For my Family and especially Thatcher

tunes to travel by

. . .

a hero’ssongbook

Songs by Meg Bohrman

Drawings by Thatcher Bohrman

Copyright 2010

meg@lunaloop.com

version Sept2011

The Hero’s Journey

Life is cyclical: our cellular renewal and breathing patterns, nature and the seasons, political ideas and fashion statements, all the way up to the Big Bang - expanding and contracting - we are forever in motion. The Hero’s Journey is a way to understand that same movement in our psyches. It is a map of our soul’s terrain and a guidebook to our self-growth. It is an indispensable tool for bringing our life into the light of consciousness. Many great psychologists and spiritual teachers speak of the Hero’s Journey, but we are initially familiar with it through stories. Fairy tales and myths tell the tale of the hero – ourselves – through narrative, symbols and metaphor. This is our soul’s first language, and we need to be somewhat fluid in it in order to understand our dreams - and our waking. This is how we communicate with our own psyches, which often have a much better idea of the Big Picture.

The Hero is not alone on her journey. Human beings are all designed similarly; in much the same way that our bodies share one basic template, our souls are fashioned from the same primal blueprint. ‘Archetype’ is the name Carl Jung gave to these univeral patterns that shape our lives. All people share this inher-ited understanding. I tell the tale of the Hero on her journey in tribute to the archetypes she encounters along the way. Each song embodies the energy of an archetype, and in singing them, I hope you will gain a greater understanding of how they shape your own life. Above all, I hope you will feel as I do; that, no matter how lonely it may feel along the road, we are never truly alone. Every-body is traveling to somewhere.

You will recognize the story of the young hero who begins life whole, at home in his kingdom (Innocent) until something happens to rock his world, such as the king falling ill or a dragon attacking (the Call). His kingdom falls into wasteland and he must leave Eden to seek healing for the king and/or the land. He wanders around homeless (Orphan), sharing his small meal with strangers (Caregiver) and making strange alliances with unsavory characters, who pro-vide him with just the weapon or tool he needs for his quest (Warrior). When he has built up sufficient ego strength he looks towards his great task, slaying the dragon or saving the princess (Seeker). During this ordeal the hero comes face to face with his own naked self (Destroyer) and finds self-love and inte-gration of his masculine and feminine self (Lover). He returns with a gift to

save the king, or he takes the throne him-self. Thus, he bring healing to the kingdom (Creator). The Hero/King (Ruler) keeps the balance of the kingdom in check, drawing on the gifts of all the Archetypes he has met along the way. His court, made up of his counselor (the Sage), his magi (the Magi-cian) and his jester (the Fool), help keep him honest, compassionate, powerful and light. When he falls out of balance, and the king-dom becomes a wasteland once again, a new hero must embark on a new quest to heal the kingdom. And so it begins again, and again and again and again and again, and so on.

The true task of the Hero is to journey inward to meet herself - raw, real, and not al-ways so pretty. The wisdom she gains from seeing thus clearly into her own soul is the exact medicine she needs - healing herself and healing the kingdom. She now becomes the ruler of her own life.

This small book was born from a fire in my belly; I offer it humbly and hope that it finds favor. These songs are my way of honoring and connecting with the primal ener-gies at work within me, and within all beings on Earth. My wish is for these poems to awaken a hunger - a hunger for a deeper understanding of our own selves and, as such, a pathway for healing for all peoples across the universe. Be curious, explore and be more curious. Thank you for singing along.

Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World by Carol S. Pearson, was a source of great inspiration and as-sistance for me. I highly recommend it to anybody who would like to further explore the archetypal patterns shaping their lives.

Thank you, Pam England and Birthing From Within for opening this world to me.

Meg Bohrman Januaury, 2010

table of contents

The Innocent . . . . Fishing for StarsThe Call . . . . . . . . Dream SongThe Orphan . . . . . . Down came the rainThe Warrior . . . . . Chief Seattle’s SongThe Caregiver . . . . For DeniseThe Seeker . . . . . . . Seeker’s WaltzThe Destroyer . . . . So Much to Let GoThe Lover . . . . . . . We’re Like MushroomsThe Creator . . . . . One Small VoiceThe Ruler . . . . . . . Kingdom ComeThe Magician . . . . I’m in Love with a MagicianThe Sage . . . . . . . . Every Living Thing Wants to ShineThe Fool . . . . . . . . Silly Old Me

The Innocent

The Innocent is the child within us all. She is trusting to a fault, naïve, delightful and easy to manipulate. She is only able to think in black and white terms and inhabits a world where good and evil are the only choic-es. There are no shades of grey. She lives safely at home in her parents’ castle.

