Julia Cameron - The Listening Path

It is almost seven P.M. on a July evening in Santa Fe, and the sky is still a bright, azure blue. I sit on a bench amid trees and flowers. Birds chirp in the tree nearby. I cant see them, hidden in the tapestry of leaves, but I hear them as clearly as if they are next to me on the bench. Farther in the distance, a raven caws. Is it communicating with my nearby songbirds, or is its conversation unrelated? Farther off, a dog barks. A light breeze shifts the tall purple flowers by my bench and they rustle against one another as they sway back and forth. A car passes by, its engine quieter than its heavy wheels crunching through the gravel below. Far in the distance, a horn honks on the main throughway. Wings flutter as a bird lights to the sky, gliding away and out of sight. Nearby, the songbirds chatter has slowed, but they still sing, a tuneful discussion in the greenery above. Earlier, it sounded as if they were all speaking at once. Now they seem to be taking turns. Are they listening to each other?

And what does it mean, to listen? What does it mean for us in our everyday lives? We listen to our environment, whether it is the chirping of birds or the commotion of the city streetsor perhaps we dont listen, tuning it out instead. We listen to othersor perhaps we wish we listened better. Others listen to usor we wish they did. We listen for our instincts, our hunches, our guidanceand perhaps we wish we could hear them more clearly and more often. The listening path asks us to tune into the many cues and clues that surround us every day. It asks us to take a moment to stop and listenand argues that the moment spent tuning in, especially when we think we dont have time, doesnt take time, but gives us time and gives us clarity, connection, and direction as well. Listening is something we all doand something we can all do more of. Every life can be improved by improving our listening. The listening path is a gentle path, with tools along the way to become better listenersto our environment, our fellows, and ourselves.

This book will serve as a guide, urging the reader to listen more carefully and to listen in deeper and deeper ways. When we listen, we pay attention. And the reward for attention is always healing. The listening path brings us healing, insight, and clarity. It brings us joy and perspective. Above all, it bring us connection.

Over the next six weeks, you will be guided to expand your own listening, one level at a time. Each form of listening builds upon the next. I have learned that if we consciously work to listen, our listening deepens quickly. Deepening our listening is not time consuming so much as it is a matter of paying attention. This book will guide you to deeper and deeper listening within the life youve got, whether your schedule is busy or open, whether you live in the country or in the city.

We all listen, and we all listen in a myriad of ways.

We listen to our environment, where tuning in to the sounds we might habitually tune out brings us surprising delight: the birds in the tree above enchant us; the tick-tick-tick of the kitchen clock brings us steadiness and comfort; the jangle of the dogs tags on the water bowl reminds us of the determination of life.

We listen to other people, and we learn that we can listen more closely. When we listenreally listento what others have to say, their insight often surprises us. When we dont interrupt, but wait, allowing our companions to extend a thought instead of rush to complete it, we learn that we cant in fact anticipate what they will share. Instead, we are reminded that we each have so much to offer, and that, given the chance, our companions will offer something more than, and different from what we might expect. We just have to listen.

We listen to our higher self, and in doing this, we are led both to guidance and to clarity. We do not struggle to think something up; rather we listen and take something down. Very little effort is required; what we are after is accuracy of listening. The voice of our higher self is calm, clear, and plainspoken. We accept each insight as it comes to us, trusting the often-simple thoughts that appear as ideas, hunches, or intuition.

Practiced in listening to our higher selves, we are ready to listen yet more deeply, reaching beyond the veil to listen to those close to us who have passed on. We find the unique and individual ways that our connection remains intact, and the ability to explore and expand that connection with ease. Reaching further still, we learn to listen to our heroes, those who we have not met but wish we had. And finally, we learn to listen to silence, where we may find we discover the very highest form of guidance. One step at a time, the listening path is a gracious experience of becoming more in touch with our world, ourselves, our beloveds, and beyond.

Let us listen.

I have taught live workshops in creative unblocking for forty years. I have watched students become unblocked, blossoming creatively, whether that means publishing books, writing plays, opening galleries, or redecorating their homes. I have also seen a distinct and consistent change in my students as they work with the tools: they become happier and more user-friendly. Many relationships heal and improve. Relationships that need to end are allowed to do so. Collaborations are openhearted and productive. As my students become more honest with themselves, they become more honest with others. As they are gentler with themselves, they are gentler with others. As they are more daring, they inspire others to dare.

I have come to believe that these changes happen because, through the use of the tools, students become better listenersfirst to themselves, and then to others. The listening path takes this observation and dives deeper into the root of all creation and connection: our ability to listen.

And so, the basic tools remain the same: Morning Pages, Artist Dates, and Walks. Each tool is inherently based in listeningand each develops our listening skills in specific ways. With Morning Pages, we serve as a witness to our own experience, listening to ourselves each morning and thus clearing the way for further listening throughout the day. With Artist Dates, we listen to the youthful part of ourselves who craves adventure and is full of interesting ideas. And with Walks, we listen both to our environment and to what might be called our higher power or higher selfI myself, and my many students, have found that solo walks consistently bring what I like to call ahas.

I have written forty books. When people ask me how I do it, I tell them I listen. They sometimes think Im being glib. But Im not being glib; Im describing my writing process in the most accurate way I know how. Writing is a form of active listening. Listening tells me what to write. At its best, writing is like taking dictation. There is an inner voicethat voice speaks to us when we listen. It is clear, calm, and guided. It is surefooted, putting one word after another, unspooling the thread that is our train of thought.