Every morning I try and find some time in the day to take a walk by myself. With a family of five including our dog and full-time employment this isn’t always easy or achievable, but it is something I aspire to accomplish. There’s a real calmness in the brisk morning air and the relative quiet of the neighborhood that helps me center myself, a reminder that each day we wake up is a true blessing that should be appreciated for the miracle that it is. If you think of all the events in the history of our universe that led to that singular moment, your simple existence on this earthly plane, it’s quite remarkable. Things can get a bit heady on these walks in a wonderfully tangential way, a sort of self-induced therapeutic balm that calm the stressors of the day, and I often experience a sort of fleeting breakthrough of spirited exuberance inspired by the endorphins and the harmonic reverberations of whatever soundtrack I decide to accompany me on my journey.
On this morning I found myself compelled to listen to Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks, which in retrospect proved to be a serendipitous decision. I’m quite familiar with Morrison’s extensive catalogue of traditional folk/pop songs (“Brown Eyed Girl” obviously being excellent, as well as the entirety of brilliant 1970 album Moondance) but had never fully experienced Astral Weeks in its entirety. For those unfamiliar, this was Morrison’s second album and received very little publicity from his label upon release due to its sharp diversion from the pop songs that had initially made him famous. Astral Weeks almost defies definition, but effectively combines elements of folk, jazz, and classical styles with lyrics that are impressionistic and arrangements that amble along without a true center. It’s a journey that parallels life journey– there are refrains found within the structure but no true choruses, peaks and valleys but one ultimately one consistent dynamic, thoughts and ideas but no true overarching meaning. It’s blissfully wonderful mood music that captures your imagination, a mirror that has the possibility to show you your reflection in its abyss if you allow yourself to stare at it long enough.
I stared into that abyss this morning. And as I watched golden leaves fall from trees and the fleeting, misty cloud of my breath’s condensation spread out before me, I was born again.
Standout Songs: “Astral Weeks”, “Sweet Thing”, “Cyprus Avenue”, “Ballerina”
