A Soul Journey at Samhain

Thank you for the invitation to share the background story of one of my songs. On this occasion, I have chosen Soul Journey written and created within my private stone fire circle on my land. As the lyrics convey “I lie in my nemeton circle serene, in a blanket of stillness and web of my dreams”.

As with 95% of my music I draw inspiration from nature and the unfolding journey of the soul.

As I have written in verse three “The dance of the ancestors still in our blood, the sense of their presence still here in the mud”, I am of course giving reference to the ancestral DNA dance and coding we all have coursing through our bodies today, and the deep connection we feel within ritual and spirit of place, as I encountered this particular night on the 31^st October within my tree lined stone circle, that inspired the creation of this song.

I long for and cherish these times of sacred connection and find the magic catalyst and fuel for these events are earnest intent, and imagination guiding me to Awen and rich inspiration particularly when it comes to writing my songs or my artwork.

Let me point you to the lyrics within the chorus, to express my reverence of this divine journey we are all blessed with. The bliss and intoxication of simply sitting quietly amongst the blooming hawthorns watching the birds and the bees add to the glorious tapestry of life warms the soul. “With sacred connection we are the wild soul and blow with the wind through the trees, and the shimmering essence and dance of the soul, can be seen in the flowers and the bees”.

I often ponder on what makes us what we are, and what aggregates from previous lives we carry over with us. This fits in with my druidic sensibilities, and keeps me mindful of our ancestors and “those who brought us here”. Now at 66 years young I have become aware of my very rich ancestral record embracing Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Sicilian, and Jewish bloodlines, (this explains so much to me now) especially with my fertile and graphic dreams often being the engine to propagate my songs and poetry.

The Soul Journey song was written throughout the night over a period of seven hours, carried along by the heartbeat rhythm of my shamanic deerskin drum and gazing and searching through a plethora of images and scenarios presenting themselves from within my mesmerizing log fire. Although I hold various events and presentations for my music, I choose to isolate and concentrate on my time to connect with spirit, alone with no distractions or conversations, blissfully unaware of time passing. I find with a clear mind and heart and stillness of breath you will attain your connection.

I know we are living in uncertain times and are upon a threshold leading to great change. This I fear, and I wish and long for times past when our rivers and streams sparkled clear and ran unpolluted, when our Earth gifts, crops and foods were pristine and free of mankind’s childish interventions, and our skies and seas were uncompromised. This is my longing… for a place we once had for our home as it should be. My next song will be about this subject, this sadness known to those who are aware as Hiraeth.

Many blessings

George

For more information about George, including his collected articles here on Pagan Song, his bio, and links to George’s sites on the web, check out George’s page on Pagan Song.

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