A Natural Meditation

The Wailing Jennys are generally a folk trio from Winnipeg.  Since the group's beginning, Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta have song with three different altos.  The most recent is Heather Masse (the writer of tonight's featured song).  Additionally, Ruth's former bandmate (Jeremy Penner) and her brother Richard often accompany their performances.  Tonight's featured song is titled "Bird Song."  Masse wrote it as part of 2011's Bright Morning Stars album.

Listening to a studio recording (and even better, a live performance) of "Bird Song", Heather Masse draws us into these lines of poetry observing the natural world around us.  Gradually Moody and Mehta join in, and after going through the lyrics once in harmonious unison, they start singing in a round.  As if the banjo, drum, fiddle, and bass didn't bring enough depth (with Mehta's drumming steadily serving as a heartbeat to the song), we are treated to the three voices playing off each other's. Through the course of the song, we as listeners are immersed in the layers of music, and are able to follow along with the meditative mantra.

In her lyrics, Masse notes the birds, the blowing wind, the growth of life from within the earth, and so many other aspects of nature.  With each feature described, Massey is then inspired to take on some of it's traits.  I find these wants very relatable.  Spreading wings for flight is usually a metaphor for having the space to freely explore one's own potential.  The flowing river can inspire exploration.  The flowers' pedals being open in bloom can mean an openness to listen.  When she speaks of the moon reflecting glorious light, I personally see that as being a surface on whom God can reflect.

Those interpretations may sound of like I'm reading tarot cards or the golden compass of Philip Pullman's novels, but I do find very deep symbolism in this song.  Spiritually, I venture to say that while our world may not have been made in the way that the book of Genesis describes, what if "creation" is the divine coding of all that exists?  That the generation of our cells or photosynthesis in plants is all created by a divine being or force?  When Masse says that she'd like to be the moon, knowing the light that we see it reflect at night, I wonder if that knowing of light means a deeper understanding of God.

I would like to ask the Wailing Jennys if "Bird Song" is as spiritual as I imagine it to be.  I've been enjoying how this blog allows me to look deeply these songs.