Listening Can Change Everything

A tribute to Pauline Oliveros' book Quantum Listening

Tribute to Quantum Listening

Listening can change everything
Listen to the sounds around you
Listen to the body inside you

Listen to the other side
Listen to the rising tide
Listen to the ebb and flow of your heart

Listen to the pacing of the Sun at dawn
Listen to the cadence of the Night at dusk
Listen to the way you play your part

Listen to the cries of help in war
Listen to the planet saying no more
Listen to the search for something better

Listen to the bygone past
Listen to futures approaching fast
Listen for the moment to start

Listening
And enjoy it too

- Nim
11/1/24

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My first time deep listening

I remember when I practiced deep listening for the first time.

I was in a canoe, rowing along a tranquil lake with my Uncle through the Boundary Waters, a protected wilderness area on the border of Minnesota and Ontario.

Undisturbed wilderness all around.

My Uncle was a sage and a community builder. Unfortunately, he left us too soon. He always found a way to connect with people– And he connected with me that day. He could tell I was a peculiarly complicated child. I had a temper; often too wrapped up with the challenges of time.

My brother and father were up ahead, around the corner of a peninsula, in another canoe close by. Perhaps I was a bit jealous of my brother spending time with dad– also faced with the patience required for successful fishing, I was most definitely showing signs of impatience. Can you blame an 11 year old?

What happened next became a memory I will never forget.