Seven Thousand Ways to Listen: Staying Close to What Is Sacred

by Mark Nepo

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, “a consummate storyteller with a rare gift for making the invisible visible” ( Publishers Weekly ), this beautifully written spiritual memoir explores the endless ways we can listen for life’s deepest messages.

Mark Nepo moved and inspired millions of people with his #1 New York Times bestseller The Book of Awakening , a spiritual day book. Now, in this new exploration of the human journey, Nepo inquires into the endless ways life asks us to listen. Having experienced hearing loss, Nepo affirms that listening is one of the most mysterious, luminous, and challenging art “Whatever difficulty you face, there are time-tried ways you can listen your way through. Because listening is the doorway to everything that matters.” Weaving together memoir and meditation exercises, Nepo offers many ways to listen to life and live more fully. A moving exploration of self, our relationship to others, and the world around us, this remarkable guide unpacks the many ways we are called to redefine ourselves and to name what is meaningful as we face life’s challenges.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Philosophy, Personal Growth, Inspirational

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Mark Nepo is a poet and spiritual teacher whose work explores inner transformation and the courage to stay open to life. Known for the bestselling The Book of Awakening, he has written more than twenty books and created numerous audio projects that invite readers to reflect, heal, and deepen their relationships. A cancer survivor, he often describes his illness as a turning point that shaped his understanding of presence and vulnerability. After many years teaching literature and poetry, he devoted himself to writing and guiding others through workshops and retreats. His reflections have been featured widely, including on Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul Sunday, and he continues to write about living with authenticity and attention.

Reviews

[Yahu · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a while to finish it because it is just one of those books you need to read absorbing every word, every idea and really make it your own.... Quite amazing! Loved every bit of it! Highly recommended it!

[Caro Lyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept of this book is fabulous: learning how to open your heart and actually listen to what is going on around you. There's poetry, meditation ideas, and dharma talks.

Unfortunately, the execution didn't resonate with me. I really wasn't interested in the etymology of various words, or willing to read (much less agree with) long discussions that stretched words' historical meanings into soulful discussions of their meanings today. I also got annoyed with the number of times the author said he is a poet and, therefore, had some special perception.

[Yaaresse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Updated: Originally DNFd this at 45%. Since I own in on Kindle (and was doing electronic spring cleaning), I went ahead and finished it. My opinion didn't really change with the second half of the book. More of the same. Initial rating and review stand.
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This was recommended by an acquaintance who raved about it using words like "beautiful" and "thought-provoking." I'd never heard of the author, so I didn't realize until just now that he's got a sort of New Age Pop Star following from frequent exposure on Oprah and Huffington Press.

I honestly tried to give the book a fair shake, but just couldn't connect with it. Nepo can craft lovely images and clearly cherishes finding just the right words with which to decorate his sentences, but the pretty words didn't really mean anything. This is sort of the writing equivalent of a Thomas Kinkade painting -- maybe technically proficient, but saccharine, unnatural, and so insistently pensive that it comes off as narcissistic after a while. One gets the feeling that all this listening the author is going on about is that everyone else is supposed to listen to him. After all, as he reminds the reader often, he is a poet and philosopher.

Perhaps my opinion is colored by having so recently finished Gloria Karpinski's Barefood on Holy Ground, which I found to be a far more engaging and substantial read. By comparison, I just find this book euphuistic and annoying.

Gave it up at the 45% mark.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. It took me 2 months to read it for I used it as my morning meditation guide, one lesson/reflection/inspiration at a time. It led me to soon going to a spirituality/writing workshop in Estes Park, Colorado led my Mark Nepo. I love his metaphor at the end that listening is watering the heart and the meditation he suggests to share with a friend is one I plan to share for the rest of my lifetime...and maybe even in the next too :).

[Ruben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've known that listening takes much more effort than speaking. It requires more discipline and a higher level of selflessness. Those of us who talk alot rarely realize that between the speaker and the listener, power resides in the listener. Otherwise the speaker has no audience. In 7000 Ways to Listen Mark Nepo eloquently walks us through a journey of deeply engaging our life experience through listening... deep listening. This is an uphill endeavor especially in our anxious and speedy lives. Nepo concludes that authentic listening is what can slow down our hurried lives. It is an act of love... love toward ourselves which can accomplish this. He helps the reader position him/herself as better listeners, not just to words, but to life in its various expressions, to nature, that which we do not understand, to that which we fear, so that we could be transformed in the process. For we are changed by what we hear. Even prayer he articulates is listening. Wow, how much and for how long have I prayed mostly by speaking?

