The Theosophical Forum – May 1947

POWER OF THE SILENCE — Alexandra McLean

When we come into sympathetic relationship, into identic vibrational frequency, with this innerheart-beat, this pulsing of the Divine, then our lives are made over. — G. de Purucker

Who among us has not longed for silence? In the confusion and discordance of modern living, how ardently at times we long for silence. And this desire, this urge within our hearts — perhaps we may call it an "echo" of the Voice of Silence. Aware of it, we begin to seek.

Undoubtedly there are remote places on our planet Earth where relative silence may be found. On some high mountain top above timber line, we may be alone, become very tranquil and listen to the silence of the heights. But this is not the Absolute Silence. At best, it is but a poor substitute. The desert also at times offers a majestic stillness that is akin to Silence, but the Reality is not there. No matter where we go in the external world, high or low, near or far — nowhere upon the outside of our globe of awareness, will we find Silence.

What is the Power of this Silence, why should we seek it? The answer may be happily and aptly expressed by the Sanskrit words that the Hindu Guru speaks to his chela when, after questioning him as to his understanding of the Unity of all, the chela makes answer: "O Gurudeva, I see no difference between life and life, and light and light, and power and power, and mind and mind, except in degrees." To which the Guru makes reply, "Thou seest well, child. Now listen to the heart of all this teaching: Aham Asmi Parabrahma." The meaning is: "I am the Boundless, I myself am Parabrahma for the life that pulses in me and gives me existence is the life of the divinest of the divine."

Therefore, we seek the Inner Realm, the Silence — in which we may find this Reality. With true "Christ-Wisdom" the Master Jesus told his disciples, "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to the Father which is in secret. . . ." And when we have gone within and closed the door — what is our prayer? Is it not a humble but expectant listening? Is it not a giving over of our personal self to the "Father Within," the One, that the Power and the Glory may use us? Having in-gathered all our senses, having shut the door to the outer and entered the Silence, we become aware in increasingly glorious degrees of our Self and are illumined and filled with the power of the Indwelling Divinity.

The Power of Silence is unifying and in that unity there is strength, for we become part of the Hierarchy of Wisdom-Love in action. "It is one of our Theosophical duties to show men the way to wisdom, to peace, to happiness, to strength and to spiritual powers — the real powers, the powers which are safe and clean and sweet, which make a man lovable, which make him compassionate, which guarantee that power put into his hands will be wielded never for self but always in order to benefit others . . . man must learn the first lesson of the Higher Occultism . . . which is to control himself; and all powers that later he gains must be laid on the altar of impersonal service — on the altar of service to mankind."

The Power of Silence is vitalizing for we become one with the "fountain of strength." "Oh, how wonderful, holy, sublime . . . is this truth: that within each one there is an unspeakable fount of strength, of wisdom, of love, of compassion, of forgiveness, of purity. Ally yourself with this fountain of strength: it is in you, none can ever take it from you."

The Power of Silence is harmonizing, and in unity, strength and harmony our sevenfold being becomes integrated. A Sage of modern India, Rabindranath Tagore, has said, "It is for man to produce the music of the spirit with all the notes he has in his psychology. . . . In music man is revealed and not in noise."

The Power of Silence is creative. At-one with the Source, Truth which is inherent seeks to express and our rising aspirations will carry within them the power to become. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2nd. Tim. 1:7)

The Power of Silence is Peace. We become part of, aware in — the great Cosmic Peace, a profound Peace that may be transformed in our outer lives into dynamic action expressing wisdom-love in all our dealings with our fellow men.

And now — the Power of Silence completely absorbing us, we hear, we know, we understand; and the silence of earth, water, air and fire, merges in the "Song of Songs" that wells within the Silence of our-Self. "You reach the Great Quiet, and mighty strength. You touch the vast reservoir where are stored up all the greatest forces of the Universe; for the very heart of each one is in actual fact the heart of the Universe — a "heart" which is not localized but is everywhere. . . ."

And One is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory — forever!

"Aham Asmi Parabrahma."



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