Thank God we are integrity itself; we always know our wholeness on some level. It may be hidden, waiting for the chance to feel safe enough to show itself.

Last night I sat in kirtan (devotional chanting) and felt my inner wholeness wrapped in a cocoon of sound. I don’t know much about call and response, but I add my whispery voice to the overwhelming vibrations of Om arising from the lips of devotees.

I look around and feel at home within this community. It is rather tribal and I feel God has placed me here to celebrate the silence.

Each kirtan is different. The crowd changes, the performers change but the musical journey back to the heart is certain.

This morning the silence is deep and rich. It came from the chanting. It allowed each person’s integrity to be re-perceived, the lost treasure to be re-found.

I spoke with Stephanie, who was the sole female voice last night and asked her if she was tired after a long performance. In so many words, the answer was yes, but she was also zoned out, blissed out by the experience. We, strangers to each other, felt a soul knowing that arose naturally as we talked.

Integrity is a word seldom used these days. It doesn’t have to be. But when one can remember one’s true nature, one doesn’t need the word.

Vicki Woodyard