STEEMIT OPEN MIC WEEK 77 - ORIGINAL SONG, "JUBILATION"

If you're inclined to mystical thinking week "77" seems like a pretty lucky one for those of us who participate in this weekly hootenanny. Thanks as always to @luzcypher and @pfunk for hosting this tuneful hang every "7" days!

On the subject of mystical "7s" I spent 7 days in the desert town of Sedona, AZ this past July - the 7th month of the year. I was there to attend the Sedona Summer Colony - an artists retreat at the Verde Valley School just outside the Village of Oak Creek about 7 minutes south of downtown Sedona. Some of you might know that Sedona is full of New Age shops and bookstores fueled by the legends of the area's indigenous Hopi people as well as the mysterious energy vortexes that many of the far-out tourist guidebooks claim can be found in the striking red rock formations that define the place.

I wrote a collection of 7 songs inspired by the desert and the fact that I mostly made a small chapel my writing room for the week. "Jubilation" is a blend of reggae and gospel music that speaks to a mystical interpretation of the bible. Peter, Paul, Matthew, Mark and Moses all make appearances, but this is no strict reading of the text. Symbolic paths, mountains, and mysterious voices in the head are at the core of this tune and the exhortation "close your eyes and you will see..." speaks to an idea that can be found in mystical traditions all over the globe.

Here are the rest of the lyrics:

Climbing up the mountain is long and hard
Foot by foot. Yard by yard
The path is narrow, steep and long
but at the peak you speak a brand new song

Revelation
Celebration
Destination
Jubilation

If I could I surely would
stand on the rock where Moses stood
Look out across that promised land and
see a brand new world for a brand new man

Matthew, Mark, Peter, Paul
heard the word to heed the call
Close your eyes and you will see
you're invited to the jubilee

No matter what your religious background may be there is always a mystical tradition at its center even if contemporary teachings at churches/synagogues/mosques/temples might have forgotten these fundamental roots. Here the word "jubilation" means both a joyful celebration and a feeling of spiritual ecstasy.

Did ye get healed?