not, our mind knows what’s been said.

Brigid is as interested in mental health as she is in any other type of health. It’s possibly why she has me working so hard on self-care right now. And she has been extremely blunt with me on the importance of silence and time in silence for me. Actually, for me it’s stillness and silence she keeps on about. But more on that later.

What to do?

Look, I understand that it is a privilege to be able to say “Just take 5mins and sit in silence”. I know there are people on here who can’t remember the last time they were able to go to the bathroom on their own. If that’s the case, it’s entirely possible a nap is more important right now than silence.

But for those who have that feeling of everything being too much right now. Or needing constant distraction from life. Or who feel some basic, general unhappiness with life. Sitting with Brigid and silence might not be a bad answer.

Like I said, start small. If you spend 10mins preparing and 10seconds in silence – brilliant. That’s your starting point. If complete silence is unbearable to start, maybe try some nature sound, white noise, or something similar.

The important thing is to get to the stage where nothing is distracting you from what’s going on in your own mind. Trust me, the distraction techniques only work so well.

This is important work on the path to getting to know yourself. In fact, being able to listen to yourself might be the most important step on the path.

Remember, other people are easy. Many times its ourselves that cause the issues!