Listening to the Earth Podcast: Recent Episodes
Listening Inspires
This podcast features interviews with fascinating individuals working hard to protect the environment and enhance harmony between people and our planet. They share how "listening to the Earth" guides and supports them in their work.
In this episode, Charlotte Dufour shares the origin story, or rather one of the origin stories, of the Listening to the Earth Movement, which is an invitation to collectively tune into the wisdom & power of Nature during key political occasions and in our daily lives.
She recounts what prompted the idea to offer meditations and moments of mindful moments of mindful connection to the Earth for the 2019 UN Climate Summit and in various events since, such as UNFCCC COPs.
More importantly, she describes what lies at the heart of this call to be Listening to the Earth: an invitation to transform our relationship with Nature by reconnecting to its wisdom.
Music Copyright: Frank Woeste
I am grateful to my friend the great jazz pianist Frank Woeste for the music in this podcast. It is from “Le Souffle de l'Eau" ("Water's breath"), a piece he composed and plays here with another amazing musician, Erik Truffaz, on the trumpet.
I warmly encourage you to listen to the full, heart-stirring, recording here.
Frank’s music is available on all major music platforms (Spotify, Deezer…).
Take 2 minutes to "pause and return", with Cynthia Jurs (founder of the Gaia Mandala Global Healing Community) who guides us into a moment of connection to ourselves and Nature, accompanied by the sounding of the bell.
You can listen to a full interview with Cynthia here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/991210/12699880
Illustration copyright is to Autumn Skye; it illustrates the Gaia Mandala (see www.gaiamandala.net)
In this episode of the Listening to the Earth podcast, Cynthia Jurs, founder of the Gaia Mandala Global Healing Community, shares what she has learnt from listening to the Earth as she guided the planting of over 55 "Earth Treasures Vases" around the world, in support of Earth's healing and protection.
She talks about the opportunity we are given to unleash our own treasures of creativity, find our tribe and engage joyfully in support of regeneration in the world. She shares how the "great teacher", Gaia, can inspire a policy for our own lives, one which guides us to nourish what we want to see more of in the world. She also shares very practical ways whereby we can slow down and cultivate our connection with the natural world, honouring the fact that "we are the Earth".
In addition to this interview, Cynthia guided a short 3 minute practice with the sounding of the bell, which you can use anytime of the day, when you need to pause and "return", as her teacher Thich Nhat Hahn invites us to do. You will find it here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/991210/12699905
You can find out more about Cynthia's work, including the Earth Treasure Vases, the Full Moon Meditations and her teachings on Arya Gaia on www.gaiamandala.net.
The artwork (thumbnail) is copyrighted to Autumn Skye and illustrates the Gaia Mandala.
(The L2E podcast Jingle is by Hachim Chahidi)
In this episode, Charlotte Dufour introduces SDG0, the Sustainable Development Goal of Love and Joy, the ultimate goal and activator of the 17 SDGs that compose Agenda 2030.
Reflecting on the meaning of this SDG, she explores what it is that brings us love and joy, in a world characterised by impermanence and relativity. She sees this SDG as an invitation to focus the essentials, in our efforts to achieve the 17 SDGs: not just what we do, but how we do it. Not just how much we achieve, but how much we give and grow, as we try to reach these goals.
Music Copyright: Frank Woeste
I am grateful to my friend the great jazz pianist Frank Woeste for the music in this podcast. It is from “Le Souffle de l'Eau" ("Water's breath"), a piece he composed and plays here with another amazing musician, Erik Truffaz, on the trumpet.
I warmly encourage you to listen to the full, heart-stirring, recording here.
Frank’s music is available on all major music platforms (Spotify, Deezer…).
In this episode of the Listening to the Earth podcast, Zara Waldebäck shares her love of words and how they are precious companions in her connection with Nature. A source inspiration and guidance, she sees words as playmates that help us connect to our soul and the soul of life around us.
Zara offers courses on "Writing with soul" in which she guides participants in discovering new dimensions of words and, through them, of the world within and around us.
Zara Waldebäck teaches nature awareness and creative soul practices, to help people connect with the Living World. Working with systemic nature constellations and rights of nature, she also developed Stories of Nature, an animate storytelling method to better hear the voice of the Earth. Part of the Scandinavian Center for Shamanic Studies, she teaches online and internationally, including Schumacher College UK, Aurora Italy, Hungary, Ireland, UK, China and Russia.
