Kari's Lesson: Breath of Song
This is the lesson that Kari gave me, when he came to me. He'd come to me before, when I was a troubled teenager who needed help, but I didn't know who he was. This time, I knew him, and he told me that his lesson was about pushing life force, chi, with the voice. I told him that I already knew how to do that. He said, "Of course you do. I taught you."
Kari's Lesson:
I am the Breath of Song. Breathe in, into your belly. Not just your lungs - fill it all the way down. Release it silently, then breathe it in again. Again. Again. Feel the energy build up in the back of your head. Now open your throat and sing it out, long and clear, pushing that energy forward through the front of your skull, out your mouth. No words; that will come later, in the shaping, with East Wind. First, you sing.
Don't worry about how sweet you sound - sweetness is not necessary. Have you heard the voices of some of the old shamans? Even withered and creaking, they have power. They have learned the way of Song, and once you have learned it, nothing short of muteness shall take it from you. My song is powerful whether I have the sweet voice of springtime, or the rough voice of winter. It is strength and power, not sweetness - that's the West Wind's game.
Sing each note - not in any order, but only to find the feeling of each one. Each note has its own peculiar magic; sing it and find its secrets. You could sing one note a month for the rest of your life, and do nothing but explore each of them, if you chose. But some notes are more powerful than others, due to the quality of their vibration, and that is why more songs are sung on those notes. When you know which note is right for which thing, you will know where to pitch each song. How to find the right note? Run up and down till you find it, of course.
I am the Breath of Cold, and I purify not by burning or raising energy - that's the South Wind's game - but by freezing, cleaning out clear and cold. I am the one who cools the hotter heads, and you can do that, too, with Song. You can slow them down, make them think, make them listen and consider. You can slow down in yourself what needs slowing...what is being burned up too quick, what needs conserving? I'm the one who can break a fever with breath and singing. I can kill panic in its steps, I can slow anxiety to a trickle. This is the trick, then: Right breathing, right note, right focus of the power in the back of your head. Simple, eh?