Indigenous Wisdom from Hawaii

Nana Veary (1908-1993) is an indigenous Hawaiian and spiritual teacher whose religious journey began in Christian Pentecostalism and led her to Buddhism, Science of the Mind, and beyond. She tells her story in her book, Change We Must: My Spiritual Journey, which brims with the wisdom of an elder. She writes: “There is an interior Christ-Mind that baffles all reasoning and is beyond all human explanation.”

She especially endorses silence as a path to the Divine when she writes:

In silence the conscious thinking mind comes to a stop, and the invisible presence and power are given the opportunity to function. If we really believe that the kingdom of God is within, we should be willing to leave the world until such time as we can reach, touch, and respond to the Father within.

For her Silence is the way to the Divine—a kind of “secret power” among her indigenous community: 

Silence is the secret of the power of the Hawaiians. Through silence they communicated with nature. The language of silence salutes the divinity in all living things. Everything that has life has something of value to share with us, providing we are ready to experience it.

It is through silence that we connect to the Source and to the rest of Creation that reveals the source.

Nana Veary teaches us that silence played a very great role in the spirituality of her people. Silence was a power that allowed them to communicate with nature, to listen to nature and its revelation. Silence “salutes the divinity in all living things.”

One Native American once said that “trees talk; they talk to each other. But the trouble with white people is they don’t know how to listen.” You have to be silent to hear the trees talking.

For Veary it is Silence that puts an end to dualism and separation:

You are made whole again in silence. Solitude shatters the illusion that you and I are separate.

She tells of her move from talking to God to listening in silence this way:

About eight years ago, I stopped giving classes in metaphysics and began holding silent retreats. I changed my emphasis from talking to God in prayer to listening to Him in silence. In silent retreats which last several days, you can go deeply into your consciousness. The purpose is to free yourself of anger, guilt, resentment, discouragement, disappointment, worry, all the negative thought patterns buried in the subconscious mind. In silent retreats you clear your channels so life can be fulfilled. Silent retreats give you spiritual dignity.  

Silence helps us to go deep and rid ourselves of many negative patterns.

 Adapted from Matthew Fox, Christian Mystics, pp. 355f.

Banner Image: “Waimea Valley is an historic [nature] park of cultural [and religious] significance on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii…including stone terraces and walls constructed during the time of the Hawaiian monarchy. Much of the garden floor was once cultivated for taro, sweet potato, and bananas, with new crops and orchards introduced by Europeans after their arrival.” Photo by Ken Lund on Flickr.

Queries for Contemplation

Veary calls us to let go of our “conscious thinking mind” so we can taste silence and what it has to teach us. Can you be that still?

Have you moved from “talking to God” to deep listening?  Does a certain spiritual dignity emerge as a result?

Recommended Reading