A Vast Field of Energy
Like Sound, Silence Vibrates: with the Divine Presence
Hesychia is a vast field of energy vibrating at the deepest layer of soul. It is within all human beings. The ancient monastic tradition identifies it as the indispensable condition for loving others in a generous—and genuine—way.
— Brother Elias Marechal, OCSO
In his richly contemplative books Dancing Madly Backwards and Tears of an Innocent God (where the above quotation is found), the Trappist monk Elias Marechal (1936-2023) weaves together mystical Christianity, eastern wisdom, his own deep silence, and a whimsical sense of humor and wonder to offer multiple portals of invitation into hesychia. This Greek word for silence is often used in a narrow sense to refer to the kind of contemplative stillness that is the fruit of praying the Jesus Prayer; indeed, in the Orthodox tradition, monks who dive deep into the Jesus Prayer are known as hesychasts and the practice is called hesychasm.
But Brother Elias reminds us that hesychia has roots that go deeper than a kind of contemplative practice, as venerable and beautiful as that tradition might be. After all, the word simply means silence, and shows up in the Bible in verses like I Thessalonians 4:11, where the New Revised Standard Bible renders it as “quiet” — the verse reads “aspire to live quietly,” although the Anglican Solitary Maggie Ross suggests a better translation would simply be “learn to be silent”!
But Elias is not content simply to equate hesychia, contemplative silence, with the lack of sound. It may be quiet, but it doesn’t lack vibration. It is a vibrating field of presence, accessible at the literal foundation of our souls — and available to everyone, not just monks or nuns or saints or great mystics. Elias points out that this field of vibrating silence is the essential ingredient for authentic generous love, but it would be a mistake to limit that to the kind of love that flows horizontally between humans.
Hesychia is also the “indispensable condition” for both receiving and giving love to the Spirit.
Once again: “it is within all human beings.” Our task is not to make ourselves worthy of this, but to trust that it is present, and so to find ways to simply be aware of it. As we learn to pay attention to hesychia, it will guide us, transform us, and lead us on the mystical adventure.