Nurturing Our Soul

They're Playing Your Song

A colleague of mine recently shared with me a little known fact about a ritual practiced by a certain African tribe.

When a woman in this African tribe knows she is pregnant, she goes out into the wilderness with a few friends and together they pray and meditate until they hear the song of the child. They recognize that every soul has its own vibration that expresses its unique flavor and purpose. When the women attune to the song, they sing it out loud. Then they return to the tribe and teach it to everyone else.

When the baby is born, the community gathers and sings the child's song to him or her. Later, when the child enters education, the village gathers and chants the child's song. When the child passes through the initiation to adulthood, the people again come together and sing. At the time of marriage, the person hears his or her song.

Finally, when the soul is about to pass from this world, the family and friends gather at the person's bed, just as they did at their birth, and they sing the person to the next life.

In the African tribe there is one other occasion upon which the villagers sing to the child. If at any time during his or her life, the person commits a crime or aberrant social act, the individual is called to the center of the village and the people in the community form a circle around them. Then they sing their song to them.

The tribe recognizes that the correction for antisocial behavior is not punishment; it is love and the remembrance of identity.

I believe that before we are born God gathers the angelic choir and creates for each of us a song. That song is given to us upon our birth and identifies our uniqueness. It is the essence of who we are — that which makes us special and sets us apart from all others.

Those closest to you know your song and sing it to you when you have forgotten it. Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.

The key is to recognize your song and give it a voice. When you don't you will feel lost, alone, and confused. If you express it, you will come to life.

You may not have grown up in an African tribe that sings your song to you at crucial life transitions, but you have a song that is unique and special. The world desires to hear your song. Your singing may feel a little shaky at the moment, but even the greatest singers have also felt shaky at times. Just keep singing your song and you'll find your way home.

By Alan Cohen