I cherish the liminal passages of life – those moments that transform water into ice or steam, chrysalis into butterfly, and day into night. I now stand expectant at the precipice of my own transformation into a new persona, the metamorphosis from my lifelong identity as music therapist, educator and researcher into that of a spiritual director.
I sense the miracle of new life at the birth of my bouncing new career. With this comes an awareness of something divine and unknowable. In spiritual direction, this is the link between us – our belief in something beyond what we can see and touch – that can lighten our souls and enlighten our inner wisdom.
I am familiar with the liminality between music and silence, the ember lighting the fire to create music and express itself on an instrument, and the flow state transcending time that is experienced by the artist/musician. They all seem to arise from a far greater universe of creativity. The musical capabilities and possibilities required of me as a music therapist reside in my genes, and seem to be awaiting the chance to spawn into the pursuit of the spirit.
Music always provided a source of awe and beauty that I sought to understand. It has taught me how to listen and discern. It will always have a place in my spiritual direction, but it will be up to my companion to determine its relevance to our sessions. Exploration, percolation and discovery will lead the way, sometimes through silence, sometimes through art or poetry. Religious text may guide us, but our practice is not religious. Sacred listening will offer the still, small voice within us to sing out… with a voice of joy and praise!
