Walking in Silence: The Spirit Walk

As I approach my 55th birthday and this year’s solar return, I’ve been reflecting on a practice that has quietly shaped my life for years: I call it the Spirit Walk.

It’s simple, yet profound. A Spirit Walk is the act of walking in silence, holding a single thought, question, or presence in mind. It’s not about exercise or distraction. It’s about creating a spacious field where something deeper can speak.

The Quiet Between Steps

In our world, silence is rare. We fill the gaps with conversation, noise, or endless scrolling. But silence is where the soul comes forward.

On a Spirit Walk, there’s no need to solve or force. You simply hold your chosen question, image, or intention lightly — and walk. With each step, the noise of the mind begins to soften. Slowly, you notice more: the rhythm of your breath, the texture of the air, the way sunlight filters through leaves.

And within that quiet, answers you didn’t expect can arise — not as thunderclaps, but as whispers.

A Practice of Seeing Differently

I’ve been doing this practice of silent walking my entire life. When I was a kid in the 1970s, I used to go out walking alone in my neighborhood (back when parents still let their kids outside unattended). Over the years it grew into a meditative practice that helps me see and understand the world I live in: the people in my life, new ideas — or new perspectives on old ideas, my life direction, etc.

The Spirit Walk is about relationship — with yourself, with your questions, with the living world around you. It’s not a tool for “productivity” or even self-improvement. It’s an invitation to notice what’s already here, waiting to be seen.

Why Now

This September marks ten years since I first led a “Wake Up” gathering on the High Line park in West Chelsea, New York City, That event planted the seeds of this practice for others. Now, as I enter a new cycle of my life, the Spirit Walk feels even more relevant.

We are living in a time of noise, overwhelm, and constant demand. More than ever, we need ways to return to presence — to walk quietly with what matters most.

For me, the Spirit Walk is a way of re-membering who I am. Of listening beneath the surface. Of allowing the next step to reveal itself without force.

An Invitation

I share this now because I believe the Spirit Walk isn’t just for me. It’s for anyone longing for clarity, connection, and renewal.

You don’t need anything fancy. Just choose a path — a trail, a quiet street, even laps in your backyard. Leave the ear buds or headphones at home. Choose a thought, question, or presence to carry with you. And walk, in silence.

See what arises. Notice what changes. Allow what is undefined to take shape.

This is my birthday wish: that you give yourself the gift of silence, and try a Spirit Walk of your own.