The soul has been given it's own ears to hear things the mind does not understand.
- Rumi
I have put the ear of my soul in the window of your heart.
- Rumi
Dear Wise Women,
Though every one of our gatherings are sacred, I was particularly moved by what transpired through last week’s experience of “Soft Eyes” (if you missed the circle, I encourage you to scroll down and read last week’s post).
Throughout the week, as I practiced soft eyes, I noticed that my ability to listen was heightened. In the deep state of presence activated by the softening of my gaze, I noticed something that felt, at least metaphorically, like a softening of the ears.
And, so I became curious about ears.
Ears, as it turns out, are a very curious thing.
We can’t stop ourselves from hearing and yet we have a great deal of control over listening. And this is what I wish for us to deepen into this week. I share with you wisdom from Rumi, Mark Nepo and a listening exercise from Rebecca Shafir.
But, above alI, I wish for us to contemplate these words from holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl:
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
May we soften and enter the space between.
Love Patti
Deep silence, deep speech and deep questioning lead us to a depth of heart that lives below illusion.
- Mark Nepo
We listen deeply by listening to the Source through immersion, absorption, and presence. We begin by allowing ourselves to sink into the depth of whatever moment we are in.
We speak deeply by listening with heart to the Source, no matter who or what conveys it, and translating that presence into meaningful speech. We begin by accepting and working with what we hear. Speaking deeply has something to do with letting things pass through our heart as they are.
We question deeply by listening to what is offered and surfacing its meaning and usefulness through further questioning and honest dialogue. What can you ask that will open that door? What can you ask that will let you enter what has been opened?
- Mark Nepo, “Seven Thousand Ways to Listen”
Listening intently even for a minute is one of the nicest gifts we can give to another human being.
- Rebecca C Shafir , “The Zen of Listening”
When the lips are silent, the heart has a hundred tongues.
- Rumi
A few times over the next several days, try this listening exercise. Even if you are not a music lover, try to listen objectively. Find a concert on the radio and see if you can pick out the different voices, instruments, and harmonies. Try isolating one particular voice or instrument for as many seconds as possible. Then return your attention to the blending of all the instruments and take in the whole piece. Notice how each voice is necessary to carry this performance, but that each voice alone is just a fragment of the whole. Now, without analyzing or dissecting the musical performance, sit for a few minutes and take in the music. Simply be witness to it. When we listen to music in this way, we get a taste of the Zen approach to listening. You are not thinking about the notes that came before the ones you are listening to now, nor are you anticipating the next passage. You are not judging the piece nor worrying about how long it is. You are just absorbing the music with your whole being as the music moves and changes. This is the interval of mental space that needs to be present when listening to another human being. To widen the gap of time between perceiving a message and interpreting its content is the essence of mindful listening.
- Rebecca C Shafir, “The Zen of Listening”