4.16.22
Again, this reflection has come right on time despite it being “late.”
Before I begin, I’d like to formally introduce you to my bandmates.
On the left is Elijah. Last summer in June, he reached out to me via Instagram inviting me to attend a songwriting retreat he hosts called “TERRA.” It sounded interesting so I decided to meet up with him for coffee to talk about it. It was such a wonderful conversation, we decided to get coffee every Thursday after that. And thus, our brotherhood was born. We went from meeting at coffeeshops to having breakfast together at his house with his 6-month old. And in October of last year, I went on my first retreat.
This is where Autumn and I met and formed our sisterhood. After all three of us bonded on this sacred retreat in the mountains of Pennsylvania, I felt called to ask them if they wanted to make music with me. And immediately, our family was born.
This week on Monday we began working on Chapter Two of Poems from Willow Creek. I told them I had an idea going for one of the songs called “First Look Inside” and that if they were okay with it, I’d love to work on it today. The audio clip is a voice memo of the three of us running through it at the end of our writing session. I could not be more thankful for them. They are the candles beside me, lighting the path we walk together.
This song is about looking deep within your soul to find the truth. I find it remarkably fitting that we decided to work on this particular song this week because two days ago I had a massive opportunity to look deep within.
After 5 years of research, meditation, preparation, and patience… I finally experienced my first guided psilocybin journey. While I type this out, my eyes are welling up with tears in humble gratitude for all that I learned in this experience. I will never be the same.
And while I would love to share everything I learned in this reflection, it is simply too much to type. However, I am an open book and will share everything with anyone who would like to know more—feel free to message me if you’re curious.
For now, I will end this reflection with one of many profound moments in this journey.
One of my intentions going into this experience was to understand my connection Native American culture, particularly the Lakota Sioux and Mayan people. I wanted to know not only what this connection is… but what my purpose is surrounding it.
Later on in my journey, I was gifted this understanding. All at once, I heard the screaming and crying of every single Native American child, mother, father, sister, and brother… mourning the death of their loved ones. I became a lioness filled with rage, breathing steam out of my nostrils, ready to kill over what was done to these people… these children.
But in a moment’s notice, I was human again sitting with Black Elk, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse. I asked them “So what do we do now? This severe injustice has happened. What can we do now?” And they both (Black Elk and Sitting Bull) looked at me and said,
“Sing.”
My name is Owl Flying and I am here to listen and sing.
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