Listening to the Whispers

In a well-known speech that Steven Spielberg gave (several years back) he spoke of the importance of listening to the whispers of life.  The wisdom of intuition is rich but one must be open to hear these whispers. They can be so subtle, often harder to hear and easily missed.

          It is in the stillness, when there is a sense of calm and peace, that these intuitive promptings have a better chance of coming through.  Some say they don’t have these experiences but perhaps they do and simply override them.  There are so many distractions these days that are much louder, grabbing our attention, that can make us doubt. Often inwardly saying to ourselves when a nudge comes; “Oh that is a silly thought!  Why would I do that?”

          One year my former husband and I went on a trip to the northern part of BC.  There is a ferry that runs from Port Hardy (a town on the northeastern part of Vancouver Island) to Prince Rupert.  It is a stunning sail with ocean and breath-taking coastal beauty to be experienced along the way.  As well as porpoises, whales and seals on occasion.  During the journey we saw a lot of porpoises who came around the boat.  They are such a playful bunch!

          The intent of the trip was to visit with a group of friends. We had a wonderful time.  As my husband and I prepared for our return and realized the ferry was due to leave very early the following morning from Prince Rupert, we decided to get a hotel room near the docking station to make our preparation and early travel easier.

          In the middle of the night, I got up to go to the washroom.  The room was very dark with solid curtains to cover the windows.  On my way back to bed, I got this strong nudge to open the curtains.  I thought to myself, “Why in the world would I open the curtains in the wee hours of the morning?  I am just going to head back to bed!”  But the nudge was VERY strong and repeated its subtle prompting in response to my protest.  So, I very quietly went over to the window, careful not to disturb my husband, and then gently pulled the curtains back. 

To my absolute surprise the whole sky was lit up with the northern lights on display! Vibrant and dancing right in front of me!  Alive with a luminescent green hue and stunning to witness.  My heart was overjoyed!  I had always wanted to see them but had never experienced the aurora borealis in person until that moment.  It was awe inspiring.  For the longest time I just stood there, in the silence, and watched the breathtaking natural light in the night sky.  It opened my heart in a child like way.  And I must admit I was very proud of myself to have listened because I would have missed the whole beauty and miracle of the experience had I not chosen to open the curtains even though it seemed a bit silly at the time.  I gently woke my husband so that he too could experience them.  It was a special moment for us both.

          On a recent morning walk by the ocean I was reminded of the experience when a woman passed in front of me with a lovely summer dress that had the image of the northern lights depicted on the lower part of her dress.  Flowing gracefully as she walked. 

          I had been asking inwardly, "What stories would be interesting to share?"  Her dress spoke to me with its simple yet soothing design and reminded me of that gentle whisper from years earlier. The artful image was also an invitation and reminder (its own whisper) to pay attention to the simple things in life.  The quiet beauty available all around us when we open ourselves to see and receive.

          How often do we discount the subtle?  It is in those quiet whispers that some of the most profound guidance and inspired action can take place.  We do however need to slow, be in the peace of a moment, to be able to hear.  Miracles and blessings abound.. 

When listening, start with the small nudges.  Experiment.  Discover how you can best listen to the still, inspired action that comes uniquely from within your own heart throughout your day.

Photo courtesy of Lucas Marcomini from Unsplash free photos.