If you aren’t familiar with Xavier Rudd or the song, Follow the Sun, I hope you enjoy today’s introduction. Rudd is an Australian songwriter and versatile instrumentalist who is skilled with the guitar, shaker, didgeridoo, Weissenborn slide guitar, Tongue drum, stomp boxe, djembe, harmonica, ankle bells, and slide banjo, to name a few. He learned to play the digeridoo, a very old wooden trumpet of the Australian Aboriginal people, by practicing on a vacuum cleaner pipe.
In addition to the many instruments he incorporates into his music, he also draws inspiration and recordings from birds and their songs, which you can hear at the end of the slightly less than five-minute video of Follow the Sun which is the focus of this post.
Rudd's love of and sense of connection to the natural world shine through. From the first notes, he creates a haven of quiet, peace, harmony and joy which is all about being deeply intertwined and in tune with your home—the earth. As you listen, I encourage you to especially listen for and take to heart these words and ideas as they come up in the song: breathing, cherishing, following.
Follow the Sun
by Xavier Rudd
Follow, follow the sun
And which way the wind blows
When this day is done
Breathe, breathe in the air
Set your intentions
Dream with care
Tomorrow's a new day for everyone
A brand new moon and brand new sun
So follow, follow the sun
The direction of the birds
The direction of love
Breathe, breathe in the air
Cherish this moment
Cherish this breath
Tomorrow's a new day for everyone
Brand new moon, brand new sun
When you feel life coming down on you,
Like a heavy weight
When you feel this crazy society
Adding to the strain
Take a stroll to the nearest waters' edge,
Remember your place
Many moons have risen and fallen long,
Long before you came
So which way is the wind blowing
What does your heart say?
So follow, follow the sun
And which way the wind blows
When this day is done
Songwriters: Xavier RuddFollow the Sun lyrics © Sony/atv Music Publishing Allegro (aust) Pty
If you listened to this song, I encourage you, also, to take a bit of it with you today.
Breathe.
Listen to your breath and be intentional about it. If stress or fear are quickening your breath, make an effort to calm yourself and slow down your breathing.
Cherish.
Make every effort to thoughtfully love this particular moment and your place in it. Don't take it for granted. Remind yourself to be grateful for it.
Follow the sun.
The song is imbued with the conviction that there is something good and trustworthy inherent in this creation. For some Christ-followers, who may have been trained to distrust the created world, this trust can be difficult. I encourage you to give it a try—especially if it isn't something you're used to. Look at the patterns that God has created in this creation and try to align yourself with them for a day. Feel the wind; notice the movement of the sun and the moon. Smear your face with dirt (or dig your hands into the soil); plunge yourself in water or stroll along its edge. In some physical way, remind yourself of your place as a creature in this created world. Look carefully at the other members of this creation to see what you might learn from them.
To hear more of the music of Xavier Rudd, or to learn more about him, visit has website here.
Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me directly at info@circlewood.online.
Louise
