And Jesus said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear with hear.”
there are ears and ears
some can sort through din
finding a clear 440 A
by which to tune their lifeother ears find attunement
and joy in an older 435 A
each can play well
but not so well togetherdeaf-eared and sharp-eared
can both hear life calls
and both miss their mark
in restrictive meme culturesyes I have ears and no I don’t
to simply acknowledge this
brings a cave question
did I miss A whisper
Here we have it. After a long slog—verse by verse—there comes a clarion call.
Ears, here, are the inner ear of understanding, not simply our nautilus-like appendages. Did you space out during this six verse story? Yes? Where did that take you? Did you creatively turned this story about seeds and their landing places into a fertile place for visioning? You may want to return to this story to see how different it might be after daydreaming.
Remember that this is a directive to listen to the arc of life, not just a recommendation to glance over your shoulder. Giving attention to any process of life is not easy.
It was with attention that Julian of Norwich saw another seed vision:
And in this he showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was as round as any ball. I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding, and thought, ‘What may this be?’ and it was answered generally thus, ‘It is all that is made.’ I marveled how it might last, for I thought it might suddenly have fallen to nothing for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts and ever shall, for God loves it. And so have all things their beginning by the love of God.
It was with attention that Martin Luther wrote:
If you truly understood a single grain of wheat, you would die of wonder.
It is with attention that the Dali Lama speaks of Buddha:
Every sentient being—even insects—have Buddha nature. The seed of Buddha means consciousness, the cognitive power—the seed of enlightenment.
Listen/Attend: Grow where you are: part of a larger whole.