© Margaret M. de Lange
Once upon a time…
That’s how I like to end the creative project inspiration classes. I choose stories that can enrich the theoretical content and read them aloud, with intonation and pause, because ever since humans developed language, stories have served as tools to help us understand the world.
Stories use the language of symbols—the language of art, of the unconscious, and of creativity. Good stories are both useful and beautiful, and they are never explained, because they speak directly to the heart. They are a spiritual legacy that sets deep inner growth in motion.
The Song of Men
Written by Tolba Phanem, African poet
When a woman in certain African tribes knows she is pregnant, she goes into the forest with a few friends, and together they pray and meditate until they can hear the song of the child to be born.
They believe that each soul has its own vibration, expressing its unique flavor and purpose. When the women attune themselves to this melody, they begin to sing it—over and over again. Then they return to the tribe and teach the song to everyone.
When the child is born, the community gathers and sings the child’s song. Later, as the child begins their education, the village gathers again and sings the song. When the child passes through the rites of initiation into adulthood, and again at their wedding, they hear their song.
Finally, when the soul is about to leave this world, the family and community gather once more at the person’s bedside, and they sing the song one last time.
There is one other occasion when the tribe sings the child’s song. If at any point in their life the person commits a crime or an antisocial act, they are called to the center of the village, where, surrounded by the community in a large circle, they are reminded of their song.
The tribe understands that correction for antisocial behavior does not have to be punishment, but rather an act of love and a reminder of identity. When someone remembers their own song, they have no desire or need to hurt others.
A friend knows your song and sings it back to you when you have forgotten it.
Those who love you are not fooled by your mistakes, they remind you of your beauty when you feel ugly, your innocence when you feel guilty, and your purpose when you feel lost.
Life must always remind us whether we are in tune with our original song—or not.
