Silence is a Portal
“When I turned toward the hurt in the silence, I entered a kind of tenderness that was not sore, not wounded, but rather powerfully present. I sat up straight. The silence had tilled hard ground into soft soil. I sunk deep into the soft ground, where the source of life was revealed--wordless, nameless, without form, completely indescribable. And then--I dare to say it--I was 'completely tender.’” -Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
Hey there, loved one. I don’t have many words, un-ironically, but I must tell you that after a week of silence I am feeling worked like dough, tenderized, stirred, my griefs teeming just beneath the surface. I’m grateful to have gotten the opportunity to practice at Dhamma Dena Meditation Center in the Mojave Desert with a sangha of queer and trans kin, all of us people of the global majority and all of us seeking a sacred settling that we found in silence together.
I’m still sitting with it all and navigating transitioning from being offline and deeply facing my innards to rejoining the rest of the humans in this hellscape of a reality. I’ll have more words soon, Lorde willin’, but for now I must really advise some healthy doses of silence whenever and wherever you can get it. Whether on or off the cushion, as the season ramps up, it will help to get quiet as often as possible.
I do hope you will forgive me for the short notice and join me in two days THIS SUNDAY, May 25 for my monthly community grief ritual. Registration is required and it will be a lovely time with lots of silence to meander inside of yourself. No one is turned away for lack of funds. I hope to see you there.
With care until soon,
Ekua