Sing Your Own Song

When I was younger, I played guitar, and that opened many doors. People would come over in the evening just to share music, sitting in a circle in the living room, playing and singing. Picking up a guitar and lunching into a song was a sure way to meet people. One of the keys to that though, was to be able to know and play other popular songs so that people could join in with you. The common bond is easier to form if there is a common understanding.

One limiting factor to this approach is that some people wanted slavish reproductions of the songs the way they were on the original recordings, and so a musician might hear the comment that he or she didn't play it right. Although I had lots of fun with that over the years, I eventually gave up the guitar. Then several years later, I discovered drumming. Using hand drums, rattles and other percussion, there was a freedom to simply play as a way of releasing energy. In drumming circles, people would frequently feel inspired to get up and dance. And then there were chants that would add another layer to the drumming and dancing. Some were traditional chants from various cultures and others were simply improvised on the spot, in the moment. And this was also a great way to meet people and create good energy.

There are other ways to use music with yourself or other people. One is to simply use any hand drum or rattle and create a rhythm that you feel like making. They always fall into a pattern, no matter how you begin. You will choose to repeat beats, because that is the nature of life. Our breathing, and our heartbeats, give us our rhythm.There is a tradition among healers that each healer eventually gets their own song that only they sing when they are doing healing work. That is their connection to spirit. There is no right or wrong attached to this, simply whatever sounds spirit prompts your voice to make, whether it has words or not. Another way of music is with the simple wind instruments, such as a wooden flute, bamboo flute, clay flute, panpipes or harmonica. With these beautiful, simple instruments, you can either learn to play songs by ear, or you can simply use them to make sounds that are meditative, healing and inspiring. These can be good for both the person making the sounds and the person hearing them. Enjoying the freedom to make the sounds that you feel is an act of courage and an expression of self. It is healing. It expresses both pain and joy, whichever you feel moved to express at the moment. And sometimes we just need to move our bodies to move energy, to heal ourselves.

Tai chi and yoga are expressions of that. So is dancing. Sometimes healers dance and move around people who need healing to summon and stir up energy. Sometimes groups of people dance together to celebrate life and bring healing to a whole group. In this aspect too, there is a freedom to move in whatever way spirit prompts you to move. Moving this energy benefits whoever is there, whoever needs the healing, whoever needs their spirit lifted. Dancing and movement can also help with dream recall and interpretation. Sometimes when we have trouble remembering a dream, moving our body like we were moving in the dream will prompt an insight. All of these elements can be used in creating our own personal rituals to acknowledge, facilitate and integrate changes in our lives and changes we want to bring about in our lives. These are all ways of working with music that you can use for yourself, even if you are the only one there. Or you can use it with others. Either way.

If any of this appeals to you, I will be happy to share ideas and techniques with you.Sing your own song. Use music as a tool for transformation. Play in the rhythm of life.