Psst…look who’s talking
‘Psst!’ says the voice, catching our attention. Curious, we turn to see where it’s coming from, but it keeps on moving, just on the edges of our awareness. Who does the voice belong to? What would we hear if we stopped long enough to pay attention? What might unfold if we did? And what might change?
Hearing voices – it’s something we associate with madness – or mysticism. But hearing voices – particularly those that people discount, discard, dismiss or disown – is central to the work of pastor, social worker, politician, counsellor, priest, spiritual director or social activist. Not all voices are easy to hear, though, and we have to give conscious attention to the quiet ones, the off–centre ones, the ones that unsettle us, the ones that we suppress – both in others and within ourselves. And then there’s that still, small voice which keeps on saying ‘Psst!’ just when we thought we’d got everything sorted…
The 2010 Continuing the Journey conference invited us to stop for a week and look and listen to hear who’s talking.
Chairs: Ruth Dormandy & Ruth Layzell