Today's DailyOM Offerings...
September 22, 2009
Spirit Songs
Bill Miller
2004
A Mohican tribe member from Northern Wisconsin, Bill Miller is a singer, painter, and activist whose songs have become staples in Native American music, as well as in the mainstream where they've often been reverentially covered by other artists. Expressing the justified bitterness of a people betrayed, slaughtered, imprisoned, and brought to the brink of extinction, Miller nonetheless stresses forgiveness, setting him in a class with the great peacemakers of our time. In a style that integrates country, folk, and even ambient New Age into his personal style, Spirit Songs is still always close to the sense of reverence and honesty for the plight of Native Americans from all tribes.
He could hold your attention fine with just his hard-strumming guitar, but Miller adds wooden flutes and pianos, drums, and even a string section, as on "The Sun Is Gonna Rise." Always servicing the song rather than a single style, Miller rides where the song of the day takes him. The chorus of "Ghostdance" features the unearthly yells of ghostdancers in a sacred Native American ceremony, a strangely perfect counterpoint to Miller's furious yet tightly controlled acoustic guitar strumming. "Reservation Road" uses a fluttering wooden flute to first evoke the beautiful soaring life of a hawk, gradually morphing into the shrill bellow of a train whistle. This evocative sound was the death knell for the many tribes that were unceremoniously crowded into boxcars and shipped down south to swampy prisons far from their native lands. That heartache is never shied away from, of course, and most notably on tracks like "Geronimo's Cadillac," with the chorus, "Oh, boys, take me back / I! want to ride in Geronimo's Cadillac." The song is based on a publicity photo showing Geronimo riding in an old Cadillac that was "presented" to his people (though he was forced to pose by troops before being herded onto a cattle car for his journey south).
This incalculable sorrow is understandable, but it becomes transcendent in the way Miller still refuses to give up hope and encourages forgiveness. For the immensely moving "Listen to Me," Miller tries to make new generations of Native Americans and settlers learn the lessons of the past so that they will never be repeated: "I am the thunder you refuse to hear / I am the rock you can't hide under / There is nothing more to fear / This is a time for healing / The scars upon the land / My son / Listen to me." Such an amazingly tender regard and forgiveness for all humanity set Spirit Songs high above the clouds and Bill Miller into the pantheon of great human beings.
September 22, 2009
Proactive Sensitivity
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
The remarks of other people may affect you emotionally today. Perhaps your sensitivity is due to your desire to avoid any feelings of discomfort in your interactions. Understanding that what others say may often have more to do with what is going on inside of them rather than what you do could make you feel less vulnerable. Should you notice that you are easily upset by another person today, you might try to picture yourself as an outside observer to the interaction. As you do this, you can think about what is going on in the other person’s life. Maybe they have their own issues of sadness, anger, or fear to contend with that makes them more inclined to make insensitive remarks. Changing your perspective in this way could not only help you feel less hurt but might also increase your feelings of compassion for the other person.
Finding another way to look at our reactions to others allows us to see that there may be more going on beneath the surface than we originally thought. When others say things that are inconsiderate it is often because they are simply trying to express their internal feelings to us but are doing so ineffectively. Learning to not react to this lets us see that instead of being reactive, we can be proactive by extending a hand of empathy to them. By recognizing what is happening in your interactions today, you can use your sensitivity to enhance your relationships and infuse them with care and consideration.
September 22, 2009
Mapping the Inner Journey
Journaling as Meditation
Of the countless forms of meditation we can use, journaling offers its own unique benefits. Most meditations help empty the mind of concerns and bring positive ideas from our mental landscape, but journaling helps us anchor that experience in the material world. Not every person is attracted to meditating in seated silence, and journal meditation is a nice alternative as an active meditation. It allows us to trace our journey and see where we have grown and what lessons we may be repeating. By employing a different part of the brain than creative or inspired thought, writing or typing a journal can create a greater sense of connection and union with our physical selves and the world around us.
In working through challenges, it can be helpful to first empty all worries from our heads onto the safe pages of our journal. Fears can be brought to light rather than allowing them to haunt the dark corners of our subconscious. We may even feel heaviness dissipate once our heads are free from clutter, leaving space for inspiration and the creation of positive images in their place. Often in the process of writing out all the details of an event that troubles us, something that had been forgotten will come to the surface, providing a missing piece of the puzzle. Then we can truly begin to come up with answers, and write them down beside the worries to map the way from concern to constructive thought.
For capturing guidance and flashes of inspiration, journaling is ideal. This is especially true in the case of dreams, which often fade as we awaken. While working toward goals, keeping track of progress as well as guidance from readings or divination tools can be encouraging. Though it can be difficult to keep all of our guidance in the front of our minds, if we write it down it can serve as a reminder whenever we need it. We can also use our journals to converse with our higher selves or even the universe. Journaling offers yet another way to unburden mind and spirit, while also creating a record of the present and preserving our hopes and dreams for the future.
