Last night, I had what I guess you would call a transcendent experience.
The local church has change ringing practice every Tuesday evening. From 7:30 to 9:00, bells peal in that distinctive manner that I only associate with England, mostly down the scale but with interesting variations. Earlier in my visit, it was too cool to open the window to hear the music clearly, but last night was warm, allowing free access for each note to strike a chord, literally, in my heart -- as did the evening birdsong. The most distinctive birdcall was also one I don't believe I have ever heard in the US -- this bird was singing the equivalent of a glorious personal solo. I sat with my eyes closed. I truly couldn't breathe properly for the half hour or so that the two complementary songs interweaved.
I look back on the dozen or so visits I have made to the UK, and it can be hard to choose the most memorable moments: the first time I attended evensong at King's, walking toward Royal Holloway dragging my big suitcase, going in to London for classes in a train going "clickety-clack, clickety clack" down the rails, walking purposefully across Waterloo Bridge through the streets of London towards the British Museum, walking across the stage at the Royal Albert Hall to receive my MMus degree. Or more recently, singing an evensong at King's, visiting Herbert Howells's childhood home and church in Lydney, auditioning for a cathedral choir, doing Howells research at the Royal College of Music, singing a week of services at Canterbury...I have been blessed with an extraordinary path paved with nuggets of musical gold.
But last night, I realized that the England moment that may always stay with me into old age, from wherever I am, will be those birds and bells. They are simply sounds that are not part of the palette of America -- and even if they were accessible in the U.S., they would not resonate with the same history, sense of place, and sense of spirit.
Despite all the writing I have done about divine love, the fact is that all too often, I access that love through my intellect. As an Aquarian, and a woman with a genius IQ, that is my default setting for just about everything. But last night, the birds and bells pierced my heart, and were an experience of joy and grace. I could feel, as well as hear and intellectually understand, the stream of love and beauty around me, and the fact that I was part of it. I am very thankful.
