sound of the storm

So it’s been pretty wild here in Machynlleth indeed! The wind has been singing like a breathy flute around all edges of our house, and the rain percussion rarely stops (but changes its style quite often)… I love it, in a way. When we can’t (or don’t!) get out into the landscape, what wildness comes to us, and can we become more aware of our own inherent wildness, however we might be constantly drinking tea and filling hotwaterbottles (ahem!) seemingly away from the elements?

When stuck indoors, we could welcome the opportunity to really go inside, and use our imaginations to connect with our own life – whether through meditation, movement, getting creative and drawing, using our voices, taking time to notice how all the elements exist within us – our earth, our water, our fire, our air…

What about drawing a scene you remember seeing when on a walk or trip somewhere particularly beautiful, or perhaps another creature glimpsed through your window? How do you embody your connection with it? Do you feel a certain part of you light up as you draw/when you think about or witness it? What do you love about this place/other creature? Do you see yourself mirrored in any way by it?

Here is a Wild Notes challenge, and invitation to be part of our first online Soundmap!

SOUNDMAP

Wherever you live, wherever you have been, whether you have have lived in the same place forever or if you have travelled the world… What have been your favourite wild sounds? Be it bird(s), animal(s), water, wind in the trees, whatever… Go deep into your personal sound-bank, retrieve your fave, and DRAW, WRITE, or otherwise DEPICT it (you can sing it if you want!) Send an image of this – and / or an audio clip if you have one – to ailsahughes@hotmail.com, with details of where they are from and what of, and any memories or contact details you want to share. These will be used to create a virtual, accumulative SOUNDMAP of what people most value in the wild soundscape, which hopes over time to encourage more and more people to really listen as we go outside as well as within. Your contributions will be posted here, and perhaps even made into something physical.

How can we find ways to really hear the land, and other species in it?

Since this is a pretty big question, I’ll leave that one hanging on the wild wind for now and look forward to coming back to discuss.

Don’t forget to send me your sounds!