quieting

Normally we dwell on the periphery of our experience, taking in and processing all the movement, sounds, colors, words and sensations going on around us. There's so much activity that it consumes the majority of our conscious attention and awareness.

As a result there's little room for anything to rise into consciousness from within. The noisiness obscures it. Whatever's going on on the surface is far brighter and louder than whatever's going to be whispering noiselessly from within. The gentle nudges, the subtle insights. They need silence and stillness to be heard.