It has been close to four months since the last blog post and I have been negligent in posting. Shame on me! There have been various reasons as to why but I won't bore you with them as they seriously do not matter! What happens next is key in this journey as it has been years along and my playing is still on an intermediate level and nothing more. With only a few real songs under my belt (the usual numbers for beginners) where my talent lies is with improvisational playing, just composing and enjoying the moments with my flutes. Not only at home, but out and about. Even shooting photos of them to add to my portfolio.
What do I REALLY want to do with my shakuhachi and Native American/Celtic flute playing? Become a performer? As student of the history and lore? Or to simply enjoy the meditative aspects and play for my own pleasure? Well, a tough question to answer in some ways. yes to all of the above but less the affirmative to being a performer. I do want to be able to play in front of others to share my love of the instruments and how much they mean to me but not really interested now in performances otherwise. Call it my fear of not being good enough to play well and that my perfectionist philosophy gets in the way. Fortunately, with both the shakuhachi and Native American flutes, there is a lot of wiggle room in playing that can make the resulting music just fine!
My desire to play the shakuhachi and native flutes for meditation is a strong YES! These are parts of my soul in many ways and when blowing into them, bringing them to life, making music...it is indeed making me a part of the earth, the universe and contributing to it's love and peace. Whether my neighbors believe that is a different opinion. :-)
When playing, I will frequently burn sage and Palo Santo wood to purify the space and energize things. It is a beautiful part of my meditation and I cannot imagine doing things differently. When I go to a local park and play, perhaps while i walk or sit next to a tree, the sounds are carried on the breeze and off to whomever hears it, be that the neighbors, canines, cats, insects or my favourites...TREES!!My goal therefore is not to become a performer, a player in front of audiences. Not to say I won't record my music and share that with the world as I have done that and will continue to. My journey in playing and learning is to enrich my soul, my heart, my mind and to enjoy the travels in life. It sure takes a LOT of pressure off of this student when the thought of playing in front of others ( a few exceptions to that) is not hanging there as a specter. Just be, play, enjoy with NO pressure!
* Namaste *
