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Something Understood

Religion & Ethics

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life, taking a spiritual theme and exploring it through music, prose and poetry

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Something Understood: Divine Noise

Poetic Rituals

19/02/2017

Divine Noise

BBC Radio 4 - Something Understood, Divine Noise

Academic Dr Sarah Goldingay listens out for the spiritual impact of noise.

Academic Dr Sarah Goldingay explores gong baths, zen flutes, foot stomping and more as she listens out for the spiritual impact of noise.

Noise permeates our lives and is often depicted as a fundamentally negative by-product of the hectic pace of modern life. Noise is often used as a pejorative term, it's unwelcome, intrusive and unpleasant. But this isn't the whole story.

Academic Dr Sarah Goldingay argues that noise can be joyful and that joyful noise affects us deeply. She explains that noise and unexpected sounds can trigger moments of profound spirituality.

Sarah leads us on a journey into sound, from the gong baths through which people seek healing by immersing themselves in waves of vibrational energy, to the zen art of Suizen in which practitioners play a traditional flute as a means of progressing towards enlightenment. We hear from the poet William Cowper, who describes how church bells heard at noon on a winter's walk affect him on a cellular level, and we visit a Mississippi church where the congregation pounds out a spiritual pulse on the wooden floorboards.

Through these examples and more, Sarah argues that it's possible to listen out for the divine noise in and amongst the din.

Presenter: Sarah Goldingay
Producer: Max O'Brien
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.

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