A Message from Sister Linda-Susan Beard

Dear members of the silence community,

I want to thank you for your gracious listening yesterday.  You were practicing deep silence in such compassionate and welcoming listening.  I am grateful. I also learned a lot from your questions and insights.

I wanted to pass on information about the "tree of contemplative practices" which was put out by a secular contemplative group with which I am deeply involved.  I am a Contemplative Practice Fellow of The Contemplative Mind in Society Project.  I would suggest visiting their website: http://www.contemplativemind.org/  I was speaking as a nun yesterday, but those of you who would be more comfortable with a conversation about silence in a context that does not connect with faith might find the Project fascinating.  If you go to the website, be patient and the tree of contemplative practices will emerge with a list of a few dozen contemplative practices that have been part of Eastern and Western contemplative traditions for at least 2000 years.  You can also google more information about each of the practices.  You may find one that suits your lifestyle, relationship to questions of faith, vision of yourself as a secular woman, or temperament.

I would also be willing to pursue a conversation --  whenever -- about developing specific practices. The crunch of the end of the semester would be an ideal time to take on what is called mindfulness.  One can do so in a practice that is 15 minutes long at the beginning or middle of end of each day.

pacem in terris (may there be peace on earth)
Sor Linda-Susan