Tonight in my dreamsI’ll be traveling farChasing the moonbeamsI’ll be fishing for stars.

When the day is doneAnd no one is awakeI’ll drop my nets Into those starry lakes.

Chorus:I will cast my linesIn the Milky WayFishing for starsTil the light of day .

I will set a courseAcross the galaxiesFollowing my dreamsAnd sailing where I please.

Chorus

Bridge:Maybe I’ll catch a rainbowMaybe I’ll catch a shooting starMaybe I’ll catch the moon’s glowBring it back home in a jar.Maybe I’ll catch a black holeMaybe I’ll catch the light of the sunMaybe I’ll catch a dream-come-trueBring it home for everyoneI’ll bring it home for everyone.

Chorus

Every star’s a fishAnd every star’s a wishIf you want to come fishingI will take you with.And we will…

Chorus 2x

fishing for stars

The CallThe Innocent hears a Call to Adventure, and her cozy world will never be the same. She is now a Hero on a quest to answer the Call. The quest may involve heal-ing the king, slaying a dragon or finding her fortune, and is ful-filled when the kingdom is re-stored to harmony and balance. It was this Dream Song that urged me forward to discover the others.

I fled my bed in hopes that you would follow.Dancing, delight, dreaming through the day.But I was caught up by tomorrow’s sorrow,And I fear we lost our way.

No, don’t tell me that the night is over.I feel like my journey’s just begun.Lay me down upon a bed of clover,Speak to me in many tongues.

Chorus:Flying, all night long I’m flying .Sailing on the air with wings of song .Trying, all day long I’m trying,To climb up to the sky where I belong .

Tiptoe through the toil and the tangle, Come meet me inside of a dream.We’ll see life from another angle.It’s not always as it seems.

Chorus 2x

Dream Song

The Orphan

The Orphan has finally realized that the life he was living is not as perfect as he thought. After the Fall, he wanders rebel-lious and angry, feeling the unfairness of Life’s imperfections. He holds everybody to blame, especially those close to home. His task is to find community and learn his own strength.

Down came the rain Down came the rainDown came the rainAgain and again

What could I do? What could I do? It soaked me clean throughAgain and again

Open the skyOpen the skyAnd cold tears I’ll cryAgain and again

Down came the rainDown came the rainDown came the rainAgain and again

Two by two and four by fourInch by inch and more by moreOne by one is one aloneCaught in the rainSoaked to the bone

down came the rain

Send me a doveA snowy white doveProve me your loveAgain and again One for the seaOne for the stoneOne for my heart andOne for my own

One for the fireOne for the rainThat falls down my backAgain and again

Two by two and earth by skyMore by less and by and byOne by one is far from homeCaught in the rainAll on her own

Yesterday’s goneYesterday’s goneI must go onAgain and again

Down came the rain…

The Warrior

The Warrior protects the boundaries of the kingdom. She keeps out in-vading armies and defines the perimeter of the land. She is strong and mighty, and must learn to use her powers for the betterment of all. The Warrior knows how to say “No.”

How can you buy the sky? How can you own the rain and wind?My mother told me: the Earth it is sacred.My mother told me: tread lightly when you walk.Every pine needle, every speck of sand,Every mist, rolling through the land,Every sunset, every humming insect,Each is holy in the memory of our people.

My Father said to me: the sap that runs through every treeIs the blood that runs in our veins. We are one and the same.The flowers, our sisters, the bear, our brother,The earth and the sky, our father and mother,The fish and beaver, deer and eagle,Each is holy in the memory of our people.

My Ancestor’s Ancestors said to me: swim with the water flowing in the stream,It carries all our spirits and memories, offering so freely,Its blood and water,To all our sons and daughters.My Grandfather said to me: look at what you cannot see.The first breath of a newborn babe, an old man’s sigh at the close of day,The air, the wind, Breathe it out, and breathe it in.

chief seattle’s song

Teach your children well; feed them on the tales you tell.Grandmother told me stories of the ancients.Grandmother told me stories of our home,The web of life and the strands that weave it.We are the strands and we are the weaving.We are the ones; we are our Mother’s keeper,Weaving the web for the children of tomorrow.

When the last free man and womanHave vanished with the wildernessTheir memory just the shadow of a cloud,Will there still be rolling prairie and unmolested mountains?Will the spirit of my people still be found? (This I know)The Earth does not belong to us The Earth does not belong to usThe Earth does not belong to usWe belong to the Earth.

