Music Weaving
Though I grew up listening to music, I didn’t learn to really HEAR until a healing apprenticeship introduced me to world music. As a mother of two children under 5, I barely had time to take a shower much less go out for an evening of live music from the Congo or indigenous Australia. But I could play a CD at home while changing a diaper.
Each CD became a doorway of discovery and my relationship with world music grew alongside my children. With the invention of lap tops and iTunes, I now curl up with head phones and weave different songs into a tapesty of support for an upcoming healing event.
Because my intention is that a musical weaving will reflect the unique essence of an event, I often find myself changing songs until the last minute. For many years I thought I was caught in obsessive compulsiveness but too often I’ve switched a song, scolded myself, and then received notice about a change with participants or in the event itself.
Deciding which song attends in what order can be quite a negotiation. I’ve learned to trust my community of songs. They let me know what they need and it’s my job to get out of the way and listen. If I feel a song hit a discordant note at an event, I shake off blame and thank the song for the lesson. After all, a relationship isn’t about perfection, it’s an opportunity to learn and grow along the way.
Tags: groups, healing, music, relationship
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