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30 A Journal of Contemporary Shamanism VOLUME 6 ISSUE 2 FALL 2013 Clients began to appear. A lovely lady approached me to journey for her song what she called the song of her heart. I had never heard of such a thing. But the journey was astound- ingly vivid and I was moved at different points to stand up and moodle about on the harp until the experience transferred into sound rhythm melody. In the end it was just simple and joyous and bright music. The song told me when it was complete. I recorded it and sent it along to her. To my surprise she was delighted. The floodgates opened around this. New music songs of the spirits began to be a part of my spiritualmusical practice. As those still very simple pieces began to take shape they took over what I would play in performance or as accompani- ment during story-tellings. People began to ask if I had recordings they could buy which amused me to no end. As more invitations came to present and to perform I went to teaching part- time to make room for the new possibili- ties. I was approached by an organiza- tion working out of the University of Calgary to do professional presentations and seminars for them woven around story and music. In each we worked with the flow of old stories in assisting people to think differently about profes- sional change. Then a priority alert began to sound. To honor the music more deeply the spirits called for a formal recording. As unlikely as it sounds within a fairly short time I was earning my living in the world on the strings of the harp. Within another decade or so I had produced five recordings of music and stories that came from the spirits that I had learned with the spirits. I have heard it said that the best way to learn a brand new language is to be dropped into the middle of it immersed in it. Looking back nearly twenty years later I can see that the spirits immersed me in a language I needed to learn in or- der to work with them so that together we might bring something to the world. I used to ask and even argue with the spirits about this all the while wonder- ing So when does the shamanic work start In their usual way they would simply laugh and ask What makes you think this is not shamanic work They reminded me that the shaman has always been the praise singer as Rumi said Praising the Great Heart within the daily. The harp has an incredible capac- ity for playing the beating of the Great Heart within the daily. It opens up a fluid landscape coaxing the listening heart to the place betwixt and between. On a recording the harp is quite beauti- ful but it is in the live performance that one recognizes the unique voice of the instrument. It has an uncanny ability to draw the whole self to a new vista of emotion and experience a new vista of consciousness. The deep base vibrates right through the bones. The range of notes rising to the highest notes make it an entirely physicalyet spiritualex- perience. The Primal Power of Song Celtic folktales and literature are filled with tales of the Otherworldy dwellings of the Sidhe carrying mortals off in tides of music. In some of those tales the Sidhe bestow the gift of music so it may be brought back into the everyday world. My harp too becomes as in those old tales a doorway to a place of wonder. Although a formal recognized piece thrives well on the strings of the harp the instrument is astonishing in its capacity to change direction on a dime to improvise to play the whispering from every leaf to open to the singing from every river to play the shimmering from every sky. In the ancient Celtic traditions we know that no one reached places of leadership and spiritual guidance of the people without first training intensely in the weaving of dreams in the art of song and story. In that training there was no hard line between song and spoken word as if they were two separate art forms. The one flowed into the other on the breath into and through the threads of Inspiration. One of the most ancient Celtic myths speaks of the beginning of music in hu- man experience. When the goddess Boand is giving birth she is having great difficulty. She cries out in pain and suffering. Her husband Uaithne wanting to bring what ease he can feels her pain. He takes his harp sets fingers to strings and calls forth from it the sound the song of Sorrow. All who hear it are caught up in it they weep with Boand. And for the first time in creation the Sorrow strain of music is heard on the Earth. Boand gives birth to a son and he is named GoltraiSong of Sorrow. But Boand has not finished her work and the labor continues. Moments later Boand laughs out loud with delight and Uaithne takes the harp and plays pure unrestrained jubilation upon the strings. All who hear it are caught up in euphoria and for the first time in the world the Joy strain of music is heard. The second son is named for this GeantraiSong of Joy. Astonishingly Boand has still not completed her labor But this third child is such a gentle birthing that Boand actually falls deeply asleep. Uaithne takes his harp one more time and from the strings comes a deep rippling song of peace of sleep of rest. All who hear it are brought under its spell and are drawn into a deep sleep. And so it is that the Sleep strain of music is heard and the third child is named for it SuantraiSong of Sleep. In Celtic myth these three strains of music were called the Three Noble Strains. The distinguishing feature of a trained bard and harper was to be able to weave the Three Noble Strains into the world to know when and where they were called for and to confer them onto the listener. It was the Three Noble Strains of music that allowed the wonder of Song to bring each separate listener together to bring the Sorrow upon them then the Joy and at last the Sleep of healing.