Interview:

NATIVE AMERICAN FLUTE: THE WOUNDED MUSICIAN AND THE RIVER OF GRACE

Having a lifetime of experience as a musician, I extend to you an upcoming series of articles on the power of music and the Native American Flute. I will describe the short version of my musical path toward healing. First let me ask: What has heart and meaning for you? What touches you most deeply? For many of us, music might have something to do with that. Music is one of the ways in which we say: “I am alive, and my life has meaning” – Karl Paulnack. Music is in us and waiting to be expressed. Every cell vibrates, grows, and evolves with sound. The rhythms of our heart, our breath, and entire being is harmonized through the power of music. It is one of the purest expressions of Spirit into Form.

The musician is more of a therapist of the soul than an entertainer. Music is more than just a product or thing to be bought and sold like a used car. It is a rescue mission of mercy to bring our insides back into harmony. Music expresses our deepest feelings. It lifts us up and out of our pain and into the river of grace. It is the companion of bliss and grief. In the darkest hours of our human history the most moving and profound music has arisen. One of the first organized events after 9/11 in New York City was the Brahms Requiem at the Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic. “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music” – Aldous Huxley. However, many of us have some musical wounds. I hit a wall on my musical journey in 1980. I was a career musician for many years. Playing the same songs and musical style every night no longer inspired me. I felt a need for a new form of expression and I didn’t know what creative direction to take. Then came nodules on my vocal chords which put an abrupt end to my singing career. This loss initiated a nine year path of becoming a Holistic Health Practitioner and Teacher. While studying the healing modalities of indigenous peoples I discovered the Native American Flute, drums, and rattles. This was the new form of musical expression I was looking for nine years earlier! I recovered my musical inspiration through these primal, ancient instruments.

I’ve met many people who have some musical bumps and bruises. For instance: some of you will recall those traumatic, forced music lessons. Or maybe you played an instrument and were told you weren’t “talented”. So you gave up, never to try again. Does your inner critic beat you down, comparing yourself with the “pros”? Well, the good news is that we are the vessel and conduit that contains the Music of Life itself! Remember, we are the Music. So, how do we heal the split from our Musical Essence? I have known so many people reconnect and find their inspiration through the Native American Flute. In a complex world, its simplicity, ease of playing, and heartfelt tones heals us. It calls us back to our nature and to Mother Nature. Through the sacred and intimate act of breath and emotion, we express ourselves in waves of vibrant creation. “I am a Flute that Spirit’s breath moves through… listen to this Music” – Hafiz. More important than how “good” you are is to ENJOY the act of playing. Through play, we open the doorway to our own creativity and spirit.

“Music is in us and waiting to be expressed. Every cell vibrates, grows, and evolves with sound. The rhythms of our heart, our breath, and entire being is harmonized through the power of music.”
– Stephen DeRuby, composer and flautist