Aloha,
Instead of just posting an image for you to meditate on I thought I would talk a little bit about the power of silence. Many years ago I taught a class and each month everyone took a day of silence. The first day I spent in silence was very powerful and informative. I had no idea how much energy I used every day speaking.
When I finally spoke the next day it felt odd. In the Hawaiian tradition the ancients knew how powerful words really were, so they used them prudently. One of my favorite stories my Hawaiian kumu tells is about an aunt that was very angry with her. Normally when people enter another’s yard they call out aloha. Mahealani said she knew she was in trouble when her aunt came in the yard and there was no aloha.
Her aunt began to talk to her rapidly in Hawaiian, but had to switch to English because there were no Hawaiian words to express her anger. Even their language reflected the belief in the importance of living aloha.
My mother used to tell me, “If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all.” If you don’t have the time or inclination to take a day of silence why not at least take a day to speak only words of love? Imagine what would happen to our world if all hurtful and angry words were removed from our vocabulary!
With love and aloha,
Susan
PS I am about to start a wonderful new series called The Art of Allowing and I am very happy no announce that my other blog Angels on Your Shoulders has moved to beliefnet.com. Check them both out!
Now here is the image