Silence Day 2024

It's that time of the year again. This day marks the 99th anniversary of the beginning of Baba's silence. I was awake just before midnight and the moment I awoke I remembered that it was Silence Day. A few minutes later I checked my phone and it was 00:04. It's now 00:36 and I've had breakfast and am ready to start the working day so to speak. 

AVATAR MEHER BABA using the alphabet board to communicate with His followers.

Even though I don't work, there are chores to be completed. Apart from those however, I want to spend the day being more mindful of Baba and appreciative of my great good fortune in having come to know of Him. In 1967, I first saw the name Meher Baba in a book titled "A Search in Secret India" by Paul Brunton. It had been lent to me by my now long lost friend Steve Ross. I first heard the name Meher Baba in 1968, during a talk given at the University of Queensland by Bill Le Page (now deceased).

AVATAR MEHER BABA (left) with Frank Simon Hendrick, Francis Brabazon and Bill Le Page in 1954.

During these two years, Meher Baba was still alive and it was the talk by Bill Le Page that embedded Baba's name in my memory. I was unimpressed by Bill's presentation and quickly forgot all about it. I can still see myself sitting in that largely empty lecture hall, unaware of the profundity of the occasion. I came away with nothing but His name and, thanks to His grace, that proved to be enough. It was not until 1993, at the age of 44, that I finally came to Baba but the seed had been planted that evening in the lecture hall.

If His name hadn't been buried in my subconscious mind, then the book "God Speaks" that I stumbled upon in about 1981 would have meant nothing to me. Seeing the author's name triggered an urge to acquire the book and give it a place on my bookshelf where it remained, largely ignored, for the next twelve years. However, I did very occasionally open it up and start reading it only to quickly abandon the attempt as the words made no sense to me. That all changed in 1993, again through His grace, and in the next seven years I came to know the details of Baba's advent.

So here I am at age 75 observing silence on Silence Day. I'm thinking I'd best not go for my usual morning walk as I may be lured into verbal communication. As usual I'll stay at home and avoid even going out the front door to sweep the fallen leaves away because I always, if I encounter him, say good morning to the guy next door whose task it is to clean the bird and cat cages. In the past, I've even slipped up by saying something to my dog but now that she's gone that won't happen. It's only my wife and granddaughter that I am at risk of talking to but they are quite familiar with this annual event and are understanding of its significance.

On this day I'll play some of what I consider Baba music. For more about these songs, the following links are available:

• https://sean-reeves.blogspot.com/2021/08/its-been-long-long-long-time.html
• https://sean-reeves.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-one.html
• https://sean-reeves.blogspot.com/2021/12/across-bridge.html
• https://sean-reeves.blogspot.com/2024/01/im-on-your-side.html

Special prominence must be given to "Begin the Beguine" by Pete Townshend because this was Baba's favourite song and Pete of course is a long time Baba Lover.

Having had only about five hours slept, I fell asleep again between 03:00 and 06:00. For the first time ever, I had several dreams in which I knew I was observing silence but slipped up in various interactions with dream characters. Interesting. 

Listening to Van the Man, I was captivated by the lyrics to his song "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You". Let's not forget that Jim Reeves wrote a song with the same name (but different melody and lyrics) but here are the lyrics to Van's song:

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You

Have I told you lately that I love you?

Have I told you there's no one above you

Fill my heart with gladness

Take away my sadness

Ease my troubles, that's what you do

Now the mornin' sun in all it's glory

Greets the day with hope and comfort, too

You fill my life with laughter

You can make it better

Ease my troubles that's what you do

There's a love that's divine

And it's yours and mine, like the sun

At the end of the day

We should give thanks and pray to the One

And to say, 'Have I told you lately that I love you?'

Have I told ya there's no one above you?

Fill my heart with gladness

Take away my sadness

Ease my troubles, that's what you do

There's a love that's divine

And it's yours and mine

And it shines like the sun

At the end of the day

We should give thanks

And pray to the One

And so

Have I told you lately that I love you?

Have I told you there's no one above you?

Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill, fill my heart with gladness

Take away my sadness

(Take away my sadness)

Ease my troubles, that's what you do

Fill my life with gladness

Take away my sadness

(Take away my sadness)

Ease my troubles that's what you do

Fill my life with gladness

And take away my sadness

(Take away my sadness)

Ease my troubles that's what you

This is another excellent devotional song and I'm reminded how the use of the term "The One" is preferable to the use of the term "God" which means so many different things to so many different people. Using this terminology helps overcome the associations, good and bad, that adhere to the latter term. We can thus say that Meher Baba and the Sadgurus are one with The One and from The One arise The Many.