I recommend this book not to those who want it, but to those like myself who need it.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the insight in this book as well as the poetry. He has a way with words that touch me.

Here are some excerpts:

How we can empathize with each other:

"Keep each other company when we're drowning in our experience and awash in our feelings, until it can all right-size, until our experience can once again sustain us."

About dealing with pain:

"We can't avoid pain and loss and we don't have to make Gods of pain and loss either. It is the give-and-take between pain and wonder and the way the weather of experience shapes our journey."

Why it is important to slow down:

"Living in a world of motion, we are constantly asked to quiet ourselves in order to glimpse and feel the truth of things, the way we wait for water to be still so we can see the bottom."

I love the practices in the book. I had to return it to the library, but I am thinking about buying it as a reference.

Here is my favorite quote from the book:

"Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. Is is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out". --Vaclov Havel

[Cathy Patton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I believe that different people respond to different teachers, and Mark Nepo is simply not my teacher. I didn't resonate with his writing. That's not to say it was bad, it just wasn't my style and thus I didn't get much out of this book.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book. I hadn't heard much beyond a recommendation, so I was surprised to find it to be more spiritual and theoretical than actionable advice.

None the less, I enjoyed it and made use of all the journal suggestions. I did try some of the meditations, but haven't had opportunities for the table questions (thanks covid).

My main takeaway was to enjoy the journey of life and be open in each moment. That is how one listens with the whole self and be truly awake in the moment.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Nepo, a poet-philosopher, utilized his experience with cancer to deepen his awareness of the sacred in all life experiences. He speaks the language of writers who have penetrating awareness of the spirit. This is not a sweetly inspirational book--he's clear that "life will break us and burn us at some point on the journey" and this is simply the "geography of being alive." But the book does inspire and uplift with its instruction on the pilgrimage of acceptance and beyond. Writing with prose and poetry, and poetic prose, Nepo opens the door, a little or a lot, on the "elemental process of tasting and internalizing the mystery of life."

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nepo's reflections on loss, challenge, brokenness, wonder, and living open-heartedly lead the reader into space for one's own reflection. Nepo includes journal and conversation questions, which makes this an especially good text for small group study and sharing.

[Pam Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Nepo once again delivers a wonderful book chock full of food for thought and reflection. It's definitely one that is sorely needed in the age of technology where we can easily forget the importance of listening and connecting to one another.

[Arantxa Sánchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this is for serious listeners. La verdad este libro me fue ganchando lento y poco a poco pero en los últimos dos capítulos estaba triste porque ya se estaba acabando.

Demasiado interiorizar, un libro muy espiritual. Si un libro “normal” te lleva a reflexionar, este te invita a vivir dentro de ti. No ensimismado pero a escucharte mucho, recibir y soltar.

Esto se tiene que leer con la mente muy abierta, al menos así necesité hacerlo yo. Es un libro de agarrarle la onda.

Resultó ser mucho mas de lo que esperaba, se aprende mucho. Me hizo reflexionar, pensar mucho y cuestionar. Me hizo conocer otras formas de pensar y de reaccionar. Tiene muchas historias y anécdotas que te ayudan a ir entendiendo.

Este libro te ayuda a soltar, fluir, pero hay que leerlo con criterio.

Al inicio había términos que no entendía muy bien. Con este libro aprendí que hay que escribir para todos, pensando en todos.

Conclusión: la escucha a los demás nace cuando sabes escucharte a ti mismo.

Si lo vas a leer si contesta por escrito las “journal questions” game changers

“The first duty of love is to listen”

“We have two glorious tasks: to be good steward of the giddy we are given and to wait upon that gift. This calls for deep and constant listening, the way a wave listens to the deep.”

“There is the search that chases life and the search that reveals life.”

“The essence of wisdom is in the deep reception of each other and the space such listening opens.”

[Book Pharmacist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, for a relatively short book, this was a meaty read! It took me more than a month on this, not only because it presented a lot of abstract, esoteric ideas about everyday sacredness but also because it presented the reader with opportunities to explore their own ideas on the topics. The chapters were short; I don’t recall any being more than 10 pages, and most weren’t even that. But the book packs a lot of philosophical punch in a few words. It’s definitely thought provoking, so whenever I was presented with a meditation or journal entry, I explored it and recorded my thoughts. The book is 273 pages, and after reading it, I feel like I journaled 273 pages to go along with it! I enjoy books that make me think and see things from perspectives I’ve not explored before, and this read checks those boxes. I liked this book and gave it a high rating, but taking the time to do the journal questions and taking a month to read it did shift my momentum for it from start to finish. I would recommend reading it as a group and talking through some of the discussion questions, or if you read it independently, journal only on the questions that spark your interest and imagination. That’s what I wish I had done from the beginning. I’m not going to lie, as beneficial as I think this book is, I’m glad to be finished with it!

