Change is a major feature of these past few months – in almost every arena.
Time has shifted into timelessness – I have to focus to figure out what day it is. The rhythm and pace of my days has moved into a flow – it will happen when it will happen is my new mantra.
There is a lot to be concerned about and yet I find comfort and hope from a 14th century mystic, Julian of Norwich.
“All shall be well, and all shall be well,
and all manner of thing shall be well.”
Since we can’t be together in person we are finding ways to communicate differently. We are learning to tune in to the hive – where we connect telepathically, without depending on time and space. How do we do that? We hold each other in unconditional love and trust. We ground and center ourselves and practice self-care. We become more present.
For the past 23 years listening has been my passion and focus of attention. During this time of pandemic and civil unrest I find that my sense of listening is expanding. At first I noticed that I was more aware of the sound of birds – hearing the different songs of the species in my area. Then it was as though I was listening to the wind – noticing how it moved the branches in the trees, how it felt on my skin, and how it ruffled the water. I became present to the earth, feeling it under my feet, almost hearing the growth of vegetation as it changed from day to day, flowers budding, blooming and then letting go.
This embodied listening led me to really listen to my body – to pay attention to what it was telling me. Is it time to rest, to eat, take a nap, take a bath, have a cup of tea, read a book. Do I need to take extra vitamin C or zinc to help my immune system? It’s like getting in sync with this amazing system and becoming partners with my body as it adjusts to this time.
These expanded ways of listening keep me grounded in this season of not knowing, when the answers to so many questions is: “I don’t know.” It takes patience to practice being in the moment, to listen for what’s next … and then to wait.
It helps to invite the great Mystery into your life, create more space for love and freedom to emerge. And hold space for the patterns that connect. Spirit and soul dimensions are sources which make everything flow in new ways. Slowing down we find our rhythm, our own natural rhythm. Spiritual listening is embodied listening, in which we become a listening presence to all of life.
By Kay Lindahl