Mood
Elevation
“In many
shamanic societies, if you came to a medicine person complaining of
being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of
four questions: 'When did you stop dancing? When did you stop
singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you
stop being comforted by the sweet territory of silence?'”
Angeles
Arrien
I was in the home of some
friends of mine a couple of weeks ago when one of them went to take a
shower. Pretty soon the whole house filled with melodious sound—the
Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. It's almost impossible to
feel bad when you're singing. Something about the effort opens up
lungs and heart at the same time. As a listener, it put a smile on my
face, too.
Yesterday, I decided I'd
had enough of NPR talk-radio, so I turned on a classic rock station
while I worked. Before long, I was dancing and singing along. If you
are having a bad day, and you want to feel better, put on some
jumping music and get going.
Shamanic societies don't
have access to antidepressants for the most part. They rely upon Mother Nature's mood elevators—dancing, singing, story telling
and time spent alone in nature. Sometimes, however, we need to be
sad—there are plenty of times in any life when depression is the normal response to events. We lose people; we lose relationships,
jobs, and ways of life. I've been watching the horrific conditions in
Southern California—first the massive wildfires, and now, mudslides
that have buried homes and humans. How could one possibly
respond to such loss any other way than with shock and grief?
Sadness, however, should give way to courage and determination, and
when it doesn't, we need professional help.
This time of year, when
daylight is short-lived, and the weather is often dreary, lots of
people experience low mood. Increasing exposure to sunlight helps,
using full-spectrum light bulbs helps, but mostly we have to help
ourselves until the days lengthen and the light returns. Appreciating
the fact that the winter season is supposed to be one for
introspection, we can give ourselves permission to be a little
quieter than normal, to go into that sweet silence and find comfort.
Not everything is neurotic, after all.
If you are entertaining
the “winter blahs” don't feel alone—we citizens of the Northern
Hemisphere are right there with you. Let's give our spirits a boost
by dancing, singing, and telling stories; but also, by embracing
silence when it finds us. There's a reason for winter. It's the time
when our souls find rest.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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