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The Sacred Art of Listening: Forty Reflections for Cultivating a Spiritual Practice

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Don't you just hate it when you are discussing something important and you can see that the person you are talking to is planning their response instead of listening to what you are saying? What about when you do the same thing? We all have a tendency to do this. Or what about when that small inner voice tells you that you should or should not be doing something? Do you listen? For a deeper more meaningful relationship both with others and with yourself you need to be able to listen and listen well. Listening is not the same as hearing. Sometimes I hear crickets at night, but I am so used to it that I have to actually stop and listen to really hear them and enjoy it.

Listening then is one of the key factors to positive, healthy relationships with others, yourself, your God, nature or whatever you want to have a relationship with. True listening requires practice. It requires slowing down and not responding immediately to a question but stopping to listen to how you really feel about the question. It requires a recognition that silence is just as important a part of a conversation as is speaking.

"The Sacred Art of Listening" contains forty meditative reflections about listening. For those who meditate deeper or better with an anchor on which to focus, each reflection has a mandala illustration on which to focus.

The author states that there are basically three qualities of deep listening. First is the recognition that silence is important. You can't listen if you are talking, even if you are talking inside your own head and planning what you will do later that day. The second quality is reflection. To listen well you have to reflect on what was said and what it means. What are the nuances of what was said? Was what was said the same as what was meant? The third quality is presence. You cannot listen well if you are not there. If your mind is somewhere else you are not present and therefore are not listening well.

Listening needs to be a part of a person's life if they are to have deep, meaningful relationships. The book is an easy read with well thought out reflections that are concise (two pages each) and yet insightful. A recommended read.

I truly enjoyed this book. It was for me an awakening. We get so caught up in daily life, we forget how to listen to our self, truly listen. How can we live a peaceful harmonious life if we can't listen to others, to ourselves or that creative wisdom within. It taught me that to understand anything one must be able to listen and to listen with a compassionate heart. This book gives simple yet poetic tools to understanding both the divine and daily importance of listening to ourselves,& others. It can be apllied to our work relationships as well as personal ones. The Illustrations are beautiful. I would love to have these prints hanging in my home. Fluid and strong, intricate yet simple, the perfect yin and yang balance. This is a book for OPRAH!!! Bravo to the Author and Illustrator.

Kay Lindahl's book opened my eyes...or should I say ears. With all of the communictions devices at our fingertips today...we seem to have forgotten that perhaps the most important and effective communication tool is just plain old-fashioned listening. Amy Schnapper's complementary illustrations provide visual inspriation to reawaken your aural consciousness. An easy read, gently and beautifully written. I highly recommend reading it. (in the morning, in the sun, on the porch with a cup of coffee!) Then spend your subsequent days in the practice of listening and hearing friends, loved ones and business associates. You'll truly be amazed at how the suggestions in The Sacred Art of Listening will improve your relationships and communication outcomes.

Among the hundreds of books out there telling us how to act, what to say, how to dress, etc., this book is a standout in that it encourages the reader to slow down and listen. Not just in the literal sense (which is a great start) but from the heart, in a spiritual sense. I've recommended the book to a lot of my friends and they've loved it. It just seems to be the right book at the right time. With all the turmoil in the world, it speaks to finding peace at home.

It has become increasingly more vital in our world today that we slow down in our busy lives, learn to breath, listen to the world around us, appreciate the good and the bad. However, knowing just how to this is not so easy. The sacred art of listening is truly an instruction book on this fine art. Kay has brought us back to the simplicity of our human nature and teaches us that we have within ourselves the ability to make the world a more peaceful, nonjudgmental, loving place. (`And let it begin with me!) I've found that the conversations I have with others are so much richer and I beleive it is because I have learned how to listen . My understanding and appreciation for the world and others and has a new value and therefore, so do I.

Kay Lindahl has written a practical and heartfelt book on the art of listening. She reminds us that listening is not just a set of techniques, but also a way that we build and bless relationships. Her ability to weave her personal stories with her suggestions and guidelines for listening give the book not only a practical purpose, but a deeply empathic impact, too. It's very helpful reading for those of us pursuing a compassionate and engaging life.

Profound stuff here! Most of us are born with the gift to hear. However, how many of us properly apply the skill of listening? I don't know about you but, I didn't learn this stuff in school. At least not to the degree explored in this book. And I do feel that the book's contents are critical on many levels. Every aspect of our lives can be enhanced by improving this one skill.

Let's talk reality here.

In conversations with others, we formulate speculations and opinions on what they are saying before they even finish saying it; sometimes finishing their sentences for them. Many times we are so busy trying to think of our refined reply (to make sure we look good or sound intelligent) that we really didn't comprehend what the other person was saying. Does any of this sound familiar? I know I have been guilty!

This book reminded me of a great quote by one of my mentors Stephen R. Covey, "Seek first to understand and then to be understood."

Another key point that I wanted to share is that we live in such an information-crazed society where we simply cannot get enough information. Rarely do we slow down enough to smell the roses and reflect on what we just heard, or read, or saw... whatever the information vehicle. We just steamroll passed and look to gather more information.

This book was a bit of a rude awakening for me in that it helped me understand that I need to slow down a bit, properly apply the power of listening, and improve my NOW.

This is a small book and probably can be read in one sitting, however I highly recommend that you take your time to properly absorb and reflect on each chapter - you'll be glad you did!

Among the hundreds of books out there telling us how to act, what to say, how to dress, etc., this book is a standout in that it encourages the reader to slow down and listen. Not just in the literal sense (which is a great start) but from the heart, in a spiritual sense. I've recommended the book to a lot of my friends and they've loved it. It just seems to be the right book at the right time. With all the turmoil in the world, it speaks to finding peace at home.

Lindahl has written concise reflections on improving skills as a listener and knowing your own inner self better.

I find the mandala-like art meaningful as a centering tool, and I'm enjoying working my way through this lovely book. The book is meant to be used, not read.

There are practices included that may prove useful in facilitating retreats for spiritual growth.

This is a very helpful book for anyone who wants to deepen her ability to listen, or is wondering how to counsel someone who is having difficulty. It comes from a Catholic source--I hope the word "sacred" doesn't scare off the many people who could find this helpful or even life-changing. I have no religious beliefs, and nothing got in my way here. I just found it confirming of what I've learned over the years. It's short, simple and profound. I've lent my copy to a number of people who have found it to be eye-opening and/or helpfully giving words to what they have learned to do.