How to Create Inner Sanctuary

There are times in our life when our worlds fall apart, when we are overwhelmed by the intensity of events, when we feel alienated from ourselves or others, and when our life seems to make no sense. In those moments when we feel most adrift and confused, there is still a way to find a sanctuary of renewal.

Here is a quiet, gentle way to deep inner peace:

Silence is a refuge, offering a sanctuary of renewal. In moments of confusion and complexity we are tempted to do more, to act, to find explanations, to speak. If we listen to our heart, we come to know the wisdom of being still. We calm the turmoil of our mind, feeling our feet on the earth, and connecting once more with a depth of inner silence that can guide us, heal us, and restore us.

Silence is an ever-present reality revealed to us in the moments when we remember to listen. Silence is revealed in moments of wholehearted attention, when we are fully present in this life. As a Christian mystic reminds us, “Absolute, unmixed attention is prayer.” The art of cultivating silence does not take us to a destination divorced from the present moment of reality in our life. Cultivating the art of silence, we learn to discover its richness in all moments and encounters. Treasuring its rich potential, we learn to discover what it means to live with silent heart, rich in vitality, creativity, energy, and life.

Silence is the ground of happiness, communion, and oneness. We can learn to find it in all moments and things; we discover it has never been lost but only hidden.

For more about the treasure of silence, read this wonderful book: Silence: How To Find Inner Peace in a Busy World, by Christine Feldman.

Read more: Spirit, Inspiration, Self-Help

Adapted from Silence, by Christina Feldman (Rodale Press, 2001).

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

aj E.

11:57AM PDT on May 9, 2012

thanks.

send a green star

Anna Maria M.

8:03PM PST on Feb 23, 2012

healing began when the fear of this silence was released

Butterfly K.

8:34PM PST on Feb 18, 2012

A great & very true article, silence can be a very blissful place to be. thanks.

Alexandra R.

7:42PM PST on Feb 18, 2012

Janice P. has a point. Silence is not available to everyone. Sometimes the flight of ideas can only be stilled by psychiatric medication. To those of us that are able to let go and merge into silence, there is nothing better in life.

Kath R.

6:22AM PST on Feb 17, 2012

Quieting mind chatter is the best way to achieve your own personal quite place.

Geetha S.

7:45PM PDT on May 21, 2011

Thanks for posting.

No Emails H.

12:34PM PDT on May 21, 2011

After my dog died tragically it seems I crave silence and quiet and to be alone. Thanks for this article. I am still healing so am thankful I can retreat at home and create a sanctuary there.

Robert O.

4:02PM PST on Dec 28, 2010

Thanks.

KS G.

3:51AM PST on Dec 27, 2010

Thanks for the article.