about « Singing Alive :: A Celebration of Ceremonial Song and Dance.

WELCOME TO SINGING ALIVE!

What is Singing Alive??
Going into its 6th year, Singing Alive is a gathering of the SongTribes, birthed in the bosom of the Pacific NW (Cascadia) eco-festivals. It is about bringing people together who feel called to awaken, and nuture their spiritual life thru communion with songs (and prayers, chants, blessings, and so om) of celebration of life in this benevolent universe.

Such songs clarify our lives, strengthen our communities, and foster personal and planetary renewal. At Singing Alive we gather to share them, and ourselves, in a safe, welcoming environment. Our goal is to open hearts, and the songs are the keys. These songs are multi-cultural, coming to us from many eras and lands far and near.

Together they tell a perennial story, a Gaian dharma, so often forgotten, yet so joyfully remembered, of the Great work of spiritual evolution, of earth-conscious living and peaceful co-existence. By singing this story we come home to Ourselves and perform the Dream of re-Creation we have so longed to live.

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Singing Alive exists to encourage the remembrance of this deep desire to sing from the heart. It provides resources in the form of, 1) songs, 2) the community to sing them, and 3) support for those of us who want to live the teachings, the sadhana, of the songs. We therefore invite all who wish to activate and nurture their spiritual life in this way. We call all who long to gather in devotion to personal and planetary regeneration.

Singing Alive offers itself as a ceremonial space in the vibrant magic of river meadows in the NW coastal rainforest, a chrysalis in which participants can rebirth, grow, enliven, and enlighten themselves in attunement with the Garden of the Divine family of Creation. The old paradigms of domination, exploitation, and war are fitfully, yet inexorably, crumbling, and a new genre of songs have (re)emerged that reflect and celebrate the new paradigm of love, light, and the pursuit of blissful service to the world. By engaging our hearts in song, we help actualize this paradigm in ourselves and the collective. This is subtle activism, nourishment for a spiritually hungry world.

We are open to receive those who can share songs of this genre, which work in the format of communal singing. This is not an entertainer / audience gathering, there are no stages, amplification, paid musicians, nor vendors; rather it is a participatory event, a co-prayformance, where we all sing together, and work together to make this happen. Those who don’t think they can sing are encouraged to come and claim the birthright of a singing species! Remember the wise African proverb, ‘If you can walk, then you can dance, if you can talk, then you can sing’!

‘What is the key to untie the knot of the mind’s suffering? Benevolent thought, sound, and movement.’ – from The Gift, by 14th-century Sufi poet Hafiz

A Teaching and Sharing Gathering
Song-Circles of all sizes,
Dances of Universal Peace,
Voice & Breathwork,
Midwiving New Languages & Reclaiming the Ancient Ones,
Bardic Legacies and Storytelling,
Creating & Sharing Songbooks & Songbook Art

Traditions (Song Tribes)
Rainbow, African, Shamanic, Daime, Orisha, Osho, Cascadia, Native American, Amma, Sufi, Gospel, Kirtan, and omward . . .

Themes and Invocations
Peace within, Peace without, God/Goddess Exaltations, Sacred Elements, Fairies & Devas, Blessings, Gratitude, Letting go, Grief & Praise, Planetary Acupuncture, Human Flowering, Children Circles, Harmonic Toning, and song on . .

We aim to keep the event affordable and accessible to all who wish to attend. As in Cheap! To this end, we ask everybody to volunteer their time and talents. Everyone is asked to bring food to contribute to the community kitchen. Everyone is requested to help cook, clean, and do the necessary tasks to keep our village running smoothly.

ORIGINS ~
The idea for this gathering was conceived on July 16, 2005 by Michael Pilarski (Skeeter) , & Morgan Brent (MT Xen).
Skeeter is an wildcrafter and large-scale gardener, permaculturalist, educator, and the founder of many gatherings, including the Okanagon Barter Faire, the Northwest Herbal Faire, and the Human & Fairy Relations Congress. For more info, go to Friends of the Trees Society
MT is an educator, event organizer, and song enthusiast, who specializes in the prescriptive teachings of medicinal plants, aka Nature’s plan to save the humans. In service to this guidance, he writes articles and essays, gives talks and discussion forums, births and gives haven to songs, and makes medicines of all kinds, among them events both large (Singing Alive gatherings), and small (Creation-song circles)

~ For a sampling of Singing Alive / Cantando La Vida Songs, go here. ~