Listening

Listening has been on my mind a lot lately, partly because it is the central theme I will use in a coming retreat, partly it just keeps coming up in conversations.  Listening, really being open to input from the plants, animals, other humans, my own body/emotions/spiritual connections and the earth itself, requires focus.  It used to be that I only got glimpses, now I am better at being open (about 70%) and listening.  I have always liked and followed the comments by  Claremont deCastillejo,  “if we can learn to listen to the voices within and to the whisper in the wind, with trust as well as with discrimination, we may be able to follow the road where the Rainmaker walks."