Creative Silence listening for


A Reflection on the Solo Canoeing Experience by Bryan Poirier


Creative Silence[refers to] the impact of solitude on the mind, the wakening of ideas and thoughts normally hidden…[and] the emergence of concepts often lost owing to interruptions and responsibilities.During such times one drinks from the deep wells of the past. – Sigurd Olson


S


OLO CANOEING IS AS MUCH ABOUT EXPLORING OURSELVES AS IT IS ABOUT PADDLING TECHNIQUE AND HULL DESIGNS.THE AMOUNT OF SKILL AND CON-


centration required to handle a solo canoe is significant and,by pro- viding a focus for the mind and emotions, it can leave us with a sense of solace and inner peace. Though often associated with remote wilderness sojourns, this sense of solitude, and what Sigurd Olson aptly called creative silence, can be found almost anywhere in a solo canoe. Using language to describe the solitude of solo canoeing is a bit


like trying to portray ice cream through dance;only those who have experienced it before will understand. The same difficulty arises when trying to show people what solitude is by taking them there, as so much of it comes from within. Much like the notion of wilderness, solitude is something pro- jected onto the natural world that originates on the internal land-


photo by Don Standfield


scape of the mind.For example,it was through this process that the early European explorers and settlers labeled much of Canada as wilderness,when,to the First Nations living there at the time,it was clearly their home. Solo paddling allows us to locate solitude with- in ourselves, as it enables us to plot a route back to it time and again,each time with greater ease and precision.As a result,the path to creative silence,with practice,can become so familiar that one is capable of finding the way there even when surrounded by a group of other paddlers. In the Zen tradition, there is a meditative ritual known as Sessin,


where a group of people congregate together, but meditate individ- ually.This is also true of the solo paddler’s search for solitude. It is rooted in the belief that one can find a quiet meditative state while continuing to embrace the company of others.By finding that famil- iar route toward the internal landscape of the mind, the canoe can act as a vehicle for going inside toward the realm of creative silence, regardless of external distractions and circumstances. This inward journey seems to foster a sense of focus, and can free the mind from extraneous thoughts so as to contemplate one’s


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