In preface, some of you have heard me mention that I am a SpiritSong Teacher, graduated in 1993, and had a full practice of song circles and private sessions in my home in Massachusetts before moving west. This process of SpiritSong has been my passion, my heart’s work, since I stepped into my first SpiritSong circle in 1991 led by Mary Elizabeth Wheeler and Shawna Carol (www.goddesschant.com). I have attempted several times since moving out here to Arizona in 2004 to restart the practice, with no success. I did start (as guided by Spirit on my trip out here) "gathering the women" by creating a successful monthly gathering in Anthem that virtually ran itself for 6 straight years.
In 2008 I was on the verge of losing my beautiful new home and considering bankruptcy. I was done trying to make it work. I finally surrendered, let go and prayed to God, “Please show me how I can serve. This is clearly not working.”
Within a week I met Sharon Bush and Jim Yeaw, the ministerial team at Unity Spiritual Center in Sun City. They were looking for a Music Director who could lead their congregation in singing. It was a perfect fit and I took on the new endeavor with enthusiasm and gratitude. Since coming on board, I have learned so much from both ministers, from working in a team, from allowing myself to get immersed in a loving community of very special people, and from leading an terrific group of singers. I have gained life-long friends here and I have been happy.
And yet, there was something still calling me – but I didn’t know what it was. I started feeling, somewhere around Eastertime (right after Mom's visit to Phoenix), a big change was coming. I was planning a summer trip to Mt Shasta, CA where I have been drawn for some time. So naturally, my brain began to think "Hmmm, I wonder if that's where I'll be headed eventually." But, as is my practice, I let it go, leaving it to God to show me the way.
Then, in late July, I attended the Sound Connections Conference at Unity Village, gaining more knowledge and accumulating more inspirational music to bring home to my church family. One evening, the special guest of the weekend, Karen Taylor-Good (www.karentaylorgood.com), began to sing these words:
It’s what I do
It’s who I am
It’s in my heart
Out of my hands
It’s my passion
It’s my truth
I’ve got no choice
It’s what I do.
I began to sob – the song touched me to the very core of my being. “My passion” is SpiritSong and I felt the depth of that truth right there in that very moment, in every fiber of my being. I had put it down, let it go, and now here it was again calling me again. Following the concert, I walked over to the Fillmore Chapel and sang my own spirit song for the first time in 3 years. It was cathartic and energizing. I came back to Arizona with a renewed commitment to start up a SpiritSong circle in my home in Surprise. I even spoke about it with some friends and they all were very excited about attending. Great! And as had become my practice, I let it go with a prayer, "God, show me the way. I tried before my way. Now You show me how."
And then, only one week later, my sister Judy arrived for a visit to Phoenix which would be followed by our adventure to Mt. Shasta. As she entered the car at the airport she was jabbering on about how busy she is with Ben Speaks (www.benspeaks.org) for which I serve on the Board of Trustees as well as the Music Director for the annual fundraiser "A Concert to Remember" (this year, not coincidentally, featuring Karen Taylor-Good!). Her excitement was contagious, and it was clear she was in need of help and needed skills she didn’t possess. Out of my mouth came these words, “I’m open to coming home.” What???? WHAT???? This came out of ME - me who has said I would never return to the northeast. What had I heard so many times before? Never say never. Seriously, I had no preconceived notion that those words would ever escape my lips. And yet, there they were.
After Judy's jaw dropped, she said, "Lyndsey, that makes the most sense!!" And it did, for many "Ben Speaks" reasons but also for reconnecting to my passion of SpiritSong. She told me there have been many people still expressing their hope that I would return and start up SpiritSong again. Really? Didn't know that!
So the big change, the big move, was not Northwest - it was Northeast all along. I have spent seven years in the desert. And it turns out, Judy was told upon my (and to her, very sad) departure on 9/11/2004 not to worry. A spirit medium told her, "She's going to the desert to heal. She'll be back in seven years. Mark my words." The memory of this returned to Judy's consciousness after I said I was open to coming home.
We went on to Mt. Shasta, CA and had a terrific vacation filled with inspirational ideas on how to expand Ben Speaks, how and where we would live, how it would all work out magically. And my mother? Well, she is beside herself with joy. And so am I, Mama-Lu!
And Karen - thank you for that song! We played it over and over again during our vacation, along with the many wonderful songs on your new CD, Let The Light In. Such a talent!