The conversation is hosted by Charlotte Dufour, co-founder of Listening Inspires, the NGO which hosts the Listening to the Earth podcast.
Une série avec Charlotte Dufour, cofondatrice de Listening Inspires (Ecouter inspire).
Dans cet épisode, je présente une nouvelle série, dans le cadre du podcast "À l'écoute de la Terre" (Listening to the Earth), intitulée "Ecoute lumineuse pour temps turbulents".
Dans cette série, je propose de partager des idées et des inspirations liées aux défis de notre époque, qui proviennent de mon écoute des autres, de la nature et de ce que j'appelle mon "moi profond" (ou âme).
Dans cet épisode, je contemple le pouvoir de l'écoute et je partage la façon dont j'ai découvert, au cours de la vingtaine d'années que je travaille sur la nutrition et les systèmes alimentaires, le pouvoir de l'écoute des autres comme moyen de créer des ponts entre disciplines et de jeter les bases d'une action conjointe malgré des agendas souvent divergents.
Le fait de travailler sur des questions complexes telles que les systèmes alimentaires durables - en particulier dans des pays touchés par des crises comme l'Afghanistan - m'a également amenée à apprécier la valeur (et même la nécessité) de l'écoute intérieure, pour trouver un endroit où se nourrir, par exemple par la pratique de la méditation. Cela m'a ouvert la porte au pouvoir de l'écoute de la Nature, m'amenant à apprécier le monde d'une toute nouvelle manière...
Je publierai des épisodes d'une dizaine de minutes tous les mois.
J'espère que vous vous joindrez à moi dans cette aventure de l'écoute.
Le prochain épisode portera sur le 18e objectif de développement durable sur l'amour et la joie. Il n'a pas été explicitement écrit, mais nous (l'équipe d'Ecouter inspire) le considérons comme le fondement de l'Agenda 2030 et l'appelons SDG 0. Nous y voyons le but ultime et l'activateur des 17 SDG.
Restez donc à l'écoute, pour ce que j'espère être des moments lumineux et inspirants !
Copyright pour la musique : Frank Woeste
Je suis reconnaissant à mon ami, le grand pianiste de jazz Frank Woeste, pour la musique de ce podcast. Elle est tirée de "Le souffle de l'eau", un morceau qu'il a composé et joue ici avec un autre musicien extraordinaire, Erik Truffaz, à la trompette.
Je vous encourage vivement à écouter l'enregistrement complet, à couper le souffle, ici.
La musique de Frank est disponible sur toutes les grandes plateformes musicales (Spotify, Deezer...).
A series with Charlotte Dufour, co-founder of Listening Inspires.
In this episode, I introduce a new series, as part of the Listening to the Earth podcast, called "Luminous Listening in Troubled Times".
In this series, I offer to share insights and inspirations related to the challenges of our era, which come from my listening to others, to and Nature and what I call my "Deep Self" (or soul).
Today, I reflect on the power of listening and share how I have discovered, through my 20+ years of working on nutrition and food systems, the power of listening to others as a means of building bridges between disciplines and laying the foundations for joint action across often divergent agendas.
Working on complex issues such as sustainable food systems - in particular in crisis-affected countries such as Afghanistan - also led me to appreciate the value (and even necessity) of inner listening, to find a place of nourishment within, such as through the practice of meditation. This opened the door for me to the power of listening to Nature, leading me to appreciate the world in a whole new way...
I will post episodes of no more than 10 mins on a monthly basis, and hope you will join me in this inspiring adventure of listening.
The next episode will be about the unwritten 18th Sustainable Development Goal on Love and Joy, which we call SDG 0 - the ultimate goal and activator of the 17 SDGs.
So stay tuned, for what I hope will be luminous and inspiring moments!
Music Copyright: Frank Woeste
I am grateful to my friend the great jazz pianist Frank Woeste for the music in this podcast. It is from “Le Souffle de l'Eau" ("Water's breath"), a piece he composed and plays here with another amazing musician, Erik Truffaz, on the trumpet.
I warmly encourage you to listen to the full, heart-stirring, recording here.
Frank’s music is available on all major music platforms (Spotify, Deezer…).
In this short meditation, guided by Lissia Amach, we invite you to unite with the flow, majesty and life force of trees...
We wish you a regenerative moment of mindful connection to the Earth!
In this short meditation, guided by Abigail Robinson, we invite you to connect to the the power, majesty and stability of the mountains...
