Silent Witness Contemplation – A Simple Tool for a More Mindful You

June 5th, 2020

Have you ever reached a destination with no recollection of how you got there? It is quite frightening, when you think you’ve driven without consciously being at the wheel! Periodic blanks of unconsciousness begin very early in life. Unless consciously checked, these grey periods of subconscious behaviour become a way of life.

‘Silent Witness’ contemplation is a technique which can help us to live life in a superconscious way, without giving in to these periods of unconscious behaviour which make us as good as robots – part-man, part-machine.

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It’s an easy technique to get started with, and you can try it out with just a few spare minutes a day.

Try a Couple of Tasters:

Brush your teeth and attend closely to what you are doing. The idea is to sustain a steady vigil. Resist the temptation to interfere with the operation. You will observe that you clean your teeth most thoroughly. It is as if the brain knows it is being watched. It acts like a naughty child, ‘I’d best clean them properly, as mummy is watching me.’

Now try this other little test: When you drink a cup of tea, concentrate on the cup in your hand. Feel the texture of the china cup. Has the drinking vessel got a pattern on it? Concentrate on the weight of the cup in your hand. When you drink, observe the temperature, taste and smell of the tea. This will bring you a vibrant new experience to drinking tea.

Usually you brush your teeth and drink tea almost unconsciously. ‘Silent Witness’ contemplation puts a spanner in the works of unconscious behaviour. Under the watchful eye of the higher self one discerns the cogs and wheels of unconscious behaviour.

Revealing the True Self

We all have an egotistical image of the kind of person we think we are. ‘Silent Witness’ contemplation, however, shows up the true ‘you’ without the frills. I must warn you, you may not like what you are about to witness. Watch yourself when you are in company, with your spouse, children and friends. If you observe yourself doing or saying something you don’t like, resist the urge to step into the arena. You must remain dispassionately aloof. View yourself just as though you are a stranger to yourself.

This may all sound rather depressing, but I can assure you it is most uplifting. Just imagine, you may have gone through life under the impression that you are Miss Perfect! By regularly practicing silent witness contemplation, you can totally transform the person you are, and life can become a most beautiful, colourful minute-by-minute experience.

A Practical Tool

‘Silent Witness’ contemplation can serve as a practical tool. As I grow older I find my short-term memory can let me down, for instance, when I take Paracetamol for earache; I often stand in the middle of the room thinking – did I take my pills or not? (I do not have the onset of dementia!). This could lead to me accidentally taking an overdose. When I am watching myself, I remember exactly when and how I took my pills.

Practice this way of indiscriminately viewing life for ten minutes at a time as often as you can. Don’t be perturbed if strange sensations fill your head – ‘Silent Witness’ contemplation temporarily disengages volumes of biological syntax that usually runs your life for you. You may get a sense of being outside your body – that’s great; you are a bystander watching the action from a superconscious state.

This exercise can be practised on a bus, feeding a baby, walking through woods, or eating a meal, even when you are falling to sleep at night. I have watched myself fast asleep and snoring!

Start a Daily Silent Witness Contemplation

Try to become super-mindful. Perhaps you might begin to dispassionately watch yourself for ten minutes at a time. In these moments of detached self-inspection one gets to know a side of the personality hitherto unseen. The proof of the pudding is in the eating; dispassionately watch yourself for ten minutes a day and see the amazing results. Observe yourself with icy cold regard, neither judging nor interfering. One may still chat to a neighbour, ride a bike, or even fall asleep while upholding the steady vigil. Only then does one truly get to know the real earthly self.

Watching life frame by frame cleanses the brain. By simply being in the precious moments of life with genuine awareness a great spiritual presence is felt. The menial tasks of tying shoelaces, serving in a shop, stroking an animal, etc., can become enjoyable acts of pleasure and dedication. Spend a few hours one day a week ‘sitting on the fence’ watching the world going by. In this surreal world of bare mental activity a more mindful ‘you’ will evolve. One becomes very meticulous and super-aware with ‘Silent Witness’ contemplation. The brain fully blossoms under the spotlight of super-consciousness. ‘Silent Witness’ contemplation returns super-awareness and a childlike mental sensitivity. A wonderful calming, serene, spiritual mood falls upon the silent witness.

If you enjoy ‘Silent Witness’, you can find more about it and many other such exercises in my book, ‘Use Your Brain to Elongate Your Cell-by Date‘. Have fun!

About the author:

Robert Puzey is an award winning songwriter (Ivor Novello awards in the category of ‘Songwriter of the Year’ and ‘Most Performed song of the Year’ (‘I’m in the Mood for Dancing’) 1980.

Robert nursed his late wife, Kath, though her five-year battle against bowel cancer, during which time Robert extensively studied hatha yoga (he is a qualified hatha yoga instructor) and began to experiment with novel brain exercises in the field of ‘mind over matter’ / ‘spirit over worldliness’, achieving some quite revolutionary and fascinating results from his work.

Bringing us up to date, Robert has formulated a complete programme – ‘Use Your Brain to Elongate Your Cell-by-Date’ – of rejuvenating exercises with easy to use instructions. Robert lives in north London and writes self-help material.