on Rising

What I wrote about this song at the time:
“This take is completely improvisational. There were a few others that day, but this was my favorite improv of the day. Improvisation is imperative to my process. I try and, you know, just trust my body to make emotionally truthful sounds, including stream of conscious verbiage”

What it means to me now:
I have nothing to add about the song. It speaks for itself—a rare assertion for me to make, heh, heh. I believe I do not follow my own advice of using improvisation as a practice my which to live. Too much time do I spend aiming, waiting, planning. These days I try to be a woman of action—for it is through doing, not thinking, that we learn. (See how I am trying to talk myself into living this belief of mine!) Learning happens in a second—and once you actually know a thing, you don't spend any time thinking about it anymore—you simply move forward a changed person, reacting with that knowledge as part of your present self. I've got a pretty analytical mind—it is all I can do sometimes to stop imagining—an idea that sounds scary to some folks. But what good is imagination not acted upon? I think it's useless.

At the time of this writing I have been traveling for about five weeks down the west coast, currently staying with my brother and his family in Tucson. Every town and city and road I've been on during this journey I have seen a hawk flying around me.

The hawk brings the message to listen, observe, learn, and act. Hawk brings the message of discernment—to cut out all that is unnecessary—all thoughts and actions that do not directly pertain to the betterment of self and the universe must be released. The hawk tells us to be present in the moment so that we may better learn from it—Hawk is zen as f*ck! The hawk is the symbol for those with far vision and gives us the strength to develop our minds beyond analyzing the detail of everyday, but to let that power of imagination fly far and deep—in service to the big picture—in service to right action and service to truth—a call to push beyond ego and assumption—a burgeoning of letting go of searching so that one can become an animal who finds, a tool for the universe to accomplish that which others cannot imagine, one who strikes, one who acts, one who lives out more purely their own path and truth and in a process reliant on listening, not judging, a process of acting, not waiting. Come challenges, come fear, the hawk rises above and rides it out—vision encompassing a larger picture the higher Hawk flies—and not giving energy to the minutiae which fill most neurosis. Look past the end of one's nose—look past the inventions of one's own mind—move about and effect the world while at the same time noticing how the world behaves—make no emotional assumptions—then will you be more free and accomplish more and be more peaceful and more happy. Just the medicine I'm looking for! :) Thanks Hawk.

xoxox,
kk