Singing in the Wilderness
By Jules Bubacz
By Jules Bubacz
So how do art and ecology intermingle? What is their dance about? Art is a form of expression; a way of expressing oneself creatively. It is creative in that it does away with our primary spoken or written language as the way of communicating or it alters how we use that language. Singing takes language and blends it with rhythm, tune, emotion, and harmony--all things present within ourselves and the rest of the natural world. Art as a form of expression implies it is also a form of communication. When you express yourself you communicate what is going on in your soul. Through art we can communicate with nature. We can express what is within us and we can also channel the expressions of other life forms and energies in nature. Art, in its essence, increases our connection with the natural world.
Sitting on a large flat boulder in the sun, I watch Joanne. Her eyes are closed. She is tapping her fingers against the palm of her hand while she rocks back and forth humming...creating. It evolves into a beautiful chant that flows right down into our souls as it probably flowed up from the earth and through Joanne. This sound, this expression resounding in the valley feels to me that it speaks of and for the Yahi people--a Native American tribe once inhabiting this land. I listen, I sing along, and I understand (stand under).
To prepare for creating song in our workshops, Joanne shows us breathing and grounding techniques that help us be more open for the energies to flow through us. In the morning we do a Cherokee Dance of the Four Directions. Using sound and movement, our connection with nature is empowered. We are pushing out the blockages and opening up the channels to the four elements and Spirit...and then seeing how it moves us...in song.
SONG AS PRAYER
This dance and many of the songs we sing are really prayers. In this form, song enhances our spiritual connection with nature.
I asked Joanne how she felt about song as prayer:
JR: Many songs are written to help us through ordeals, prepare us for transition, or to help shape our vision. There are different types of songs for different emotions. Prayer songs are like a mantra. They are often born out of fear. They help us endure and thrive as individuals and as a group or mass. One night while backpacking alone in bear country, I created the song "Sacred Places"" to help deal with my fear. Here is an excerpt:
SACRED PLACES, SACRED SPACESPrayer songs are also born out of reverence and love. This is an excerpt from "I Love It":
WE STILL COME TO BE NEAR YOU
SUN AND SNOW AND SOIL AND ROCK, SAFE PLACE
ANGELS CIRCLING ABOUT, SACRED PLACE
I LOVE THIS PLACE
I LOVE THIS PLACE
I LOVE THIS HEALING PLACE
THIS PLACE THAT SINGS
JR: We are nature. We're extensions of the earth. Everything is made up of the same stuff. Our culture is based on separating us from nature. When this place gives us a song, it is this place--the voice of a rock, tree, etc. That is what the word channeling means to me. Art in any form is giving voice to spirit, manifesting it, communicating it so others can see it. In order to do this, you need to clear yourself out. We receive these messages from beyond the capsules of our bodies. Sometimes when I'm writing (channeling) a song I feel like an erupting volcano is moving through me! Other people recognize the spirit voice in art when they see or hear it. It rings true to their core. It makes sense. They are reminded that they are nature.
JB: Can you talk about how your songs are created?
JR: My art comes from my connection with nature. The first time I got the courage to share my art was when I witnessed the Redwoods being cut and carted away. Those trees were like flesh. I thought that there was something more important going on here than my fear of failure! The emotions brought on by that experience gave me the courage to spew. Many of my songs have come from the land I lived on in California. I can't seem to write when I can't access my subconscious and that is more easily done in the wild. My dreams are vivid out here. It is interesting; we have this fear of the wild but ultimately, nature soothes us. If we sit here long enough, it becomes natural...again.
When we're children, it is important to develop a sense of the matrix. You begin with the mother and gradually move out into the world. For me, the connection to Mother Earth (Earth as matrix) allows me to go forth and move out with song.
JB: How can art serve as a tool for the caring stewardship of Mother Earth?
JR: If there is one redeeming aspect of civilization, I would say it is the creative arts. It is important when sending out a message through art to the human race to consider its effects. Try to make it good medicine! And songs aren't only for human ears. Vibrations we send out in song affect our environment. I believe the ancient spirits of this place can hear us and also speak through us. I do these workshops because we're all channels. When we recognize this, we can open to receive and give through song and not have to take credit for it! "Come through me... Say what you want to say."
Not all art heals the world. Punk/Heavy Metal releases negative energy. This can be seen as healing. Artists are historians reflecting the culture of the time. Punk reflects the angst, the tension between love and fear. The tension is growing, the polarity is increasing as two movements grow. One is bent on killing our wild nature (fear keeping us in control, separated, ego-ruling) and the other is committed to protecting our wilds (desire to belong to and dissolve in the universe, responsibility). There is much pain caused by this duality. Healing can begin with forgiving ourselves, honoring the wild, and not feeling guilty over who we are. Reach for equilibrium. People are in so much denial of what their world is about.
So, art is healing. It is our way of dreaming up into being our subconscious, our intuitive voice, that part of our brain that remembers, that connects us to the wild. Through art we send out prayers and visions...to manifest. We're sparking them in other people and taking them out of their rut. Art and ritual are very much connected. Ritual takes us out of ego. Art is the voice of intuition. Intuition is the voice from beyond ourselves but it is within us so the natural conclusion is that we are connected! We remember that we are more than ourselves. There is no separation.
AC: This is the second year I have led this trip. I see Joanne's singing as a force that brings us to a place of getting to know ourselves better. Wilderness uncovers the protective exoskeleton that we use in our daily lives in the city, etc. Wilderness unmasks Truth. Singing with Joanne makes everything upwell inside you and you just want to get it out...in song! Out here we are also creating community. We live together at base camp, do chores, and support one another. Thus, a sense of trust and comfort is established. One knows its okay if you sing a little off key!
JB: What is the significance of this place, the Ishi Wilderness?
AC: There was a rich culture of Native American peoples, the Yahi, living here. They lived communally and did their art, ritual, and ceremony on this land. These are the roots of who we are. Being closer to this ancient lifestyle reminds people of their own natural creativity. If we can drop a few seeds along the way to encourage people's thinking; with activities like pulling animal medicine cards as they move around our circle, then perhaps they will be reminded of their instincts and how they/we are all part of the web.
The night I returned home from this exquisite time of being and creating with other women in the wilderness, I couldn't sleep! I wrote this poem/chant:
Using soundJules Bubacz has lived in the Eugene area for the past five years. She spends most of her time with plants under such guises as natural landscaper, gardener, herbalist, farmer, permaculturalist, and plant propagator. Lately she's been seen singing with the flora.
to ground
that deep tone
pushing up with your tailbone
moving energy as you breathe
releasing above pulling beneath
rising up through you from Earth
you give it birth
The Universe's song
impossible to sing wrong
so go now...down
down to the ground
rise now...high
high into the sky
and Sing! Sing! Sing!
Common Earth also runs writing trips in the wilderness. They have a trip in the desert which involves mask-making and a solo Vision Quest. All their trips emphasize education over adventure but they are not lacking in the latter! You can obtain a trip brochure by contacting Common Earth, PO Box 1191, Fairfax, CA 94978, (415) 455-0646.
�1998 Talking Leaves
Summer/Fall 1998
Volume 8, Number 2
Art and Ecology
We welcome your letters!
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