Silent Witness

The Practice of the Silent Witness is a practice of merely observing mental-emotional states, and all of the thoughts and feelings-emotions that arise, without any judgment, attachment, or aversion. One simply wishes to watch what is happening, inwardly and outwardly, without identifying oneself with anything that is happening.

Remaining identified with what is arising in consciousness makes us powerless to make any real change. If we can remove our self-identification with thoughts and emotions, and even events in life, we become empowered to make changes. Basically, the Silent Witness is an exercise in self-knowledge and the cultivation of self-awareness.

At any time, anywhere, just let go and let be, and become the Silent Witness of all that is transpiring within and all around you. Become aware of your body and with your awareness scan your body. Notice its posture and all of the sensations in the body, including any tensions or stresses. Then shift your focus to the feeling-emotions underlying the bodily sensations, allowing yourself to become conscious of your feelings and emotions. Then shift your focus to the thoughts associated with these feelings and emotions. Without any judgment at all, without attachment or aversion, just witness in silence what is happening. This practice can be done in the midst of daily life. It is one of the key methods through which Christian Gnostics integrate their spiritual practice into daily living. One can engage in this practice for prolonged periods of time, but even just 5 or 10 minutes throughout one's day is beneficial.

Witnessing is not something you do, it is the realisation that awareness is present. Awareness is always present, even when you are totally absorbed in an activity or thought. "You" might be trying to do the witnessing, yet while this "you" seems to have awareness, in reality the "you" that tries to witness is being witnessed.