Escape May Be An Option – Ritual Escape

Is there no escape? We live in challenging times. Tyrants, fascists, and bullies too often have the upper hand.

But … And …

At the same time, there are examples of human beauty rising up. People are turning to community and art as ways of accenting the good. Sometimes, the flood of the sweetness and bitterness of it all can be overwhelming.

That’s when many of us — including me — look for escape. We look to our addictions to give us a way out. Of course, those ways are too often either too temporary or too permanent. Other times, we may seek to hide completely. But unless we have unlimited resources and we live far from any other people, we eventually have to connect and face reality.

It’s out of this milieu of contemporary life that I was inspired to compose, perform, and record these five pieces of music. Each one is sort of self-contained, but they do have a number of connections. As you see, I’ve already written about those.

Creating Through Limitations – Scales of Creation

Escape This

This suite of instrumentals echoes with sounds that I’ve heard in music from Turkey, Persia (Iran), China, Jordan, Armenia, Palestine, Scotland, and many other places. I do not claim to be anything other than influenced by these incredible music traditions. They inspire me. And sometimes that leads to my meager imitations of what I hear in their beautiful music.

In many of these cultures, music plays an important role or roles in ritual. When we perform rites — of passage, of seasonal change, of grief, of bounty, of celebration — songs propel the gathered bodies and souls into the intention of our time together. We cannot escape the potent nature of ritual. The beat of the drum powers the beats of our hearts.

Ritual Community

I find the connections between ritual, community, and music to be incredibly powerful. Whether in a serene church service or an ecstatic dance party, our shared understandings are both inspiring and driving.

This is how ritual is both escape and connection for me. I am simultaneously pulled to a realm beyond daily life and to the human connections of community.

In these, I find inspiration and hope. These are a source of soul nourishment and mental motivation. Propelled by these, I can re-engage with myself and the human relationships that will take us beyond the challenges of the present moment.

The main photo at the top of this post is by suc via pixabay. All other photos are by me (Stan Stewart) and copyright © 2025.