“How Can I Keep from Singing?”
Holding a hymnal, standing in a pew, and singing with a congregation is often where I find myself in times of deep loss, uncertainty, or desolation. Not necessarily to change anything or feel comforted by those standing with me, but to sing collectively, to feel the music flow through me, to reach for something greater than myself for solace.
Initiation arrives in many forms, quite often entailing suffering. Life brings us to our knees at times. Moments that mark a before and an after. In these junctures, when the ringing in my ears fades, I hear Enya’s ethereal voice shrouding me with “How Can I Keep from Singing?”
This blog was written for and published by The Joseph Campbell Foundation on June 21, 2025
