BLOG & DAILY MEDITATIONS
Welcome to my blog, I’ve had many blogs over the years, but none tattoo related and none relating to spirituality. So, I thought I’d try something new, I like trying new things.
In this first blog post I’m going to start from the beginning – Silence
In the beginning there was silence. Silence is the bridge between your inner and outer world. With silence, you don’t need headphones you can listen to it forever. It doesn’t ever go away.
What I’ve noticed is that when one observes silence and even when one does not? The whole body is listening to everything going on around it. This is why when you go to view an empty apartment, there is no one inside but you say to yourself or your friend “Something doesn’t feel right”. The whole body is constantly listening to the energy that is interacting with it.
I’ve also realized that more often than not that you actually have company while being in silence, the company of peace of mind, inner peace and the sacred divine energy that slows down the mental chatter, enables you to concentrate on a task or simply just observe the observer and remain a witness to whatever is appearing to appear.
The scientists call us human beings, not human sayings, so is it not more natural to ‘be’ than to say? Being is more your real nature. Since my vow of silence, I realized that it immediately brings you into the present moment and takes you directly home. Silence is like a taxi if you will, wherever you are? You can hop in, and it will take you straight to the divine, right into the center of your own heart. You have arrived, you are home. Now you can reside here, take a spiritual bath, refresh yourself, take your time, slow down and be in your real nature. Last night as I was lying in bed & this quote just flew in from nowhere and I heard “words are for the character, silence is for the soul” which I like a lot so of course I immediately wrote it down. Silence is the first step to truly knowing yourself. Without silence self discovery is impossible.
A beautiful quote I love is from Jean Klein and it says “Liberation doesn’t concern the person, for liberation is freedom from the person” and when you observe silence you really feel this.
I realized how much I get in my own way. How much I create my own conflict (with words) how much I can destroy a perfectly beautiful moment in front of me with just a word or simple interruption. The whole purpose of silence is to listen, to become a better listener. And if you know me personally, you’ll know how much I used to talk, (and make the best dad jokes known to mankind) and always over laugh. But upon reflection it’s because I was afraid of the silence. That awkward moment when the room goes still, and everyone looks at each other like eeeek. I never wanted this, so I filled it with garbage. (Some really funny garbage jokes I might add, & yes I used to laugh so much at my own jokes) but since being in silence I realized that I was entertaining people to fill the silence within me and outside of me. I was distracting myself from every moment of silence there was because I didn’t want to be alone with any thoughts.
A simple way to tell if you do the same is to notice how much you listen to music, most people including myself a lot of the time couldn’t even walk down the road without music on headphones (although I’m a lot better now). This simply isn’t healthy. Before silence I never thought or saw it as a problem, but as a tattoo artist, my environment is predominantly surrounded by music so naturally I became accustomed to listening to it 24/7 even if it was calming lo-fi or calming meditative music. But since observing silence I realized that it doesn’t matter what type of music it was, I was still using music as a distraction from natures great love song which is the silence itself. Silence is speaking to us all the time, but we block it out with distractions. Most of us (not all of course) as soon as we go into a room on our own or with someone, we put music on. Why? Ask yourself why? Sure, it can be you just want to listen to it? But if you can never go without doing it that’s not healthy. But I’ve realized that if you take a few moments without music or with none at all you actually connect deeper with yourself & whoever is with you. That’s not to say don’t use music. I always have music on when I tattoo but now the music is very carefully picked out to provide the most peaceful atmosphere. But nearly all my drawings and design work is done in pure silence. But of course, there is a time and a place for all kinds of music genres, I enjoy all types. I think the people who listen to the most music could benefit the most from silence.
Upon close introspection I realized that thoughts are just like a busy motorway. The cars just come and go, we have no control of which type of car will come next. The thoughts are not ours. There just there floating by. We just choose which one to hang onto and call “me” & which one to think about more. But there is a great peace when you remain a witness and don’t interact with any car at all and just observe it for what it is. A simple thought, negative or positive. What’s it got to do with you? It’s a simple thought that’s come out of nowhere. Stop relating to it. Get out of your own way. But of course, this takes practice. But it’s easier to practice in silence.
Anyway I think that’s enough for my first blog post. I really enjoyed you being here with me today. So thank you for taking the time out of your day to come here. Even though your reading? You are also listening.
Before I go and have to return back to my character I’ll leave you with a quote from Kabir
“Plunge into the truth, find out who the Teacher is, believe in the great sound”
“Let us not run after enlightenment, if we keep quiet it will follow us, it will come searching for us”
See you again next time
Your friend
ELi xxx
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