The meaning of the song: “Don’t cut the rope”
“Don’t Cut The Rope” is a song I wrote after having an extraordinary summer experience in nature. We went with some friends to a camping site in a reserve deep in the wilderness, in the mountains. I reached such an ecstatic and heightened state of awareness that I thought, “If I could only stop time and stay submerged in this feeling for eternity…”
So what did I do instead?
I decided to write a song about my whole experience so that it could live on forever…and perhaps so that it could bring a certain level of awareness and inspiration to the listeners. To inspire people to take the time and enjoy nature and enjoy those little moments in life that passes by so fast but that are the most healing. To learn to unplug from the urban matrix every once in a while and to treasure those simple moments in life.
The rope itself represents the “connection” I had with the cosmos, with the spirit world and ultimately with mother earth. As I was going there with a group of friends I had a feeling that there was inevitably going to be some partying…which could interfere with my divine purpose…a type of vision quest if you will. And to me this higher connection was very important, so I had to find a way to balance and allow myself to have fun without losing that connection. Sometimes I would retreat on my own to the forest and meditate or practice qigong, at other times I would join the group and enjoy myself being more grounded. But it didn’t take long before I realized that when you learn to open yourself up to nature, you don’t even have to mediate all the time, you can reach that heightened state naturally and even more easily.
In this wild natural reserve, there was a beautiful large lake with the purest fresh water offering a crystal clear mirror to the watcher. The lake was surrounded by gorgeous mountains of majestic green trees. The mountains looked like they were hugging the lake, almost as if they were protecting the lake from the civilized urban world…keeping a clean conservative natural state. I felt truly blessed to be there. There was no cell phone reception at all so it really felt like I was disconnected from the urban toxic matrix.
Once there, I felt like I was suddenly very present, I was enjoying every single second and every single breath…every single barefoot step on the ground. Paradoxically it felt like time didn’t exist even tho I was aware that like everything else in life, it was all going to be temporary and become a memory. I knew deep inside that I had to learn to better treasure every single moment…this time, because I always found it challenging to be truly grounded and present in certain situations.
At night, I could hear the echoes of our voices resonate throughout the lake and vibrate across the mountains around it. There was a tranquil peaceful serenity there, other than our voices which felt like they were disturbing the natural peace and flow but was nevertheless welcomed. I could hear and feel the wind’s cooling breeze caressing my face, I could hear some wolves howling in the back…and the stars were beyond amazing!
One late night after spending some time around the fire we all decided to go skinny dipping in the lake and this is when I reached the apex of my experience. It was a hot summer night so the water felt very refreshing, I felt such freedom without the weight of my clothes and without the weight of the restrictions of society. At some point I threw myself backwards on the water with my arms wide open and I started floating on my back. And when I looked up to the sky, that’s when I saw that breathtaking sky filled with millions of blue stars shining down on me like eyes. The stars they seemed so close and so bright, as if the whole universe was watching me enjoy this blissful state. And the water was so clear that its ripples were reflecting those stars back up like a mirror. It felt like I was swimming with the stars…floating, feeling no weight, no worries, total freedom and totally surrendered in the present moment. Feeling super charged. I wanted to keep that connection forever…
“Don’t Cut The Rope” is a message I received in meditation from the universe just before going on this venture. But only experiencing it directly revealed its true meaning. To aim high but not too high. To stay grounded but not too grounded. Like the Yin Yang, to find balance with heaven and earth. And to every once in a while retreat into nature…to recharge and let go of what no longer serves us. To let go of what holds us back so that we can go further with a clear state of mind, body and soul.
A couple of years later I discovered that I was living by core principles of Shamanism and Taoism which in my opinion today share striking similarities. Sometimes we don’t realize what we are currently living or experiencing until we realize later on that it was all nicely planned by a higher power. Being open and guided to these higher powers allows us to navigate in life with a type of Eagle vision which leads us to our highest purpose. It helps us understand and foresee our paths more clearly. That is why this “Connection” is so important. So that we don’t get lost, like many do. If I can do anything to help anyone, even if it’s to simply share a story in a song, let it be a blessing.
Xaman Monk