@Gina – Big ups for the nod to the Cocteau Twins. Love them! And you’re totally right. The types of sound we’re hearing can definitely play a big part in how this stuff lands with us. And how we position ourselves in response. And waking up in the middle of the night just to listen…. absolutely delicious! I always try to get up really early at least one or two days a week, just to soak up in the silence.

@Kat – An un-silent silence… I totally get that. I lived in a rural area for a minute, right next to 100+ acres of forest. And it was so rad. Sound was totally different there. Not absent, just different. And way easier for me to roll with than you’re-so-in-the-city kind of noise.

@Chris – Ooh great point! The sounds of creativity-in-action is kind of like listening to magic. It’s all Zen-like and yummy. And I’m with you on the going-loony-tunes-without-quiet. Even for a big sound geek like me, quiet time is absolutely essential. And then, at the other end of the spectrum, I love cranking up the Ramones until my speakers are about to explode.

@Sue – I think the constant sound can get annoying because it makes it hard to think. And, at a deeper level, I think it bugs us because it makes it so much harder to hear the stuff happening in our heart and soul – the other forms of intelligence that you so gorgeously mentioned. Shutting off the sound helps us to turn the volume up on those bits. Which, of course, totally rocks.

@Victoria – You gave another great example of competing sounds. It makes sense that this kind of thing drives so many of us, myself included, totally kooky. Way too much stimulation there. I’d love to hear how the listening-on-purpose stuff shakes out for you.

@Hayden – Isn’t it weird how we can be totally surrounded by noise – weird, nutty, unnatural noise – and not even notice it? And how easy it is to kind of go through life that way? Those survival instincts are no joke. And the sound of the sea? Right on. That’s like soul food for me.

@Wendy – Sorry to here about the shut down stuff. That can be so so so hard. And frustrating too. You’re totally right on about energetic noise. And your example is perfect too. It can make losing our own boundaries super easy. Or, sometimes, we head in the opposite direction and clamp down so tight as we try to tune out totally just to get a second or two of peace. Ack.

@Katie – You touched on so many awesomesauce things here. The way nature can change the sounds that are happening in it. And the bit about hidden sounds is so right on. That’s one of the cool things about a listening practice. It helps us to get hip to the fact that these hidden sounds exist. And then it makes it possible for us to hear them. Woohoo!

@Briana – Double whammy of awesome. That is seriously nice of you to say. Thank you. I’m glad you dug the post. And I appreciate you saying so too.

@Molly – Hey hey! I’m so glad you found me here. Your experience on the ferry and being able to nap by tuning in rocks. It’s totally consistent with my experience too. It’s like when we tune in we can get our bearings. And, like you said, separate ourselves and define our space. So all the acktastic tug-of-war stuff lets up. And gorgeousness ensues! And what you said about turning off your iPod so you can hear yourself not think? I love that x 100!

@Amy – I think your morning practice is fabulous! It sounds like you’re already rocking this. And as someone who also can’t see a thing without his glasses, I have totally noticed how much easier it is for me to listen with my glasses off or my eyes closed. I always close my eyes when I’m doing sound sessions or recording in the studio. And I also spend much of my winter going back and forth with the sound of the furnace.

@Josiane – Being sensitive to sound can be rough, can’t it? Especially when sound is everywhere. I can relate to pretty much everything you said. The noises that drive you nuts? Same here. And the effect on the hearing the delicious inner bits? Totally familiar. This consciously-listening-to-the-sounds-around-me stuff has helped me a ton. Not just to deal with elusive electrical buzzes, but to hear the inner stuff too. Let me know how it goes if you get a chance to play around with it.

Thank you all for the coolness that you all posted. I love this dialog a ton. And I appreciate you all for hanging out and saying hey.

I know I’m sensitive to noise otherwise, though, and that I have to tune things out throughout my day — especially the heater now that it’s cold, a whoosh that adds a huge helping of white noise to my day at unpredictable intervals.

I love the reminder to check in with what I am hearing in the hear and now. Years ago I caught the ferry on weekends to an early morning Improv class. I found I could nap without shutting down by first tuning in to the sounds around me. Somehow listening made it easier to separate myself from them so I could doze without requiring me to batten down the hatches.

Lately I have found I need to turn off the iPod so I can hear myself not-think. That, too has been a learning–that the self-generated sound I turn to can be a barrier in its own way.

Anway, I love, love, love that you are here.
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Yet, in another way, the reserve has many outside sounds – the noon time walkers who are out for exercise. The even more enthusiastic joggers. And often during the summer young families are there – exploring the immense tree house or looking for larvae in the pond. The kids are bubbling with enthusiasm. The fall semester and late spring bring out the College of Natural Resource students studying the environment. Yet somehow the sounds within the reserve are transformed by the surrounding environment and whatever the sounds, they seem peaceful to me.

I have noticed in the last couple of years that I am quite sensitive to sound in the early morning. Maybe that’s because I get up early to spend quiet time, so when my husband gets up and immediately turns on a radio, it seems jarring to me. Beginning tomorrow I will spend a few moments listening to the hidden sounds of the morning when I first awake. Thanks for sharing that great suggestion.

I did get to thinking about the fact that other kinds of “noise,” like the energetic kind, can be just as bothersome, overwhelming and distracting as the regular sound-wave variety. Gina alluded to this in her comment, and I thought about that during Hiro’s discussion of Sovereignty this morning.

For example, I feel that, at times, my kids’ energy just pervades the house, even if they’re being relatively quiet. And I realize that it also might be me mixing up their vibrant and large kid-energy with my mother-energy (which reaches out to watch over my children, even if they’re in other rooms) and losing my own energetic boundaries. Which is similar to the noise-deadened state you describe.

Thanks for waking me up to these ideas with your thoughtful words.
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So I’ve thought about it, and if I could be surrounded by any kind of silence, it would be the gentle silence of a calm sea.
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I don’t remember being sensitive to noise growing up, but it does seem like the older I get, the more it can really bother me.

As for how I deal with it? Well, I haven’t applied the method of “conscious interaction” to it. Sometimes I catch myself getting really irritated if there are competing sounds (like someone talking to me with a TV going in the background).

Looking forward to exploring this new angle of conscious interaction.
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Maybe we get annoyed by the noises around us because they compete with the sound of the thoughts running through our heads. We think we are comforted by our thoughts – especially the well-worn familiar ones that we hold dear as they play over and over. Some thoughts however, perhaps especially the mechanically repeating ones, can be leading us away from our hearts – can lead us to “senseless” actions.

When we get back in touch with our senses (sound yes! but it can also be, smell, body sensation, sight, and taste), our thoughts quiet enough that we hear our other forms of intelligence sing. By getting in touch with our senses, we come to our senses – and act more sensibly. (Interesting how our language supports these ideas.) This is the basis of Vipassana meditation, reportedly handed down by Buddha.

Thanks for your awesomeness!!!