Our best and our worst

Songwriting (and activities related to it, such as performance) can bring out our best and our worst qualities.  It's worthwhile to take a closer look at them, to understand how they affect our relationships and our lives. 

Here are some of the great qualities that songwriters often have. (Cue the applause!)

- Emotional sensitivity.
- Insight into human behavior (which leads to empathy and compassion).
- Orientation toward beauty, balance and harmony.
- Observation and awareness of the world.  Consciousness.

On the other hand, you might have noticed these qualities. (Hiss, boo!)

- Self-centeredness.  Over-attentiveness to ourselves and our feelings.
- Demand for approval and attention.
- Judgment of others' work; competitiveness.
- Cynicism and disappointment.

These shadow aspects of our creative lives hold very real risks for us. 

It's not that we "shouldn't" have these feelings (I believe they're something of an occupational hazard) but we do need to be conscious of them and choose how to work with them. 

Sometimes those feelings can become the material for songs. Anger and resentment, for example, offer fantastic energy that can fuel the creative process. The song you write is likely to offer healing harmony just when you need it.  

At other times, it's important to simply notice what's going on and find a way to regain equilibrium...perhaps by being in nature, reading an inspirational book or talking with a supportive friend.

We don't want to give up our sensitivity and "shut down"...but we perhaps can learn to "tune" our sensitivity.   

As T.S. Eliot once wrote, "Teach me to care, and not to care.  Teach me to sit still." 

Blessing Songs

John O'Donohue (1956-2008) wrote that "a blessing is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, heal and strengthen."

O'Donohue was a poet, philosopher, theologian and Catholic priest.  In his last book, "To Bless the Space Between Us" (a beautiful, kind and inspiring work) he wrote that everyone is capable of blessing others, and that "when you bless another, you...reach below your surface mind and personality, down to the deeper source within you, namely, the soul".

It seems to me that when we write songs that come from our soul, we bless the world they came from.  That is, the Sacred Wholeness that is bigger than ourselves. Perhaps we also bless the people or things or events that inspired the song.

I also wonder...could we bless our songs (or the music we make...or our instrument...) for healing, in the same way that a priest blesses water or bread? 

Could we draw a "circle of light" around a musical phrase, an affirmation of love, a rhyme or a chord?  In doing so, could we strengthen our songs and guide them toward the fulfillment of their purpose?

When we approach our songs this way, perhaps we treat them with the care and reverence they deserve. 

Perhaps we honour them and seek their highest calling, for the blessing of the world.