Quietude

Silence by Hafez

A day of Silence
Can be a pilgrimage in itself.
A day of Silence
Can help you listen
To the Soul play
In marvelous lute and drum.
Is not most talking
A crazed defense of a crumbling fort?
I thought we came here
To surrender in Silence,
To yield to Light and Happiness,
To Dance within
In celebration of Love’s Victory!

Silence is what many people crave in this busy and, at times, chaotic time in which we live. Though I think it is not silence we seek (losing our capacity to hear isn't what anyone wants). Quietude is a more apt description. The inner sense of calm abiding that relaxes the mind; opens it to possibility. This land, especially at dawn, epitomizes quietude.

The morning light begins around 5 these days. A subtle hint of color on the horizon and it begins to define the jagged edges of the forest. The Great Horned Owl and Western Screech Owl are the lone voices in this interlude of light. The Killdeer have returned and add their staccato intonation.  Very quietly in the background the Swainson Thrushes add their soft and subdued single notes as they pass a tone through the forest. Suddenly an explosive percussion sound erupts as the turkeys descend from their perch in the Ash Forest and glide into the meadow. By then the light is in full spate. Dogs are barking, Mourning Doves arrive, and the Douglas Squirrel enters the bird feeder. The quietude has dissipated into a full-blown energetic dance of life.

I recently spent three weeks (minus two short drives) on the land without getting into a car. Two weeks in silent meditation. Living on the edge of the forest allows for the the subtleties to become more evident. There were three new wrens (Pacific, House, Bewick's) and the Pacific-slope Flycatcher- neighbors that are new to me. They are secretive and like to spend time hidden- though the wrens are quite vocal. 

As the day begins to wind down, the wind slows, and the heat starts to dissipate. The shadows become longer and the birds begin to be more active. Soon the turkeys will fly to their perches, the thrushes will begin their calls, and, as the colors of sunset dissipate, the owls will begin their songs.