Monday, July 1, 2013

La Ceiba, the Ocean and the Elemental Voice


Yesterday I treated myself to a workshop called, "The Elemental Voice" which was lead by a teacher from Chile.  We sang scared songs and chants and explored the elements of nature and how we can tap into their energies in our voice.

One of my favorite songs she taught us was about the Ceiba which is a huge tree growing in Ecuador that is said to be so large, no axe can cut it. (as the myth goes).  Most of our songs were sung while dancing in a circle. Have you ever been to the Dances of Universal Peace?  It was just like that. They are from a Sufi tradition and they are simple dances that are so uplifting to do.

We explored each element: water, earth, fire and air and sang songs for each of them. Each element brought out different qualities in our voices and made me more aware of how much nature is in each one of us. Our bodies are made up of all of these elements.

For water we sang and danced this chant:
"The ocean refuses no river, no river
The open heart refuses no part of me, no part of you.
I am one with all that is, one with all;
All that is is one with me, one with all."

 For the Fire element we each wrote a poem for it and then read it aloud. Then we sang it too. I loved hearing everyone's song of fire. Here was part of mine:

"Spirit flame warm my heart
hear the voice of change
to all who listen, do your part
feel the fire within

Light of light, essence of passion
bring the words forth to hear
blossom in Life's Garden
bearing no fear"


It was a wonderful day of creative exploration and friendship, being in nature and sharing music.
Ahhh.... loved that.



No comments:

Post a Comment