Sanctuary in Silence
The ultimate antidote.
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Survival Tool #34: Find Sanctuary in Silence
A week of silence
Meditating
Walking a little
Fasting
I find a new centre in myself
Synchronised with a deeper dimension
There may be insights; but I’m not here to solve anything
I keep one foot in consensus reality
Another in the transcendent domain
Slowly uncrimping, my mind resumes its natural shape
In my toxic workplace, relationships were distorted
There was no proper balance of autonomy, respect, responsibility, reciprocity
In silence, this imprint begins to recede
This is beyond self-care
This is a portal into an ancient stream of time
Born of new awareness
What a gift to receive!
To satisfy this soul-longing
I knew I needed — and would find — healing in this space
After two days, I felt a sudden panic over work
An impulse to excuse myself from the hall
Make a surreptitious phone call
And soothe my fears
Another part held firm
When else would I have a chance to place my fear under the microscope?
Observe this specimen in laboratory conditions
Penetrate its true nature
I was surprised how long my system took to calm
Recognising now the toll our work stress takes
We’re more delicate than we assume, and that is good
I notice how difficult it is to look in the mirror
To truly look at what is there
And yet I feel a deep longing for this return
A death-rebirth
In our toxic workplace, we want things to be different
Here, there’s no attempt to change anything
Resistance unwinds, as we sit intentionally with what is
With the gnarliest knots, and shameful feelings
The sadness that would overwhelm us
We let it all rise to the surface
The receding tide reveals the rusting supermarket trolleys of the mind
Eddies and whirls of winked-out consciousness
Popping back into perspective
We remove and clean our filters
In this fallow week, we invite regeneration
In this new soil, courage grows
We see fresh perspectives on old stories
That had seemed intractable
Attuned to the unfolding of moment-by-moment experience
How pride blocks us
Jealousy saps us
How to carry back these fragile, translucent teachings?
The subtle textures beyond the edges of the everyday?
My soul begins to sing once more
What power does a toxic workplace have against this primordial force?
This energetic current we ride now, with ever-greater confidence and skill
Already I am waiting to return to this silent haven
This is the ground
Laughter now at the absurdity of it all
That we were so lost in our forgetting
That it took literally days to arrive at this place
The joy of waking up, with more Life left.
Summary
Go on a silent retreat.
The Resonant Man
and I are launching weekly men’s circles as the backbone of our Resonant Man initiative, starting on Sunday, November 7. Details here. 
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