Silence is ultimately something that comes from the heart, not from any set of conditions outside us. Being silent in this way when you are alone is good, and being silent in this way together is particularly dynamic and healing.

~ Master Thich Nhat Hanh, Silence

Inspired by stories of people gathering in a combination of silence and dialogue, Creative Silence Council (CSC) is a unique union of creative silence in the Way of Council. It offers a space that opens possibilities for the unseen to become visible and the unspoken to be heard.

Creative silence in the Way of Council offers a safe container where you can wander off into the vastness and depth of your creative consciousness and return to a collective that honours each voice in the circle. Gathering in this way amplifies the deep and timeless mycorrhizal connections in the collective consciousness between us, most closely mirroring the *Interbeing of all life in wider Nature. There is a sense of being held in a womb that nurtures our personal and relational becoming as humans in kinship with ourselves, with one another, and with our more-than-human kin.

The space is lightly held with simple intentions: to speak and listen from the heart and from personal experience, to be lean of expression to the degree possible, to attend to the circle with authentic, spontaneous expression that is neither rehearsed nor judgemental, and the intention to enter into silent space that engenders creative expression.

Each person is asked to come to circle with a talking piece, a candle, a creative project of your choice to work on during silence (reading, writing, contemplation, drawing, painting, singing, dancing, composing, moving, etc. ) and a commitment to 2 hours of sustained presence. Group size will be a maximum of 8 people.

Creative Silence Council is currently offered by Val Murray (Canada) and Samar Zebian (Lebanon).

• Interbeing is the original teaching of Master Thich Nhat Hanh that all things co-arise in relationship, with and through one another. The teaching reveals that the origins, and the consequences, of our thoughts and actions are much more indelibly connected to the web of life than we imagine.

Accompanying photo credit: original artwork by Samar Zebian