e151 rain - can you hear the sound of catastrophe in the rain and thunder?

i was listening to the sound of rain falling in a small cabin by a stream with distant thunder in the background… 

TRANSCRIPTION OF EPISODE

(bell and breath)

(Rain from inside a cabin with thunder in the distance)

You’re listening to the sound of rain falling in a small cabin by a stream with a bit of distant thunder in the background. 

Is it raining where you are now? Maybe it is snowing? If so, what does it sound like? 

Now, this particular recording is quite evocative for me, with the distant rumbling of thunder that might be threatening to ignite a fire, a wildfire, as we have seen throughout Canada this year or maybe… a tornado brewing behind that storm that could suddenly break this cabin to pieces, myself included. 

Or maybe this rain will go on for days and days as it did in 2019 and fill this cabin with water and take it down the river to Lac Simon?

Who knows what might happen in this era of permanent climate emergencies…

Now, unfortunately, listening to soundscapes, like rain and thunder…  now terrify me. It makes me think back to the very first episode of this podcast, terrified : 

In May 2019, my climate denial bubble burst. 

It was a terrifying and disorienting experience that made me question everything about my life. 

In retrospect, I realize this was a zen-like gift of ‘terrified awakening’, of ‘clear seeing’, but at the time, I was paralyzed with emotion and dread. 

What triggered my climate denial bubble to burst? 

Sweet rain, gentle thunder, thank you so much. Thank you for your gifts and for your warnings. 

We are changing our ways, aren’t we. We are making efforts to change our ways of being on this planet, incrementally, but we are making efforts. The problem is that science tells us that our efforts are not enough, not nearly enough to avoid catastrophe that is being announced. 

Can you hear the sound of catastrophe in the rain and thunder? 

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Recorded on August 10, 2023 at 10.40am in Duhamel, Québec.

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this episode. (including all the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation and infrastructure that make this podcast possible).

My gesture of reciprocity for this episode is to the AVAAZ.

*

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Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

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I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026