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. 

When the child is born, the community gathers and sings the child’s song. When the child passes through the initiation into adulthood, the people come together and sing their song. At the time of marriage the person hears their song again.

In this African tribe there is another occasion upon which the villagers sing to the child. If at any time during her/his life, the person commits a crime or does something contrary to their song, they are called to the center of the village. Here the people in the community form a circle around them. Their song is sung.

Finally, when the soul is about to pass from this world, their family and friends gather at the person’s bed, just as they did at their birth, and they sing the person into the next life.

 

When we are lost in our egos, we aren’t listening for the song of the soul we encounter. We’re caught up in our expectations of what we want them to be and do. The inevitable judgements spin in our minds, and then come flooding out through us.

When we are lost in our egos, we are not and cannot listen for the song WE are here to sing with our lives.

What is meant by our song or someone else’s song? I am using the metaphor of song to describe the unique expression of Divine Source coming from our True Self. Just as music is vibration, our song is our “vibe.” We all pick up on each other’s vibe.

But sometimes we put out songs to the world from our ego’s fears and insecurities. Songs that are off key. Songs that are not true to the harmony inherent in the essence of our soul. And the vibe that’s put out to the world doesn’t feel very good.

We know it when we do, and others know it as well. It feels off. Not in tune or out of pitch. It is then we need someone around us to bring us back to the song written just for us.

We can gently sing,  “You know. I think I understand at least something of how difficult this is for you. But what you’re doing or what you said, just isn’t the You that I know. You’re better than this. In you I’ve seen such kindness, or wisdom, understanding, openness, strength, patience, compassion, empathy (whatever it is we need to sing the one we love back to.)

And if it were us being spoken to like that, we’d probably say, “Really? You have?”  Or, “Yes, I know. That’s not really me.”

Ever notice how much easier it is to hear the song of someone else, than it is to acknowledge our own? Can we celebrate our ability to more easily recognize another person’s song as a precious gift we can offer?

I struggled for years to come to know my song. I heard it faintly, but couldn’t quite make out the melody. Fortunately I had a few people in my life who shared with me what they saw in me. The song they were hearing from me.

And it was really not until I reached the age of 59 that it either got louder, or I was open enough to hear it. Probably both! I’m 70 now as I write this, and it feels so good to finally be singing my song. To be speaking, writing, and living my truth.

Turns out my song is easy to sing. Most of the time it just flows out of me naturally, as I continue to learn it. Yes. Our song eternally evolves.

But like all of us, I had to play many notes off key. Songs that weren’t mine to play. Songs that belonged to someone else. Songs that I knew would help me be accepted if I sang them. But it all had its place. It all belonged, and had its purpose in helping me learn my song. My Truth.

So do not give up if you’re struggling to hear your song. Your song is in you. Always has been. Always will be. It takes all of us many lifetimes. But it’s still there. Waiting to be discovered and heard in it’s own time and way. And it will be known.

But how do we come to know it?

We can sing ourselves back to our song, by saying to ourselves, “I AM Love. I AM patience. I AM compassion. I AM understanding. I AM empathy.” Whatever the situation is that is calling for your song to be sung. Then, we can just BE in that space. Letting it do it’s work on us.  Letting it call us back home to our True Self.

As for hearing another’s song, we can start by owning the fact that we all have our ideas of how people should be, and what they should do. The Truth of the matter is this: Things go better for everyone involved when we can say of ourselves, “I AM an audience of One. Here to listen to the song my soul (and each soul I encounter) is here to sing.

And we can start by remembering that each soul we encounter, did not come here to live up to any expectations of our own. Ha! My soul just twitched a little as I wrote that! As if to say, “I know that, but as a human, you seem to need the reminder!”

This is absolutely crucial. So I say it again to myself: No soul came here to live up to any expectation of mine. Not a one!

Each soul has come here to explore the potential of it’s unique vibration.

We can start by remembering that listening to our song or someone else’s song, begins with listening for the song. We don’t know what it is initially. The soul innately knows it’s song, but at the same time, it must be discovered. That’s an exciting challenge of being human!

I often equate meeting and living with people to going to a movie. If I go to a movie with my expectations of what I want the movie to be, or if I’m watching it and thinking “they shouldn’t have done that in that way. I don’t like that. That is bad (or good).”  Then I’m missing the intended experience.

But if I go asking the question, “what did the people who made this movie intend to say and do with it?” With that in mind, can I see why they did what they did.” And then just let it be what it is, I have a much more enjoyable experience. I have the intended experience.

In the same way, when we meet or are with someone, can we free both of us for the intended experience? Can we say, “What’s her or his song/vibe? What is being said or worked on with this life?” And then just let them be what they are. Then the intentions of that life (and mine) naturally unfold.

Parents can begin the journey of parenting by listening for the song of their child. “Why has this soul come here, and why did it choose me/us?” are fundamental questions. Parents can begin the journey by keeping a constant eye out for how this new human moves through life, carries themselves, or responds to the world around them. Paying close attention to what energizes, and gives them joy.

Helping a child learn their song begins with remembering that the child we care for is really not OUR child, but a soul in our care who has come to explore their song.  What we may want the child to be and do is irrelevant, and only gets in the way of the song being heard.

It is said that most souls do not enter into the body until just before the birth. I hear there’s not much to do in there! Some do come earlier than others, wanting to gain a feel for their mother. I wonder if a mother can listen intuitively to the baby’s energy in those last weeks or days, and gain a sense of the little one’s song? Mothers out there. What do you think?

Finally, it’s important to remember that we come to know another’s song by not listening to our head (the ego’s judgements and expectations), but to our heart. What’s the feeling, the sense we get when we are around them? This is beyond thought, and can only be experienced.

The One song we’re all here to learn the lyrics and music to is Love. But that is expressed creatively and uniquely through every single one of us.

Love is the freedom we give ourselves and one another to learn the song written in the energy of our unique souls.

And when the one we love passes over, we gather and sing their song together. We speak of what we loved about their song, and what we learned from their song that we continue to carry with us. We come together as an audience who gratefully knew their song, and give one final standing ovation.

“My life flows on in endless song, above earth’s lamentation

I hear the sweet, though far-off hymn

That hails a new creation….how can I keep from singing?”    

How Can I Keep From Singing       Robert Lowry

 

The Song Is In You! You Are Love!

Pastor Tim Tengblad

My song is found in these posts. I’d love to learn of your song.

timtengblad@comcast.net