Photo by Stephen Fearnley This months Composer’ Choice is all about Rainmaking. In a nut shell it’s an invocation, a prayer, whatever you want to call a deep emphatic longing for the rain to come. Poor old ground is sad and dry here and every time the clouds gather they swoosh off. Wikipedia calls rainmaking a “weather modification ritual that attempts to invoke the rain”. Of course, most of us can think of American Indian rain dances and there are numerous accounts of their efficacy going way past an “attempt”. Rainmaking is a universal phenomena found in all human cultures. There is a great story passed on via Larry Dossey [1] from Willigis Jäger, the German Benedictine monk and Zen master, about a drought-stricken village in rural China: The village had no rain for a long time. All the prayers and processions had been in vain; the skies remained shut tight. In the hour of its greatest need, the village turned to the great rainmaker. He came and asked for a hut on the edge of the village and for a five-day supply of bread and water. Then he sent the people off to their daily work. On the fourth day itRain Song by Stephen Fearnley
Rose Light, Hot Chips and Veuve Clicquot – by Stephen Fearnley
A few weeks ago my family gathered to deliver my father’s ashes into the ocean. Dad was a watercolourist and his mastery was particularly expressed in either early morning or late afternoon wet-sand beachscapes. So to honour the occasion we sent him off at his favourite beach- Mudjimba on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. We chose the outgoing tide just before sunset: wet sand and pink light infusing everything. Dad called this time of the evening “galah-galah” time, after the bright pink feathers of the Australian rose-breasted cockatoo. Because we were at the beach we just had to have a big bag of hot steaming chips – and to top it off- I suppose to ‘ground’ the whole affair with our typical irreverent Irish-Australian sense of humor- we popped a bottle of Veuve Clicquot to wash down the chips. Sorry to the French. My mother, at first a little tentative, became ebullient as we grabbed handfuls of ash, laughing as we avoided being caught by the waves. There were some onlookers who could clearly see what we were doing. Some were smiling in simpatico but some had little scowls of disapproval. To them we must have been doing the ashes thing withRose Light, Hot Chips and Veuve Clicquot – by Stephen Fearnley
Forest Walk – by Stephen Fearnley
It’s been 18 years since I left Sydney to live on a mountain, set up a studio with my partner and raise a baby girl. We had no idea how we were going to make it all financially work-out, splitting away from the city to a rural area with low employment but somehow everything always just fell into place. At the time some of our friends said don’t sell your house and leave Sydney , you will never be able to get back into the market ! Of course on the inside Celeste and I said Yay ! Who’d ever want to return ? For us it was a no-brainer. Trade-in a small old semi-house for a mountain top vista ? About half of my place is covered with original rain forest. Its rare and untouched. Normally one associates rain forest with hot climates but this is cool and temperate, full of tree ferns and lichen and chocolate coloured wallabies and wombats. Wisely this rainforest, to protect itself, creates boundaries of harsh prickly plants and stinging nettles to stop intruders. We have also ensured with a lot of fencing that cows and other heavy hooves cant get in – encouragingForest Walk – by Stephen Fearnley
The 9 Muses – by Stephen Fearnley
This month composer’s choice is dedicated to Lorrie Kazan – because she is a muse …or maybe all 9 of them rolled into one body ! Its a pretty big call I know but having collaborated with Lorrie during last month’s One Mind Live Guest Guide, I found myself being very deeply moved by her insights and meditations. At home I have a small ceramic shrine that my daughter Jasper made specifically to the nine ancient greek muses when she was a teenager. It’s where I burn incense and light candles and make little prayers. It will be no surprise to One Mind Live members that I think the 9 muses are there to be accessed – from a deep archetypal place, rich in culture, grace and most definately an interface between this world and the world that we are shaping from our futures. The muses are within us all to ask for help and guidance. The 9 muses are: Clio is the “Proclaimer ”- Muse of history (often holding a scroll). Euterpe the “Well Pleasing ” Muse of music or flutes (often playing flutes). Thalia the “Blooming ” or “Luxuriant ” – Muse of comedy (often holding a comic mask). MelpomeneThe 9 Muses – by Stephen Fearnley