Faith traditions so often divide us, yet at the heart of the Mystery is a common core and shared experience whatever the language. Whatever our tradition or beliefs, our voices can express our deepest feelings about the world and our place in it. Chant, the focused sung repetition of powerful sounds, is supremely invigorating and proven to enhance physical and emotional health. Used for community building and vision sharing, it’s brought people together for millennia. The vibration of our voices, resonating within every cell of our bodies, can express our gratitude, reflect our sense of authentic living, and promote an experience of connection reminding us who we really are.
I teach chants from traditions including Pagan, Buddhist, Hindu, and the Abrahamic faiths and share perspectives on the power and potential of chant. A trained theologian and experienced educator, I draw together the deep and profound similarities between different spiritual traditions, going well beyond the fixation on one set of symbols used by any particular faith.
Why “Gyre and Gymbal”? Best known from Lewis Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky”, these words have a powerful and daily resonance for me. Gyre is linked to gyration and spinning. Gymbal is the means by which that which is gyrating or spinning is held in secure balance. I see these images as analogous to the spinning of a human life lived consciously and held in perfect balance by the Loving Presence behind all things.