- Another Silence Day (2018)
- Silence Day (2010)
- Silence Day (2009)
- Reflections on Silence Day (2009)
What's disappointing of course is the paucity of such posts since I started this blog in November of 2006. Ideally I should have made a post every year given that silence was the defining characteristic of Baba's life on Earth and why he is sometimes called "The Silent Master".
My daily habit is to note the number of days I've been alive and to make some comment on this number in my mathematical blog. I've been doing this diligently for many years in marked contrast to the number of posts I've made about Baba. This is to be expected given that, like most humans, I am mesmerised by my own existence. However, today I thought it appropriate to look at how many days old Baba was when he began his silence. It turns out he was 11458 days old (see Figure 1).
 |
| Figure 1: WolframAlpha calculation |
The number 11458 = 2 * 17 * 337 but I'll leave off there as I don't want to get too distracted by the mathematics. However, looking at Baba's diurnal age when certain key events occurred in his life would be an interesting exercise. Meanwhile, Figure 2 shows this number in a decorative font:
 |
| Figure 2: taken from this site |
I came across a site that allows one to create an OBAMA HOPE inspired photo and I used that to produce a photo of Baba. See Figure 3:
 |
| Figure 3: produced at http://obamapostermaker.com/ |
The challenge on Silence Day of course is to keep silent and right from the start I was tested. Getting up before the sun, I took my dog for a walk and came across a pet rabbit on the road that I immediately started making a succession of "tsk, tsk" sounds toward in order to lure it closer so that I could pet it. It hopped away but I immediately realised my error. It didn't constitute a vocalisation but it was a sound so it served to remind me to be on my guard. The other danger is reflex vocalisation such as occurs when somebody gives you something and you automatically say "thanks".
As the day wore on, I got to thinking about how Baba's silence might be reflected in his natal chart which I've shown in Figure 4 with some features highlighted. The key planet to consider of course will be Mercury, the planet of communication, and this planet is prominently aspected in his chart. It is a semi-sextile aspect to Venus, sextile to Jupiter, sesquiquadrate to the Moon and quincunx Saturn. The aspect to the retrograde Saturn is especially close and reflects the limitations and discipline involved in not speaking. Mercury is in the middle of the second house (representing the body and its capacities) and Saturn is in the ninth house (representing his "philosophy" and mode of instruction). Venus and Jupiter lend support so that the handicap of not speaking in nonetheless perceived as harmonious, expressive and even eloquent.
 |
| Figure 4: Baba's chart with annotations |
Impressive as this is, the chart shown together with the transits on the day he began his silence is extraordinary and this is shown in Figure 5. I've not even added any annotations because the situation is shown so clearly. An amazing conjunction of transiting Mercury, Venus and Mars on the seventh house cusp is exactly square the natal Moon with transiting Saturn sitting atop it. The natal Sun and natal Mars are closely involved as well. The actual mid-point between natal Jupiter and natal Saturn in 9°24' of Leo. On July 11th 1925, transiting Mercury, Venus and Mars all met at this point (give or take a few minutes of arc). This was a transient but remarkable conjunction.
 |
| Figure 5: transits to the natal chart on the day Baba's began his silence |
The stars most certainly did align on that day as well they should when the Master of the Universe begins the Silence that was to define this most recent advent of the Avatar.
I played Van Morrison's "Hymns to the Silence" and once again was impressed by the lyrics:
Hymns to the Silence
Oh my dear, oh my dear sweet love
Oh my dear, oh my dear sweet love
When I'm away from you, when I'm away from you
Well I feel, yeah, well I feel so sad and blue
Well I feel, well I feel so sad and blue
Oh my dear, oh my dear, oh my dear sweet love
When I'm away from you, I just have to sing, my hymns
Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence
Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence
Oh my dear, oh my dear sweet love it's a long, long journey
Long, long journey, journey back home
Back home to you, feel you by my side
Long journey, journey, journey
Yeah in the midnight, in the midnight, I burn the candle
Burn the candle at both ends, burn the candle at both ends
Burn the candle at both ends, burn the candle at both ends
And I keep on, 'cause I can't sleep at night
Until the daylight comes through
And I just, and I just, have to sing
Sing my hymns to the silence
Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence
My hymns to the silence
I want to go out in the countryside
Oh sit by the clear, cool, crystal water
Get my spirit, way back to the feeling
Deep in my soul, I want to feel
Oh so close to the One, close to the One
Close to the One, close to the One
And that's why, I keep on singing
My hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence
Oh my hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence
Oh hymns to the silence, oh hymns to the silence
Oh hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence
Oh my dear, my dear sweet love
Can you feel the silence? can you feel the silence?
Can you feel the silence? can you feel the silence?
Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence
Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence
Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence
Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence
Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence.
