February 2025
By James Woodward
My first experience of silence (real silence) was with the Community of the Sisters of the Love of God at Fairacres in Oxford in 1979. I was an undergraduate reading theology at Kings College London. I have an abiding memory of the intensity of the silence and worship. I have been a regular visitor to Fairacres over these years and happily spent time in their other houses at Boxmoor and Bede House. Times have changed including a overhaul of the buildings in East Oxford which was a brave move interrupted by the pandemic. This is the context that I read this book commended to me by an Oxford friend Jane Shaw.
I read it amidst the ongoing crisis (I can find no better word) that seems to be the besetting the Church of England at the moment. The recent weeklong meeting of the General Synod seemed to show the depth of the problems of credibility facing the Church. This is, of course, reflected in steady but inexorable decline in numbers either attending Church or having any confidence in its agency and credibility.
Perhaps a longer historical perspective should hold the vicissitudes of these days? Religion has always had its movements and changes shaped by culture, politics, fashion and human nature. What seems clear is that an interest in the spiritual and the search for our spiritual pulse has not waned. Combine this with the inspiration that comes from religion to engage in social action and community building and it might be wise not to think that it is all over.
In Learning from Silence (2025), author Pico Iyer’s prose is poetic and masterful. He draws the reader in through careful description – he shows his reader how to notice what is around and within. He points to the need to know what home means for us. The invitation is for his reader to find home, a new home that is shared, silent and serious.
How long does it take to narrate a story of an inner journey? Many years! Over the 30 years, Iyer made more than 100 journeys to places of retreat. He has no religious affiliation but the transformation experiences amidst constant change described here is deeply moving.
He holds a mirror to his reader to show how solitude can be a school of learning in community and companionship. The journey of his encounter shone light into this reader’s life through the invitation to learn more about the power of silence. This inner journey is about our salvation and how to live, love and die.
As an invitation to dig deeper into this book, listen to Pico Iyer:
“The sacred is not a sanctuary, I’m moved to remember; it’s a force field. In many ways a forest fire. You can try controlled burns or back burning, you can walk towards the heat, but its power comes from the fact that it can’t begin to be controlled, or anticipated.”
Thank you Pico for showing your readers how to find their spiritual pulse. And – find a place for retreat – for your well being and flourishing!
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Visit Pico Iyer Journeys website
This post is adapted from the original posted on James’s website.
James Woodward is Principal of Sarum College. View his bio.
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