Last week I got to see Philip Glass perform some of his own works at Old Cabell Hall at UVa. It was wonderful. He came across as funny and kind in his brief chats between the pieces. And his music is enchanting. To hear him play it on a grand piano in a venue dear to me was icing on the cake. It was a free event, open to the public, you just had to reserve tickets ahead of time. It sold out, as expected, and after waiting in line to get in, we chose the balcony for the shorter line and a bird's eye view. What stood out the most after the music and the man, was the fidgety factor of the audience. Yes, it was an eclectic crowd. No, they couldn't sit still. I was reminded how multi-task oriented our culture is these days. If one is listening to music, it is more than likely not just to listen to music. I do spend time just listening to music as it is one of my loves. And when I am listening to music to listen to music, I am still. Still in my body, still in my mind, with all my senses open to allow the music in. The phrase that has been stuck in my head since this concert is "cultivating stillness." This phrase is used all the time when talking about meditation. It is spring, the time of cultivating and growing: spinach, peas, strawberries, fox kits, hatchlings galore, tadpoles, and light. We have passed the equinox and are heading toward the solstice. So this is the perfect time to grow our garden of light. Beyond cultivating stillness, let's cultivate light. Breathe to draw the light into our bodies. Open all our senses to the light. Whether it's sad news, physical pain, the constant feeling of not enough (time, money, happiness, you name it), draw in the light. If it's joy, delight, endorphins rushing through the body, feeling the flow, draw in the light. It's what we're all made of. When we take the time to call it in, we shift into a different pattern, into the All. It is a different way of being. And since we're human beings, not human doings or human havings, let's give this way of being a whirl.
Enjoy your music. Enjoy your spring. Enjoy being. Namaste