Love Is Moving in My Heart — Rickie Byars

I learned this uplifting song when the Agape choir sang at the opening celebration for 1440 Multiversity. Great song to get you going in the morning! It’s a zipper song: add one of your own words in.

This song is in the public domain
Used with permission

Lyrics:

Love is moving in my heart in a (joyful, loving, easy, etc.) way x2
Shining like the sun, warming up my day
Love is moving me on my way

The World We Want to See — Heather Houston

A song for these COVID times… We are transforming before our own eyes… Let’s stay awake, do the deep work, have the hard conversations, activate, dream, imagine, vision, and create the world we want to live in.

Lyrics:
We are creating the world we wanna see
We are creating the world we wanna see
We are creating the world we wanna be
We’re calling ourselves to believe
We’re calling ourselves to be free

© Heather Houston 6/2020
All rights reserved

Sacred Fire – Heather Houston

“Women we’re calling you… home to the sacred fire.
Healing our hearts, planting our seeds,
Weaving our prayers, amplifying our dreams.”

Women, we know how powerful it is to gather in circle with our sisters. Let’s keep calling ourselves home, each other home. It is here, in this sacred container that we find the courage to heal and transform our lives.

© Heather Houston 2019
All rights reserved

Keep Movin’ Forward My Darlin’ – Valerie Bynne

Keep Movin’ Forward My Darlin’ by Valerie Byrne

Written for Greta Thunberg, Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez and all of the women in the world who are moving forward with purpose and passion! Keep movin’ forward loves! We see you, we support you, we appreciate you!! Thank you for writing this powerful song Valerie! We love it!

Lyrics:

Keep movin’ forward my darlin’
Keep movin’ on my love
You know you are the beloved one
To answer to your calling

© Valerie Byrne
All rights reserved

Storm of Sound – Valerie Byrne

A beautiful layer song of empowerment. This one came through Valerie the day of the 2019 Women’s march. We like to get everyone marching to the beat together to feel even more deeply the solidarity of the community. Valerie is a long time member of my women’s choir Yala Lati and has been writing more and more songs for us to enjoy!

Part 1
A storm of sound, a growing thunder
What will change? I wonder?

Part 2
We are the voice of this age
Let your voice rage rage like thunder

Part 3
We are the one walking in truth
Let your voice rage like thunder

Storm of Sound

Sacred Vessel – Heather Houston

A love song to the body temple, and a prayer that we all may treat our bodies as the sacred vessels they are. The healing wisdom lies within.

My body is a sacred vessel
That cycles with the stars and the moon
My body is a sacred vessel
Her rhythm is always in tune
And I cherish who she is becoming
And I listen to the wisdom she brings
I love her as she is in this moment
I am lifted as she sings

My body is a sacred vessel
That sheds my tears
And embraces the rain
My body is a sacred vessel
There is wisdom in her pain
And I honor her in her fullest expression
I’m opening to all that she feels
And I am thankful for the journey we’re sharing
I am lifted as she heals

My body is a sacred vessel
That holds my heart
And frees my soul
My body is a sacred vessel
Her every need I come to know
And I treat her with compassion and kindness
And I hold her close and remove all her sheathes
I invite her to dance with grace and devotion
I am lifted as she breathes

I Am Enough — Heather Houston

For the New Moon in Aries 2020. It’s time for all of us to trust our own worth and allow our spirits to shine! The world needs us!!

Lyrics:

Part 1
I am enough, I am more than enough
I am enough, I am more than enough
I am enough, I am more than enough
And I’m reclaiming my power

Part 2
There is room enough for me to be
Exactly who I was born to be
And I will set my true gifts free
‘Cause I’m reclaiming my power

Part 3
I’m a unique expression of the Divine
And I’m here to let my spirit shine!

© Heather Houston
03/23/2020
all rights reserved

Wade in the Water Medley – Traditional Spirituals

Traditional Spirituals

I learned this medley from Ysaye Barnwell at a music educators conference way back in 1999. A favorite amongst my elementary school choirs as well as my adult choirs and circles.

Wade In the Water was an Underground Railroad song, sung as a guide to assist the those moving towards freedom to know where the safe river crossings were, or to get into the water so the dogs would lose the scent. Also referencing the Bible from Exedos. “An angel troubled the water”. A call to get in the water to become whole and healed again.

Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child – a song of grief for those separated from their families and their homeland.

I Wanna Die Easy When I Die – the enslaved people’s way of claiming that they WILL make it to freedom, and they will not die until they do – Such strength and conviction of spirit!

When I sing these songs with my groups, I also like to presence that we are still on a journey of reparations, justice and equality with people of color who are descendants of the enslaved. There are still deep wounds that need to be healed. I like to have the circle speak their prayers, or I like to set an intention that as we sing these songs, we are creating a ripple of love and healing for those still on the journey, and for our nation as a whole.

Lyrics:

Wade In The Water

Wade in the water
Wade in the water children
Wade in the water
God’s gonna trouble the water

Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
A long way from home

I Wanna Die Easy

I wanna die easy when I die
I wanna die easy when I die
I wanna die easy when I die
Shout salvation when I rise
I want to die easy when I die

These songs are in the public domain

Conversation With a Raven — Heather Houston

A super fun song to sing!!

I was walking back to my car after leading a Sisters in Harmony retreat at 1440 Multiversity — it was a transformational time in my life, a great time of leaning into my power and surrendering to the unfolding of my soul’s purpose. This raven hopped toward me, right to the edge of a car in the lot, not more than a foot away. It started by checking out my shiny earrings, and then looked directly into my eyes, into my soul…

And we had a psychic conversation that went something like this…

Lyrics:

A conversation, with a raven,
A conversation, yes I had,
A conversation, with a raven,
A conversation, and I said,
I’ve never had a conversation
with a raven

How I love your sparkling earrings
And your eyes so bright
Oh please would you
Let me take them
Home with me tonight?

Let me take you to worlds between
Through the portals of things unseen
We’ll unveil the magic of your innermost dreams
We’ll harness the power of your brave Queen

© Heather Houston 2019
All rights reserved