Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Counterpoint (2009), 320 pages
Description
After a noisy upbringing as one of six children, and adulthood as a vocal feminist and mother, Sara Maitland began to crave silence. Over the past five years, she has spent periods of silence in the Sinai Desert and the Australian bush and on the Isle of Skye. She interweaves these experiences with the history of silence told through fairy tale and myth, Western and Eastern religious traditions, the Enlightenment and psychoanalysis, up to the ambivalence towards silence in contemporary society. Maitland has built a hermitage on an isolated Scottish moor, and the book culminates powerfully with her experiences of silence in this new home.
User reviews
LibraryThing member wandering_star
This is a sort of cross between a memoir and a book of essays, a little bit like Margaret Atwood's Payback: debt and the shadow side of wealth (although Maitland is more intense and less witty). It's about silence, which turns out to be a surprisingly complex subject. Even a definition is trickier
Maitland's contention is that silence is not merely an absence, but can be an active and positive experience, a "rich space" of heart and mind. Yet in our modern world we are not only ever further away from silence, but also somehow scared of it, as if afraid of what being in silence would make us think or feel.
Maitland examines silence through her own experiences - renting a cottage in Skye where she would be silent for forty days, travelling to iconic silent places like the desert, forest and mountains, meditating in a Zen monastery and engaging in silent prayer (she is Catholic). She also reads about the experiences of people who spent time in silence, willingly or otherwise (for example, lone explorers, kidnap victims, hermits).
During her forty days of silence she concludes that there are several things which she experienced and which also feature in the literature of extreme solitude:
- an intensification of both emotional and physical sensation, such as taste and even hearing: "One evening I noticed that I was suddenly able to separate the different wind noises and follow their relationship to each other - like an orchestra."
- a disinhibition from internalised social rules
- auditory hallucinations (which she interprets as the brain trying to interpret the background sounds into spoken language)
- moments of intense joy
- a sense of oneness with the universe, or losing a clear sense of the boundaries of your self
- "an exhilarating sense of peril", which she comes to believe is a sort of "sacred terror"
- "ineffability", or the fact that it's hard to recall or explain how it felt when you are no longer experiencing the silence
(Interestingly, Maitland also describes the negative sides of these experiences. In Skye, where she had chosen to experience silence, these experiences led her to a sense of bliss. But in a situation where the silence is not chosen voluntarily, such as a prisoner in solitary confinement, the same experiences can be incredibly negative, experienced almost as psychotic episodes. Oneness with the universe might feel like a terrifying slipping away of the self; a sense of peril is experienced as paranoia; oversensitivity to the sort of noises you might hear in prison is very different from suddenly feeling that you heard all the noises of the wind).
It's important to note that Maitland enjoys sociability, and enjoys talking. She does not see her seeking of silence as, in any way, running away from anything; and is critical of the sense that in the modern world, only our interactions with other people are valued. However, as well as enjoying silence for itself, Maitland started exploring silence in the hope that she would be able to both pray and write better as a result. She concludes, though, that silence to create and silence to pray are very different. You seek silence for prayer as a way of losing your self and being conscious of what is greater than you. You seek silence to create as a way of finding your self, separating it out from the worldly noise that would otherwise distract you from your artistic vision.
I found much of this book fascinating, and am strongly tempted by the idea of a lengthy period of strict silence (although I too like talk and sociability). Being entirely unspiritual myself, my attention did drift during the long discussions of the desert hermits or the impact of silence on prayer. But I do feel richer for having read this.
The more and the longer you are silent the more you hear the tiny noises within the silence, so that silence itself is always slipping away like a timid wild animal. You have to be very still and lure it. This is hard; one has only to try to quieten one's mind or body to discover just how turbulent they are.
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than you might think - is it the absence of speech, of human sounds, of any noise at all?Maitland's contention is that silence is not merely an absence, but can be an active and positive experience, a "rich space" of heart and mind. Yet in our modern world we are not only ever further away from silence, but also somehow scared of it, as if afraid of what being in silence would make us think or feel.
