this is not too dissonant a phrase) to the silences that open up in communication and that are vital if we are to pay attention to them. As you read what the women say, you cannot help but think about the role of silence in one’s own practice, and, crucially, whether you might not like to join those who are making it such an important part of their daily lives. I am not so sure that her reflections would be as effective as they are were it not for the way in which she sets out the words of those she has interviewed. If silence suggests solitude, it is interesting that Woolley makes the theme of relationality of central importance to her discussion. Relationality is understood in relation to self and the divine, and that sounds like something most would probably anticipate. More surprising, perhaps, is the way it relates to relationship with others. Being silent with others opens up the possibility of deeper relationships (see p. 203). Silence acts as a leveller, stripping away the distinctions between individuals, and also as a means of experiencing the interdependence between people. The other fascinating aspect of Woolley’s study is the discussion of God’s absence within silence (see p. 143). This experience emerged as a counterbalance to those who felt they had come closer to the divine through their cultivation of a silent space. The example of Una, a woman in her early 80s who had experienced over 30 years of God’s absence, yet who still practised her silence discipline was disturbing, but also thought provoking. ‘I will have to live as if there was God’ (p. 145), she notes. That this was not a distressing conclusion suggested something important about the expectations we might have from silence practice, and Woolley connects these reflections to a discussion of ‘the dark night of the soul’, deemed by the mystics to be necessary for a deeper relationship with God. This gives an idea of just how challenging Woolley’s work is, for to enter into the silence requires entering the world of apophatic theology too. This is, then, a powerful, comprehensive investigation of silence, that draws you in and which acts to prompt further thought about the nature of spiritual practice, as well as the importance of carving out a space for silence in an increasingly noisy world. This is an important book for all seeking a deeper form of spiritual practice, as well as for those interested in the way in which women shape their spiritual practice.

中文翻译：

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书评：女权神学与当代节食文化

这不是一个太不和谐的短语）在交流中打开的沉默，如果我们要注意他们，这至关重要。当你读到女性所说的话时，你不禁思考沉默在自己的实践中的作用，以及至关重要的是，你是否愿意加入那些将沉默作为他们日常生活的重要组成部分的人。我不太确定她的反思是否会像它们一样有效，如果不是因为她陈述她采访过的人的话的方式。如果沉默意味着孤独，有趣的是，伍利将关系性这一主题置于她的讨论的中心位置。关系被理解为与自我和神圣的关系，这听起来是大多数人可能会预料到的。也许更令人惊讶的是它与他人关系的方式。与他人保持沉默打开了更深层次关系的可能性（见第 203 页）。沉默起到了平衡器的作用，消除了人与人之间的区别，也是体验人与人之间相互依赖的一种手段。伍利研究的另一个令人着迷的方面是对上帝在沉默中缺席的讨论（见第 143 页）。这种体验的出现是对那些认为自己通过培养寂静空间而更接近神圣的人的一种平衡。Una 是一位 80 岁出头的妇女，经历了 30 多年的上帝缺席，但仍然坚持沉默纪律，这令人不安，但也发人深省。“我将不得不像有上帝一样生活”（第 145 页），她指出。这不是一个令人沮丧的结论表明我们可能对沉默实践的期望很重要，伍利将这些反思与“灵魂的黑夜”的讨论联系起来，神秘主义者认为这是与人类建立更深层次关系所必需的。上帝。这说明伍利的工作是多么具有挑战性，因为进入沉默也需要进入否定神学的世界。因此，这是对沉默的强大而全面的调查，它会吸引您并促使您进一步思考精神实践的本质，以及在日益嘈杂的世界中为沉默开辟空间的重要性。对于所有寻求更深层次精神实践的人来说，这是一本重要的书，