Solitude and Silence: John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent

John Climacus (d. 606), abbot of the monastery on Mount Sinai, wrote "The Ladder of Divine Ascent" as a guide for monks progressing in the spiritual life. The 30 steps of the ladder begin with renunciation and end with faith, hope, and love. On silence, he wrote: "The friend of silence draws near to God. In secret he converses with Him and receives His light."

Climachus distinguished between outer silence and inner silence: "Intelligent silence is the mother of prayer, freedom from bondage, custodian of zeal, a guard on our thoughts, a watch on our enemies, a prison of mourning, a friend of tears, a sure recollection of death." Silence was not one discipline among many but the environment in which all other disciplines flourish.

Practical application: Identify the noisiest part of your day and introduce five minutes of silence into it. If your morning is chaotic, wake five minutes early and sit in silence. If your commute is filled with media, turn it off for the first five minutes. Climacus teaches that small insertions of silence gradually transform the texture of an entire day.