The Sounds Of Tao

“What today speaks to man in the lapping of the waves, in the rustling of the wind, in the whispering of the leaves, in the rumbling of thunder, but is no longer understood by him, was understandable to the ancient Atlantean. He felt, in everything around him, a divine presence that spoke to him. Within all these speaking clouds and waters and leaves and winds, a sound resounded for the Atlanteans: Tao—that is me. In this sound lived the very being that moves through all of nature. Atlantis heard it. This Tao later expressed itself in the letter T. Above it is a circle, the sign of the all-encompassing divine Father Nature.”– Rudolf Steiner

To hear the true sounds of the world is to hear again the ancient words that unite all beings and connect us to the “speech” of the spiritual world–the sound of Tao. How can we hear this Tao in sounds like flowing water, falling rain, or the wind moving through leaves and grass? It is a matter of stillness.

You can’t simply take a walk and listen now and then as you saunter along. It is necessary to find a place, perhaps near water, in a forest, or beside a field of tall grass. A place where the sounds can be heard, hopefully free from interruptions, is where you can begin to form the first “letters” of this language once again. This begins by allowing yourself to focus exclusively on what you can hear around you.

I like the sounds of water, so I can easily follow them as they move over a stream. The tinkles, gurgles, plops, and soft sucking noises are what you hear at first. Over time, as you continue to listen, these sounds can begin to take on life. They create a harmony with one another, and a first inkling comes alive in the listener: the realization that the sounds are not isolated or random, but are forming a kind of language.

In our time, it is difficult to piece any of this language together. At least, I am not yet able to do so. Perhaps it is enough simply to begin hearing it, to wonder what lies behind these harmonies, and to allow for the possibility that one day we may once again know and understand these things as humanity did in the distant past.