Every day, I discover the importance of the spiritual practice of listening when communicating. It is so easy, even in casual conversations, for misunderstandings to occur. Yet, we fail to give effective communication the careful importance it needs and deserves.
During my studies to become a Licensed Spiritual Practitioner, I was taught that listening is a Spiritual Practice. Listening in this sacred manner means more than just listening to the world and those around us; it also means listening with our whole hearts. To do this, we must learn to be completely present in the moment when we are in conversation.
The role of listening will increase effective communication, which is critical to working and living together in harmony. As humans, one of our deepest needs is to be heard. Learning to listen fully is a healing gift to both the listener and the person talking. But too often, we aren’t paying attention, or we are thinking of something or someone else. Or, worse, we are listening only to formulate a response to what we think someone is saying, like giving unwanted advice. Ineffective listening can cause conflict during communication with one another. This type of listening is especially true for the people we live with, who we are more likely to tune out at times.
I love what Rev. Angelica Taggart shared in one of her weekly posts:
In our spiritual practices, communication takes on a deeper dimension—we are listening for understanding rather than just replying. Remembering we are all spiritual, perhaps we should pay attention to this. We are so quick to respond and we are responding from our point of view. As a child, I heard: “Be quiet, listen, and think before you speak.”
We’re living in a time where genuine communication is so important.
To avoid the “illusion”:
Let’s be active listeners.
Let’s not always have to be right.
Let’s consider the perspective of the other person. Empathy bridges the gap between intention and reception.
Let’s not be afraid to ask for feedback or clarification.
Let’s communicate with Love.
We also need to learn to listen within. Our best guidance comes when we listen to our own wisdom or our ‘still small voice’ that gives us direction when we need it. Deep listening is a skill that we need to practice daily. Meditation is beneficial in exercising the listening muscles within us.
Communication is a skill that must be practiced diligently. There are times when I need to stop what I am doing, face the person talking to me, and really listen to them. Like all spiritual practices, we need to develop the ability to listen deeply.
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