I feel so lucky to have been gifted a new song from the Grand Canyon for the National Parks Centennial Songs tour 2016! Peter and I arrived last Thurs. and right from the get go the sun was shining, and the clouds were putting on a show for us.
Yavapai Point is a highlighted spot for sunset magic and as you can see in the background the Zoroaster Temple just lights up!
As I was working on the song and getting a download from the canyon, a crowd gathered around the point for sunset. The canyon told me in spirit, “Sing all of the songs you wish to send out into the world, and I will be your vortex and amplify the message.” It was crazy, but I started singing Angel From Montgomery, and After the Gold Rush, then I sang several of my own songs like Into The Light, and Rays Shine….All of the songs I choose were with the intention to heal the earth and all beings on this planet. My voice was free and resounding like I’ve never heard it before. It wasn’t loud, just deep and whole like the canyon. The people around were so nice, and shared so many “thank you’s” for the music that was shared. The new song “In the Grand” was also sung out like a mantra, incorporating all of the feelings and energy from the folks in the group. It was a very special moment for us all on the edge of the Grand Canyon.
At Mather Campground, I started working on the new song. At first I imagined a raven flying into the canyon, swirling on the wind-the wind I call “medicine wind” because in the Carlos Castaneda books in the Teachings of Don Juan, he talks about the Nagual Wind.
It is through the wind element and the ravens that messages are sent between the world of spirit and matter. It’s no wonder the ravens swirl and dive deep into the canyon, on the Nagual wind that Carlos Castaneda describes. It is this very wind that brought me the feeling, and words for the new song. In the most recent version, the Raven enters the song at the very begining.
The Ravens loved Mather campground and one even tried to steal Jessie’s bone. It kept coming up from behind her as if it was going to peck her in the butt. We were cracking up as she sat oblivious until the last minute-too late, the raven stole her bone!
The best way to see the rim is to go biking out to Hermits Rest, and even more fun to take a tour with the local Bright Angel Bicycles & Cafe. It truly feels like you are flying when you are riding on the rim, wind flying through your hair and your best friend is at your side. Peter made sure the whole trip was safe, and fun-while I was off on the Nagaul wind, receiving all the powerful images for this song, from the Grand Canyon.
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Gigi Love is a lyrical and passionate voice for our National Parks and wilderness. She has performed nationally across the land and sea, from Acadia, Maine to Alaska and Hawaii.
Currently she is advocating for the passage of America's Red Rock Wilderness Act in Congress, to protect her beloved homeland and preserve 9 million acres of pristine federal lands in Utah. Her album Listen to the Red Rock (Various Artists) was created with other nationally acclaimed artists to bring awareness to this cause.
