The Transcendent Magic of Song

Dear Friend   The Transcendent Magic of Song With Mad March knocking at the door with wild winds of change and emerging flowers, it's time to spring clean and bring on the magic of song... Leave Your Biography at the Door... and return to it transformed To live on a day-to-day basis is insufficient for human beings; we need to transcend, to transport, escape; we need meaning, understanding and explanation; we need to see over-all patterns in our lives - Oliver Sacks. One of the things I most love about singing is that it opens up a space for transcendence. Whether we are lost in the moment of singing our favourite song in the shower or captivated by magical choral harmonies, singing takes us away from the daily humdrum. A harmonious choir is unified by the agreement that we will allow ourselves to be transported into the magical realm. We return from our singing experience transformed - our hearts beating more regularly, our lungs expanded, our minds cleared and our spirits lifted. The Magical Realm of Song The greatest things lie in the realm of the uncomprehended - George Macdonald Singing in a group is a ritualistic activity - like a sports match or church service - it happens within agreed boundaries of time and space. Anthropologists Van Gennep and Victor Turner defined three phases of rituals. In the first phase we brush off our daily cobwebs - with a warm up - in order to enter the second 'liminal' phase - a space of possibility where we can express ourselves more freely and experience 'communitas' - a deep sense of connection which is different to everyday socialising. This bonding power of song gives even the largest choirs a oxytocin boosted sense of friendliness and warmth. It similarly unites football fans, members of faith groups and even temporarily, soldiers in the trenches in 1914. The final phase allows us integrate and return to our lives feeling refreshed. Photos: With Catherine Pestano at Croydon Phoenix Parade & Shannon Express Chorus

The Magic of Listening Choral listening is about listening, a deep listening to each other; it not only changes the singer but the entire audience. It's really about love - Tony Araujo, Artistic Director British Colombia Boys Choir. For much of my life I've been on a mission to sing and help others sing. This has taught me that singing is 80% listening and that we need to be able to put aside our daily concerns and calm our inner voices in order to hear ourselves and others. Breakdown occurs in both singing and life when the listening field is overrun with our personal chaos. Listening is a healing act of love which builds bridges and harmonises our inner and outer landscapes. It requires setting aside time, space and our precious attention - which in these fast paced, multi-media days is often in several places at once. By bringing ourselves into one place in this one moment with one breath and one song, we are transported and transformed. The Magic of Letting Go Last night I lost the world, and gained the universe - C.Joybell.C In a western world that encourages us to accumulate, grasp, own and achieve, letting go is often seen as weakness or defeat. Yet if we are not able to let go we become heavy, stagnant, unyielding and stiff. Eastern traditions teach the self observation practices which enable us to let go of all the 'stuff' and be in the present moment - such as chanting mantras. To sing is to let go of the frightened self that says 'I can't' or 'My mother told me I couldn't' or 'I'm no good.' To sing is to let go of the relentless whirring of the To-Do List. To sing is to allow our deepest feelings, griefs and longings to be washed away on waves of sound. To sing is to take all that we are and let it fly on wings of harmony. To sing is to let go, soar and to return to life renewed. Wishing you a madly magical March

Loving Life This February

Dear Friend

Loving Life This February
I’m being reminded this February that the reflective retreat of winter is an invitation to deepen our connection to what and who we love in life.  Hidden treasures lie within the stony pathways and knotty stories along our way.

Loving Stories
Every great love starts with a great story…. Nicholas Sparkls, The Notebook
The stories of our lives and loves can become the clay for our creativity.  We can reclaim and recapitulate even the most traumatic of tales through creative mediums, transforming and redeeming our experiences. The latest exhibition at descARTes Gallery at Matthews Yard - The Story of Faces is a truly inspirational example, as paedophile ring survivor Nicky Nickolls ‘paints her journey with the full force of her heart and desires.’   Another artist Hale Man is inviting Croydon to rise up this Chinese New Year through her powerful phoenix artwork.   I’m looking forward to singing at the Phoenix Parade which will bring diverse sectors of the community together in an integrated arts celebration.

Loving Singing
Good fortune attend each merry man's friend
That doth but the best that he may
Forgetting old wrongs, with carols and songs
To drive the cold winter away - Trad.carol
Folk of olden times certainly knew what they were up to with their wassails and carols - it’s a very effective way to transform ‘old wrongs’ and send the winter blues packing.  So I found this weekend at the community wassail in Addiscombe Railway Park (photos below by Ally McKinlay) where we blessed the orchard and each other with songs, sounds and speeches.   Singing kindles fires of fun and friendliness - regardless of whether you are chanting with a load of footie fans, rocking out with your favourite choir or simply your hairbrush.

Loving Learning I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Picasso Learning limbers up our mind and makes space for us to fall in love with life again.  When we allow ourselves to be inspired by new ideas, we refresh our thinking and release old ideas that are past their sell by date.  We cultivate beginner’s mind, creating space and receptivity to expand beyond our conceived limitations. Loving Self Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends.- Aberjhani One of my ongoing challenges in my relationship with myself is to be on my own side, which is easier when things are plain sailing.  But when winter storms hit, self accusation, guilt and anxiety can whip up havoc between me, myself and I.  At those times, we need circuit-breakers - the tools, practices and friends who help us break the negative self-talk and return to ourselves. Learning to alchemise the precious gold within our challenges, eccentricities, sensitivities and vulnerabilities is a life-long adventure. Loving The Unknown When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for -  Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, We Were Made for these times In her reassuring letter to a young activist, Clarissa Pinkola-Estes reminds us that we are not here to try to fix all the challenges of the world.  Instead our task is continually ‘stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach’ - even in the face of wintery gales and storms.  Whenever we reach out for something new we grow - and that growth ripples out into our world.  Just the tiniest step towards the new, the unknown can open up a whole realm of love and connection. Wishing you deep and delightful discoveries this February