Ways to practice Listening include discernment of God's messages, Lectio Divina, spiritual direction, deep listening, intuition, conscience, council circles, Quaker Clearness Committee, and more specific practices like below.
Make an appointment with a spiritual director and meet with him or her regularly. These guides have been trained to recommend resources and practices to help you improve your ability to listen to what the world and God have to tell you about your spiritual life.
After Prayer by Yitzhak Buxbaum recommends that we make space and time in our prayers to listen for God’s response.
At the Movies by Rebecca Shafir offers some concrete ideas on how to listen better at the movies.
Consulting Your Heart by Jamal Rahman recommends holding conflicts in your heart and listening to your heart’s knowing.
Dealing with Tension in a Dialogue by Ken Homer introduces a simple conversation practice that helps turn diversity of opinion into mutual learning.
Deepening by Peter Smith is a process by which individuals study sacred texts to listen for pearls of wisdom.
Everything Is the Sound of the Buddha by Franz Metcalf helps us hear the cries of the world in a new way.
Have Check-ins at Dinner by Habib Todd Boerger shares insights from Celeste Headlee and Kay Lindahl on listening and responding with true consideration in our conversations.
Letting Others do the Talking by Rebecca Z. Shafir suggests a way to do less talking and more listening.
Listen to an Opposing Opinion by Wayne Dyer invites the flexibility of the Tao into our conversations.
Listen with All of You by Arjuna Ardagh inspires holy listening with full presence and absolute attention.
Listen with Respect by Habib Todd Boerger presents advice from Jamal Rahman on discernment as well as ideas for listening to yourself and others with heartfulness.
Listening Behind by Habib Todd Boerger explains a practice for non-judgmental listening that allows your partner to reflect deeply.
Listening to A Sermon in Worship by Keith Anderson offers suggestions from Mars Hill Church in Michigan on how to listen to a sermon in worship.
Listening to the Exploited and Persecuted by Kristin Ritzau calls us to hear the stories of those who have been exploited/persecuted and to build relationship with them.
Listening to the Land by Michael S. Hutton spurs us to listen to the natural world around us with all our senses.
Listening to Your Body by Adam S. McHugh offers questions to help us get started in honoring our body’s needs and its intuition.
Listening to Your Inner Child by Thich Nhat Hanh gives his guidance on caring for and healing your inner child.
Looking for a Person’s Essence by Kristin Ritzau salutes Gay Hendricks’s realization about listening for a person’s deeper truths and intentions.
Respecting Your Soul’s Needs by Jamal Rahman, Kathleen Schmitt Elias, and Ann Holmes Redding provides a means for honoring and acting from listening to the Divine within.
Retelling Our Stories by Diane M. Millis offers a story-telling process that allows people to share the narrative of their life’s journey.
Seven Generations Reflection by Charles Garfield, Cindy Spring, and Sedona Cahill describes a discernment reflection for reconsidering your position on important topics.
Shema: Listen by Rami Shapiro proposes a breath and listening practice that reminds us that all sound is the symphony of the divine.
The Reflective Pause by Keith Anderson describes a tool for listening to the voice of God in your day.
The Voice of God by Perle Besserman recalls the advice of Hasidic masters about listening.
Unlimited Broadcasting by George Washington Carver invites us to tune in to God’s messages.
More Spiritual Practices about Listening
