Shakti - a short summer tale

Time for balance... I recently spent some hours playing on my acoustic guitars some John Renbourn, Bert Jansch, Alex De Grassi, Robbie Basho, Dave Evans and Davey Graham's tunes, plus some of my own compositions and, to my surprise, I don't need any reproduced music from my audio systems, which remains in OFF-mode.

It's both a surprising and unsurprising feeling: the pleasure of fingers dancing on the fretboard, the easy complexness of harmonics, tones & overtones and decay of a nice Lowden or Harmony or Martin vintage acoustic guitar really gave to my always music-thirsty soul and ear a long-lasting... ambrosia, I would call it. 

So, a question: what's music if not a tangible nectar, an ambrosia so necessary to human life as much as air?

I'm writing about and referring to such a lapalissianism, because something else happened, folks...

Beside being an acoustic guitar player, I always loved voice - male and female - and singing, BUT, being someway shy, I felt confortable singing only with selected, close friends or alone, while rehearsing by my own, but... in front of a dozen people audience... pure, painful stagefright!

Few days ago I went to a spa, while my wife was having some shopping... we were having some days short vacation.

In the spa I already knew there is a room, carved in the rock with a super-heavy sliding door and a stone plate with a writing... "Room of Sound" - i.e. a large, high dome-shaped ceiling place with water pouring from a spring-like hole and some cool gently changing colours hidden lamps, a timeless place, silent and relaxing as it can be.

Being a scholar and amateur of harmonic singing in the David Hykes' tradition, to my surprise, shortly aftyer being in the above mentioned room, I began singing lower and lower looooong notes, modulating with my tongue higher pitched note pairing with the main lower note.

I was wearing a swimming suit and I wasn't using my old, trusty tibetan large bowl and wooden/leather mallet like I use to do, at home.

Nonetheless, the sensation of hic et nunc  - i.e. doing the right thing was, really was, so strong!

No wrist-watches or clocks around... I was chanting deep and deeper "oooooohhh", modulating with the room reverberation and interplaying.... with nothing in mind, but singing "ooooooooooooohhhh"...

... eyes remained closed for loooong time and breathing was such a joy...

When I opened my eyes, at some point... I found seated in the round stone room a couple... I invited with quick, light, whispered words to join-in and enjoy some unison singing...

The lady was more reactive and emphatic while her partner was shy, yet we enjoyed some interwoving loooong notes, all together.

... at a new eyes opening, I felt the bond among us was going over and they left the room while another couple entered and quietly seated in the room.

The lady was blonde, tall and wearing a swimming suit, as well... she seated and only some eyes greetings each other and I was again into my deep harmonic singing; her voice, following by own deeper, was coming to me from a distance... getting firmer and stronger as time passed by...

I never experienced nothing like that... when I  had  to open my eyes, I noticed she was seated like myself, crossed legs, elegant and straight like a (female) Buddha, eyes closed and singing with me, touching her head (third eye area?) and belly, alternatively.

I felt such a joy... cannot explain... I closed again my eyes and continued my chanting, deeply enjoying when I was aware of the lady voice coming and going, going and coming like a wave, a peaceful tide...

After an immesurable lapse of time, I noticed the "oooohhh" was suddently becoming an "ooooommm" and the room was so nicely supporting our voices...

The stone walls and ceiling were sustaining like an instrument sound-chamber and resonating and giving a looooong decay to the chanting and a vibe which was embedding my whole body. felt like a resonating essence.

The lady and myself continued to "oooommm" in decreasing intensity mode for such a looong time, folks.

When I opened again my eyes, the lady was soooo beautiful, full of light, I was in love, bodyless and deeply in love... only a whisper between me and her... a light "....mmmm..." going on.

... lighter and lighter... "...mmmm..."... an hinting.

Then I felt and heard the sparkling, light water sound, again...

Opened my eyes, the lady's companion was lazily laying nearby... he never interacted with her or myself, simply stayed with his closed eyes, listening... or simply sleeping.

The lady opened her eyes and blinked full of empathy and light to me... soooo deep her eyes and quiet... while water was sounding, gentle in the background.

I felt like a child... naked and quiet... sooo quiet and still, inside.

The lady slightly bowed with her joined hands on breast three times, which I replied in same way and she whispered a "thank you".

She and her companion left lightly like they came... I only touched her arm with my hand. 

Shortly after I also left the empty, stone round room of sound  I  enjoyed some relaxing warm, thermal water pool swimming... unstressed and peaceful... unable to think to the previous chanting experience and really not looking for my singing partner at all. 

I looked at the clock, instead... I realized I spent three hours in the Room of Sound...  an eyebrows blinking for yours truly.

Meeting again my wife, later in the afternoon, she asked if all was OK, as she found me so... so... different... I bet her: the shaman was in;-)

The day after I felt some pain at my plexus... like I got some heavy weights or played hardly at the gym...

When I guessed it possibly was the almost three hours long harmonic singing, the day before... I smiled, blissfully.

Such an holy aching... with a question: did I meet Shakti?