Sanctuaries of Silence, 7:19:  https://sanctuariesofsilence.com/

Sanctuaries of Silence, an award-winning documentary, is an “immersive listening journey into one of the quietest places in North America,” the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park.  Acoustic geologist Gordon Hempton says the silence he speaks of is “…the absence of noise pollution from modern life.” 

The microphone he uses to record the natural acoustics of place takes everything in with equal value.  It doesn’t judge, expect or interference.  This is how Hempton learned to listen to the land and its inhabitants.  To listen as he does means internal quietude.  “When I listen I have to become quiet….and ‘I’ disappear.”  This he finds is not only peaceful, but enjoyable.  Sadly, silence from noise pollution is  becoming extinct.

If silence from noise pollution of modern life is a rarity, so is silence from the noise of mind chatter.  How often do you listen to someone without divided attention?  How often to you go out to walk a trail minus ear buds or intention to exercise…and just listen?

Take a break from the digital world,  turn off the news and put down the to-do list.  Settle in and immerse yourself in this stunning 7:19 long documentary.

Listening to the natural acoustics of inner or outer space can usher us over a threshold where peaceful abidance is possible.  “Silence is the presence of time, undisturbed.”

Are you listening?