Inner Learning through the Power of Silence

Silence: Inner Learning through the Power of Silence

Silence, one of the most difficult things 
to achieve in our world today, was an 
important key to the Pythagorean Path, 
and to all of Mysticism. Former Grand Master 
Guesdon reminds us of its importance across 
the ages. 

Before he would initiate a neophyte into 
the mysteries of his teachings, the philosopher 
Pythagoras would subject the candidate 
to various ordeals which were designed to 
strengthen the initiate’s character and which 
would allow Pythagoras to judge him or her. 
Thus newcomers amid the sages of Crotona 
listened but never asked questions. For 
months on end, they were subjected to the 
discipline of silence, so that when they were 
finally allowed to speak again they would 
do so only with circumspection and respect. 
They had learned inwardly, through personal 
experience, that silence is an almost divine 
power—the mother of all virtues.
Alas, why are we not still today under 
the genial authority of Pythagoras? The 
main trouble with today’s world is the lack 
of silence. Not only is contemporary society 
literally poisoned by the tumult of machines 
(including talking ones), but also—and 
especially—it is saturated with loud and 
empty words. It is a question of who will 
speak the loudest, who will make the most 
statements, who will tell his or her story with 
the most trifling details.
How correct was Kierkegaard, the great 
Scandinavian thinker, when he wrote: “The 
world in its present state is sick! If I were a 
doctor and was asked for advice, I would 
answer: ‘Be silent!’ ”
Yes, true Rosicrucians can be recognized 
by their oral temperance, among other 
virtues. They speak only sparingly, and the 
words they speak are rich in meaning. They 
practice the following advice from a Sufi 
teacher: “If the word you are going to speak 
is not more beautiful than silence, then do 
not say it!”
When we apply for initiation, we must 
remain silent not only toward others but 
toward ourselves also. Let us understand 
this well. It is in silence that the Cosmic, the 
Divine, communicates with us. In order for 
us to hear God’s advice, to receive intuitive 
flashes, we must know how to silence the 
profane voice within. The Hebrew Scriptures 
teach this symbolically in the First Book of

Kings (19:11-12), where the prophet Elijah 
is shown taking refuge in the desert and 
waiting for a message from God:
“And he said, Go forth and 
stand upon the mount before the 
Lord. And behold, the Lord passed 
by, and a great and strong wind rent 
the mountains, and brake in pieces 
the rocks before the Lord; but the 
Lord was not in the wind; and after 
the wind, an earthquake; but the 
Lord was not in the earthquake:
“And after the earthquake a fire; 
but the Lord was not in the fire: and 
after the fire a still small voice.”
It is then that the Divine appeared to 
Elijah. In his famous treatise entitled  The 
Conference of Birds, the mystic Attar expresses 
the same truth in a different way. “As long 
as they walked, they talked; but when they 
arrived, all talk ceased. There was neither 
guide nor traveler; even the road had ceased 
to exist.”
One of the greatest French mystics, 
Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, deserved to 
be named “the Unknown Silent One” by his 
disciples. More than anyone else, he exalted 
the virtue of silence. He wrote, “Great truths 
are taught only through silence.” Better yet, 
he made this remark which unfortunately 
applies so well to our times: “Is there a 
greater proof of human weakness than the 
multiplicity of our words?”
It is very true that silence is a real test to 
the one who, through habit or tendency, does 
not know how to observe it. Tradition relates 
that the ancients had made a divinity out of 
silence; male in Greece, where it was named 
Harpocrates, and female in Rome, where 

it was called Tacita—well named since it is 
derived from the Latin tacere, which means, 
“to be silent.” This demonstrates to what 
extent our ancestors worshiped this virtue; 
also, that the Romans did not consider gossip 
as a foible of the fair sex.
As explained in this message, the 
discipline of silence is a power; it allows 
us to maintain within a vital influx that 
useless words waste away. Before you speak, 
try to evaluate if what you intend to say 
is worthwhile; if it can do some good and 
especially if it is not going to cause any harm. 
You will notice that the effort you exerted in 
repressing a useless word causes a reaction 
within, a struggle against temptation. Each 
victory shall give you new power. That is 
why it is wise to follow the Sufi’s advice, 
and if what you are about to say is not 
more beautiful than silence, then abstain  
from speaking.
Meditate upon this message; think about 
it often. It is hoped that it will help you to 
ascend one step