‘The Listening Path’ isn’t a book to race through to reach the end. I’ve been reading small sections each morning, after my morning pages and before meditation.
Julia Cameron writes in a quiet voice. She’s reflecting on her own life as she goes, including the weather, the season, a phone call, the person she met for an interview. The big, spiritual ideas are there, but she keeps them grounded and easy to relate to.
After the chapter on listening to the environment, I have been remembering to look up at the stars when going outside to feed the dog.
The chapter on listening to people changed how I approached the interviews I was doing at the time as part of a client project. My intention was to go in with an open mind, focusing on seeing the person clearly and trusting that the right words will occur to me in the moment. It feels more casual than my usual style. With fewer things to cover, there’s more room for the other person to tell me something I haven’t thought to ask about.
The chapter on listening to silence introduced me to setting a timer for my meditation practice. This small change has helped me to settle more easily without asking myself how long there is to go.
Not all of it lands for me. Cameron writes about talking, in your mind, with people who have died (friends and hero figures) and receiving answers back. That doesn’t work for me but may be of value for others.
If you loved ‘The Artist’s Way’, you’ll recognise the practices of morning pages, artist dates and solo walks, that continue to be the bedrock of Julia Cameron’s writing. It’s a gentle, unhurried, conversational book that I know I will return to, when I need more of this influence in my life.
