Decay - a playlist Challenge
It’s the season for rest - the earth let’s go of it’s pushing growth, everything slows down, the striving of existence ceases.
It’s no coincidence that the “heroes journey” as outlined by Joseph Campbell, the tarot major arcana, and the seasons experienced by much of our planet all mirror each other - we are earthlings in a deeper level than we sometimes comprehend. Our lives mirror hers the way a leaf mirrors the tree.
Like her, throughout our lives there are many seasons of ending, many qualities, dreams, personas that must be ultimately released and composted so that they can decay into new potential.
In honor of the rich scent of the pine needles crushed beneath my feet in the woods, the crackling of heart fires, and the ending of 2019 I am issuing a challenge - to create a meditative playlist of your own that embraces the release of “Decay”
What are you letting go of? How have you changed in the last year? What ghosts are you ready to put back to rest after Halloween?
Music is great for reaching for our feelings, but it is also sooooo good at releasing what is here. Feeling through and into the dark while still staying tethered to shared humanity.
When I create a playlist, I often start with a scene that I imagine that communicates the quality I am interested in exploring. I try and note how it would feel to be in that scene. What would I smell, taste, feel, and most importantly what qualities of sound do I associate with those sensations.
While I think we’ve been taught to fear decay, and it might initially bring up terrifying images of corpses and bones, try and reframe that energy into something you are at peace with - the decay of the day into a sunset., music fading into prolonged silence, the rich dark forest floor where all is returned to it’s most elemental form.
For all things, qualities, habits, personas, there are endings. When we allow ourselves to let go and not try and perpetuate what was never intended to be permanent, we create new potential to grow.
When you’ve gathered your songs in whatever format you prefer (youtube, soundcloud, spotify) , post a link on your social media of choice and tag me (@FeralasFolk on Instagram, @TheFeralFolk on Twitter, and @TheFeralFolkMusic on Facebook) with the caption/hashtag #DecayPlaylistChallenge and I’ll share a database of everyone’s creations here on the blog at the end of the month.
XOXO
Allie LaRoe