Medicine for the Soul
For centuries, millennia even, people have gathered around a single focal point to share stories, sing, chant, make music and celebrate their communities. And yet, as the wheels of time have turned, these ancient practices have faded from memory. In recent decades, digital screens have become our new focal point, virtual connections replacing physical ones, as we slowly become increasingly isolated from the world around us.
However, on a pebbled beach on the far south coast of England, I stumbled upon a scene straight out of the tapestry of time. A circle of individuals gathered around the dancing flames of a fire pit, hands beating rhythmically on drums, voices raised in unified song as the sun set over the horizon. Gathered together, they were rekindling that ancestral spirit of togetherness.
Formed in response to the pandemic and the sweeping wave of isolation it left in its wake, the members of this community come from all walks of life, regularly gathering to enjoy each other's company. They sit in a circle, a conscious choice to emphasise that, within this community, there is no hierarchy. Instead, they focus on reaffirming their connection between the earth, the ocean, and each other through their songs and hypnotic drum beats.
In the years since the group formed, it has become a source of healing and inspiration. As one member, Seraphina, eloquently explained, the gatherings have become "medicine for the soul" for their community. And as I sat, enveloped by the warmth and camaraderie of the moment, I listened to the song they sang. "Put your feet on the ground," the lyrics urged, a humble reminder that our roots still exist in the real world.
I have often thought about those simple words since I left that southern English beach and how they remind us to remain grounded in the physical world. Because even as our collective consciousness moves to occupy a virtual world, we are still a society based on real human connections, and it is only in that physical world that we might find a little medicine for our own souls. After all, before the glow of screens came into our lives, there was always the warmth of shared community around a fire.
