Hell, yes, I have glimpsed Hell, or no, really, not just glimpsed, I have spent a good amount of time in my own personal Hell. But unlike Dante's version, it was a temporary state. I wasn't condemned to be there forever. At least not yet.
So yes, I found life after Hell. And ended up in some kind of Utopia. Yesterday, I found myself in a different room, a clean, well-lighted place. Nice hardwood floor, white walls, with a great sounding P.A. system and a full drum-kit.
And 4 dedicated players. A singer, a guitarist, a drummer and a violinist. Never had this combo of players together before. And we ran through a set of songs. Some old, some new. And everyone was together, in the moment, creating something bigger than ourselves.
There was such passion, and love. It all came out in waves of sound. It overwhelmed us, enveloped us. We were together. Not alone, not trapped in the past, or pining for some unknown future, just in the moment of creation. Lost, lost in the vibe. It's an amazing state. It is a little Utopia that is just kind of conjured up by a group of human beings giving their all to something else.
And music is such a healing power. It really is, even though it is sometimes devalued, it is so ubiquitous, taken for granted, music and music-making are branches of magic. I believe. And just why do I believe? Because I have touched it. I have experienced it, I have lived it. And it has changed me. Healed me. Yes, really, the process, renews the spirit, feeds the soul, it's kind of a religious, ritualistic thing, it's own sort of magic. Yes.