Nowadays, it’s permissible for Cistercians to speak, but they still aim to foster exterior silence in order to cultivate interior listening as part of their quest for God. If you would like for Cistercian wisdom to shape your own spiritual path, begin with a simple effort to foster silence in your life. You don’t have to take it to an extreme. Give yourself permission to find some time each day, even if only ten or fifteen minutes, for silence. No TV, no Internet, no smartphone. No music or even