The Roads of the Realms, or how everything connects together eventually

Compartmentalization is such a common aspect of modern life. We have work, family, online life, spiritual practice, mundane chores and responsibilities… each one in its own distinct category, because that’s how modern western civilization says we ought to think about it all. But ultimately, it all crisscrosses and connects, bringing us back home.

A recent experience really underscored this concept for me. I’ve been working on some new music for Ariadne’s Tribe (with collaborative help from a couple of talented family members). We already have a lot of music for ritual and to honor our three Great Mother Goddesses. I’ve loaded it all into a YouTube playlist so everyone can share it.

But I felt like that wasn’t the end of the music, like there should be more. But what should that “more” be? When do we want to sing, to joyfully express our connection with the divine and with each other?

At our festivals. The sacred calendar should reverberate with the sound of our singing!

So I started at the beginning of our calendar, at the Blessing of the Ships. What better way to celebrate a sailing festival than with a sea shanty? This was new territory for me; I’ve never written a sea shanty before and have only sung a limited number of them. I had to call on some colleagues for expert advice.

The shanty is now finished and will soon be recorded; I hope to have it uploaded to the aforementioned YouTube playlist by the time the Blessing of the Ships rolls around next month.

While I was working on the wording for the shanty, a particular phrase came to me, and it led me down a musical road which led to other sorts of roads. I’ve shared this experience in today’s Minoan Path blog:

The Roads of the Great Mothers

So the process of searching for the right time for music led to the calendar which led to a new-to-me musical form which led to a new concept which led right back to the Mothers, who are at the foundation of my Minoan spiritual practice.

Like the thread that spirals around the spiderweb, unerringly from the outside to the center.

How have you experienced the threads of connection in your life recently?