Diving into themes of falling and rising up again at this darkening time of year. “Gravity - have your way with me.”
Hello!
I hope this finds you well, and managing ok (even thriving?) as we approach the darkest time of year. I don't think I will have many readers in the southern hemisphere, but if so, I hope you're enjoying the summer sun.
I have warm memories of Dialogic's gig a couple of Saturdays ago at Chatton Village Hall. We were given a lovely welcome by the organisers and audience alike. The context of all of us venturing out into the cold, wet darkness, cautiously navigating the flooded roads, makes me remember the warmth inside the hall as all the more golden. Gold on a black background has always evoked a special significance for me.
It was a pleasure to be the support act for the storming rock band The Longship, and the whole evening felt like a memorable and successful occasion, both musically and socially - a slice of live music working its wonders.
New single release!
I am continuing with my aim of releasing a Dialogic studio recording every few weeks. Next up, on Friday 9th December, is 'Fall From On High'.
As with many of my songs, the inspiration for this came from my dreams, and in particular a recurring dream that I've been aware of for many years, falling from a great height. I know others also have similar recurring dreams of falling.
I've always had a marked fear of heights. For a couple of years, not so long ago, I experimented with leaning into this fear by taking up paragliding. That's when you jump off a high place with a floppy parachute-type wing that will hopefully take to the wind and hold its shape. But in various wind conditions the wing is liable to crumple into a useless heavy bundle, leading to a rapid, terminal fall. My attempts at the pursuit certainly brought my fear of heights into sharp focus, but rather than alleviate it, it got gradually worse until eventually I sold every last piece of kit I had in a job lot. With the exact money I received for the sale, I bought the Michael Kelly guitar which I still use today.
Singing songs in front of people with my Michael Kelly guitar brings other fears into focus, and sure, I've had my share of tumbles on stage, but thus far none of them have been terminal. It's just my ego that gets (rightly) knocked about when I slip up, not my bones and internal organs. Thank you to Ronnie Hek for the photo.
Quitting paragliding hasn't stopped my falling dreams, so I wonder what message my subconscious wants to deliver in these dream messages. Falling still holds significance, clearly. The inexorable downward pull of gravity is a fact of life. Sometimes it seems fit to resist it, defiantly standing up straight, working on my standing-tall muscles, even learning to fly. And sometimes the best response, as in the song, is to relax and go with the apparently cruel downward flow - 'Gravity, have your way with me.' It can be confusing which response to choose.
Maybe 'Fall From On High' was a chance for me to explore the flip sides of gravity, blessing and curse. One inspiration for the song was the archetypal lullaby, Rockabye Baby, which seems weirdly sweet and sinister at the same time, lulling the little one to sleep with stormy tales of cradles being blown out of trees. Remember Storm Arwen, little one?
Also kicking around my mind at time of writing was the same book I mentioned when releasing Dialogic's debut, 'Safe On Your Way' - Richard Rohr's 'Falling Upward'. It's a spiritual book (which I'd recommend) offering guidance for the second half of life. American Franciscan priest Richard Rohr writes about the long, challenging journey to find your way home. That gave me a good nudge for my debut release, 'Safe On Your Way'. And the central theme that comes round again and again in the second half of life is this: falling down is the way up. That's just the nature of the path home. Falling is prescribed, good and necessary. Hopefully, mercifully, just as needed.
Spotify Pre-Save
Look out for the Dialogic release, 'Fall From On High', Friday 9th December, and please have a listen. Here's a pre-save link: https://releases.dialogicmusic.com/fall-from-on-high
Festive good wishes
Wishing you all courage and clarity as you navigate bumpy roads, suffer inevitable falls, pick yourself up, dust yourself down, and stay on the move. May the festive season be a good one for you!
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