even the garden slug sings

Hosted By: Ida Covi, MA is an ecopsychologist and the CEO of iRewild Institute. She is the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence from Pacifica Graduate Institute, CA.

8 minutes

TRANSCRIPT

The writer, J.R.R. Tolkien said, 'A story must be told or there'll be no story, yet it is the untold stories that are most moving.'

Nature is rich with stories arising from a symphony of sounds. Acoustic ecologist, Garth Paine has found that, “Sound is part of our memory. It has a physicality that allows us to be utterly present or transported to a special place. . . .” 

Listening is a tool, a passageway, for hacking the underlying dimensions of the soul, the core of all life. These subtle sounds are transient, fleeting moments, that don’t readily reveal themselves to us.  

The quality of how we listen is essential to shaping the quality of our conversations and interactions, and to bringing new knowledge into being. Beyond factual listening, we listen for what is different. We listen with our minds and hearts wide open, receptive for an interaction between our bodies and the surrounding environment. 

The voice of nature is all around us. There's so much direct meaning that comes from listening to the beauty of bird songs, the wind rustling through trees, the fluttering wings of a dragonfly, the strange chomping of leaves by a garden slug, the communication between species, or our intuitive voice from within that seems to come from the earth itself. And yet, we quite often, and very quickly, dismiss it. We become deaf to the voices of our natural world, and, consequently, nature’s voice falls silent and becomes irrelevant. Paine emphasizes that, 

Sound is also a critical element of natural systems. Increasingly, we are learning that humans and animals are not the only organisms that use sound to communicate. So do plants and forests. Plants detect vibrations in a frequency-selective manner, using this “hearing”  sense to find water by sending out acoustic emissions and to communicate threats.

Deep listening is a heart-to-heart interaction. We shift our awareness to letting go of what we know and surrender to just listening for no other purpose than to hear an-other. This in turn leads us to empathetic listening, as a faculty of perception. Thich Nhat Hanh explains, “Deep listening, compassionate listening is not listening with the purpose of analyzing or even uncovering what has happened in the past. You listen first of all in order to give the other person relief, a chance to speak out, to feel that someone finally understands them.” 

The only purpose, throughout the time that we listen, is to listen so that we give an-other the opportunity to speak, to be heard, and thereby suffer less. Empathetic listening is not analyzing or attempting to understand the past. It is not a casual emotional connection of, “Yeah, I know how you feel”. It allows us to see through the eyes of another, through the eyes of the natural world, and connect with their experience. We access a deeper way of knowing. Our own experience shifts as we experience the voice of nature. We create space for what wants to be born, we hold space so that another never walks alone. 

As with attention, deep listening requires a constant and active participation. It requires us to focus on every small detail. Learning to listen to an-other is a reciprocal action. 

We listen deeply for all the dimensions of an-other. We listen for the sighs that are to buried for words. We listen for the cages that enclose them. We listen beyond roles and labels. We listen for more than is consciously spoken. What are they saying? What are they implying? — What are they feeling? What are they longing for that they can’t put into words?  Listen to all hidden aspects that might otherwise be neglected. In your heart-center empathize with them — open up all your senses. Let them feel that you are fully present in their reality; that you are here with them.

Listening deeply catalyzes a shift in consciousness that enables us to disclose new worlds, to stay in touch with the sacred, the essence of being in all life. We discover those deeper, unfamiliar, yet invaluable parts of another and ourselves.

This type of reflection can help to transform us with new understandings of nature, while at the same time giving meaning and returning soul value to our natural world. Nature comes alive, and we begin to notice life forms, to hear the vast orchestra of life, that was once out of our awareness. Whoever learns to listen deeply can learn new truths. We not only expand our awareness of our surrounding terrain that is alive, aware, and expressive with the laws of life, we also become aware of the voices that are missing. The spreading silence within the forest soundscapes informs us of the adverse impact that the presence of humans has on the life within, and of, the forest. When we notice the missing voices in the forest, we recognize the need for environmental awareness and stewardship. Deep listening to the voices of nature restores one’s soul and connection to the orchestra of life. 

I treasure conversations that remain illuminated in my memories, in my soul-tethered space — conversations that express the truths that lie hidden. Conversations where the voice and presence of the soul of the world reveals itself — where meaning is created.  Be a Seeker, see beneath the surface of things! Listen for the stories that are yet to be told for it’s the untold stories that embrace our soul. 

So I ask,  What do you see that is alive in the natural world around you that hasn’t been spoken yet?

iRewild would like to acknowledge the contributions of other writers, philosophers, and scientists for their inspiration, words, and research used in our podcasts. For a complete list of sources, please see our eBook, Rewilding The Senses: Bringing The Human Soul Back Into A Conscious Relationship With Nature.