During our initial opening Stopping the Clock ritual session on 20 June 2020 we feed our souls with music. In addition to “Good Mourning,” which Taylor composed and performed specifically for Stopping the Clock For Those Now Gone, Adrian offered us two songs during the ritual – “I Am King” by Ray Hodge and “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke.
” I Am King” has become the “sorrow” song that allows us to release while simultaneously reminding us of our heritage of resilience and resistance when we make our Diasporic Soul pilgrimages to Goree Island, a sacred place where we recognize our collective grief and inter-generational wounds and trauma.
And, of course “A Change is Gonna Come” is a classic that for most requires no introduction. It is truly a track that epitomizes SOUL because as a song it says so much about who we are as as a people. And, in the case of this week’s session, Cooke’s classic reminds us to remain hopeful and “Optimistic” and that we are going to be “Fine Again.”
Taylor’s moving composition and Adrian’s melodic voice are included in our ritual experience because music reflects the CREATIVE element of SOUL. And, offers us the chance to express ourselves emotionally. An opportunity to stop and feel exactly what it is that we feel. Our first weekly session focuses on the way that #MUSICHEALS. The way that music is a resource for us as we work to recognize and hold our grief sacred. It serves as an outlet for our feelings and emotions. It allows us to be reflective and introspective about the impact of loss and grief on our lives, individually and collectively, currently and historically. Music can used to renew and restore us. We can use music to celebrate those who we have lost. And, to feed our souls and foster our collective capacity for healing and restoration, resilience and resistance.
This week we encourage you to tap into the power of music as you navigate loss and grief while simultaneously celebrating all that we are, all of our SOUL.
Thank you for joining us; here is this week’s session.