There is a serious vitamin deficiency going around in our parts of the world. It is seriously affecting both our health and the way we relate to others. It’s even undermining our ability to work on important issues like world peace and climate change. Fortunately, it is easy to cure.

The Diagnosis

First of all the diagnosis! This Vitamin “M” deficiency is caused by a severe lack of Making Music and Moving. In our language we have to use three words to describe it -whereas any native culture would simply use one word meaning dance.

This is an epidemic that has crept up on us slowly. Even in white man’s culture, a mere 60 years ago, people made music all by themselves, and occasionally moved to it! All civilizations, up until us, have danced together in circles. All native cultures did it!

It’s dancing in circles. It’s participating in both the music and the movement to become the musical instrument of a community itself.

Why Making Music and Moving

When we hold hands with other people in a circle we have immediately joined an organism that is larger than us. It’s the organism of a community. The “USness” of individuals together instantly creates something that is both dependent on each person in the circle and bigger than the sum of everyone together.

Partly it’s because of the hearts and minds of everyone in the circle joining together. We so rarely touch, or look each other in the face. We so rarely interact in a way that is devoid of the concepts and ideas of conversation. We so rarely see each other in a beautiful musical state. The circle brings out the magic of our hearts very simply this way.

Partly it’s the sheer physics of a circle. When you are in the circle, and the circle starts walking to the right – you gotta go right… well… eventually! Even for those of us who are awkward and shy, the momentum of the circle in movement brings us into a rhythm and harmony.

Everything about the circle dancing just works.

Anti-Consumerism

Music in our world has become something we merely consume. We buy it, we listen to it, we watch it… but we are brainwashed into thinking we can’t “Make” it!

Just think back to the reality of native cultures. (As much as we can imagine about it at least.) In a native culture it would have been absolutely impossible for any member to ever say, “I can’t sing.” Because it would have been impossible for anyone to even think such a crazy thing! Such an idea would never occur. When it was time to sing, everyone would sing!

But today I hear this all the time from people. “I can’t sing.”

What do you mean? Of course you can sing! (Unless you can’t even speak of course… but then they couldn’t have told me that they can’t sing, because that is speaking… but I digress.)

If sounds can come out of your mouth you can sing! It may sound horrible. Especially at first it may sound horrible. But sing it is. And sing you can do.

Miracle of the Circle

So back again to the miracle of the circle, music and movement. Maybe you don’t sound all that great. Maybe you’ll never sing a solo in Carnegie Hall. But all of us together sound great!

Singing like this opens the throat, assists us in taking in deep refreshing breaths. It helps us find our voice. The voice that we need to be powerful and beautiful so we can make our change in the world. Moving helps us in creating the momentum we need for our purpose. We create magic together.

It’s the magic of music and movement.

And come to think of it. Right there is another vitamin M we are missing – magic. We can create it together and heal parts of ourselves we didn’t even know was broken!

Just Play

Here’s a great message I just discovered from the NAMM Foundation.