Holding silence
...in magick and spiritwork
To know, to dare, to will and to be silent.” – Eliphas Levi
Take a moment to draw in a long, easy breath.
Do not force this breath. Gently suspend the air inside you for a few seconds without clenching.
A moment of stillness and silence.
Then, as easily as you drew it in, let it go.
We understand and appreciate what it means when it’s said that your silence will not protect you (Audre Lorde) or Silence = Death.
But we know that silence in magick does not negate the awesome power of timely speech. It feeds, nourishes, and readies it.
Silence in spiritual work, in spiritwork, does not prevent the exercise of one’s voice when it absolutely must sound. It aligns, attunes, clarifies, and boosts that voice.
Silence can also be a bond of respect and protection for others in relationship and in community.
In my monthly Zoom Séances, where we gather online to practice psychic development and spiritwork, we commit to holding silence around the personal sharing we hear from members of our circle. We agree to take privacy seriously. We do not carry participants’ stories out into the world. This is the most basic, respectful silence we practice.
Holding silence while another speaks their lived experience and truth is also a form of loving magick and care that we’re called to give. And taking time in silence to gather meaningful, supportive thoughts in response to someone’s sharing is an act of wisdom and care.
Any utterance is, for good or not-so-good, a form of active energy expended and directed. Thought and will make it a magick spell.
When we pause to consider what we’re about to say, when we set an intention, make a choice, we’re working high magick.
We’ve all heard speakers whose magick lingers with us long after the final ring of their words. Their voices have seized us, transformed us, perhaps anticipating what might change our world.
It reminds us that we, too, can speak with intention, magick, not carelessness.
The key is well-timed silence.
I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence and the truth comes to me. —Albert Einstein
Silence in liminal space—operating not only, as we’re taught, in meditative states but also in those delicate moments following a good sleep or dreams—recognizes the space where every part of the self is most sensitive and available to Spirit.
Holding silence, even if for just a few minutes, allows space for messages to flow through. Even more time in silence will help energies and intelligence be recognized as significant and relevant. It will help decipher and usefully integrate these messages.
Whether these gifts come through imagery, words, feelings, memories, or sudden understandings, they benefit from the space that silence affords.
Silence is confidence and strength. One stops pushing, stops asking, stops doubting, stops complaining, stops all the mental spinning and thrashing and lets energy, already expended in speech, fly off and do its thing.
Let Spirit do its thing.
In classical mediumship, the beautiful practice known as Sitting in the Power invites us to yield and allow spirit energy to simply, quietly blend with us. Although, if you search through YouTube, you’ll find numerous guided meditations and dreamy music devoted to Sitting in the Power, the best policy is to sit in silence with nothing to obstruct or misdirect the energy.
Down through all the ages, practitioners of various forms of magick and many other forms of “alternative” spirituality have understood protective silence—protection from all those who would mock, imprison, or even murder anyone choosing not to follow their strict religious orthodoxies. Other practitioners have rightly held spiritual and magickal secrets close, mindful of long histories of enduring colonial thievery and exploitation. That danger of theft and exploitation has not gone away.
Silence around practice can also signal high value placed on knowledge and skill earned through committed and sustained effort, not just information and practices casually tossed around and picked up. Here’s where Tarot’s High Priestess comes in and hands you your homework or—watch out!—your grades.
Think of silence as the essential spaces between musical beats. With silences, rhythm. Without silences, chaos.
What rhythms work best for the music you are meant to play in this life?
I’m here to help you develop a capacity to live your human life as your Spirit Self. I draw from a spectrum of colors: primarily, intuitive listening, Tarot, animistic Spiritwork, and energy work. I guide, witness, and champion your development, and I look forward to sharing my work with you soon.
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Our Summer gatherings will be held on the following Saturdays:
July 25 & August 29—1pm-3pm EDT
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This piece really resonated with me. Silence is an ongoing practice for me that challenges almost every level of internal vs. external development. I went away by myself for a month earlier this year, most of the time spent alone, and I really began to hear the land and places for the first time. I call it the drift, those moments when you let whatever is coming through speak. Incredibly powerful. This article lets that feel understood. Thank you
This is great. Silence never gets old or stale!