In the morning, while it was still very dark, [Jesus] got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.
Mark 1: 35 NRSVue
This is World Listening Day and while we didn't choose to be on the water in our kayaks early to honour the occasion we were in the spirit of this relativity recent celebration. As we put our boats in at a launch site on the Bay of Quinte we could hear the high-pitched cries of an osprey and the chatter of a kingfisher. Within five minutes of paddling we came upon a blue heron and we were close enough that when it took off we could hear the flap of its wings. There were plenty of other birds in full voice and little human-made noise, at least in the beginning.
We did hear a train in the distance and when we landed after an hour a father and son were making an astonishing racket with their motorboat, along with producing a lot of blue smoke. Humans seem to love making noise and the wealthier we get the more racket we make. I'm so glad we're a couple of hundred kilometres from the Honda Indy car race taking place in Toronto tomorrow.
I know Christians who are earnest about "listening for God's voice" as a metaphor for the spiritual life who don't seem to realize that listening to the world around us can be a form of prayer. Jesus spent time praying en plein air and I know from experience that even now Galilee is a a region where one can hear a wide range of species of birds, especially during migration.
I hope you are able to look and listen in Creation today although it can be goal and perhaps a spiritual practice every day of the year. As I write there is a song sparrow singing outside my study window.
R. Murray Schafer (1933-2021)
History of World Listening Day
World Listening Day falls on July 18 to honor the birthday of Raymond Murray Schafer, a Canadian composer and environmentalist who is seen as the founder of acoustic ecology. Born on July 18, 1933, he developed his World Soundscape Project, which laid the fundamental ideas and practices of acoustic ecology in the 1970s. World Listening Day was established in 2010, and each year the holiday has a specific theme tied to it. Past themes include ‘H20,’ ‘Sounds Lost & Found,’ and ‘Listen to You!’ 2017’s theme was ‘Listening to the Ground,’ which honored the life and legacy of American composer Pauline Oliveros, who once said “Sometimes we walk on the ground, sometimes on sidewalks or asphalt, or other surfaces. Can we find ground to walk on and can we listen for the sound or sounds of ground? Are we losing ground? Can we find new ground by listening for it?”
Since the holiday’s inception, thousands of people from around the world have participated in its celebration. The theme for World Listening Day 2021 is ‘The Unquiet Earth,’ created by Lisbon-based filmmaker, curator, and organizer Raquel Castro.