a Spotify playlist curated & arranged by yours truly, with love.
Fly away…
Growing up, music has always been central to my life. From putting on piano recitals for my grandma to dancing to Elvis records with my Omi to picking up the drums in high school – music fascinates me. I tend to look back on different times of my life and reflect on the music I was listening to at that time. The sounds I hear tend to help translate how I am feeling or the things I am going through.
Listening to music is very much a spiritual practice for me. As I have moved through the worlds of fine art, design, poetry and writing… my soul always yearns for the sounds to accompany those things. I drift back to singing worship music in the woods as I watched the flames of the campfire dance, or smiling at my Opa as he would sing Yellow Bird to me while playing his guitar. Found memories float around as I look back at all the pieces of music that have gotten me to where I am today.
Music is not only essential to spirituality but it is essential to healing. Certain songs in this playlist have been there for me since high school… other songs have come into my life as of recently. Some songs come from the 1970’s and others are new releases. What all of these songs have in common is the power to heal and accompany a time / space of self reflection.
I know dark clouds will gather around me
Wayfaring Stranger | Emmylou Harris
I know my way is hard and steep
But beauteous fields arise before me
Where God’s redeemed, their vigils keep
I have a strong connection to Mother Earth so when I work on self reflection, I love to walk through my local forest preserve or find a new trail to hike. Keeping my feet on the soil helps to keep me grounded as sounds from these tunes help lead me into my future.
This playlist is filled with some of my favorite artists: Maggie Rogers, Lana del Rey, The Lumineers… the list goes on. I also added some old gems from Led Zeppelin to Fleetwood Mac to John Denver. When you listen to these tunes make sure to feel the energy of the instruments and pay attention to the lyrics used… each song holds great meaning. These are songs that have helped me heal deep wounds and work through trauma in my life. I hope this playlist will help you to find peace, calm & new beginnings.
Featured songs:
- This first song perfectly explains the importance and power of vulnerability. I have been reading a lot of Brene Brown’s work and while studying her words, this song came to mind. Vulnerability is one of the most courageous traits & it can change your entire life. The fact is that we, as humans, will get hurt and unfortunately, we will hurt one another… but love overpowers all of the negative energy in this world & that is exactly the essence of this song.
I took my bitterness and made it sweet
I took a broken heart and made it beat
Somebody hurt me long ago
And though to heal a heart is slow
Soft to Be Strong | Marina
2. John Denver’s music always takes me back to the mountains… Colorado especially. Each time I have visited Colorado… I have been in the midst of deep emotional shifts. The last visit was especially hard as I was dealing with extreme depression and really trying to figure out who I was as an individual. This songs brings me peace of so many of my personal memories and the freedom of driving and traveling to new places.
I’m leavin’ my sorrow and all of my memories behind
To see what I find
Somewhere in the shade near the sound of a sweet singin’ river
Somewhere in the sun, where the mountains make love to the sky…
All of My Memories | John Denver
