Chanting has been an important part of my Taoist Tai Chi^® practice and so I was glad to join the Saturday sessions as we chant for the world. At first, I was very much aware of hearing my own voice superimposed over the voices of the leaders and this seemed a distraction to me, but as the weeks have progressed something different has been happening.  I no longer hear my own voice in that way.  It has somehow merged with the sound of the chant itself.  It is a very peaceful, yet powerful feeling.  

I have questions about this experience:  Is it the same as the way we can sometimes “lose our own” tai chi during a set which is deeply and peacefully felt by all? Is it because I am now able to hear and follow the pronunciation and tones better? Or, has the quality of my listening changed so that I have begun to “listen with the heart”, and so am more attentive to the feeling inside?

I do know that our chanting has a special poignancy at this time.  As my own voice has merged into the chant, I have become more aware of the one thousand others who are also chanting, even though I cannot hear them.  I can feel them, feel together and at one with them, and feel the power for good that we are together directing outward into the universe.    I hear and feel the beat of the fish, and as I lose my voice in the chant with all of the other voices, I feel that we all have become part of the beating heart itself of an organization that is very much alive and well, and is guiding us safely through.  

Mary, Nova Scotia