Traveling by Sound
When I travel, I am often on a Sound Journey. My ears are always open and responsive to new sounds, in search of new sounds. Yes, there are new smells, foods, vistas, sensations, people…but it’s the ear that mostly draws me in.
In 2006, arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, travel weary and dragging both body and suitcase up a hill, voices emanating from a nearby chapel lured me in. I dropped my bag and ran to listen more closely. Portuguese has its own cadence, and this conglomeration of jubilant voices singing in not-so-perfect harmony but every ounce of gusto, thrilled me to no end. My ears rejoiced.
Being a Florida girl, I am no stranger to insect noises and lots of them. While traveling in Turkey with fellow Sacred Earth Journeys leader, Phil Cousineau, the crickets of Bodrum caught my ear. Whipping out my phone, I quickly recorded this cacophonous symphony. What’s different about this species that creates this variation on a theme?
In Konya, at the home of iconic Persian poet, Rumi, the Imam gives the clarion call. Full-throated in a differing scale to my Western ears, the Imam cries in passionate tones, calling Muslims to worship. I marvel at this human voice, so different than mine. Drawing people’s attention to the hour, to devotion, his cry can’t help but be heard.
It’s not only the sounds themselves but the accompanying practices that lure my aural attention. At St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy, pilgrims from countries all over the globe gather in various chapels at early hours. Stroll around this huge sanctuary, and a myriad of tongues will awaken not only your ear but all of your senses.
In this time of global pandemic, and travel curtailed, consider sounds you have heard - sounds that have caught your attention. Take a Sound Journey around the block, to your own backyard. September in Atlanta finds the cicadas trumpeting their last gasp, their last attempt at mating before completing their life cycle. Traffic patterns change. Birds call differently. In addition, there are a myriad of podcasts on sounds. Let your Ears Travel and let your imagination run wild.
“the earth has music, for those who listen”