Silence--scary, inviting, or both? What do you do with silence? And what if silence was a language we could learn to read, hear, and even speak? This book invites you to tune the eyes and ears of your heart to the cadences of silence. Enter into conversations with silence as you are taken on an odyssey. Venture into the Australian bush. Trek deep into the red desert. Encounter shadows and desert dwellers. You will also delve into the tiny houses of everyday silences and receive their gifts of hospitality. And stumbling into that other territory, where silence becomes a death threat, or survival, an orchard can show you the fruit of life beginning again. Conversations with Silence takes you to the Rosetta Stone of an ancient, forgotten language, a language some have called God, or the soul. Immerse yourself in the silent realm of mystics, musicians, poets, and pilgrims of every path. These are our companions, as we explore the nuanced vocabulary of the worlds of silences and join in the conversation with a new voice.
Silence--scary, inviting, or both? What do you do with silence? And what if silence was a language we could learn to read, hear, and even speak? This book invites you to tune the eyes and ears of your heart to the cadences of silence. Enter into conversations with silence as you are taken on an odyssey. Venture into the Australian bush. Trek deep into the red desert. Encounter shadows and desert dwellers. You will also delve into the tiny houses of everyday silences and receive their gifts of hospitality. And stumbling into that other territory, where silence becomes a death threat, or survival, an orchard can show you the fruit of life beginning again. Conversations with Silence takes you to the Rosetta Stone of an ancient, forgotten language, a language some have called God, or the soul. Immerse yourself in the silent realm of mystics, musicians, poets, and pilgrims of every path. These are our companions, as we explore the nuanced vocabulary of the worlds of silences and join in the conversation with a new voice.
Sally Longley is a pastor, retreat leader, spiritual director, and author based in Sydney, Australia. She is a past president of the Australian Network for Spiritual Direction.
"Sally Longley reminds us of a forgotten truth: Words of substance
are born of silence and bear fruit in silence. At a time when
public discourse is beset by destructive polarizations and sheer
emptiness, both inside religious traditions and in the marketplaces
of our cities, Conversations with Silence says, gently but
powerfully, 'There is another way.' It is a wise and healing
book."
--Michael Whelan, SM, author of A Friendly Guide to Prayer
"In Conversations with Silence form and content kiss each other in
a text that is both richly profound and beautifully written. Who
knew silence was so tonal and eloquent!"
--Robin Parry, Church of England priest and author
"Here is the literary treasure-trove about silence that we all have
been waiting for, the trialogue between the Divine, the human soul,
and the Rosetta Stone realm of stillness. This is a 'stepping stone
to what is beyond explanation . . . sublime wisdom.' . . . Céad
mile fáilte to a practical, informative meditation that awakens the
spirit of the mystic in every reader, expertly guided by the
erudite, imaginative writing of spiritual director and retreat
leader, Sally Longley."
--Nóirín Ní Riain, spiritual singer, author, and Interfaith
Minister
"In Psalm 46, the Holy calls upon us to 'desist and know that I am
God.' In her Conversations with Silence, Sally Longley offers us
heartfelt 'whys' and wise 'hows, ' as she guides us to do just
that, to be still and intimately know. Born of reflection,
scholarship, and deep experience, Sally introduces us to but some
of the divine faces she's encountered amid the textures of
silence--the Sacred manifest in our personal shadows and
distractions, in the fire, in the sky, in Scripture and in the
presence of Grandmother God. Rooted in her lived Christianity,
Longley's grasp of the Abrahamic faiths, of Eastern and Indigenous
traditions makes this a compelling read for people of all
backgrounds."
--Howard Avruhm Addison, Director, Jewish Spirituality Doctoral
Programs, Graduate Theological Foundation
"Part memoir and part spiritual instruction guide, Conversations
with Silence is a poetically powerful invitation to transform our
lives and authenticate our relationship with God through the
healing power of silence. Spiritual director and author Sally
Longley understands firsthand what courage it takes it takes to
stop living frantically, to listen deeply, and to surrender to the
voice of God wherever one finds it--in the Australian bush, in the
desert, or in one's own backyard. She invites us to courageously do
the same; to seize sacred opportunities and pauses, Selah, which
can be found always and everywhere, . . . This book is a propitious
gift to the world, and one that is sorely needed during these times
of cacophonous disconnection and despair. It is a hopeful book, and
I am supremely grateful for it."
--Janice L. Lundy, co-founder, The Spiritual Guidance Training
Institute, Chicago
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