silence | an index of needs

about my index of needs

I’m starting from scratch to discover and index a list of my psychic/emotional/physical needs which are easily ignored and can go for weeks and months unacknowledged. they go beyond “basic” bodily and human needs, but form my basis for a deeper sense of tranquility and well-being.

01. the energy of silence

I discovered my need for silence while in the chaotic place which is napoli, wandering its dense streets and throngs of people. can you believe that I’ve found moments of silence here, too? I don’t mean physical silence, or the silence of the environment. I’m focused on silence as an energy that can be cultivated within, no matter how stimulating the place. the energy of silence is:

yin
listening
absorbing
seeing
stillness
awareness
softening

to find silence while in a noisy place is the act of allowing the softness inside to dissolve the noise — so that it feels like bathing. it is quieting the mind’s activity, quieting the thoughts, and emptying the vessel of the self, emptying the need for stimulation and distraction, and to open oneself enough to what is present in the environment, in order to go entirely into yin mode.

02. cultivating silence anywhere

taking ten deep breathes
noticing the layers of sound like nesting dolls
sensing into the presence of the body; its contact with the earth
focusing on tiny visual details / moments of beauty
surrendering into the lived experience of the place

when i practice silence in a place
then the place itself can begin to speak to me.