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| Escalante in Living Color ©Lynne Buchanan |
“It is important to have faith, walk to the edge, close your
eyes and jump.” So said Robert Mirabal as he was introducing The Music of the
Sun Choral Ensemble from New Music New College to the stage. These singers closed their eyes and jumped
into creating a riveting ceremonial piece with Grammy winning Native American
flutist Robert Mirabal and Ethel, a highly acclaimed string quartet that has
been ensemble-in-residence in the Grand Canyon Music Festival for the past nine
years. As I sat in the audience, I too
closed my eyes and jumped fully into the spiritual experience created by these
amazing musicians as they took a leap of faith and crossed over cultural
differences to connect on a multitude of levels that took the audience into new
realms.
As Robert Mirabal breathed spirit across the openings of his
flute and Ethel created a driving beat with the choral members toning and
chanting, my chest seemed to keep expanding to allow the spirit that entered my
own being to swirl inside and remove all blocks within. I recently spent time in New Mexico and
visited Taos where Robert Mirabal is from, so I was very open to the lessons
from his culture that he shared as part of the performance. I own a couple of Native American flutes and
one of the highlights of my recent cross country journey was when I played the
flute on a rocky overlook in Escalante National Monument as the heavens put on
a miraculous show and the evening light painted the rocks a multitude of colors
that filled me with awe. The Native
American flute allows our own unique voices and connection to spirit to flow
freely when we play from our hearts, no matter what level of proficiency,
though of course it is even more incredible when you hear someone who has
played from his heart for much of his life.
Again, I was primed for a spiritual experience, yet I did not expect to
be as moved as I was.
Upon reflection, I realized it was the synthesis created by
all these musicians and spiritual beings on the stage that created the depth of
my experience. It was the Native
American tradition integrating seamlessly with western traditions that took the
indigenous music to new heights, and of course the addition of voice. The other day my friend Betsey told me that
religious services always incorporate choirs because when people sing they tend
to breathe in unison. This creates a
powerful sense of oneness and shared community, which is also what happens
during Native American rituals. As I listened
to the combination of varied musical traditions the door to the collective
unconscious was opened and my whole being was brought into the moment, my
consciousness, my larger Self, my connection with nature, and all of human
experience.
When I got home, it suddenly dawned on me that I have been
sitting on the sidelines waiting to jump fully into my life. I have been practicing courage by doing small
things and then facing increasingly challenging experiences, like riding on zip
lines, going rock climbing with ropes, hiking into remote areas alone, and
driving 13,000 miles around the country by myself on a personal vision quest. I thought these were all ways of jumping into
life, but I see now they were just practice for the next big shift in my
life. Still, practice is important, even
when it seems like it is in a non-related area.
The New Music New College coral group had never participated in a Native
American ritualistic performance before, but I know under the direction of
Stephen Miles they have practiced, improvised, and sang from their souls
before. This is why they were able to
perform in perfect synchronicity with the other musicians. If babies suddenly tried to stand without
inch worming on their bellies and crawling first, they wouldn’t be able to, and
if they were suddenly propped up by some random act of grace, they would
fall.
Everything happens in its own time. We should not judge another for the stage
they are in or feel like we are lacking if we are stuck and not ready for
radical spiritual transformation. There
is just more work and practice to be done.
All humans are capable of spiritual growth. The problem is that time is running out and
if we don’t access the spiritual dimension of our lives and shift our
world-view to one of peace, compassion, and respectful co-existence in the web
of life we call home, it will be too late for our planet.
I feel ready to have faith, close my eyes, and jump by
taking my work in this life to a new level.
I have been pursuing the path of the artist to discover my authentic
being, but now I see the value of art is increased when it aspires to be of
service by shifting cultural paradigms. My daily rituals of practicing courage
are removing obstacles of self-doubt, and I no longer worry so much why anyone
should listen to me. My voice is
connected to something beyond me and my desire to speak and photograph comes
from a love of existence. I am talking
for the oppressed–for the trees, rivers, people and beings whose rights have
been taken away from them and whose voices have been silenced or are no longer heard. Robert Mirabal said Native Americans believe
trees talk to each other and to us, only westerners don’t know how to
listen. My experiences as a photographer
have taught me to hear the words of nature and express them through my work. Appreciation of the ways of indigenous
peoples, fully connecting with my own artistic and spiritual heritages, and
openness to the collective unconscious are giving me the tools to turn on my
inner light and a way to show others how to connect with their own light, which
every human being possesses inside. We
must all do this if we are to survive.
This is the only army the world needs right now.
So what are you waiting for?
Close your eyes and jump into life with love…
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| Kissing Owls ©Lynne Buchanan |
