I hope this will be an introduction, an
invitation to exploring the creative process within the framework of Spiritual
action, an Interconnection to Nature and Elemental Forces, an Interconnection
to the shared community of Humanity and Culture, as well as a deeper
exploration of Language, Mystery,
and the Creative Arts.
I hope this will be the first in a series of articles whose aim is "to peel back the layers of the onion", to explore "the veil behind the veil behind the veil." To deepen our breadth of language to help reveal our true and authentic Art - The Art of our Life... The Balinese have a saying - "We have no word for Art, we simply do everything as best we can"
First, a bit of background...
My lifestory includes studying and working with some of the most profound artists and thinkers of the past 25 years. My 15 years of residency with the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies has placed me at the heart center of this spiral of wisdom, innovation, and imagination brought forth by the forward and integrative thinking spawned by the diverse explorations of the sixties. This blessed path has led me to higher ground, and views of great magnitude and clear insight.
I was invited to compose and perform ritual music for HH The Dalai Lama's Nobel Prize announcement in 1989. I've worked with New Age composer, Peter Kater, since 1994 - culminating with a Grammy Nomination in 2003. Recent music with the original ensemble Rivers of Time just won the Global Rhythms Magazine "World Music Song Competition" April 2007. I've led an ensemble of TranceDance Drummers for Sting and his family. I've worked with the late, drum pioneer, Babatunde Olatunji from 1988 - 1994.
I tell you all of this, without the need to self elevate, but rather to share my respect for the lineage of masters that preceded me and those who will benefit from their wisdom and insight as we move the sacred vocabulary of Art - forward into the future.
What I do remember about the 70's was being blessed with a voracious appetite for words of wisdom and inspiration. I would dine on books. Perhaps a helping of Japanese Haiku and Mystic Poetry from the East. [from the Taoists, and Psalmists to Rumi and Mirabai]...for appetizers. Followed by an entree of The Whole Earth Catalog, and the far reaching, epic of Manly Hall’s – “The Secret Teachings of All the Ages” as he tries to fit the Alexandrian Library within the pages of a single bound book. If not yet satiated, for dessert, - Collections of quotes, timelines, and other tidbits - finger foods from the platter of eclectic esotericism and mystic delights, with an extra scoop of George Carlin to help round out a great meal.
Finally, I'd lay out in a swinging hammock of dreams, under a canopy of stars and mysteries, contemplating all I've eaten that day, and distilling that down to it's pristine essence which would then fuel a late night of creative expression.[if the spirits were aligned and benevolent}
I
loved the poetry of cross cultural connections, especially when it related to
the bridge between Spirit, Nature, and the Creative Arts. I was so infatuated
with the poetry of sacred metaphor and symbolism that I would begin to blind
myself, and shut down my ears to the deeper revelations, bubbling
just beneath
the surface.
Consider these New Age soundbites:
1...The Earth spins with a resonance coinciding with our musical note "G"
2...The energetic spin of a particular chakra resonates as "Blue"
3...The tuning fork, tuned to "A", will help realign our vibrational field into a state of balance
4...The Music of the Spheres may be perceived within a state of Deep Silence and Meditation
5...The concept of "Healing Arts" [especially in the realm of sound and music]
Beneath the Surface:
1...The note "G" is a human invention, not a "reality" of nature. It simply does not exist.
2...Some cultures don't even recognize "blue" - and even when they do, our digital technology has revealed a million shades of "blue"
3...Again, the note "A" has had many incarnations through time. Today it resonates at 440 vibrations per second. In Mozart's time "A" vibrated at a more relaxed 428 vibrations per second. Not too long ago the French tried to raise the standard once again, causing opera singers to revolt.
4...In a transcontinental experiment we found that European ears heard a pitch vibrating at 50hz. while American ears heard a pitch at 60hz. almost a step and a half apart, until it was realized that they were hearing the persistent hum of electricity which vibrates at correspondingly different rates in Europe, and America.
5...Healing music is being confused with relaxation music. They serve different purposes. True healing is rarely relaxed and pleasant as it catapults us out of our cherished comfort zone. So - Healing Music for one person may be birdsongs and wind chimes, while for someone else it might be a wild Tarantella, or ecstatic African Drumming for someone else.
Of course, the flip side also exists:
There are people who are convinced that
the notion of communicating over great distances with nothing more than a
mallet and a tree stump is a
"Drummers' Mythology and Fantasy."
These folks are the same people that will then marvel at the invention and effectiveness of a magical technology like Morse code.
Other than the size of the “drum” - I don't see a difference, Do you?
There are people who scoff at the idea of crystals being a tool to direct, focus and amplify signals and communications from the Universe. An Atlantean myth?
These folks seem to forget the days we tore up America's sidewalks near the end of WWII to liberate the quartz crystals to be used to fine tune our crystal radios so the D-Day invasion would not be subjected to the cacophony and chaos of jumbled radio frequencies...I remember the ads in the back of comic books during the 1950's touting the "Crystal Radio"
So, in our pursuit of the great Mysteries, we need to perceive clearly, and without coloration. In “The Teachings of Don Juan” Carlos Casteneda reminds us that the number one obstacle in the path of human beings evolving to higher ground is the fact that we believe our own perceptions to be the truth.
