Winter BeautyWinter is the season of stillness, cocooning, hunkering down in front of a roaring fire, curling up with a good book, journaling or simply sitting in the stillness and listening.

Silence tethers me to the present moment, right here, right now, in this moment. When I am silent I can hear my inner wisdom speaking to me, I can hear the birds singing to me, I can hear my heart’s desire, I can hear messages from the Universe. “The quieter we become, the more we hear.” – Ram Das

Silence slows me down, centers and grounds me, helps me to be instead of do. Spending time in silence allows me space to look inward instead of outward. Silence reconnects me to my dreams, visions, creativity, intuition and imagination. It gives me room to breathe, to pause, to focus on what really matters to me. I made a decision in January, 2014,  to go on a personal retreat on a quarterly basis and I have honored that decision.

I went on a New Year’s Day Retreat this year. Here is one of the questions I journaled about. What did I do and how did I show up in 2015 to contribute to my success? I took some Big, Bold, Action Steps in 2015. I signed up for a one year class called Creative Business Studio facilitated by Laura West, one of my better decisions. I took the 30 Day Passion Project Licensed Facilitator Training, also facilitated by Laura West. I facilitated four live retreats. And last but not least I took a four day solo trip to Ely, MN, one of my favorite places. A few more questions I asked myself, What old thoughts and beliefs am I ready to release? What new projects do I want to launch in 2016 and What experiences do I want to manifest in 2016? I highly recommend personal retreats. I consider them a gift which keeps on giving. Find more information about retreats in Jennifer Louden’s book, The Woman’s Retreat Book.

What about you? When was the last time you sat in silence? How can you create space in your life for a regular practice of silence? What gifts are available to you in silence? What do you hear in the silence?

I invite you to explore the transformative power of silence at my February Retreat at the Carondelet Center in St Paul. Details are on my website.

http://nancyjambor.com/events/

The Sound of Silence
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18 thoughts on “The Sound of Silence

  • January 26, 2016 at 10:40 am
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    What a wonderful post and very timely. I was forced into early retirement at the end of the year – so I thought I had all the time in the world to do what I wanted. However, I realized how TIRED I was after working full time for 30+ years. I’ve been researching retreats close by- and affordable of course. There is a Jesuit Monastery overlooking a cliff on the Chattanoochee River here in Atlanta – I think I’m going to do one in the spring.

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    • January 26, 2016 at 5:20 pm
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      Sounds like a beautiful spot Vickie. I hope you treat yourself to a retreat. Regarding your early retirement, who knows what the next chapter has in store for you? Thanks for your comments and enjoy your next chapter!

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  • January 25, 2016 at 8:44 am
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    Thanks for your comments Elda. Slowing down is not easy for me and the mediation part doesn’t come naturally to me. It’s one of the reasons I continue to do my Morning Pages. It is a time to be quiet, look within and write down what comes up in the moment. Are you still writing your pages in the morning? I read something this morning in Daily Word which spoke to this.”Establishing my connection with the intuitive guidance within means getting in tune with it.”

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  • January 24, 2016 at 11:13 pm
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    What a beautiful quote! Meditation time is my favorite time of day. As you mentioned here, it allows me to ‘be’ instead of my constant doing. Nice to hear that your year was wonderful and that you are ready for more of that this year!

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  • January 23, 2016 at 4:42 pm
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    I too, love the way Amy signed off, Kelly. Thank you for your kind words about sharing my gifts with others. Always nice to hear how my posts impact others. We all need that positive reinforcement, don’t we?

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  • January 23, 2016 at 4:38 pm
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    Thank you for your comments Amy. I love the way you ended with Peace and Silence to you! I am honored that you want to use my quote in your blog post and you have my permission. Good luck with your surgery.

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  • January 22, 2016 at 8:45 pm
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    Have to say I love how Amy signed off in her comment above. “Peace and silence to you!” Sums up this post to me. I admire your purposeful intention to focus on what really matters to you. And how you share this gift with others.

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  • January 22, 2016 at 6:47 pm
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    “Silence tethers me to the present moment, right here, right now, in this moment. When I am silent I can hear my inner wisdom speaking to me, I can hear the birds singing to me, I can hear my heart’s desire, I can hear messages from the Universe.”
    YES!!!! When life pulls in too many directions and I don’t heed the beckoning of silence, I loose myself. No internal navigation. No Divine Guidance. Just a constant buzzing and swirling and crowd of noise in my heart. I can’t feel and I can’t love without silence.
    Thank you for such a beautiful sentiment. If you approve I would love to use your quote (and link back to your blog) in an upcoming post. I will be having surgery and will be reconnecting with my being rather than doing for a spell. I think this would be a great time to share your thoughts <3 Peace and silence to you!

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  • January 20, 2016 at 10:30 am
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    Thanks Michelle. It’s a small step for some of us and the rewards are huge:) For others, I think they really struggle with unplugging and getting quiet. Being quiet grounds and centers me and I look forward to my time in silence.

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  • January 20, 2016 at 10:27 am
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    Thanks Deborah. I love the quote by Ram Das. It is in the stillness that we can hear our inner wisdom. One of the reasons I created the silent retreats is to give women the chance to unplug and really go deep inside and listen.

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  • January 20, 2016 at 9:54 am
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    Silence tends to lead to unhealthy thought patterns for me–I prefer at least a little music.

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  • January 20, 2016 at 9:53 am
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    Oh my gosh…I have been creating and finding quiet and stillness for a few weeks now. Even when I create now, I don’t have music, videos or audios on most of the time. I just have my waterfall as the “white noise” in my studio. I am learning so much about myself by doing this small step. I love that quote by Ram Dass. One of my favorites!

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  • January 20, 2016 at 8:44 am
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    I feel the retreat did you a world of good. How lovely!!! Such a great beginning to a new year.

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  • January 19, 2016 at 5:31 pm
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    What a wonderful way to initiate your new year Nancy! And what great questions to be considering. I look forward to hearing about how things unfold for you.

    Silence and I are good friends – and I whole-heartedly agree with Ram Dass. I make lots of space in my life for silence, and there is always some magic to be found.

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  • January 19, 2016 at 3:52 pm
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    Thanks for your comments Pamela. Meditation is challenging for me. I write Morning Pages every morning and have done so for 16 years. They are a form of meditation for me. Five minutes a day in meditation sounds like a realistic goal. Maybe it’s time for me to revisit this topic:)

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  • January 18, 2016 at 4:59 pm
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    Silence is so scary to many. I revel in it at times, particularly times of stress. One of my new year’s resolutions is to meditate EVERY DAY, even if only for five minutes. Stop. Breathe. Stop the noise in the mind. Listen to the silence. It speaks volumes!

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