Listening

An essential part of living a more sustainable life is listening.  In our modern society it is altogether too easy to succumb to the white noise of every day life.  Included in this white noise are - traffic noises, music (either yours or others), televisions, cell phones, customers or clients, bosses, and the omnipresent (though not noticed by many) 60 cycle hum of any electrical appliance or gadget.  It is almost impossible to get away from these perpetual sounds.  That is why designated wilderness areas in the USA are charged with providing solitude.  People need opportunities to remove themselves from the constant barrage of sounds.  This din makes it difficult to listen to those around us and even harder to listen to the spirit.  You can call this spirit the Holy Spirit, Mother Earth, the Great Spirit, the voices of your ancestors, the inner self or anything else you want, but abiding in this spirit is an essential part of living closer to the earth.

If you are listening closely enough you can get a good idea of impending weather, feel when someone near you is in physical or psychological need, know what your land is needing, and perhaps most importantly, know what is either abundant or lacking in your own life. 

Taking Care of the Important Things

This morning we were up at 3:00 a.m.  As I mentioned in a previous post we have been using all of our non-Power Ranger hours to accomplish project after project.  It's really making a difference around here.  But this morning we needed to do something really important.