Because its such an important concept in religious and spiritual circles, you would think it would be a regular subject for a clergy person to explore. But I hadnt thought about soul for a long time. Then we attended the Woodbine concert on Friday evening.
I had never heard of Heather Headley. We had been going to the Woodbine concerts long enough to know we were always in for a treat, so we had purchased tickets when they first came available. Besides, where else could you get a wonderful evening of music at the same time you were supporting student scholarships? We considered the cost a contribution, and hoped for a stimulating evening.
Little did I know it would be one of those profound musical experiences of a lifetime. Heather didnt really need a back-up choir (although the pieces she did with the college choir were excellent). She didnt really need a microphone either. Performing one of her numbers without the mic and no piano accompaniment, the sound reverberated throughout the auditorium, and through my body.
I tried to understand where that sound came from. Id taken voice lessons in college. I knew something about breathing through the diaphragm. It increases the lung capacity and reduces stress in the body. We were too far away for me to understand where her voice was anchored, but it seemed to be coming out of the ground. And she could hold a note longer than I could imagine. I was mesmerized. So much power!
Also, she made me cry. It was totally unconscious. All at once, as she would be singing, I became aware of a tear rolling down my cheek. So I would wipe it away, before anyone around me saw it. Later, during another deeply expressed musical number, I would become aware of another wet spot on my cheek. It happened three or four times during the performance. I could only attribute it to Soul Work. Mind and body stood aside to let the souls connect.
Heather has stage presence and is an accomplished speaker as well, as she shared experiences of family and scattered good humor throughout the evening. But the critical element in the evening was the resurrection for me of the concept of Soul.
Our lives are penetrated daily by Ego, the opposite of Soul. Ego is debilitating. It drains us. Ego is all about reactively speaking over people, judging, hiding, pretending, lying, using excuses, trying to fit in, telling people how to live, playing a victim, avoiding, or selfishly needing to be right.(Google definition)
I need a Heather Headley daily in my life, or someone of similar power and presence, in order to counter with some soul the daily beast of ego always in the news. The absolute worst example came this past week when our president addressed the United Nations. His remarks were the definition of ego. Take all of those defining characteristics above and add a few more and you have an excellent summary of that speech. Ive never been more embarrassed for our country in my life. I can only imagine what those from other countries thought as they suffered through his boasting and criticizing others. Even the escalator and teleprompter damaged his fragile ego, to the point where he launched an investigation to determine if it was planned.
Soul is available to all. Its a gift at birth. Mothers are aware of that in birthing. But soul has to be recognized and cultivated. Especially in our culture, it can get lost in ego.
In June 2012, Heather sang Reach Out and Touch at the Kennedy Center, with audience members including presidents Clinton, Carter, George H.W. and George W. Bush and their wives. It was an evening for the Points of Lights Institute, honoring service and volunteerism. You can tell from video of the event that all were affected by her personality and power, especially Barbara Bush.
Would that we could have a similar concert today, with the Clintons, Bushes, Obamas, Bidens and Trumps. Include V.P. Vance and wife to keep the parties even. The concert would be held to gather the country together in the spirit of reaching out, as if we were all neighbors, even brothers and sisters, with a common home and common forebears. Then let Heather sing Reach Out and Touch to begin the program, and then again, to conclude the evening. Could the audience feel the soul in the music? Could they reach out and touch the soul in each other?
These days, the soul of our country is at stake.
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