Awakenings

Awake yet? It’s amazing how many times I have been going along and not noticing all that is around and within me. If that has ever happened with you, then you will relate to this little post.

Layers

Consciousness has many layers. Even though my eyes are open and I think I am awake, I can find out in an instant that I was just somewhere else (where?) and something snaps my attention back to the moment. A lot of the motions of life can be done without “thinking.” Have you ever wondered whether you locked the door, or turned the stove or coffee pot off? Me, too.

I have recently had some gifts of awakening that I want to share. The first came when a friend of mine offered me some new pagan song books. Being a pagan musician, I was excited to see them. I took them home and opened the first, WomEnchanting: A Compendium of Sacred Songs for Rituals and Celebrations created by Triple Spiral of Du´n na Sidhe.

Through looking at this book, and investigating the Triple Spiral of Du´n na Sidhe, I discovered Crow Women have a mirror band of singers on the other side of the country! I found there some mp3s of many of the songs they have created, and was able to purchase several of them. It was like listening in a mirror to a group of pagan womyn singing songs to worship the Goddess.

Awakening Song

As I perused the WomEnchanting book, I was struck by the song For the Great Queen. I’m not sure what it was that grabbed me, but I focused on it right away.

The Wheel is a-turning
The Goddess is awakening and we are remembering

Nothing can stop us
Nothing can stop us now

As we learn to be the Wind
Watch us learn to be the Wind

(Editor’s Note: This chant may have been inspired by Maire Brennan’s Against the Wind 1992.)

Maybe it was the line “Nothing can stop us now” that hit me. As life in the part of the world where I am has unfolded and as I have been waking up to how things work in the world, gathering with communities of activists has been lifesaving for me.

Unfortunately, Triple Spiral of Du´n na Sidhe has not made a recording of this song, so having only the sheet music, and the communication from the songwriter Gina Martin that the song has a fast pace “like the wind,” I set out to learn it.

Learning and Singing

I got out my keyboard and plunked out the tune. I learned each phrase well enough and then used my guitar to accompany my singing as I put it all together. After a couple of sessions I was able to speed it up a bit, so that it started to sound like a rush of wind. I was able to teach it to another of the Crow Women one afternoon, and we recorded it a cappella on my phone. Here is what it sounded like:

For the Great Queen by Gina Martin; sung by Deb of the Crow Women

I can’t wait to teach this song to the rest of the Crows, and to use it in a ritual outside!

Another Awakening

One morning while having coffee with another friend, I learned of a book called Angels in My Hair by Lorna Byrne.. This friend and I often discuss topics related to life after life, and he suggested I might like this book. SO, I got hold of the audio book through the Libro.fm online audio bookstore. The author is Irish, and so is the person who reads the book. I love hearing the words come out in an Irish lilt, so that was an immediate smile. The stories Lorna shares of her life as a person who sees and communicates with angels have colored my perception in a huge way! I can now feel times when angels are close (which is maybe all the time), and I am aware now that the spirits of our beloved dead are often close. Even though I do not see them, I feel their presence especially when I am in a meditative space. According to Lorna Byrne, angels are around to help us with our life and the questions and problems we try to solve. “Most of the time we are so busy asking questions that we don’t stop to listen for the answers.”

Tea and Tarot

The final awakening story I have to share is about a group of friends of mine. We were standing in the park together one afternoon and through our conversation we happened to bring up Tarot. As it turned out that all of us work with Tarot decks, we decided we should get together for tea and Tarot. And the amazing thing is that we actually did! It became a monthly ritual we like to call TnT.

The day before our gathering, I got out my several decks to cleanse and charge them. I drew one card, before I knew that’s what I was doing. It was The Moon. I knew that I was ready to reconnect with my intuitive self.

The gathering the next day was full of energy we all brought. And, again, I drew The Moon to begin with. We all shared the cards we drew and the decks we brought, giving each other our interpretations and insights on the cards. The next card I drew was the Ace of Discs or Pentacles. And after that I drew the Two of Wands. Finally, I drew The Fool. This spread let me know that I was in the presence of a birth of physical energy, connecting with a teacher to light a spark in my heart, and beginning as a child on a path of discovery. For more about Tarot and music, see Mama Gina’s post on pagansong.com here.

Peeling away the layers of numbness and protection I have built around myself sometimes leads me to very vulnerable states. I call upon my angels of the Goddess to surround me with light, and I am able to see and feel more of the energy in all beings. I hope to stay more awake as I continue this journey, and may it be so for you if you desire it.

Blessed Be!

For more information about the Crow Women pagan choir, and access to all the blog posts by Deb and the other 9 crowsingers who have written for Pagan Song, you can visit the Crow Women author page here on Pagan Song.

All photos including the featured photo are by Deb.

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