Being in a fairly isolated spot here in Conneticut, where nature abounds and there is only the occasional passing car to remind me of a world I have left behind for a while, I have noticed how delightfully filled the silence is. I spend my days with the chattering of birds, my nights with the croak-moaning of bull frogs. And all the while, whenever there is a whisper of a breeze, the tickling of its fingers make the wind chimes sing by the back doorstep. I have taken many a mosey on foot and bicycle with a camera and a little sound recorder in my bag to capture these moments that make my eyes widen with the continual realisation of how much beauty there is to be experienced if you just take the time to acknowledge it. Scattered about this page are some of the sounds that have been filling my ears.
One of the most surprisingly beautiful sounds I found was the night before last, when Aitan made cheese with his goats’ milk for a Jewish festival, Shavout, which starts tonight. As he hung the curds in cheese cloth to drain the whey into a metal bowl, it sounded like a tiny brook trickling into a Tibetan singing bowl.
Shavout celebrates the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai and the ‘first fruit’ of the year’s farming. To mark this, there is a buzz in the air this evening as the folks here prepare for staying up all night listening to teachings from a much loved Rabbi, Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi, who I was priviledged to hear speak last night in an intimate setting. He is an 85 year old with a sparkle in his eye and the wisdom of ages. He speaks in images so it goes straight to the heart, and I certainly felt at no disadvantage being the only non-Jew in the room. He talked of the earth being an organism with each organ, vein, connective tissue being equally important. He is not about trying to convert people , as “not everyone can be a lung”.
Other delights that have filled my ears this week included music and poetry on Shabbat – a day where enforced rest is taken seriously (no driving, no work, no technology…just food, wine, sharing with friends, games, and debate). Although I am not religious, I find this a very wise and healthy practice – to know there is one day you set aside that is very different to all the others. For one thing I have noticed a huge benefit from not being on a computer very much. Of course, more than one day would be a fine thing too but here it is clear that farming waits for no man!
In a wee while we are having a Shavout parade through camp to take the first fruits and the goats from the barnyard to the orchard on the nearby hill. This hill has become a special place for me of late. Yesterday I spent a morning digging weeds and thinning the beetroots in the beds there, as the rain wet grass brushed our legs and the ravens swooped overhead. Further up the hill a few nights ago after a spectacular sunset, as Aitan and I waded home waist high in grasses and dandelion clocks, the fireflies all came out to play. What a sight that was!
I have been blessed to spend awhile living such beauty here, and tomorrow my journey continues to Boulder, Colorado. I shall be sad to leave as I have become part of the community here and enjoyed the feeling of working and walking with the land. For now I shall get some rest as I prepare to partake of some of the ‘night energy’ Rabbi Zalman talked about. I have always found that I am at my most creative and clear of mind in the wee hours of the morning, and apparently there are physiological and psychological reasons why I and many others find this so. So tonight, with an awareness of this, I am going to Listen to what some old wise mouths have to say.
Journeys In Between 