“From the withered tree, a flower blooms.” ~ Zen Proverb
singing the spirit
I was supposed to be in Oklahoma celebrating Angie Bliss Fanning’s birthday, but the weather and our better judgements changed my plans. To soothe my wounds, Stacy Yelton and I went to Shakertown for the day. It was the first opportunity I’ve had this year to continue my sacred space explorations. I’ve been eager to get back to it, but life, as they say, has been getting in the way. It was worth the wait.
Matthew
This young man named Matthew (I didn’t catch his last name) offered the music and spirituality program in the afternoon. Normally, this is held in the Meeting House where the larger evening services of the Shakers were held. The Meeting House was occupied by a chamber music event, so instead, Matthew sang for us in the Central House. It turns out that the Shakers held morning services in this room on the second floor, with a beautiful vaulted ceiling alive in sunshine and lined with Thomas Merton photographs which were incredibly inspiring, and I dare say, sacred. They set the stage for a moving scene as Matthew’s singing was mesmerizing from the first note. The room echoed angelic tones. It gave me chills, as if he was giving voice to God herself. The Shakers believed God was both male and female, and their lyrics often refer to God in the feminine.
full of spirit
If you’re not familiar with the Shakers, they were a small sect from England that came to America in 1770, before our independence. They established themselves in New York, near Albany, and worked their way to Kentucky in 1805 because of the Great Awakening taking place at Cane Ridge (you might remember that post). They often sang in tongues, and spoke in tongues when the spirit moved them. They also danced and convulsed when the spirit moved them, and this is how they came to be known as Shakers. All of this is very familiar to me being raised a Pentecostal. I’ve seen my grandmother moved by the spirit the same way. Several things differentiated the Shakers from all other denominations, however. They were celibate, not rare, except that their houses reflect the separation of the genders by having two entryways, two staircases, and so on. And like their belief that God was both male and female, they believed in gender and racial equality. They may have even been the first socialists in the nation, sharing the decisions, labor, and rewards of the farm equally. Eventually, their numbers dwindled – that whole celibacy thing made it hard to keep members – until the last Shaker in Kentucky died in 1923. Apparently there remains three Shakers in existence in Maine, all elderly. I encourage you to learn more about the movement, but more importantly, I encourage you to visit Shakertown (Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill). Bring your walking shoes, and a healthy appetite (they were great cooks). Let Matthew sing for you and let the spirit carry you away for just a little while.
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