Listen to the Natural World

At a certain point, you say to the woods, to the sea, to the mountains, the world, Now I am ready. Now I will stop and be wholly attentive. You empty yourself and wait, listening. – Annie Dillard

Nature Abounds
Despite all the outside distractions banging at my door when cottonwoods are full of rustle my body begins a slow rhythm and I become conscious of my thoughts. Something shifts, doubts and anxieties drop without care. Listening to sounds of the natural world recharges my focus and helps me lean into my art. The ancient language of birdsong and the buzz of bumblebees getting nectar from a riot of cone flowers are prayers to me.

Present
When I can stay present and listen with both ears and an open heart creativity and curiosity are no longer asleep. I push away my need to clamor and let questions rise inside—what makes everything so very green in nature? Why don’t clouds make noise as they move through the sky? I feel calm, too, maybe even tranquil. Poet Mary Oliver felt joy in the moment when she was nature-listening and said walking in the woods was the inspiration for much of her writing. In one poem “Forever Saying,” she writes “Listen to the river, to the hawk, to the hoof, to the mockingbird, to the jack-in-the-pulpit..”

Nature as Music and in Despair
Life simmers for writers and artists when they master valuing each sound-encounter as a kind of music-therapy for their art. William Stafford said as he listened to the sounds of the natural world: “An owl sound wandered along the road with me. I didn’t hear it. I breathed it into my ears.” Franz Listz listened to “apples muttering in a wicket basket.” It takes practice to listen carefully. “Patience, the art of waiting, is the heart-skill that opens the world,” commented author Mark Lepo.

But patience is not enough. Mother Earth is suffering. Ours is a fragile, fleeting world of disappearing birdsong, streams filled with foreign objects, extreme temperatures. Sadly, climate change alters the natural world and us in it. Listening and paying attention are important, but we need to do more.

Suddenly, the wind ticks up. Pages of my book softly ruffle. On the roof drumbeats of a summer shower play staccato. I’m awakened. I run inside. My wet trainers squeak on the wooden floor. – Becky Breed

Writing/Creativity Exercise:

1. Read and Listen to Listening to the World Listen to the Natural Worldby Mary Oliver. Careful listening takes practice. Go on your favorite walk and take a small notebook and pen with you. For five minutes write down sounds you hear. If you want to identify bird songs, download Audubon Bird Guide or Merlin Bird ID by Cornell. Take two or three more walks. Review your sound list, choose a sound or two that serves as an impetus for creative work.
2. Be on the alert for weather changes like wind variations and thunder. How does wind sound to you? Is it whistling like a school boy, a freight train or gently puffing? During a thunderstorm go to your backyard or porch and close your eyes. Describe thunder. Someone bowling, blocks falling, your description. Pair the wind or the thunder with emotions. Consider anger, love, contentment, surprise, more. Now create using emotional expressions in your favorite art form.
3. Become an art activist using your voice to speak out, generate posters or installations calling attention to the changing earth. Write your local representative on ways to keep our planet healthy.

For more inspiration, check out our website www.thewritingandcreativelife.com.

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