Philip Roderick took us into a profound silence in the opening evening of the Into Christ Consciousness conference through body prayer and the heart-stopping sounds of the Hang drum. The resonance of the drum only occurs because of its emptiness, he told us as we contemplated the inner emptiness of both self and other.
Philip Roderick at the Easter Gathering, Into Christ Consciousness
Sandra Mitchell, who was present, wrote: “The evening’s session with Philip Roderick and Julia Macdonald helps me begin to understand the meaning of the emptiness as it relates to the Easter mystery. As he plays his hang drum, producing exquisite sounds, Philip talks of how it’s the emptiness of this steel structure that allows it to resonate. How, by emptying ourselves of ourselves, we can be filled. He connects us through drumming and body prayer with the suffering of those who are in the tomb or waiting by the tomb, and those who are excluded and long to belong. We reach out to our brothers and sisters to bring them love and healing. We are then bathed in the soothing, yet strange and unfamiliar sound of a newly translated version of the Lord’s Prayer sung in Aramaic.”
Philip has since been interviewed on Conscious TV in their ongoing series of conversations on personal responses to spiritual awakening. He tells of his experience of perceiving “the beauty behind the beauty” and a spiritual journey that took him first to the traditions of the East – and an awakening to Christ within the context of a Sufi meeting. The interview (55 mins approx) concludes with a musical reflection on the Hang. It can be found under the Non-Duality/Traditions section. Or click on this direct link.
Philip is an Anglican priest, Spiritual Adviser to the Bishop of Sheffield, and Founder-Director of Contemplative Fire and The International Quiet Garden movement.