January 8 ~ Rhythm of Life

Remember the song: The Rhythm of Life?  I spent most of the weekend humming it.   My habit of humming can be quite disconcerting especially when I am supposed to be playing a slow song with our Celtic Fusion pipe band ~ the Clan. (that's definitely spelled with a 'c' not a 'k').  We spend 6 hours once a month to rehearse our tunes and then, after all the hard work, like typical Celts we party hard.  Okay, I'll amend that, the boys in the band party hard.  I tend to fade out at my normal sleep time so that I can drift away into the Land of Nod with the skirl of the pipes reverberating in my head.

Have you ever attended a Highland Gathering?  Bagpipes were officially registered as instruments of war sometime in the 1700s.  To carry them was an expression of intent i.e. you were going to slaughter someone or someone's property.  I know that there are many who do not like the pipes.  I personally feel that this is because sometime in their past, they were attacked by rampaging Scots/Celts as they played these instruments.

In the hands of a novice, the Bagpipes can indeed be treacherous to the health of your eardrums.  For me, when bagpipes are played well and with expression, they bring a tear to the eye, a lump to the throat and a yearning for 'home'.  After a day of rehearsals or having attended a Highland Gathering, I can hear the tunes echoing in my eardrums for days afterwards.  It sounds as if I'm standing in a mist-covered valley and the sound is reverberating through the mountains around me.  No wonder I love these instruments and the group of people that I am honoured to join in the co-creation of music.

After the rehearsal, the party begins (the Scots call it a ceilidh) ~ good food, lots of alcohol and rousing renditions of whatever tune happens to take our fancy accompanied by pipes, bodhrans, drums, keyboard, guitars etc etc.  I cannot think of a better way to connect with heritage and friends than these party nights.

Of course, on this day, we are recuperating from the rehearsal and party ~ cleaning up, resting our weary bones and a wee bit of smudging to remove anyone's energy that may still be hanging around *grinning*.  I'm especially focusing on the brick wall on our property that I use to cleanse my crystals.  The Full Moon is happening at 5.30pm on Monday night (Brisbane Time) ~ I want to ensure that the space is clean, cleared and ready to hold my crystals in the beauty of the Goddess Light.

Namaste