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The story and experience of Stillness are very interesting. Richard Mahler went to live as a winter caretaker of a remote ranch in the Tusas mountains of northern New Mexico. He lived without electricity—meaning no washer, dryer, microwave, blender, television, or electric lights. He did have a gas powered refrigerator, stove, and water heater. He had a short wave radio for emergencies. He spent his time there—97 days in all—doing daily chores more slowly, reading, writing, cooking, eating, listening to the radio and tapes, practicing yoga, drawing, snowshoeing, skiing, thinking and meditating, and keeping a journal of his experience that would later be used extensively in his book. Stillness is a combination adventure story, spiritual reflection, memoir, and self-help book.

The insights from the book cover meditation, simplifying, uncluttering, slowing down, nature’s silence, re-examining life, solitude, silence, and keeping a journal. The book is well researched and includes numerous interesting details and quotations. One can—and I did—learn a great deal reading and contemplating this book. It is so loaded with supporting details that every time I re-read a portion of it, I learned something new. It is filled with ideas of things to try—including little things like leaving the car radio off when driving, which does seem to slow my life down and make it calmer. It is an ideal book to accompany a reader on an at-home vacation, outdoor vacation, or even a weekend retreat. The “Growing From the Stillness” chapter contains a summary of insights from the experience and some of the difficulties with merging back into society after three months of solitude.

Stillness is a very calming and aesthetic reading experience. I enjoyed the frequent journal excerpts that portrayed the experience. For example, on p. 57, Mahler writes, “At night, when it is calm, the silence is complete. The land feels asleep, and even those creatures that stir during the day are curled up in their burrows or hiding places.”  Or on p. 64, “A mushy, melty day. No good for skiing or snowshoeing. I did a soggy hike instead.” One of my favorite passages is “…the silence of the Sonoran Desert is deafening, except for the low-flying U.S. Border Patrol and Air Force planes that punctuate its solitude.” It is a pleasure to read a book where the language is poetic and descriptive, but not overpowering.

Patrons who enjoy this book will find plenty of ideas for further reading in his annotated bibliography: ten pages of books, articles, web sites, and organizational information. Many of the books on his list were old favorites of mine. In addition to the two new books mentioned in my first paragraph, I would also recommend the book Everyday Spiritual Practice: Simple Pathways for Enriching Your Life, edited by Scott Alexander, as a general guide to spiritual development. Simple Days by Marlene Schiwy is a wonderful journal about simplifying life (this author has also written a good guide to journal writing, A Voice of Her Own). Finally, David Budbill’s Moment to Moment is a wonderful collection of poetry centered on silence, solitude, nature, and simplicity. The back cover of Stillness offers this consoling synopsis: “Wrap yourself in Mahler’s warm tapestry of silence.” That is a perfect summary!

Richard Mahler lives in Santa Fe, NM and is author of several books, including, Secrets of Becoming a Late Bloomer and Tending the Earth, Mending the Spirit: the Healing Gifts of Gardening. He is a writer and also teaches stress reduction using yoga and meditation.