ISSUE 984 - November 2023

I went on a silent retreat recently. I kept thinking about that song by The Tremeloes - Silence Is Golden (1967).

“Silence is golden

But my eyes still see.”

When I heard of silent retreats, I was intrigued. A couple of my friends have done them, and I was absolutely fascinated by the idea of being quiet around other people in a group setting (I knew one person out of nine). I wanted to have that experience. I’ve had so much stress lately that I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to find some clarity and peace in my life. And it was.

If you are unfamiliar with silent retreats, they are a structured period of time, ranging from a few days to several weeks, during which participants refrain from speaking. The retreat I attended was 24 hours of silence, so we barely dipped our toes in the “silent retreat” waters. Most of my friends have done 3 to 5 days of silence, and I’ve learned that greater benefits are reached if the retreat is a minimum of 10 days. 

Benefits, you ask? Yes, there are many benefits. Stress reduction, enhanced mindfulness, greater self-awareness, and a deep inner experience, just to name a few. 

On this retreat, I became aware of how much I talk out loud to myself. I’m quite the chatterbox. Maybe I need to get a pet. People with pets have a built-in excuse when they talk to themselves. They can just add their pet’s name at the beginning or end of the sentence, and no one’s the wiser. 

Now, you need to understand that this isn’t just a bunch of people not talking to each other, but it’s also…are you ready…no technology! Yup. No phones, no computers, no TV, nada. You can’t have an environment of profound stillness and introspection if all your technology is yelling at you. I have to admit, I had a little anxiety over no phone for 48 hours. Thankfully, I was up in the mountains with no reception, so I couldn’t be tempted to peek. 

Even though we were silent, we were busy. We did a guided hike with points of interest being pointed out and no words spoken. We did a sound bath with drumming. That was super cool (I fell in and out of sleep. It was delightful). We went 400 feet into a cave with flashlights and more drumming. Not a word. We ate dinner together, did silent yoga, and made breakfast while silent.

It was fascinating. How much we communicate with our eyes, smiles, hands, and bodies is incredible. We had journals to write our thoughts, which I found helpful because, being quiet and undistracted, it’s amazing how many thoughts entered my head. If I couldn’t talk to myself out loud, I could write to myself out loud, which was thankfully inherently silent. 

The truth is, there is nothing new about silent retreats. They have ancient roots in various spiritual and philosophical traditions. What is newish is the modern variations of silent retreats and their growth in popularity. As our world gets busier, louder, and more relentlessly stressful, no wonder we are seeking an oasis of silence. 

Maybe one day, I’ll be brave enough to try a 10-day silent retreat. But for now, I gained a little peace and some clarity. Mission accomplished.