Warriors For The Human Spirit: A Songline
A Journey Guided By Voice and Sound
Margaret Wheatley and Jerry Granelli
(Berkana Publications, April 2020)
The Warriors arise when the human spirit needs protection
Many describe this time as “unprecedented” but, in truth, it is completely predictable viewed through the lens of human history. All civilizations have a life cycle, like everything alive on this planet. Global culture is at the end of its cycle. The pattern of collapse is well-established over millennia: People are overwhelmed by fear and abusive power. They attack one another. They abandon what has always saved humans—our relationships, our community. What has held the people together disintegrates. A few terrible leaders seize power. The people behave badly, they lose all good sense. A feverish compulsion takes hold, a frantic greed that grasps for anything that offers personal pleasure, distraction, numbness. The elites grab everything for themselves. Their leaders encourage this.
Dark times always threaten the human spirit. People forget they can be generous, kind and creative. They forget that humans get through dark times by staying together. Whatever forces have created physical suffering—pandemics, wars, tyrannies, natural disasters—the true threat is when fear turns into hatred and hatred turns into violence. These barbaric behaviors camouflage who we humans truly are–caring, aware, vibrant human spirits who want to be together, to do good for those we love, to do good for what we care about.
In dark times, in every culture, there are always a few people, only a few, who step forward to protect the people. They dedicate themselves to serving others, to relieving suffering, to embodying the best human qualities so that others may remember what it means to be a good human being. To stay present, to be steadfast, to persevere, to resist temptations, to hold the pain and suffering–these few people dedicate themselves to this work. It is not a trivial decision to undertake Warrior training. It is not an easy path. But it is joyful work, with rewards beyond measure. Today, these people are Warriors for the Human Spirit.
What is a Songline?
A songline is a teaching form that embeds in a landscape essential information for those who live there. Songlines serve as a highly effective memory device for what must be known and remembered for survival and the continuation of traditions. Songlines originated with Australian Aboriginals. Since their arrival in Australia about 70,000 years ago, hundreds of Aboriginal clans have woven their history, their culture, their knowing, into songlines that, combined, map the entire continent. Other cultures, indigenous and modern, have used the songline form to embed their knowledge and traditions in their own landscapes. In this Warrior’s Songline, the landscapes of Utah–a continual source of strength and insight for Meg–are used to evoke what must be known and practiced by Warriors for the Human Spirit.
To learn more about songlines: https://margaretwheatley.com/video-learn-about-songlines/
The Warrior’s Songline
The Warrior’s Songline is a multi-sensory experience of the journey Warriors for the Human Spirit take to become the presence of insight and compassion–no matter what is going on around them. This new form melds together voice and sound creating an evocative and transcendent listening experience. For those curious about what it means to be a Warrior for the Human Spirit, it is a powerful introduction to the path. For those already on the Warrior path–those leaders, activists and citizens challenged to offer meaningful contributions at this time–it is both a companion and guide for how to respond and persevere. People report that the mystical blend of narrative and music transports them into a different dimension where they feel inspired and supported to continue their work.
Look at the Booklet: Warriors_Songline_CD_Booklet
Listen to two samples from the Songline:
The Warrior’s Songline Book
If the Songline is the opera, the book is the Libretto, the text of this musical work.
If you read a libretto before attending an operatic performance, you understand the themes and plot line, but you must experience the performance for these to come alive.
So it is with The Warrior’s Songline. The experience of it—how it affects your body, mind, and spirit– is in the listening. Once you’ve begun the journey, the book is here to deepen your understanding, to clarify and illuminate what you may have missed, to recall phrases and ideas that you want to remember.
The book is designed as a vibrant and spacious visual experience to evoke the landscape and drama of the Songline. It is meant to support the Songline and is not sold separately.
Look Inside the Book:
Ordering Options
* Gift Giving: Audio & E-Book: After completing your purchase you may forward the download link to the person who you wish to gift it to. Print Book: Please use the mailing address of the person who will be receiving the book as a gift.
Option 1: Walking The Songline With Meg: Self-Paced Warrior Training
Walking the Songline with Meg is a delightful and absorbing introduction to Warriorship. It is divided into ten segments that you listen to at your own pace. Each segment contains several audio tracks from the Songline followed by a video that takes you more deeply into your experience. The videos are filmed on location near Meg’s home in Utah; these stunning landscapes evoke places described in the Songline. In her direct, warm and intimate style, Meg offers teachings and guidance for what you have just experienced.
New: Practice Manual for learning and deepening the practices offered in the Songline, including videos of Meg teaching Meditation and Tonglen.