The understanding that music comes from mysterious sources beyond any individual person is commonplace. In Appalachia, people talk about “catching” songs. Many musicians - from the 12th century German mystic Hildegard von Bingen, to the late singer Constance Demby, say that their music comes from the divine. At a time when the world’s problems are too complex for any individual or any one species to solve, reaching deeply into music’s ability to help us enter into different ways of knowing and communing is vital. While there is exciting emerging science about how music alters consciousness and supports bonding, the scientific paradigm does not yet understand how to make sense of what many artists and mystics regularly report.

What science cannot yet see, our own embodied experiences and insight from contemplative practices can help fill the gaps. We do not have to wait to understand how it is possible to learn about a plant’s properties as its energies pass through us in song form. We do not have to wait to visit an elder tree for guidance. And we must not wait to give thanks through our own shining expression to the rivers, fields, stars and all else that gives of itself so abundantly.

In this circle we will not wait. We will connect abundantly with ourselves - including those parts that feel shy, vulnerable and skeptical. And we will connect with each other and our greater body of Earth through the animal intelligence of song. This is our birthright.