When the buffalo is gone,And the wild horses all are tamed,And every secret corner of the forestIs heavy with the scent of many men,What of the thicket? What of the eagle?What of the prairie? The hunt and the pony?It will be the end of living - and the beginning of survival.

The Caregiver

The Caregiver often begins his journey as a martyr. Life is bur-dened and difficult and he feels he must carry the world upon his shoulders. I have known many people who live within this model of care giving. The Caregiver’s task is to learn to serve himself and his own highest good. He re-alizes that caring consists of both giving and receiving, and so he finds joy.

A river runs through and empty land.Red as the sun, the rocks and sandThough wide and deep, it is small partOf the sea of tears in my heart.

I must go home, for I’ve been gone.Such a small time and far too long.I have returned, think well of me.I am come home, though I was free.

*ChorusIt’s easy not to think about yesterday .It’s easy not to think about what I left behind .I stay up late and light another cigarette,And wake up every morning asking Is it tomorrow yet?Wake up every morning askingIs it tomorrow yet?

An eagle flies through an empty sky.A coyote wails its slow, sad cry.I left my home, but they called my name.Knowing I’d come, and I came.

*Chorus

The winds of change don’t often blow. The seasons turn, the children grow.I do not know, for I cannot see.Was there ever any choice for me?

Bridge:Oh, My Love, My Love, we said goodbye.You could not wait for me, My Love, neither can I.Blood is thick, My Love, so thick it weighs me down.You could not wait around.

An eagle flies not far away.The river runs day after day.I offer you all I can give, But guard my heart, that it may live.

*Chorus

for denise

The Seeker/Hunter

The Seeker is the part of us that is looking, searching for something more. She is often very active during our later adolescent years. Before a person becomes a hunter, she must first be hungry. It is this hunger that drives her to seek out new lands and new horizons. It is this hunger that leads to any new discovery.

A)Sailing on a frozen lakeFeeling like my heart could breakWondering how much more you’ll take of meBefore you set me free.

I am changing all the timeMoving between yours and mineSearching, but I can not findThe key, the key to set me free.

B)Searching, searching Up and downThrough philosophers and clowns (the crowded streets of town)Turning this world upside downTo see what’s foundRound and round

Searching, searchingHigh and lowWhich direction shall I go?Have I forgotten what I know?Round and round and round

A)Yesterday the news was badJack, that young courageous ladJust gave everything he hadIt seems, for beans

Seeker waltz

I can read between the linesSee it in your darkened eyesYou have climbed the stalk, but IAm stuck, I can’t get up.

B) repeat

Instrumental A

Jack gave all he had to proveWith magic beans you cannot loseAnd from the clouds up top the viewIs grand, you rule the land.

B)Searching for the treasure chestWhere the truth is laid to restClaim the gold, fulfill the questForever blessedForever blessed.

Searching, searchingInside-outPlagued by fear and dreams of doubtIf only you could reach me nowRound and round and round.

The Destroyer

The Destroyer is a bit scary at first, and not a natural ally to our usual human tendency of ac-quiring wealth. He is the force that clears away the old, in direct opposition to our desire to hold on to everything. He digs and fertilizes the gar-den bed, making space for new growth. Invite the Destroyer in to your life to help remove what is no longer serving you. The end is always the beginning.

So much to let goSo much to hold on toWe come and we goWither we want to goSo much to let goHow much to hold on to?Tomorrow will showWhere yesterday’s gone toWhere yesterday goes,Will I ever know?So much to let go.

So much to let goSo much to discoverWe come and we goAnd hold on to each otherSo much to let goHow much to discover?We need room to growSo we clean out the cupboardsWhere yesterday goes,Will I ever know?So much to let go.

so much to let go

What is it really that you’re afraid to loose?Lay your burden down for there is nothing left to proveAnd fear has its place on this path that you chooseWill I ever knowWhere yesterday goes?So much to let go.

Instrumental

If there is no ending then where do I begin?I have a friend who says we keep the onion skinAs we peel back the layers revealing withinWhere yesterday goes,Will I ever know?So much to let go.

Into the voidI’m afraid to disappearI have a friend who whispers in my ear,“Those with great courage have also great fear.”Where yesterday goes,Will I ever know?So much to let go.

