|
|
|
|
October 2005 Dear
Drummers, To
those of you who are new to the drum groups, this month’s drum involves maybe
one of the most intense ceremonies that we do during the year. I don’t men to
sound dramatic or mysterious with that, it’s just that there are certain drums
during the year that have more ritual or shamanic elements to them, and this is
one of them. Another way to say this is that some drums have higher theatrical
elements, and this is one. In
the first hour, as usual, we’ll strike up the hot rhythms, the cool rhythms
and hopefully the theta rhythms that open your consciousness and spiritual
imagination. In
“Hour 2”—the ceremonial part of the evening. we will invite the Olds
Bone Mother into the room. That is her Central European name. In The
Cailleach is the mythical Scottish figure—the hag—who comes at this time of
year to cast winter’s cold across the land. Cailleach is Gaelic for “Old
One” or “The Veiled One.” In central In
If
you have read anything about the Cailleach, you will probably have read that she
is a bitter, vengeful, nasty tempered blue-faced old hag. This is one of her
faces certainly—the cold wind that cuts into your cheeks with a kind of nasty
glee. But I don’t experience her as nasty. I experience her as “doing her
job.” Just as the sun does its job of calling the corn up from the soil, and
calling the sweetness into the fruit, the Cailleach does her job of culling that
which must go from this world—culling that whose time has come. Maybe I like
the moniker “Old Bone Mother” because she seems a little more kindly—less
the blue-faced hag, and more the blue-collar worker. The
underlying image here, for me, is of attachment. This is a primary word across
spiritual traditions. All theologies assert that a true seeker must look closely
at the things s/he is attached to, and be ready to let go of some, often
treasured ones, or many—and ultimately, all. I’ve
long been interested in the “Gnostic Gospels”—those writings created
around the time of Jesus that were excluded from the official scriptures because
of their theology. One of the themes in some of these writings is the idea that
seekers who advance in insight and wisdom do not necessarily become happier
people. This is in such stark opposition to the image of the grinning
“saved” person who has no further worries since being born again. Autumn
reminds me that the more seriously you take your spiritual studies and
disciplines, the rounder you become, the healthier, the more tolerant, the more
patient you become, the fuller you become, the more fragrant you become, the
juicier, the sweeter, the more delicious you become. But happier? A Buddhist
monk in I
have always loved this time of year, partly because I was born in the autumn. I
love autumn because I love the descent into the dark of year, because it is the
time of year most associated with death, grief, inner-journeys and spiritual
experiences that are deep, but not necessarily pleasant. I like the falling
leaves because I have come to see them not only a symbol of the cycle of life
and death, but as a lesson: we too must let go of things—regularly. Pruning
and culling are important in the inscape as well as out here in the world we see
and touch. Every
culture has an underworld, dark, hag goddess, whose primary function is to
facilitate transformation from one state of being to the next. The Cailleach
comes to take things away—things that we may or may not want to lose.
Another way to put it: she comes to take that which no longer belongs. Or: she
comes to take that which cannot be sustained. Or: she comes to take that which
prohibits the life force. Autumn is her time of year. The
focus of “Hour 2” then will be for each participant to come into the
presence of the Cailleach/Old Bone Mother. We will set an atmosphere whereby
that presence may be invited in to collect the things that must be taken away. Like
everything I do, this may appeal to you in some ways and not others. Some of you
may enjoy the theatricality. Some may enjoy the psychological or poetic aspects.
Some may enjoy the spiritual aspects. I hope you will feel free to choose your
comfort level from the options below. I never want to force an experience on
anyone, but I want to offer those who seek it a chance to go deeply into an
experience that combines the drum with prayer and visioning. Options:
1)
Participate as a drummer only—supporting the
experience of others (a very important job).
2)
Ask yourself “what do I need/want to have taken
from me?” Your participation will be an act of transformation that you want to
activate—a little like making a new year’s resolution, but in a more
imaginal and ritual environment.
3)
Don’t decide for yourself what you want or need to
be taken, but leave it up to the Cailleach. I’ll
explain on Friday how you would go about doing each of these. I encourage you to
pick the option that feels right, and to spend a little time thinking about it
between now and then. See
you on Friday! Jaime
|
|
Return to topAll imagery and text (unless otherwise noted) is the
sole property of Jaime Meyer and may not be reproduced without consent.
|
