I’m thinking about the first Singing Meditation session I offered back in May 2004. Actually the first two sessions I offered were strictly Taize music from the religious community of the same name in France.
I had fallen in love with the Taize singing done each morning at the Findhorn community in Scotland. That’s what compelled me to try creating a group in my home area, just so I could have the chance of re-capturing the transcendent feeling of singing in soulful community again.
I was so nervous and worried about the singing session beforehand. There was, after all, so much to worry about! I was worried that no one would come. I was worried that people would have trouble singing the songs. I was worried that people would be bored. That they would think I had a terrible singing voice. That I would fail to explain things clearly. That others would think the idea of a worship service consisting solely of songs alternated with silence would lack sufficient ‘meat.’
It would be a few years before I would stop worrying about most of these things. Years before I was able to trust in the Divine Presence and the power of the collective ephemeral community created through the singing. Worry dies hard!
Within a few weeks of offering the first Taize session in Eau Claire I knew I wanted to broaden the repertoire to include music from other spiritual paths. I felt led to create an “interfaith Taize” but I wasn’t sure how the Taize Brothers, who are ecumenical and multi-lingual, but not interfaith, would feel about using their name for something not exclusively Christian. So I started using the term “singing meditation” instead for this multicultural spiritual practice that alternates singing and silence. The name has stuck.
After leading the practice for over five years and having co-authored a book about it, I now worry whether “Singing Meditation” is the appropriate name. True, the ‘singing’ part is spot on. The word ‘meditation’ in the name has been known to disappoint a few people. I state in the description that the silent interval can be used for meditation, prayer or contemplation. But because of the ‘meditation’ in the name a few people have arrived at Singing Meditation assuming there would be formal instruction in meditation and they were disappointed to learn the silent periods are completely undirected. Participants are free to meditate if they so choose, but no instruction in any specific technique is offered. Experienced meditators have been disappointed in the brevity of the silent intervals. For experienced meditators the 2 – 5 minute silent intervals in Singing Meditation are just the barest immersion into the stillness of silence. For the past year or so I have taken great care to stress that the silent intervals will be 2 – 5 minutes.
I haven’t taken a poll, but I believe most people attending Singing Meditation use the silent periods for prayer or contemplation rather than meditation.
It leaves me wondering whether, in the interest of complete transparency, it might not be better to change the name of the practice from Singing Meditation to Singing and Silence. It might create confusion since the website is Singingmeditation and the titles of the book, CD and songbook include the words ‘singing meditation.’
Perhaps a switch should be made anyway in the interest of clarity. I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts about this.
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