[Sara Saulcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're thinking that this is essentially a lecture, it's not. It's a pretty intense book in terms of listening to yourself, not just others. There are many exercises which challenge readers. It often forces people to get deep into life experiences that people may have avoided dealing with. If you're not ready to "go there," then you may want to hold off on reading it. I read this book as part of a book group, which I think was a good way to work through many of the exercises and to have support while doing so. My only complaint is that it has quite of "god" language of the Christian variety, which, as a Unitarian Universalist, I'm not real fond of. If, however, you're comfortable with that language and with the objectives of this book, then you may find this book a very worthwhile read.

[Pat Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on the fact that there are at least 7,000 languages/dialects, Mark Nepo wrote this wonderful book entitled "Seven Thousand Ways to Listen". I have been reading on this one for several months as it is dense and intense. The journaling, meditation, and discussion sections are fodder for much contemplation. Being a fan of Mark Nepo already, I thought this book to be exceptional in connecting and truly communicating with others. Listening is a skill I wish to practice in new and better ways.

[Russell D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep listening involves all eleven of our senses. In addition to our physical senses we have imagination, intuition, memory, reason, will, and perception. Mark Nepo encourages extensive use of all these faculties by asking open ended questions that facilitate deep thought about what we have just read at the end of every section. I found this book to be very thought provoking, and the exercises rich for journaling content. This is a book I read for a class and the time I spent with it has been limited. I will return to it again and again to continue my development and growth.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been a respite and incredible learning tool. It served as one of the texts that my spiritual formation group used as guidance this year and it informed us, depending on the reading chosen, to listen in new ways that we never even had considered before. This book enabled me to look deeper within myself, relate to others in new ways and to be open to listening even more than I was before. Another magnificent book by Nepo and I highly recommend it and his other writings.

[Sydney Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If you go deeply enough into the personal, you reach the universal"-Andre Gide pg. 65

"If we had power over the ends of the earth, it would not give us the fulfillment of existence which a quiet devoted relationship to nearby life can give us." Pg. 234

"I tell you, the more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people." -Vincent Van Gogh pg. 255

[Christine Hiester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot give this book enough stars. This book has made me feel so many emotions, often overlapping. It took me nearly a year to read it because I couldn’t read more than a couple pages at a time for the ache in my chest with nearly every turn of phrase and beautiful metaphor. This will be a book I reread whenever I need to touch into what is real and holy.

[Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I love Mark Nepo and his way of using words so softly so gently and yet… what he points to is seldom ‘gentle, easy’. There’s a lot of power to what he’s writing about, and I love the combination of powerful messages providing plenty of tankespjärn while doing it with such a gentle touch!

This has been a great daily companion and I wonder what I will turn to now.

[Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the poetry and writing style is very beautiful, for me there were far too many 'reflective pause / journal / meditation / table question' sections, which are every few pages. For me, that was too much structure. Worth reading though - Nepo frames contemplation in a very interesting way.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. He’s so poetic. I read a few pages every morning to start the day. I think the general layout of the book is confusing, so I didn’t really understand the flow. But when you read it really slowly, the flow matters less. 💁🏼‍♀️ I hope to read this each year during Lent.

[Sylvie M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could have awarded this book 10 stars. Within its pages I was able to imagine myself fearless and inclusive into the human experience. I hope this feeling of listening with and through every pore of my being.

[Stephanie Koclanis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly love Mark Nepo’s journey, thought process, and prose but this didn’t resonate with me as much as The Book of Awakening which I reread quite often. This book, although still powerful, felt redundant.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written for me - I deeply connected with it. I learned from it and mostly I found peace within it.

[M.A USman Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way Mark has spoken about the effectiveness of listening whole-hearted is a turning point to me. we help ourselves to live better by deep listening to everything around us and inside us.

[Chas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely, contemplative read.

[Christine Jolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

He writes so beautifully but sometimes it can be hard to understand what he’s saying. Don’t like the questions at the end. Think those should be moved to the appendix to not disrupt the flow.

[Maria Lucia Seidl de Moura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried and tried but I could not finish this book. This is very unusual for me.

[Carla Basquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nepo is always an unraveling of the endless spool of Deep Truths. Though not my favorite book thus far, he drew me back in at the end, with his poetic analogies.