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Mar 9, 2022

"To "listen" another's soul into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service that any human being ever performs for another." --Douglas V. Steere

Spiritual Listening

"Spiritual listening is at the heart of all relationships. It is what we experience when we become a quiet, safe container into which the speaker is able to express his or her most genuine voice. There is a communion of souls. The way we listen to each other sets a tone for everything that follows. We often think that our speaking, the words we use, is the most important part of our communication. Yet it is the quality of our listening that has the greatest impact in any conversation. Quaker writer Douglas Steere says: To listen anothers soul into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service one human being ever performs for another. What makes listening spiritual? It is the art of becoming a listening presence, a way of being in which stillness and attentiveness provide the space for people to speak authentically and know they are being heard. It is from this place that we can listen across diverse backgrounds, cultures, religions and belief systems. It is about being a presence for understanding rather than for judging. When we are open, curious, and attentive to others in this way we discover a deeper, sacred connection; we are in relationship." Kay Lindahl, founder of the Listening Center, shares more.