Do you Hear what I Hear?

Pathway 26, Awakened Hearing. 

     What is sound? Sound is defined as “vibration that travels through the air or another medium and can be heard when it reaches the ear.’ That being said everything has a vibration, it’s own pulse if you will; trees, plants, rocks, the Earth, but we don’t necessarily hear them with our ears. We may feel them or sense them which is a different kind of “hearing”, “Awakened Hearing”, As- Sami, which means “the all-hearing.” Pathway 26, “Awakened Hearing” asks us to contemplate where sound begins within ourselves.  Hearing as a spiritual practice asks us to listen more intently.

     “We are here to hold within us the consciousness of all the beings that have traveled before us in the caravan of life, and to include the view of  the whole cosmos in our vision.” Neil Douglas- Klotz .

     These next three pathways from his book “The Sufi Book of Life- 99 Pathways to the Heart” all deal with our ability to listen and truly hear or see or sense the sacredness all around us which results in our realization of our own connectedness to Source. I continue to journey through the pathways exploring through spiritual practice and art, in particular collage. Here in this blog I share my thoughts and experiences. This particular post will focus on Awakened Hearing.

     If we believe that we are all sparks from a divine source then it’s fair to say that what we experience, see, hear and feel is being generated by and experienced by that source as well. So all that we experience around us is indeed a sacred conversation. So then we ask ourselves how closely are we listening or seeing or feeling? If we look at the state of our world and our Beloved Earth right now, in this moment, I would suggest we aren’t listening as deeply as we should or need to be. We are being asked to listen deeply and with greater clarity so that we may bring about a more balanced and respectful way of Being. We are being shown that we must realize our connectedness before it’s too late. You do not bring harm upon that which you love and respect.

     In my collage I have a picture from under the oceans stormy surface. One can hear the sounds of a storm ravaged sea in their imagination from past experience. You know that above this peaceful scene the wind is howling, that waves are crashing, and that rain is lashing against the surface. Yet all  is calm and serene, seemingly quiet. Our ears don’t necessarily have the experience or ability to hear sound under water. Though we are able to hear larger species like the songs of whales. We assume because we can’t hear it that there is no sound. Which brings to mind the old question of  “if a tree falls in the forest does it make a sound?”  The large school of fish communicate with each other.  And on a different level your experience of this image may speak to you through your other senses. The same is true of the far north, of the land under the Northern Lights. What do you hear if anything? What speaks to you? Where in your body do you receive communication beyond what you hear, see or feel?

      Then there is the image of the migrating birds on a lake. Most of us has experienced the cacophonous sound of thousands of birds. Is there a deeper conversation being held  beneath its raucous tones though? It’s rather an uncontrolled chaos of sound. The sound of exuberant life, of joy, of untamed wildness.

     In contrast I’ve included images of “controlled” sound. A drawing of a cellist, the individual musician. Again we are familiar with the deep tones of the instrument and its vibration  To play a cello a bow of wood and horsehair is drawn across metal wrapped strings stretched over a hollow wooden form. When the wire is plucked or bowed it vibrates and moves the air around it resulting in sound waves. The hollow body of the instrument amplify’s the sound made. The notes played are controlled by wire tension, placement and the musician.
   
     The orchestra is another example of controlled and directed sound. You have each musician and instrument adding their unique ”voice” to the whole while the conductor leads the symphony in expressing the composers work. What happens if the conductor doesn’t lead though? Each musician would be expressing the music from their own perspective and would result in your inability to experience and enjoy the beauty of the original work as it was created.  Mastering a musical instrument demands discipline and full attention. When you truly connect with the music or vibration you connect with the musicians essence or their divine spark. In Hebrew A-dam means essence-being, “living up to our divine image.” The listener has a responsibility as well, to give their full attention to the source of the sound.

     In the center of the collage is a little girl holding a shell to her ear. I so connected with this image because I too frequently held a shell to my ear as a child. I was inspired by my great aunt Gladys to collect shells as she did. I was mesmerized by the myriad of shapes and textures, the colors and their symbolism. When I was away from the ocean (or the water in some form) my favorite place,  all I had to do was hold a shell to my ear to be transported.  It was magical, (still is)

     I can still hear the sound. What we actually hear is the sound of our surrounding environment resonating within the shells cavity.  For the shell perhaps it is resonating within its own cell memory of the sea, it’s home.

      For us perhaps it is the same, a reminder of the importance of listening in the moment, to resonate with the sounds of the environment we find ourselves in at this time in our lives and to realize our connection to the Whole. Three birds sit upon the guitar of a woman playing a song. Imagine all have their  voices raised , each singing their own wild song from their hearts. It does not matter if one is off key for it matters more that we hear their true voice raised in celebration of life.