Sacred Emerging

To sing with Carolyn McDade is a holy experience.

She flew from Cape Cod to California for the tenth year to lead a group of thirty-five women in a sacred time of touching the Divine within us and within all creation.

Dawn Waring, in plaid holding the cake above, has led the planning of this event since 2000, when she was living in the Los Angeles area (she and Nancy Steeves now fly in from Alberta).

We sang Carolyn's most well-known songs such as "This Ancient Love," "Come Drink Deep," "Shadow of Your Wing," "Spirit of Life," and "Sister, Carry On."

There were new treasures too, including one song written as a prayer for change approaching the election year 2008, "O Say, Can You See?"

O say, can you see

By dawn's early light?

What can you see?

O say! (repeat various ways)

Poems by Mary Oliver and William Stafford were central to this year's singing, including four practices/prayersongs built by Carolyn from Stafford's poem, "You Reading This: Stop."

Another new treat were six feminist Tai Chi movements, taught by Chris Berardo, who learned them from the Korean theologian Chung, formerly known as Chung Hyun Kyung.

These movements were "Fly like geese," "Pick up the moon," "Dragon rising from the sea," and others.

We were hosted by a United Church of Christ in Simi Valley.

The older women present were in their eighties; Paige Polcene brought her daughter Claire Markin, and Gay Arst came with her granddaughter, Mieko Farley. (Mieko is shown with Rae Wilken above).

Three women brought delicious soups, and Claire Hoffman baked wonderful desserts. Joyce Holmen and Joanie McClellan are the annual local organizers.

Carolyn's music is available from surtsey@gis.net.