It’s powerful to imagine that long before human beings spoke, we sang. Like birds, wolves, or whales, our song is interwoven with the song of earth, our family of creation. Thanks to fantastic historians (and one of our dear community members who is obsessed with studying our ancient earth-honoring cultures), we know that there’s good evidence for it. Our longest lasting universal legacy as human beings is one of harmonious interconnection with the whole of creation; it is so much easier to be in harmony in song. Within our community, lifting our voices in song is a central practice, part of how we connect, pray, love. Through repetition and the ancient art of learning songs “by heart”, we actually alter our brainwaves, enter into a state of deep awareness and communion (listening) that helps us in remembering what we already know - that we have a place in the family of creation.
Pocket Songs is the beginning of a new project that we are incredibly excited about and intend to expand upon. We want to thank you, our community, for the inspiration and impetus to get this party started; a collaboration of this nature was long overdue for us. Nora and I had a blast working on it. We want this little gift to serve a great function in your lives - to lift you up and help you feel connected. If I had a nickel for every time one among us has asked for help remembering this or that song over the years, I’d have fat dollars in the bank. So here you are dear friends, access to our first round of songs for the season, at the ready, in your pocket (or wallet), anywhere you may be. They are simple recordings, made with love in my living room on a sunny late summer day. With all of our hearts, we hope they help you learn our songs “by heart” and carry them into your lives. Enjoy!
All songs are written and composed by me, ShuNahSii Rose. The exquisite harmonies, sound engineering and collaboration on arrangements are compliments of our own outstandingly talented sister, Nora Berry.
Turning of the Year
We are gathered here at the turning of the year
To call our people home
We are waking up what lives deep inside of us
That we have always known
Ribbon of Light
Ribbon of light
I am your gateway
Just flow on through me
And bless the world
Ribbon of light
My heart is open
So flow on through me
And mend the world
Ribbon of Light is a song that is very close to my heart. As is the case with many songs in our community, Ribbon of Light (or river of light, interchangeably) was spontaneously born of time together in a gathering of celebration and cultural healing. For me, it speaks directly to a lesson that I learned from African American elder, teacher, musician, musicologist, and historian - Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon. As an Afromusicologist, and Curator Emeritus at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, she gathered together many threads of African music as it unfolded, inextricably interwoven with activism and the fight for justice, on this soil.
She told a story about the role of “I” versus “we” in black spirituals, saying that singing “I” was a commitment to personally showing up for the struggle, the meeting, the rally, the risk. She went on to say that the use of “we” is something that came later, as in “We shall overcome”, and that it was a result of the influence white culture. While the necessity of a sound “we” within real movements of liberation is unquestionable, it is too easy to hide in the “we” when we are making a personal commitment. “I’ means that I am saying I personally will be there with my community as witness .
As a grandmother myself, with over four decades of community organizing under my belt, I know the truth of this with every fiber of my being; we must each show up, in our entirety, for the work… we must say “I will be there”, “I am here for it”. For me, Ribbon of Light is a commitment to move all the garbage out of the way, step into radical and authentic generosity, and show up for the work that is before us with everything we have. A vibrant and effective “we’ can only be made up of many entirely committed “I’s”.
If you don’t know the work of Dr. Reagan, please acquaint yourself with it and support her legacy with your resources. In this country, so much of which is built on violence, abduction, theft, and genocide, we are blessed to be able to learn from true leadership and we have a responsibility to support and step up to the work.
We Carry the Light
The journey is long
And the waters are wide
As we care for each other
Across the waters we’ll glide
We don’t walk alone
That’s important to know
We carry the light
We are on our way home
Dreaming Bear - Lullaby for the Soul
I am dreaming
Of you, my child
So free and wild
Dream on
Dreaming Bear is a lullaby for the soul and a summoning of protection as we, and/or our little ones, settle down for dreaming. It is also a lovely song for community dream entries.