SONG OF THE EARTH
Rebirth...Awakening...Renewal
From long ago... This "Song of the Earth" flowed out of me in one swelling surge, truly as if I were listening to Nature's voice. I could say it was "channeled" with a sheen of spiritual glamor, and perhaps it was, though I do not use that word and creativity is ever mysterious.
I was in intense solitude at the time, a period of marrying my Self ~ in Jungian analysis, meditating long hours and dancing with passion, calling to the inner Beloved in the middle of the night. As I mentioned in Meditation Secrets for Women, it was but months later that Lorin came into my life ~ coincidence or magic, who's to say?
The poem required a communal ritual. I had stopped performing for awhile, wanting to find a way to transcend the traditional dancer-audience separation. This became the bridge. The Spring Equinox Ceremony was performed at the Liturgy in Santa Fe, in their round sanctuary with an earthen floor. The priest of this progressive Catholic congregation loved it! The words were spoken by me, five of us dancers then gave them body, supported by 12 vocalists and the presence of a hundred witnesses. This was a transformative experience for me and, I believe, for us all. Perhaps you were there?
SONG OF THE EARTH
Come to me now, for I am ready.
Your breath, no longer frozen, moves upon me.
Long have I been waiting, under your clouds,
In shrouds of white and grey.
I have made myself virgin, and I have died for you.
I have closed the gates to this cave of life
And descending into the hollows, I have made my home.
I have picked bare my bones, and lay in my decay.
I have died a little more, and I am empty.
Touch me now, as I reach into you
That these canyons may remember river flow
And ghosts of other times may be set free.
Shine down in me, and resurrect that deepest memory,
For the fire at my core knows only you.
And so, conjoining
Shall we
Move through the immovable
And Life shall be.
* * *
Camille Maurine
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Spring Equinox 1982
* * *
What is Balance?
Equinox comes twice a year, once in March and again in September. These are the days when we experience, briefly, equal hours of day and night. At that exact moment (Saturday morning at 4:44 am Pacific time), you could balance an egg on its end ~ yes, apparently this is true. Yet perfect balance is fleeting. I find this comforting.
Many people think of balance as something static and still, like that egg perched precariously for a second or two. In the inner world ~ and the outer world of dance, martial arts, yoga, and relationships ~ balance is about movement and fluidity. Stand on one foot and notice: you find stability by sensing subtle shifts and adjusting to them.
True balance comes from the interplay and marriage of apparent opposites, what we call "syzygy" (pronounced sizz' uh jee). It's Greek, from the same ancient root as "yoga" (notice all those y's). The conjunctio or inner union comes in embracing the full spectrum of experience with awareness ~ every color, every tone, every emotion and energy. Here are just a few of the pairings that are dancing within us all:
Self ~ Other
Inward ~ Outward
Above ~ Below
Spirit ~ Matter
Archetypal ~ Personal
Individual ~ Community
Receptive ~ Active
Strong ~ Tender
Musing ~ Expressing
Passion ~ Serenity
We feel deeply well and balanced when there is a full flow of energy between the two poles ~ more movement, not less! Imagine the infinity sign, like a sideways 8 or two circles kissing. That tiny point in the middle is the portal where the opposites meet, but the real action is in the curving sweep of their lovedance ~ where their mating gives birth to something new. So forget about static ideals and perfection! Loosen up whatever's stuck, whatever needs to move. Ride those currents into deeper creativity, love, and freedom!
© Camille Maurine 2009
Rebirth...Awakening...Renewal
From long ago... This "Song of the Earth" flowed out of me in one swelling surge, truly as if I were listening to Nature's voice. I could say it was "channeled" with a sheen of spiritual glamor, and perhaps it was, though I do not use that word and creativity is ever mysterious.
I was in intense solitude at the time, a period of marrying my Self ~ in Jungian analysis, meditating long hours and dancing with passion, calling to the inner Beloved in the middle of the night. As I mentioned in Meditation Secrets for Women, it was but months later that Lorin came into my life ~ coincidence or magic, who's to say?
The poem required a communal ritual. I had stopped performing for awhile, wanting to find a way to transcend the traditional dancer-audience separation. This became the bridge. The Spring Equinox Ceremony was performed at the Liturgy in Santa Fe, in their round sanctuary with an earthen floor. The priest of this progressive Catholic congregation loved it! The words were spoken by me, five of us dancers then gave them body, supported by 12 vocalists and the presence of a hundred witnesses. This was a transformative experience for me and, I believe, for us all. Perhaps you were there?
SONG OF THE EARTH
Come to me now, for I am ready.
Your breath, no longer frozen, moves upon me.
Long have I been waiting, under your clouds,
In shrouds of white and grey.
I have made myself virgin, and I have died for you.
I have closed the gates to this cave of life
And descending into the hollows, I have made my home.
I have picked bare my bones, and lay in my decay.
I have died a little more, and I am empty.
Touch me now, as I reach into you
That these canyons may remember river flow
And ghosts of other times may be set free.
Shine down in me, and resurrect that deepest memory,
For the fire at my core knows only you.
And so, conjoining
Shall we
Move through the immovable
And Life shall be.
* * *
Camille Maurine
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Spring Equinox 1982
* * *
What is Balance?
Equinox comes twice a year, once in March and again in September. These are the days when we experience, briefly, equal hours of day and night. At that exact moment (Saturday morning at 4:44 am Pacific time), you could balance an egg on its end ~ yes, apparently this is true. Yet perfect balance is fleeting. I find this comforting.
Many people think of balance as something static and still, like that egg perched precariously for a second or two. In the inner world ~ and the outer world of dance, martial arts, yoga, and relationships ~ balance is about movement and fluidity. Stand on one foot and notice: you find stability by sensing subtle shifts and adjusting to them.
True balance comes from the interplay and marriage of apparent opposites, what we call "syzygy" (pronounced sizz' uh jee). It's Greek, from the same ancient root as "yoga" (notice all those y's). The conjunctio or inner union comes in embracing the full spectrum of experience with awareness ~ every color, every tone, every emotion and energy. Here are just a few of the pairings that are dancing within us all:
Self ~ Other
Inward ~ Outward
Above ~ Below
Spirit ~ Matter
Archetypal ~ Personal
Individual ~ Community
Receptive ~ Active
Strong ~ Tender
Musing ~ Expressing
Passion ~ Serenity
We feel deeply well and balanced when there is a full flow of energy between the two poles ~ more movement, not less! Imagine the infinity sign, like a sideways 8 or two circles kissing. That tiny point in the middle is the portal where the opposites meet, but the real action is in the curving sweep of their lovedance ~ where their mating gives birth to something new. So forget about static ideals and perfection! Loosen up whatever's stuck, whatever needs to move. Ride those currents into deeper creativity, love, and freedom!
© Camille Maurine 2009
