They're Playing your Song
Alan Cohen
When a woman in a certain African tribe knows she is pregnant, she goes
out into the wilderness with a few friends and together they pray and
meditate until they hear the song of the child. They recognize that
every soul has its own vibration that expresses its unique flavor and
purpose. When the women attune to the song, they sing it out loud. Then
they return to the tribe and teach it to everyone else.
When the child is born, the community gathers and sings the child's
song to him or her. Later, when the child enters education, the village
gathers and chants the child's song. When the child passes through the
initiation to adulthood, the people again come together and sing. At
the time of marriage, the person hears his or her song.
Finally, when the soul is about to pass from this world, the family and
friends gather at the person's bed, just as they did at their birth,
and they sing the person to the next life.
There is one other occassion upon which the villagers sing to the
child. If at any time during his or her life, the person commits a
crime or aberrant social act, the individual is called to the center of
the village and the people in the community form a circle around them.
Then they sing their song to them.
The tribe recognizes that the correction for antisocial behavior is not
punishment; it is love and the remembrance of identity. When you
recognize your own song, you have no desire or need to do anything that
would hurt another.
A friend is someone who knows your song and sings it to you when you
have forgotten it. Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you
have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your
beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your
innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.
You may not have grown up in an African tribe that sings your song to
you at crucial life transitions, but life is always reminding you when
you are in tune with yourself and when you are not. When you feel good,
what you are doing matches your song, and when you feel awful, it
doesn't. In the end,we shall all recognize our song and sing it well.
You may feel a little warble at the moment, but so have all the great
singers. Just keep singing and you'll find your way home.
Perhaps you will hear your song, if you listen deeply and allow it to
surface.
ALAN COHEN authored 15 popular inspirational books, including award-winning A Deep Breath of Life. To order Alan's new novel My Father’s Voice or request a free catalog of Alan's books, tapes, and seminars, call 1-800-462-3013 web site: Enrich your abundance by joining Alan for the innovative online Year of Living Prosperously. Contact Alan’s office at 455A Kukuna Road, Haiku, HI 96708, 800-568-3079 or email: admin@alancohen.com
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