Repeat Verse 1

The Lover

The Lover loves. She teaches self-love - deep self-love that precedes all other forms. The union of masculine and femi-nine energy is her domain. She shows us true passion and deep devotion. “Your lover cannot love you any better than you love yourself. You wouldn’t let them if they tried.”- Alicia Bay Laural.

We’re like mushrooms on a dead tree, you and me, my friendGrowing where the sun don’t ever shineDark and dank and dirty through the bitter endLoving till the end of time.

We’re like compost fermenting in a heap, my dearEarthworms crawling in and out the dirtBreaking down the boundaries, the odds and endsTurning into elemental earth.

Chorus:Some say Love is such a pretty thingSome say love is all flowers and chocolates and birds on the wingI say love, is dirty and it stinksAnd it grows, oh yes, it grows .

We’re like manure spread upon the fields, my loveFilling up the farmer’s nose.Something no one else would ever really wantBut helping the corn to grow.

Chorus

We’re like stars shining in the night skyTwinkling above everybody’s headLetting out our lights to shine, shine, shineLighting up the road ahead.

Chorus 2x

we’re like mushrooms

The Creator

The Creator gives birth. Out of nothingness comes newness. After the end, when the Destroyer has swept through and the land lays barren, the Cre-ator brings the soft green of spring: the promise of a new beginning and a new direction. The end is always the beginning. Just as the Destroyer digs the garden bed, the Creator plants the seeds.

Open the gates, let it start flowingYou’re never late, you’re always growingAsk the fates, they’re ever knowing - True.

Close your eyes, don’t need no bright lightsClose your thighs, its only you tonightStop your mind, let go of wrong and right - Too

Chorus:One small voice with oh, so much to sayWho the Hell wants to hear it anywayLike a song bird at the break of daySinging my songs for me

A song stopped by, said “How do you do?”We played together all Sunday afternoonVerses sweetly skipping up a tune - So right

It don’t matter what came beforeHow high, how low, there’s no one keeping scoreSomething new is knocking at your door - Tonight

Chorus

Bridge:When you close your eyesThere’s nobody aroundStop your mindThe voices in your head don’t make a soundOpen up, its flowing all aroundSinging my songs for me

You’ve got no rhythm, I have got no rhymeWe miss each other nearly every timeIt’s like a war zone, drawing the borderlines - of love

Open the gates, let it start flowingYour never late, you’re always growingAsk the fates, they’re ever knowing - Above

Oh babyChorus

one small voice

The Ruler

The Ruler Archetype is the King or Queen. She is the manager of the whole shebang. It is her job to create order from chaos. She seeks balance and uses all the gifts and resources that the kingdom has to offer. The Ruler shows us that the inner world and the outer world are one – they reflect and mirror each other. As the inside, so the outside - as above, so below. If she does not take care, she could become a Ruler-Tyrant and the kingdom would become a wasteland.

How goes it with the kingdom? How goes it with the king?Are the borders overrun with war and suffering?Do the crops refuse to grow? Do the people fear to sing?How goes it with the kingdom? How goes it with the king?

How goes it with the kingdom? How goes it with the king?Are the fields ripe with grain? Are the orchards blossoming?Is there music in the air? Can you hear the people sing?How goes it with the kingdom? How goes it with the king?

Chorus:As the inside, so the outside .As above, so below .We’re sitting at the center of our own universe .Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

Can you feel the sunshine on a cloudy day?Can you call upon the rains to come and wash your blues away?Have you built inside a throne, golden as the sun,To shine upon the kingdom?From here to kingdom come.

Chorus

We are rulers of our livesWe are rulers of our livesLooking out on clear and cloudy skiesWe are rulers of our lives.

We are rulers of our livesWe are rulers of our livesLooking out through clear and cloudy eyesWe are rulers of our lives.

kingdom come

The Magician

The Magician creates his own reality. His is such fluid energy, that he need only think something, and he manifests it. He is master at shape-shifting, and transforming his life to one of his desire.

I’m in love with a magicianHe’s sitting right before your very eyesIf I was in his positionOne blink, and I would dematerialize.

He shows us all a quick trickYou can see there’s nothing up his sleeveAnd the secret of this slick trickDepends wholly on what you believe

I’m in love with a magicianLevitating just above the groundHe invites us all to listenAnd seek the places magic can be found

Like:Sweet daydreams and jumping beansBuilding castles in the skyHolding hands and foreign landsReflections in your lover’s eyeReflections in your lover’s eye

I’m in love with a magicianPulling rabbits from inside his hatHe shows us all a visionHe’s gone, and you are where he once was at.

