True
Conversation
“Soul
grows in communion. Word by word, story by story, for better or
worse, we build our world. From true conversation—speaking and
listening—communication deepens into compassion and creates
community.”
Sam
Keen (Hymns to an Unknown God: Awakening the Spirit in Everyday Life)
There
is a key word in the quote above. It is “true.” When we have true
conversation—that which grows out of listening with our hearts as
well as our ears, and speaking from our hearts as well as our
mouths—we experience sacred communion. This is such a rarity today
that we almost have to create structures to build it into our lives.
Like making time for the gym, we should make time for “true
conversation group.”
Loneliness
is epidemic today. Many people feel isolated and alone, as though no
one knows them, and no one truly wants to know them. We have caused
this to a degree through technology that allows us to sit by
ourselves in a room, and post things on a computer that pass for
communication. True conversation, however, is a whole body
experience—we sit with the person, we see their demeanor, we take
in their body language and look into their eyes. About ninety percent
of communication is non-verbal, which is difficult to assess when you
cannot see one another, or can only see a face on a screen.
Communion results from real connection between hearts and souls. Arid, or shallow communication does not feed the soul, or nourish the spirit. We need
to be close enough to touch, even if we don't. True communication
also has an energetic component. We may not see a person's energy
field with our eyes, but we can feel it, and how it feels to us is essential to understanding them. All of this combined
provides a path to compassion and community. We may have to adjust
our lifestyle to find it; we may have to get outside our comfort
zone. But the vitality of our bodies, souls, minds and spirits
require true conversation, and true communion. I hope you find it
today.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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