It’s not a good time just now. (Another) War has broken out. (Un)Fortunately, we have 24/7 media coverage, so you can be forgiven for being unable to escape the reporting. Its relentless drumbeat is likely to wear on you. And while you might think it’s stupid/pointless/misguided – now is the time to play for peace.
For your own peace.
There are plenty of stressors available in our worlds and if the lingering crisis of the last two years wasn’t wearing on us enough, this latest one is a doozy.
Regardless of your politics, your “side”, or your more general thinking, these events aren’t usually good for most of the people involved. But for those on the outside, looking in, incapable of drawing away from the window, it will also take a toll.
Because we are all “involved” – some just have the luxury of pretending that they’re not going to be touched. At this point though, there is not much we can do about it. It is far away. The diplomats are doing whatever it is they do over coffee in fancy meeting rooms. And it’s been a long time since a “mighty war harp” was needed on a battlefield.
But just like there’s a tiger inside your kitten and a wolf in your puppy, inside your harp might be your best defense while we wait and watch and wonder what will come next.
You have music. It can help shield you from the ugly. You can play the music of sorrow and the music of respite and make ready to play the music of joy…eventually. You can play for yourself – as a balm for your soul. And you can play for others who find themselves also locked in the thrall of the media, needing the succor you can provide.
You might think that you aren’t doing anything – but you’d be wrong.
Every act of beauty will counter an act of ugliness. Each beautiful note you play near an ear will send out sound waves that will bang into and deform the shock waves of a bomb detonating too near the ear of another.
You might consider playing those simple but beautiful tunes. Let them act as a salve for your mind. If you aren’t sure what tune that might be, I’m sending subscribers one of my favorites. It is the simply beautiful Crodh-laoigh nam Bodach (The Old Man’s Young Cows). Play it to pour out all your emotions and once they are in front of you, play to move around in your feelings. No good, no bad, just you, your harp and the defense of the music.
In the end, which tune is not important – play anything you like that allows you to expel your emotions. And once again we have a lovely opportunity to share with others who might not have the facility to play the music but will be comforted if you decide to share.
Times are troubled – again, more. Play your harp to help you get through the time and possibly to help others as well.
What do you think of the tune? What other tunes you would play to feel the same things? Are you letting your harp get you through (another) trying time? Let me know in the comments.
Powerful ideas and words in this post Jen. Good stuff. This is what music is all about, really.
Thanks Steve – you’re right, our music connects us to one another!
Thank you for your words Jen, they anchored for me the things that have been swirling around inside of me as I have watched with grief the pictures of what is happening in Ukraine. My heart has been hungry for lullaby’s; songs of soothing and comfort. Bonnie at Morn is what I have reached for.
Watching the images of families and strangers huddled together in subway stations has also made me reach for my small harp to play… suddenly it feels especially important to me to be able to create notes of peace and soothing on an instrument that can be taken into a space where they are most needed…. like a subway station. It also feels especially important to strive to carry tunes deep inside my heart instead of needing to rely on a sheet of music…. this has pointed out to me how vital it can be to have that music available to share in a situation that is unimaginable to every one of us…..
Leslie – so right in so many ways – I’m glad to share a tune that can certainly complement Bonnie at Morn (which I have also been playing lately). Like you, I also am reconnecting with my Harpsicle which I have always used in therapeutic settings for it’s light tension and light weight – because it makes it possible for me to fit into a small space when needed. I hope the simplicity of this tune will help you make the transition to internally held tunes as well – listen for the patterns and their relationships to one another – when you hear it in your head, committing it there is easier!
At church I played Oran Mor MhicLeoid and Caol Mhuile (both from your book of Airs). For me, they both tap into inner tranquility and peace. Even if others don’t hear us play, we are changed by playing and carry it with us.
Thank you for playing from mu book!!! (I’m so pleased!) I really enjoy those tunes that allow us to emote, almost without even thinking!
Jen, today I go to visit and play for a dear cousin who is experiencing some very difficult health issues. One of the tunes I had already chosen will be this very same one from your book, (and I find this coincidence a bit incredible).
I agree; when playing the harp it can be an expression of extreme emotion, of love, and peace and hope, and, even be a prayer, too. I believe that prayer and positive thoughts cross through many barriers and I will be furiously praying while playing, for the Ukrainian people as well as my cousin.
Barbara -maybe it’s not a coincidence? I’m delighted you will be able to share on more than one level. Maybe all of us playing this time will enhance its power to heal
Yes, Barbara, I’m with Jen. It probably wasn’t a coincidence. I think it means that you were connected to something much bigger than here/now:)
War seems to be part of the human condition- we’re not exactly a “nice” species…
i lived in Vienna in 1969. the city was full of refugees from Czechoslovakia. The Hungarian border isn’t far from Vienna- the soldiers at the border were behind barbed wire and they had machine guns at the ready.
Covid trashed my little Playing Out places. rats.
harp on anyway!
Sadly true, and yet, we can be – I heard on the radio this morning that at the border in Poland, people have come with goods and food, but also with signs like, “I can host x number of people in my home” and “I am going to Y City if you are trying to go there” – so there is some good in us. Since it’s still winter and covid it is challenging to play out but we’re all resourceful – we’ll think of a way – patio heater, online, and with mask mandates increasingly being lifted, a lot can be in person – what a joy!