There is something about a mature woman’s voice. It is thick and weighty, sometimes gruff, and most often enriched with pause. The most beautiful of these voices, I think, come from women who have allowed themselves to be lived by life, surrendered, courageous, wise, heart-full women. I find great comfort in these voices in difficult times. Here a little collection of three for now. Many of you will know these words and poems, but most often we read or listen out for the words themselves for healing when the sound of the reading voice itself is medicine.
I have included women reading words not of their own writing as well, for this reason, because I want to emphasize listening to the voice. Joanna Macy’s voice gives Rilke’s words a whole new level of potency. Grab yourself a cup of hot chocolate, find a quiet spot, wrap yourself in a blanket, and rest in the raw, dependable sounds of the woman elder.
Joanna Macy, reading Rainer Maria Rilke’s “Let This Darkness Be a Bell Tower”: https://onbeing.org/poet…/let-this-darkness-be-a-bell-tower/
Maya Angelou, telling a story about seeing and being rainbow’s in the clouds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtdffxj7pNE
Mary Oliver, reading her poem “Wild Geese”: https://onbeing.org/blog/mary-oliver-reads-wild-geese/