What Do We Mean by The Silence?
Ernest Holmes

In the metaphysical world, you frequently hear people speak of going into the silence. Naturally, one wonders what is meant by the silence, and if there is one thing we must avoid, it is confusion. All life is motion, or at least manifest life is in a state of vibration. But at the center of this vibration, there appears to be something which is motionless, something which itself does not move and yet from which all motion must come....We might state it this way: God does not move, but movement takes place within God.

Going into the silence does not mean that either our mental or our physical reactions are obliterated, for if they were, we should pass into oblivion. We are not trying to discover how to be less ourselves, but how to be more ourselves.

Jesus gave a good example of going into the silence when he told us that in prayer we should enter the closet and close the door....His language was symbolic. Entering the closet means withdrawing into one’s own mind. For it is from one’s own mind that the creativeness which one possesses emanates.

It is evident that the closet is not a place of mental and spiritual oblivion, for a movement of consciousness still takes place. He who practices this movement of consciousness in the silence is practicing the inaction from which action flows. To “Be still and know that I am God” is to enter the sanctuary of one’s own consciousness. From this center, the issues of life proceed.

Here in our Secret Place of the Most High, the inner chamber of our own soul, are written the sacred words: I AM. It is from this consciousness, this I AM conceived in silent recognition, that Power flows.

Excerpted from Living the Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes, DeVorss & Company publishers.

John Francis—One Man’s Journey

“Ordinary Man—Extraordinary Choices,” by Joe Grindon, focused on the story of John Francis, the man whose extraordinary choices led him to experience the gifts of silence in a unique way: being silent for seventeen years. In a delightful and insightful Ted Talk, John Francis talks about his experience. With humor and pathos, this gifted speaker makes us laugh and think. He even plays the banjo. You won’t want to miss this!

Click here to see YouTube video.

The Many Talents of Rev. Barry Ebert

One of our beloved columnist and feature writers, Rev. Barry Ebert, is a man of many talents. Rev. Barry Ebert is the Youth Director and Assistant Minister at Mile Hi Church in Lakewood, Colorado. He has been a facilitator of the Love and Logic parenting workshops for twenty years, teaching at various schools, churches, and community centers in Colorado.

Rev. Ebert is also a singer/songwriter with four CDs of original music. One of his most recent songs, “Beautiful Child,” showcases Ebert’s musical talent and his insights as a parent and youth director. He explains the inspiration for this song: “As a youth director, I’ve had the opportunity to see many ‘giant souls with short legs’ grow up and leave the nest. It’s a bittersweet moment, when we send our children out into the world, and I think it’s important for them to remember the truth about themselves. They’ve got all they need within them to make their dreams come true. When our oldest son was leaving for college, this song came through. It always makes me smile when I sing it.”

Click here to listen to Barry Ebert’s original song “Beautiful Child.”

Watch Shawn Green!

Major-league baseball star Shawn Green, profiled in the March feature “High and Inside” by Barry Ebert, credits his unique spiritual meditative practice with his success as a professional baseball player. A YouTube video pays tribute to this player’s accomplishments.

Click here to watch Shawn Green in action.