This past weekend at Ardantane, we went on a weekend-long musical journey. We explored many ways music expresses and enhances earth-based spirituality. Today’s post will focus on one of several workshops I taught there: How to Write a Chant for your Spirit Animal.
Ardantane is a wonderful place for connecting with our animal allies. We met in “the shady nook”, an outdoor space with a backdrop of trees, cliffs and sky and where the sounds of birds and the wind were part of the music. We talked a bit about animal guides. Many times when a seeker thinks of an animal guardian, they picture large, impressive creatures like Bear, Panter and Griffon. I have some power animals of this kind (Mountain Lion, Red Dragon), so I understand the attraction. But especially for a temporary animal guide meant for a weekend retreat, more humble creatures are appropriate as well. I gave the example of Snail. Not very imposing, but surely a spirit friend who could bring valuable lessons to a human companion.
I led the group on a guided meditation to connect with an animal guide in the spirit world, then brought everyone back to our nook at Ardantane. Each participant filled out a worksheet to capture aspects of their guide that could be incorporated into a simple chant. Then, I took them through a process of turning the material into a simple song. We created a first line that includes the animal, some interesting visual quality it has, and how it was moving in the meditation. The movement helps create a more active lyric. Once the basic text was there, we analyzed for the stresses and pitches that are the natural melody of the speech itself.
Next we followed a process that I developed for this workshop. We tried the lyric over 6 different types of melodic lines. For some participants, one of the melodic styles was clearly “it”. For example, here’s the chant of a participant who immediately connected to a melodic phrasing with a downward trajectory. (BTW, if you are reading on an email feed that doesn’t offer these audio clips, please view this post directly on www.pagansong.com.)
In a workshop like this, it’s interesting that some animals show up and offer their guidance to several people. My guide was Wolf also. I have a fear of dogs, and in my meditation Wolf told me to face my fear. Here’s how that emerged in my chant.
Some participants created chants that combined more than one melodic trajectory. This next spirit animal chant combines two figures: upward movement as Hawk flies high, and downward movement as its message comes to rest with its human friend.
One of the methods we experimented with was to let the tune spend its time on one home note, with other notes snuggling close to home. This lovely little chant to Moth is an example.
Although I offered several simple lines and arcs as chant templates, some people’s animals just wanted to flutter around, and a more complex combination of motifs joined together in little tunes that winged right into the chant circle, fully born. Notice how the animal’s movement is reflected in this insect song.
This was one of many really fun parts of our pagan music retreat. One participant mentioned that they enjoyed learning how to set an idea to a melody. Another said that it was a nice way to reconnect with one of her spirit guides. Our sacred animals do a lot for us; inspiring us, protecting us, teaching us. Writing a song to honor a spirit animal is a fine way to show appreciation. Wouldn’t you love someone to write a song for you? Don’t you think Hummingbird is pleased with this musical offering?
I have posted these clips of the chants that came to us at the retreat here on this blog with the express permission of the participants who wrote them. I’d like to thank them for being part of the retreat and sharing their animal spirit inspirations with me and with our readers here at Pagan Song. I hope they will choose to expand these chant nuggets, adding lyrics as inspiration appears.
I will next be teaching this workshop at Pagan Spirit Gathering, during summer solstice week 2019, in Ohio. I’m also available for bookings at festivals and other events. Write a Chant for Your Spirit Animal is just one of a dozen workshops in my repertoire.
I’d like to give credit Susan Elizabeth Hale. The method I use in my workshop is an expanded version of a chant-writing technique I first learned from her 1986 casette tape: Circle the Earth with Song.
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