There’s a kind of listening that isn’t easy to explain because it involves intuition.
Intuition is never about words.
But there are words that describe it.
Florence Scovel Shinn in her book, The Game Of Life & How To Play It, talks about never ignoring a hunch. Hunches are hard to explain because they don’t come with any hard data to support them. I believe hunches are linked to intuition. But because they exist outside the brain they’re easy to dismiss. They also require a leap of faith to act upon them, uncertainty being part of the bargain.
Liz Gilbert in her book, Big Magic, talks about how her work molded, challenged, shaped and matured her. What I think she means is that she intuited many life’s lessons by listening to her work as she worked.
I feel exactly the same about mine – humility being the most important lesson that I’ve been taught.
And it’s not just about the work- it goes way beyond that.
There is a rhythm and flow to life that is tangible if you are willing to put your ego on the back burner and just listen. Wu Wei is an ancient Chinese concept that translates into ‘actionless action’ which sounds a little confusing, but actually it’s about knowing when to act and when not to – that there are times when no action is required and other times when action is absolutely necessary.
We’ve all heard the expression, “when the planets align” or “timing is everything”. Both have been experienced often enough throughout the ages that they have become cliché. And yet still ring true.
“We have the power of choice – we may follow the magic path of intuition, or the long hard road of experience.” -Florence Scovel Shinn.
Waterbury Wine & Spirits is a little gem of a store in Bushwick that is very supportive of the local art scene. It is an honor to have my work in their space.
