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Grayhawk On the Mountain

Bolts of lightning ripped the darkness of the New Mexico night sky. The thunderbeings blasted their chorus from West to East. I was shivering. Not just from the bone-chilling cold or the relentless down pour, but from fear. Fear that I might be struck dead on this high mountain top over looking the Taos Pueblo. I realized that to return to the base camp,in total darkness was too treacherous. I was in grave danger.

I cursed the moment, days earlier, when I had decided to scale this sacred slope to build a Medicine Wheel and "cry for a vision". Well cry I did,as I lay in a fetal pose under a flimsy rain poncho. I invoked the frogclan and asked them to send the thunderbeings on their way and to spare me the discomfort of being totally barbequed.

In these moments, I realized my oneness with Earth Mother and all of her children. I felt as if my flesh and marrow were with in the solidity of Brother Mountain and the ethereal traces of my being reached beyond the sky, throughout the cosmos. I surrendered to Spirit and awaited my fate.

After a while, a warmth and comfort enveloped me. I knew I was not alone and I was protected. There was still much life ahead for me.

The rays of Father Sun streamed across the vista. The storm had passed and a new day was unfolding. I sat facing the East as a misty apparition drifted in among the tree branches silhouetting the sunrise.

Our exchange lasted for several hours. She appeared as an Eagle woman and was talkative that chilly morning. Her manner was gentle as she addressed each issue that concerned my life. She suggested I create an album of music that would not only entertain and amuse but contribute to the self healing process of all who listened. I liked the idea of taking my composing in a whole new direction This sounded like a project that could tap and express my deepest emotions and energy.

I shared with her the fact that I would need considerable resources for this undertaking. She told me not to worry; to simply ask for what Irequired in the sweatlodge and my other power circles and the tools would be provided. She called me Grayhawk. And so I knew my Shaman Journey had already begun.

I disassembled the Medicine Wheel and headed back to the base camp. I met my medicine guides, Jade Wind Woman and Raven's Forest, part way down and we completed the ritual. Later that evening, I found myself sitting next to a warm fire, breaking my fast with some delicious Grandfather's stew. I gazed into the bright glow of the fireplace and my mind traveled back to an earlier time:

The smell of burning sage permeated the air and the energetic drumming was mesmerizing. I was celebrating the Dance of the Eagle and the Quetzalcoatl with the community at Harbin Hot Springs during Harmonic Convergence when I met a warm and beautiful Shamaness. Her name was Akara and in the coming weeks she shared with me her special knowledge of medicine ways and introduced me to the enchanting music of Paul Horn.

There was a duality present of bereavement and joy as the Harbin community reflected upon the passing of its spiritual leader, Grandpa Roberts and his message of Unconditional Love.

I pulled my consciousness back from the past and once again peered into the flames, this time, drifting into the realm of what was eventually to be:

Paul Horn was standing like a pillar of light, center stage at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. I had assembled an orchestra consisting of some very fine musicians and we were premiering Shaman Journey as the featured performance of the World New Age Music Festival. It felt like a tribal campfire of global proportion. The concert was a great challenge and we were pleased to perform on the same bill with such talent as Steven Halpern, Tim Wheater, Jef Workman, Tajalli, Steve Kindler and Jai Uttal.Weeks earlier, Paul had traveled down from Canada to add his magical flute to the recording and my dream took on a whole new dimension.

My journey continues now as I find myself creating new music amidst the peaceful, inspiring waters, land and community of Harbin where my vision has its roots.

I began to compose Shaman Journey,i n April of 1989. Although I had the luxury of previewing my work through the technology of digital sequencing, I still notated most of the music in a traditional manner. It sometimes felt like a painter dabbing a canvas. I had in my mind's ear, a vast palette of orchestral and electric timbres. Later, I would enjoy the tremendous thrill of conducting the music with alive orchestra.

The first piece, Tropical Waterfall (Cascada De Quimixto), drew on a recentexcursion in which I had ascended up a jungle mountain path on horseback to a secluded waterfall south of Mismaloya. I had conversations with Grand father Tacho who told me that, for eons, the indigenous people of Quimixto had buried their ancestors in the surrounding jungle. He said,that if you listened, you could hear them whispering through the veils of twilight.

Graceful Antelope is a portrait of a very dear and mystical friend. If ever there were past lives, then I've known this complex soul in several of them. Much of the piece reflects a subtle but ancient exchange we shared while hiking through the power spots on the Harbin land. My love to you, Graceful Antelope.

Equinox of Love honors the relationship between our personal cycles and the natural cycles of this planet. It reminds me of the blissful joywe experience at the beginning of a new relationship and the heartache of separation as the dance of romance sweeps us along.

Half Moon Serenade is neo-Renaissance with a taste of middle-eastern percussion seducing our romantic child-within. To me, it evokes specific images of a sixteenth century minstrel in Venice courting an elegant lady with his lute from below an ornate balcony.

I most frequently encounter Sirona Spirit Guide in dreams. She is anethereal Goddess who emanates from pre-Celtic Ireland and reveals herself to me as a magical catalyst for expression, communication, healing and transformation.

My musical vision next led me to the mystical island of Maui and up theroad to Hana where I connected with Lokelanikelaukailipaka. She was aninteresting woman who came from a Native Hawaiian and Sioux tribe background. Her name means, "the rose of heaven brought upon by the entwining winds". We discussed the mythology, ceremonies and shamanic practices of various indigenous peoples as well as her experience with Kahuna magic and its effect on the global new age movement. We lamented the tragedy of the brutal and senseless destruction of forests worldwide. Malama wao nakele! (Protect the rainforests!)

She expressed a concern over the local utility company's drilling (houpuka) on sacred land. Despite the protest of thousands, the company continued with their desecration. Within their many Kahuna circles, the Hawaiians invoked Grandmother (A Tutu) Pele for help. Soon a timely eruption occurred, sending lava flows cascading down, filling all of the holes that had been drilled, climaxing what had already proven to be a fruitless endeavor!

Thus a collaboration with Lokelanikelaukailipaka began. We worked together for several months, mostly by telephone, to create the text for A Tutu Pele Goddess. At last I was working with the Polynesian rhythms that had enthralled me for so long.

On the evening I began composing Pele in my Southern California studio, there was a moderate earthquake. Much to my interest, I heard on the 11 O'clock news that there had been a quake in Hawaii at the same moment as the one in Los Angeles. Often, during the writing and recording of this piece, we experienced sudden rises in temperature in the studio. I felt aspecial connection to these playful Hawaiian deities as we sensed each others presence during the course of our voyage together.

Shaman Journey was designed as a possible tool for trance and journeying. It is largely an artistic rendering of sounds, images and events which Ihave encountered in the course of my own shamanistic travels and those which Graceful Antelope shared with me during production. As the piece emerged it took the bit in its own mouth and continually demonstrated a power of its own unfolding the primordial secrets of drumming. We usually would work on the title cut last as there was some difficulty with musicians and engineers "trancing out" as we were recording.

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