An invitation to dwell poetically in an over-stimulating world.
Written by Shannon Litzenberger
Attending the world more poetically is a practice. In our attention-driven society, what does it take to really see the invisible details of our lives? What does it take to be present? To have an embodied awareness of a moment? What happens to us when our attention is treated like an exploited commodity and what can we do to reclaim it?
The act of noticing is an art. (As I write this sentence, a young fawn is looking right at me through the window). To notice is to be present to what is. Noticing means sensing beyond what is necessary, opening ourselves to the possibility of beauty, awe, surprise, and wonder.
In 2018, I developed a daily practice I call Activating Poetic Attention. Manifested as a deck of printed cards beautifully designed by dancer and visual artist Ceinwen Gobert, Activating Poetic Attention is a series of daily practices designed to disrupt our default, self-in-the-world relationships by stimulating novel discoveries within the context of familiar encounters. These practices invite us to foreground embodied and sensory perceptions in order to reclaim a sense of interdependence with the world around us.
Through twenty-eight short, daily prompts, we are invited to consider our relationship with ourselves, others in our community(ies), and the land on which we are situated.
Here are a few examples, should you want to try them on:
• Listen closely and identify an ambient sound around you. Try to hum the exact tone you hear. Now, try to harmonize with it.
• Take a short walk outside. Notice the surface under your feet. How did it shift and change over 100 paces? 200 paces? Five minutes?
• Look straight out in front of you and let your focus soften so you can see everything at once. Take a slow walk, maintaining a wide open gaze. Notice any sensations that arise in your body.
Join Shannon LItzenburg with the WILD SOMA COLLECTIVE, Roula Said, Julia Alpin and Andrea Nann for their program at Hollyhock: Embodied Practices for Collective Thriving this summer, JUNE 28-JULY 3, 2026.
