When a woman in a certain African
tribe knows she is pregnant, she goes out into the wilderness with a few
friends and together they pray and meditate until they hear the song of the
child. They recognize that every soul has its own vibration that expresses its
unique flavor and purpose. When the women attune to the song, they sing it out
loud. Then they return to the tribe and teach it to everyone else.
When the child is born, the
community gathers and sings the child’s song to him or her. Later, when the
child enters education, the village gathers and chants the child’s song. When
the child passes through the initiation to adulthood, the people again come
together and sing. At the time of marriage, the person hears his or her song.
Finally, when the soul is about
to pass from this world, the family and friends gather at the person’s bed,
just as they did at their birth, and they sing the person to the next life.
To the African tribe there is one
other occasion upon which the villagers sing to the child. If at any time
during his or her life, the person commits a crime or aberrant social act, the
individual is called to the center of the village and the people in the
community form a circle around them. Then they sing their song to them.
The tribe recognizes that the
correction for antisocial behavior is not punishment; it is love and the
remembrance of identity. When you recognize your own song, you have no desire
or need to do anything that would hurt another.
A friend is someone who knows
your song and sings it to you when you have forgotten it. Those who love you
are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about
yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you
are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are
confused.
You may not have grown up in an
African tribe that sings your song to you at crucial life transitions, but life
is always reminding you when you are in tune with yourself and when you are
not. When you feel good, what you are doing matches your song, and when you
feel awful, it doesn’t. In the end, we shall all recognize our song and sing it
well.
You may feel a little warbly at
the moment, but so have all the great singers. Just keep singing and you’ll
find your way home. |