Maitland examines silence through her own experiences - renting a cottage in Skye where she would be silent for forty days, travelling to iconic silent places like the desert, forest and mountains, meditating in a Zen monastery and engaging in silent prayer (she is Catholic). She also reads about the experiences of people who spent time in silence, willingly or otherwise (for example, lone explorers, kidnap victims, hermits).
During her forty days of silence she concludes that there are several things which she experienced and which also feature in the literature of extreme solitude:
- an intensification of both emotional and physical sensation, such as taste and even hearing: "One evening I noticed that I was suddenly able to separate the different wind noises and follow their relationship to each other - like an orchestra."
- a disinhibition from internalised social rules
- auditory hallucinations (which she interprets as the brain trying to interpret the background sounds into spoken language)
- moments of intense joy
- a sense of oneness with the universe, or losing a clear sense of the boundaries of your self
- "an exhilarating sense of peril", which she comes to believe is a sort of "sacred terror"
- "ineffability", or the fact that it's hard to recall or explain how it felt when you are no longer experiencing the silence
(Interestingly, Maitland also describes the negative sides of these experiences. In Skye, where she had chosen to experience silence, these experiences led her to a sense of bliss. But in a situation where the silence is not chosen voluntarily, such as a prisoner in solitary confinement, the same experiences can be incredibly negative, experienced almost as psychotic episodes. Oneness with the universe might feel like a terrifying slipping away of the self; a sense of peril is experienced as paranoia; oversensitivity to the sort of noises you might hear in prison is very different from suddenly feeling that you heard all the noises of the wind).
It's important to note that Maitland enjoys sociability, and enjoys talking. She does not see her seeking of silence as, in any way, running away from anything; and is critical of the sense that in the modern world, only our interactions with other people are valued. However, as well as enjoying silence for itself, Maitland started exploring silence in the hope that she would be able to both pray and write better as a result. She concludes, though, that silence to create and silence to pray are very different. You seek silence for prayer as a way of losing your self and being conscious of what is greater than you. You seek silence to create as a way of finding your self, separating it out from the worldly noise that would otherwise distract you from your artistic vision.
I found much of this book fascinating, and am strongly tempted by the idea of a lengthy period of strict silence (although I too like talk and sociability). Being entirely unspiritual myself, my attention did drift during the long discussions of the desert hermits or the impact of silence on prayer. But I do feel richer for having read this.
The more and the longer you are silent the more you hear the tiny noises within the silence, so that silence itself is always slipping away like a timid wild animal. You have to be very still and lure it. This is hard; one has only to try to quieten one's mind or body to discover just how turbulent they are.
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LibraryThing member Rayaowen
There was a great deal that I admired about this book and quite a bit that I really liked. I finished it last night and the 15 flags I inserted along the way are still there. I'm going to return to those passages to see what spoke to me most. At this point, I recall finding the first 2 chapters
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most interesting. I was least interested in Maitland's focus on theology and found her interjection of comments on some topics, such as psychoanalysis, to lack depth. Overall, I found the book well worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member NeilDalley
I very much liked the intention behind this book and I came to like the author but I felt less keen on the work itself. The more I read the more confused I became about what the book was intended to achieve or who it was aimed at.
The most interesting parts were when the author focussed on her own
Although the author herself is pursuing the silence for prayer this is not a book about prayer or indeed, I felt, particularly about spirituality.
The most interesting parts were when the author focussed on her own
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experience of seeking silence and how it affected her. She used beautiful language to describe this and some sections were quite inspiring. The less interesting sections were what someone else describes as being the author's "Wikipedia Moments" when she decides she need to download another set of facts for us about silence or people who have practised silence in the past. These rather mixed up sections mean that sometimes the book doesn't feel as if it hangs together very well.Although the author herself is pursuing the silence for prayer this is not a book about prayer or indeed, I felt, particularly about spirituality.
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LibraryThing member nmele
An extended personal exploration of silence, in religious and secular writing, in communities and alone, in nature and in "flotation chambers". An insightful, wonderful book, rich in many ways.
LibraryThing member dazzyj
A rather too mystical and also rather too personal meditation which in the end has little new to say about its subject.