Wishing you a regenerative moment of mindful connection to the Earth!
In this short meditation, guided by Ashwini Prabha, we invite you to connect with the depth and power of the Ocean...
We wish you a regenerative moment of mindful connection to the Earth!
In this short meditation, guided by Myra Jackson, we invite you to connect to the life force and fluidity of the Freshwaters. The 1% of waters on our planet on which all life depends...
We wish you a regenerative moment of mindful connection to the Earth!
In this episode, Nigel Topping, High-Level Climate Champion for the UK Government shares how listening to the Earth has been at the heart of his journey as a climate activist. He also shares how we can make space for listening to the Earth in events such as COPs, to make sure Earth is represented but also to help COP delegates cope with the stress and intensity of these gatherings.
We've taken his advice by the word! Check out the "COP Meeting Opener Card" and 5 moments of mindful connection to the Earth (5 mins each) which we've produced for COP27. All available on the Listening to the Earth website.
The introductory and concluding jingle is by Hachim Chahidi (copyrighted).
in this short guided meditation we invite you to connect to the soils of our planet, and the soil of your heart...
Wishing you a regenerative moment of mindful connection to the Earth!
This recording is a short guided "moment of mindful connection to the Earth" (1,5 mins) you can use to center and connect at the beginning of your meetings, in particular in challenging environments such as COPs (Conference of the Parties, eg for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or Convention on Biodiversity).
This recording was prepared for COP27 but can be used on many occasions!
You can find a written version of this meditation on Listening to the Earth's "COP Meeting Opener Card 2022"
The artwork associated with the card is a print by Hélène Hibou, as part of her series "Waters of the World"
This meditation was offered on the occasion of Earth Day 2022.
It is guided by Brother Chân Pháp Lai, from Plum Village, the community founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
The meditation was proposed at the end of the event “Listening to the Earth in Times of Crisis, organized by Listening Inspires, Nature 4 Climate and the Conscious Food Systems Alliance.
At the heart of this online event was a discussion between leading food systems experts on how can Nature guide us in transforming disruption and destruction into connection and regeneration?
The recording of the whole event is available on this channel on the following link: https://youtu.be/kgtF6ikVvuU
An inspiring interview about why listening to the Earth is so important in events such as the UNFCCC COPs
Listen to Mindahi Bastida, from the Otomi Toltec Nation of Central Mexico, on the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow.
Mindahi Bastida is Director of Original Nations Program for the Fountain, Spokesperson for the Grand Council of the Eagle and the Condor, Executive Committee Member of the Alliance of Guardians for Mother Earth.
In this conversation with Suzi Steer, from Treesisters (also Advisory Committee member of Listening to the Earth and Listening Inspires), Mindahi Bastida speaks of why listening to the Earth is essential to be educated about how to live in harmony with the Earth. He speaks of the importance of taking care of Nature, living in reciprocity, with humility, and what it means to invite Mother Earth in summits such as the UNFCCC COPs.
Myra Jackson, founder of the Global Being Foundation and Global Freshwaters Summit, shares how listening to the Earth is an integral part of her work and life.
Elise Buckle, Founder of Climate & Sustainability, describes why we are facing a "Planetary Emergency" and the importance of solidarity in a time of crisis
In this episode, Elise Buckle, Founder and President of Climate & Sustainability - an innovative platform for radical collaboration on climate issues, describes why we are facing a "Planetary Emergency" and the importance of solidarity in a time of crisis and opportunity. Elise, who facilitates the Planetary Emergency Partnership and recently co-authored a paper on Nature Based Solutions for the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, describes the inter-linkages between the health, environmental and food system crises. She also shares why she was inspired to catalyse the Listening to the Earth "Solidarity Meditations for Healing People and the Planet", and how mindfulness can support policy making for more sustainable futures.
Dr. Musonda Mumba, chief of UNEP's Terrestrial Ecosystems unit, shares how listening to the Earth guides her work on environmental policy and more.
In this inspiring episode, Dr. Musonda Mumba, chief of the United Nations Environment Programme Terrestrial Ecosystems unit and chair of the Global Partnership for Forests and Landscapes Restoration, shares how listening to the Earth has been guiding her work on environmental policy and its inter-connections with other sectors such as public health. She reflects on what the Earth may be telling us through the Covid 19 crisis, inviting us to use this pause to reflect and think about our relationship to Nature.