LISTENING
WHAT IS SACRED LISTENING?
I have used the work Focusing here. It was a key word used as I explored the potential of SACRED LISTENING. We are used to hearing this word in connection with vision .. seeing stuff clearly … words on the page for which we need glasses … cameras and microscopes making images look sharper.
But what is it like when we bring that FOCUS to ourselves …. to the ME in each of us.
HOW often is that heard??
WHEN I FIRST met this idea it sounded a bit scary! Focusing on ME? I wasn’t keen on that!
While trying to explain exactly what it feels like I came across something rather beautiful. The Chinese Character that is used for LISTENING
Chinese characters so often portray a sense of a particular human experience.
Notice the components
- To hear ~the character for the ears …. we LISTEN
- To think ~ the character for the mind … our MIND responds in different ways
- To be present ~ the character for being … we SIMPLY BE .. not DO … JUST REST THERE
- To see ~ the character for eyes … we gently OBSERVE
- To focus ~ the character for single attention … WE BRING OUR ATTENTION TO WHAT WE FEEL RIGHT NOW
- To feel ~ the character for the heart … we notice too HOW OUR HEART FEELS IN ALL THIS
THIS IS MY EXPERIENCE .. BEING PRESENT WITH ANOTHER HUMAN BEING .. AND INDEED MYSELF .. IS ALL OF THIS
When we share such a space with another human being we can feel all of this in the space around and between us. There is a deep sense of being held. Chinese wisdom brought all of this together in ONE CHARACTER FOR LISTENING. Our language requires us to separate out the components of this process if indeed we recognise them. But what if we simply embrace all that as ONE SIMPLE process, a WHOLE BODY process based upon our love and acceptance of one human being for another?
In my early exploration of all of this we named it “SACRED LISTENING”. Part of me was curious about that word SACRED. But it wasn’t really until a few years later, while holding a space for a dear friend to explore the depth and cause of his emotion following the death of his mother, that I felt the ‘rightness’ of that word. I will go further, when are fully present with another, as a human being, attentive, non judgemental, allowing, with no expectations, both our own experience and that of the person being heard creates a space where deep insights and shifts can occur. Even a sense of healing. I have seen it often and been lost for words. So when I now read Sacred Listening, there is a sense of something happening beyond that which is already known and is deeply felt. That touches my heart and I feel immense gratitude to be present at that moment.
"Many people live in a world bereft of inner sunshine, lost and often feeling like they hardly exist. The process of Sacred Listening brings us back into contact with a fresh, vibrant and living experience. Gently we discover the sun is once again shining and that spring is underway. It is a homecoming. Nothing less."
It is also from this space that I LISTEN. It is from this space I offer YOU a place of presence … in which you can explore who you are. It is the space in which you are held in trust, safety and non – judgement. It often feels scary, or uncomfortable to FEEL this space for yourself. You may not have felt it before or maybe not for a long time.
I am there to accompany you on your journey of exploring who you really are. I accompany you when you begin to take off all your masks. We all hide behind masks or disguises, its how we think we can stay safe, our security blanket. We are good at pretending to be who we think we are. But the truth many be and often is very very different.
Yes, is it in my experience essential to have someone with you who can hold that space gently as you discover what is behind that closed door.
If you have the curiosity and courage to want to explore .. please contact me directly through the contact form or through my PM on FACEBOOK .. or book directly through my booking system.
Please NOTE: I work 1:1 both online (using some software called ZOOM) and in person if you live locally to me in Cheshire UK.
WORKING ONLINE TOGETHER
I have been working with clients all over the world for many years using a secure app called ZOOM. It may feel strange at first but it really feels as if we are both in the same room.
I also work with groups in this way in specific aspects of my work. We call these WEBINARS.
Hilary Knowles
Keeping you company at the edge .....
I help people find a meaningful connection with themselves, to discover their inherent goodness and their capacities to bring lasting change to their lives.
People work with me for any number of reasons. You may feel frustrated with your relationships, or undervalued at work, or you may want to deepen your spiritual practice. Whatever you start from, is from where we begin.