LibraryThing member PDCRead
The dictionary defines silence as absence of any sound or noise. But in the modern environment we are surrounded by numerous sources of noise, from traffic, planes, phones and even the background hum from the mains.
As Maitland goes on to discover and describe in this book, there are many types of
Some silences are enforced, such as sensory deprivation, and are considered as a form of torture. She writes of others who have endured silence because of mishaps and misfortune, that have driven people to the edge of reason. At the end of the book she describes the house that she bought on a moor and the methods that she uses in seeking that silence.
Generally I thought that the book was well written, and she gives a balanced account of this most enigmatic of situations. I felt that the last couple of chapters lacked the focus of the earlier ones, hence only three stars.
As Maitland goes on to discover and describe in this book, there are many types of
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silence, for the natural sounds of a seascape to the brush of the wind through a meadow and the unnerving silence of a wood. She visits a desert, and spends weeks at an isolated house on Skye seeking silence, and exploring her feelings towards solitude. As she is a practicing catholic, there is a huge spiritual dimension to this book. She writes about the Christian methods of silence and prayer, the Islamic desert, and the Tibetan mountain refuges. Some silences are enforced, such as sensory deprivation, and are considered as a form of torture. She writes of others who have endured silence because of mishaps and misfortune, that have driven people to the edge of reason. At the end of the book she describes the house that she bought on a moor and the methods that she uses in seeking that silence.
Generally I thought that the book was well written, and she gives a balanced account of this most enigmatic of situations. I felt that the last couple of chapters lacked the focus of the earlier ones, hence only three stars.
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LibraryThing member jsabrina
A very rewarding book. Maitland deftly weaves her very personal experiences with educated and intelligent reflections on the writing of others (from her personal friends to classical sources) and her observations of society. I have found my own relationship with silence and spirituality subtly
It's true that her privilege gave her the ability to do far more traveling and independent living than most people can, but I never felt that it gave her an attitude or expectation that everyone else should be able to do the same. She approached the exploration of silence with a sense of personal humility and gratitude.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the eremetic (hermit) spiritualit, creativity, or simply the beautifully-written reflections of an intelligent woman on an unusual personal quest.
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shifting in response. It's true that her privilege gave her the ability to do far more traveling and independent living than most people can, but I never felt that it gave her an attitude or expectation that everyone else should be able to do the same. She approached the exploration of silence with a sense of personal humility and gratitude.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the eremetic (hermit) spiritualit, creativity, or simply the beautifully-written reflections of an intelligent woman on an unusual personal quest.
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LibraryThing member qaphsiel
I wanted to love this book, but... nope. The subject is right up my alley for sure, but the writing is dry and humorless. The author several times reveals her shallow knowledge of topics (confusing dark matter with antimatter, for example). I'm sorry, but if you are going to write about astronomy
The dry humorlessness made the listening tedious, so I sped it up to get through it faster. Two days and, while I appreciate much of what she had to say about silence, modernity, and related topics, I can't say I'd recommend this to anyone. I'm waffling between a two and three, but GR says three means 'liked,' and for me, it was a bit less than good. In GR star parlance, 'It was ok.'
The topic deserved a better, more conscientious treatment.
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-- or whatever -- you ought at least to read up to the point where you don't make basic errors like this. Such fundamental errors in areas I happen to be versed in don't bode well for what she says about the areas I'm not familiar with.The dry humorlessness made the listening tedious, so I sped it up to get through it faster. Two days and, while I appreciate much of what she had to say about silence, modernity, and related topics, I can't say I'd recommend this to anyone. I'm waffling between a two and three, but GR says three means 'liked,' and for me, it was a bit less than good. In GR star parlance, 'It was ok.'
The topic deserved a better, more conscientious treatment.
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Awards
Orwell Prize (Longlist — 2009)
Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction (Longlist — 2009)
Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards (Shortlist — Non-Fiction — 2009)
Bristol Festival of Ideas Book Prize (Nominee — 2009)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2008
ISBN
1582435170 / 9781582435176