Note: All of my Pagan ritual music is available for free and subject only to "bardic copyright": spread it as far and wide as possible, but please do not use it for profit. I welcome the folk process: elaborations, arrangements, re-harmonizations, extra lyrics, alternate versions, etc. are welcome and encouraged so long as they do not change the ethos of the original. If you teach these songs, record them, or include them in a compilation, please credit me as the composer.
This is a text score. There are no set notes, rhythms, or lyrics, but instead, instructions for structured improvization. It can be performed by any group, regardless of musical background, and every performance will be different. In ritual, they can be used for invocations and devocations, group meditation, raising or holding energy, building confidence in one's voice and body, or any other purpose.
We are going to sing a sacred grove. Think of your favorite tree(s). Tell your neighbor about your favorite tree(s). What species is it? Where does it grow? What does it look like in different seasons? Why do you like it?
Everyone begins humming. Make the aggregate sound of the hum as green as you can. Someone sings or speaks the species name of their favorite tree into the hum. When you hear this, sing the name back to them 3-5 times on a note or melody that represents that kind of tree for you, remembering to listen to the group. You may wish to sing the first as a seed, the second as a sapling, and so on. Feel that tree arrive. When you are done, return to the hum, and wait for someone else to speak a tree name, then repeat the process until all trees are present. Bask in the green, and let the hum fade away.
