The original sounds of nature
Blog Post No. 1
It's 4:45 am and snow is falling at my remote place in Kainuu, Finland, where I currently live. At this time of day it is already dawn and the sun may rise any minute. From the living room window I could watch it rise over the hill across the frozen lake – but the cloud cover is too thick today. I enjoy the silence on this early Sunday morning. Sitting here with a glass of cold water with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt. Inspired by yesterday's meeting with international artists at Mustarinda, I begin to write my first blog post.
Speaking about silence here, that's actually not quite right. There is the sound of the fridge in the kitchen, the ventilation system of the house and the ticking of a clock on the wall. Although I am surrounded by the forest and a beautiful frozen lake, the noise of the technocratic world is omnipresent inside the house. It feels more present than the soothing sounds of nature as long as I keep the windows closed – it's still pretty cold outside.
I wonder how much these artificial noises affect the human psyche? For most of my life, I was constantly surrounded by unnatural sounds without thinking about it or even realizing it. It just seemed „totally normal", without asking questions. But now, in the middle of Finnish nature, I consciously feel and experience the disturbing effect of those sounds for the first time.
It is obvious that the technocratic noises are anything but natural. They are unpleasant, heavy, very disturbing and definitely distracting, aren’t they? To me, it feels like these artificial sounds keep my human body in a constant – may it be conscious or unconscious – state of alert, distortion and stress. As if the nervous system is unable to fully relax into a deep state of calmness and peace.
On the other hand, the sounds of nature are calming, soothing and very gentle for the spirit. Nature sounds are the original sounds of the earth. They support the feeling of the true connection with everything that surrounds us and may remind us of the eternal truth that we all carry within. These nature sounds are everlasting and speak to the soul. Have you noticed the soft whispers of nature?
I encourage you to go out into nature as often as possible – into true nature, such as an old forest, and ideally far away from the technocratic world. Enjoy the liveliness and listen to the beautiful sounds of spring!
I will talk more about this topic in the near future. For now, I'm heading outside to enjoy the sounds of the birds in my yard. Wishing you a wonderful Sunday!
Warmly,
Carina
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