Consider this:
Is the power of story to be found in its veracity or in its perceived message and meaning? Examples: [The Bible, the "Teachings of Don Juan", Channeled Entities]
Does a story need to be proven and verified for it to move us and touch our lives in profound and transforming ways, or does it simply need to "ring true"?
In the sacred act of shared Creative collaboration is "Playing by Heart" a strength or a weakness? In some New Age circles, playing by heart implies a connection to warmth and spirit without the reliance on preconceived ideas. Though, in some parts of African Drumming traditions, "Playing by Heart" implies a disconnect from the elder brain that helps us in making wise and informed choices.
The longer I explore the more I come to see that a primary obstacle in our relationships with others and the stumbling within our mutual dances of Creative expression distill down to an essential disconnect between Language, and the Intention of Meaning
1. "You can't trust words...You never know whose mouth they've been in."
2. "Show me a man who has no need for words, I'd like to have a word with him."
3. "A thesaurus is for people who are lazy with language. No two words mean the same thing!"
4. "The drummer's song must be spoken, as language, otherwise it's just amplified numbers."
The greatest obstacle to enriching one's imagination and living the authentic creative life is the culturally pervasive fear of Silence and Emptiness.
This, above all else, is critical and bears repetition:
The greatest obstacle to enriching one's imagination and living the authentic creative life is the culturally pervasive fear of Silence and Emptiness.
Rhythm is defined by its pauses not its hits [otherwise it is simply pulse - the relentless, perpetual marking of time, the cosmic runonsentence]
The "magic" and transformative power of the drum circle is not necessarily experienced while playing; but rather found in the sweet and pristine silence at the close of the rhythm, when the world is open to be sensed in a fresh and new way.
This place is rarely felt or experienced in the west where the general experience is:
1. To disappear, energetically, before the true closing of the flow.
2. To express one's commentary immediately, without ever allowing for even one breath of release.
3. To, albeit with all good intention, shatter the silence with applause.
We've become a people who, as conversationists, as word dancers, have devolved to a point where the opposite of speaking is not listening, but rather - waiting.
In our
world inundated with sensory stimulus [they say a child today receives as much
sensory input in one day as a Victorian child received in a year]
we've
forgotten how to use "the active ear".
I remember leaving my plants to be watched by a friend while I was out of town for two weeks. When I returned, two had died. I remember my friend's regret as she promised me she did everything she could, she even spoke to them everyday. I remember thinking to myself (sparing her my verbal judgements)
"Yes, but did you stop to listen to them?"
Beginning drummers may lose their place in the circle of rhythm not because their hands lack the necessary skills, but because they do not know what to listen for - as a reference, to connect.
The point of all this, as it relates to the Practice of Creating Art, is twofold.
First off - to acknowledge the distinction between Art as hobby, Art as profession, and Art as life practice. Each of these realms asks for a different level of attention and intention.
Hobby: A way of spending time that takes us out of our "ordinary reality" and connects us to other possible ways of being. A way to connect with other human beings, simply for the pleasure of sharing time, energy, and the elevated feeling of shared group activity. There is no "right way" nor "wrong way" - simply "a way" to be, with no greater intention than the sharing of experience.
Success is related to the subjective pleasure of the experience.
Profession: Introduces a greater concern with the quality and consequence of our expression. Requires a greater honoring of language and a greater consistency of expression and flow, not to mention a constant awareness of others in the circle and our affect on the whole. Success is defined by the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, as well as the joy experienced in reaching a shared goal.
Life Practice: Introduces the Zen of Archery. The goal is not to "hit the bull’s-eye", but rather to focus on one's attention to form, inner state of being, clarity of intention and purpose, irregardless of the end result. Similar to the basketball player who exalts in making the "perfect shot" irregardless of whether or not the basket is made. Relating to the drum - there is an interesting, essential difference between a European sensibility and an African sensibility.
The
European point of focus is placed on the moment when the hand descends and
touches the skin.
For example: Volume, Tone, Timing all depend on that moment.
On the other hand [pun intended] the African sensibility places focus on the question "Who are you when your hand is up in the air?" Where are your thoughts? Where is your spirit anchored? What language do you hope to communicate? These revelations express themselves as your hand descends.
Who you are, in that moment, is how you will sound.
In closing, for now, I'd like to invite you all to share this path of exploration with me. This work is open to all Artists, Dreamers, and Explorers of Nature and the Heart. Remember what the Zen Masters have written..."The instrument is only there for those that cannot hear the music otherwise." Our lives are our Art. That is what is meant when it is said:
"We can learn more from watching a Master tie his shoes, then we can by studying with a mediocre or disconnected Artist"
It is truly about who we are when our hand is up in the air.
To continue this discussion, and to
explore classes, workshops, and playshops check in
with Moses at www.MusicArtDesign.com
or e-mail to:MusicArtDesign@aol.com