It seems that too often we are told to "open our eyes", to see the God/Goddess in nature. I myself even alluded to this in a previous post (although I was going for more of a "open your mind" thing), but why? Why do we put such an emphasis on seeing? I know "seeing is believing", but what about touching, tasting, smelling or hearing?
Sit with your eyes closed for a minute and really listen, I bet you will hear things that your mind usually tunes out (whether it's the hum of the refrigerator or bird song outside your window) and because of that I would like to propose an experiment; some day this week I think we should all stop trying to see the divine/sacred in everything and start listening for it. This line of thinking has led me to write a poem about listening for the spirits of nature. While this poem is heavily influenced by my desire to go home and see my family (the things I describe in it are all sounds that are commonly heard in my hometown), I think it will help you realize what I mean.
Stop and Listen
Stop and listen, do you
hear that tune?
It’s the nature spirits
of old,
Hear them in the
haunting calls of the lover loons,
And in the whisper of the falling snow.
Hear them in the creaks
and groans of cedar trees,
In the bellows of a
stag in rut,
Hear them in the summer
song of buzzing bees,
And in the yips of
coyotes on the hunt.
Hear them in the robin
song of a bright spring day,
In the waves crashing
on the rocks,
Hear them in the chatter
of squirrels at play,
And in the wing beats
of the mighty hawk.
Hear them in the
ancient raven’s lonely call,
In the chorus of the peeper
frogs,
Hear them in the rustling
of the leaves of fall,
And in the drumming of
woodpeckers on a log.
Open your ears and
close your eyes,
Do you hear the spirits
all around?
We much too often seek
out the sights,
And ignore these sacred
sounds.
P.S. If you do try the experiment let me know what you hear :)
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