Now he shows us all a quick trickHow to make the ultimate escapeAnd break the bonds that bind himTransforming life, and shifting shapes

I’m in love with a magicianPulling coins out from behind your earHe says, trust your intuitionIt’s the truth that only you can hear.

I’m in love with a magician

Like:Birth and deathA baby’s breathCaterpillar, butterflyThe journey in, yang and yinLearning how to say goodbyeLearning how to say goodbye

Bridge:Come along with meI’ll show you just how good it can beWe’re swinging on a MysteryLike a memoryOne glimpse and then it’s gone.

The time is rightThere’s something in the air tonightJust hanging on the edge of sightLike a melodyOf a long ago forgotten song.

I’m in love with a magicianDisappearing into thin air Though he’s met with some suspicionOf who, what, why, when, how, and even where He shows us all a quick trickYou can see there’s nothing up his sleeveAnd the secret of this slick trickDepends wholly on what you believe

Like:Birthday cakes, frozen lakesDancing to your own tuneHigh and low and letting goHowling at the moonHowling at the moon

I’m in love with a magician...

The Sage

Wise woman, deep listener, healer and counselor, the Sage understands the workings of the human heart. She sees the Big Picture. The inter-con-nectedness of all beings is her terrain; she knows God. The shadow Sage, also known as the Judge or Critical Mind, is feared as a powerful enemy and passes judgment on all that we do.

A)One morning I awoke as the sun raised her head and brokeUpon the sleeping world in quiet splendor.Oh, what a sight, in the prism of that living lightAnd time stood still in sweet surrender.

And bathed in the dawn all questions I had were goneThe answers understood, there were no noises,But the whisper of the trees, the mountains they sang to me,Everything alive, I heard their voices.

B)Do you believe in the magic of one perfect moment?When the world stops its spinning and all becomes clear.Can you feel when you’re in it? Can you see when you’re shown it?When you stop to listen, what do you hear?

Chorus:Every living thing is waiting for its time to shineEvery living thing is waiting for the springtime .Every songbird wants to be heard .Every living thing wants to shine .

A)Yesterday I tried, I laughed so hard I cried,I searched so long, what did I discover?The truth? Oh no, many miles more to go,But now I feel the comfort of a lover,

When I look to the hills, the mountains and the stillPlaces of my heart; I listen,In harmony, the breezes blowing through the treesThey sing to me and I listen.

B)Do you believe that these trees bear fruit for the ages?Do you believe that these mountains share the strength in our bones?Do you believe that we all hold the key to our own cages?Have you heard the voices singing, calling you home?

Chorus 2x

Every living thing wants to shine

The Fool

The Archetypal Fool whistles down the path, happy-go-lucky, apparently unaware that he is about to step over the side of a cliff. He is so in the moment, that he very well may lose himself in it; yet, without his spontaneous connection to life, the kingdom would be a soulless and joyless place. The Fool keeps us real and young at heart. All things arise from the openness of this present moment.

Silly old, silly old, silly old me,Living my life as if it were free.Running ahead, you know what they say,Fools rush in towards a new day.Silly old me, silly old me .

Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,She shall have music wherever she goes.She’s one classy dame, most of the time,She’s ahead of the game, though she’s often behind.Silly old me, silly old me .

Great fool am I Ever and onward and upward I go.Climbing the sky With my feet on the ground, I go sort of slow.The babbling brookBaubles and babbles and bubbles along.UnderfootI follow the flowingWhere it be going Never not knowing the right and the wrong.

If you don’t try, then you’ll never look bad.If you don’t cry, then you’ll never be sad.You can’t let your tears wash you into the grave,If you don’t face your fears, then you’ll never be brave .

silly old me

Silly old me, silly old me .

Bridge:The time it is now, I’ll show the wayTo do what I do and mean what I say.I don’t know how, but I’m willing to try,And I don’t know what, but I never ask why.Believe me, I don’t know, I don’t ask why.

I see them coming and I see them goIt’s the more that they say than the less that they know.I really don’t care what anyone thinkI got both my eyes closed and I’m right on the brink.Silly old me, silly old me .

Great fool am IForever and ever and ever I go.Flying so high With my feet on the ground, I go sort of slow.The rambling road Rambles and rumbles and tumbles alongI got no load, As I follow the flowingNever not knowing If this be the heads or the tails of my song.

Repeat 1st Silly verse

And where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves. Where we had thought to travel outward, we will come to the center of our own exis-tence. And where we had thought to be alone, we will be with all the world.– Joseph Campbell-