Spirit Songs
Bill Miller
2004
A Mohican tribe member from Northern Wisconsin, Bill Miller is a singer, painter, and activist whose songs have become staples in Native American music, as well as in the mainstream where they've often been reverentially covered by other artists. Expressing the justified bitterness of a people betrayed, slaughtered, imprisoned, and brought to the brink of extinction, Miller nonetheless stresses forgiveness, setting him in a class with the great peacemakers of our time. In a style that integrates country, folk, and even ambient New Age into his personal style, Spirit Songs is still always close to the sense of reverence and honesty for the plight of Native Americans from all tribes.
He could hold your attention fine with just his hard-strumming guitar, but Miller adds wooden flutes and pianos, drums, and even a string section, as on "The Sun Is Gonna Rise." Always servicing the song rather than a single style, Miller rides where the song of the day takes him. The chorus of "Ghostdance" features the unearthly yells of ghostdancers in a sacred Native American ceremony, a strangely perfect counterpoint to Miller's furious yet tightly controlled acoustic guitar strumming. "Reservation Road" uses a fluttering wooden flute to first evoke the beautiful soaring life of a hawk, gradually morphing into the shrill bellow of a train whistle. This evocative sound was the death knell for the many tribes that were unceremoniously crowded into boxcars and shipped down south to swampy prisons far from their native lands. That heartache is never shied away from, of course, and most notably on tracks like "Geronimo's Cadillac," with the chorus, "Oh, boys, take me back / I! want to ride in Geronimo's Cadillac." The song is based on a publicity photo showing Geronimo riding in an old Cadillac that was "presented" to his people (though he was forced to pose by troops before being herded onto a cattle car for his journey south).
This incalculable sorrow is understandable, but it becomes transcendent in the way Miller still refuses to give up hope and encourages forgiveness. For the immensely moving "Listen to Me," Miller tries to make new generations of Native Americans and settlers learn the lessons of the past so that they will never be repeated: "I am the thunder you refuse to hear / I am the rock you can't hide under / There is nothing more to fear / This is a time for healing / The scars upon the land / My son / Listen to me." Such an amazingly tender regard and forgiveness for all humanity set Spirit Songs high above the clouds and Bill Miller into the pantheon of great human beings.
September 22, 2009
Proactive Sensitivity
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
The remarks of other people may affect you emotionally today. Perhaps your sensitivity is due to your desire to avoid any feelings of discomfort in your interactions. Understanding that what others say may often have more to do with what is going on inside of them rather than what you do could make you feel less vulnerable. Should you notice that you are easily upset by another person today, you might try to picture yourself as an outside observer to the interaction. As you do this, you can think about what is going on in the other person’s life. Maybe they have their own issues of sadness, anger, or fear to contend with that makes them more inclined to make insensitive remarks. Changing your perspective in this way could not only help you feel less hurt but might also increase your feelings of compassion for the other person.
Finding another way to look at our reactions to others allows us to see that there may be more going on beneath the surface than we originally thought. When others say things that are inconsiderate it is often because they are simply trying to express their internal feelings to us but are doing so ineffectively. Learning to not react to this lets us see that instead of being reactive, we can be proactive by extending a hand of empathy to them. By recognizing what is happening in your interactions today, you can use your sensitivity to enhance your relationships and infuse them with care and consideration.
September 22, 2009
Mapping the Inner Journey
Journaling as Meditation
Of the countless forms of meditation we can use, journaling offers its own unique benefits. Most meditations help empty the mind of concerns and bring positive ideas from our mental landscape, but journaling helps us anchor that experience in the material world. Not every person is attracted to meditating in seated silence, and journal meditation is a nice alternative as an active meditation. It allows us to trace our journey and see where we have grown and what lessons we may be repeating. By employing a different part of the brain than creative or inspired thought, writing or typing a journal can create a greater sense of connection and union with our physical selves and the world around us.
In working through challenges, it can be helpful to first empty all worries from our heads onto the safe pages of our journal. Fears can be brought to light rather than allowing them to haunt the dark corners of our subconscious. We may even feel heaviness dissipate once our heads are free from clutter, leaving space for inspiration and the creation of positive images in their place. Often in the process of writing out all the details of an event that troubles us, something that had been forgotten will come to the surface, providing a missing piece of the puzzle. Then we can truly begin to come up with answers, and write them down beside the worries to map the way from concern to constructive thought.
For capturing guidance and flashes of inspiration, journaling is ideal. This is especially true in the case of dreams, which often fade as we awaken. While working toward goals, keeping track of progress as well as guidance from readings or divination tools can be encouraging. Though it can be difficult to keep all of our guidance in the front of our minds, if we write it down it can serve as a reminder whenever we need it. We can also use our journals to converse with our higher selves or even the universe. Journaling offers yet another way to unburden mind and spirit, while also creating a record of the present and preserving our hopes and dreams for the future.