Goodbye Iowa… The Great Mother
Thoughts about the beautiful Iowa are still reeling in my head. The land itself is just beautiful, and the people even more so. I passed through Davenport, Iowa City, and Des Monies, played at a lot of clubs, the Iowa City Pride Festival, and even appeared on IPR’s The Exchange with Ben Kieffer. Thanks again Ben. 
Thanks again to everyone that came out to see me play! Im so glad I got to meet you guys! and Im looking forward to coming back in Sept!
Ok more about the majesty of Iowa….
I was able to visit some historic sites, including the Herbert Hoover Library and birthplace. This visit was special. I had no idea that our 31st president was not only a Quaker, but also an orphan, who started the boys club, and Unicef… Heres a quick antidote, who was the other president that was half Quaker?… Oddly enough, Nixon… which I found quite surprising. With Hoover, not so much, as a lot of his policies stemmed from his upbringing and religion.
All along this tour I have felt this overwhelming shadowing of a Wise Old Man. Ive become obsessed with the idea. It all started a few months ago when I traveled to the desert in Arizona. One of my newest songs, My Bluff, discusses this scenario. Basically I playing Texas Hold Em’ with an Native American chief. He turns to me and says he can see my hand, and I could either lose everything by bluffing, or wait for the next hand, and win with honesty, because a Queen is coming my way. In Jungian analysis (an area that I do not deem myself as an expert), the Wise Old Man is an archetypal image of meaning and wisdom, and a personification of the masculine spirit. Gandalf in Lord of The Rings, is a good example of this character.
Now as most know, I was very close with my grandfather, I carry his Lieutenant’s hat with me everywhere I perform. So, its not entirely shocking that I would become obsessed with the guiding spirit of an Old Wise Man. Especially, since for the last two weeks I have been touring solo, but I started thinking to myself. “I am a woman. Why am I drawn to this masculine protective spirit?” Maybe there is something lurking in the shadows… or maybe just maybe I need to find the courage to behave as him. Make decisions according to his rules, and see what happens. Find my inner guide if you will.
Well, when visiting the Hoover site, I was able to see the place where he lived when he was first born. I was also able to walk into the Quaker meeting house and sit and vesp. This was an incredible experience. I really wanted to film it, but something kept saying, this place was sacred to so many that maybe taping it for the reason of publicizing it would bring me bad karma. so I didnt… I did however get the urge to sing. I havent felt this urge to write like this since I left NY…
Whats crazy is that as I walked out of the meeting house to see what the library was like, I came across this statue. It hasn’t occurred to me till now, the significance of this.
Drum roll please… Isis is the goddess of motherhood and fertility. She was worshiped as the ideal mother, wife, matron of nature and magic. She was the friend of slaves, sinners, artisans, and the downtrodden. A little odd, I do believe, that this site honoring this Wise Old Man, our 31st president, led me to this statue, the Goddess of Life.
What I think has been shown to me by the land of Iowa, is that my inner strength & wisdom is needed on this journey. I mean we all need a little guidance sometimes. And it might not be apparent now, what is the right move is. Do we go left? or do we go right? Our logical side can get so overwrought with fear that it affects the decision. The bigger picture is hard to see. So we all sometimes need to look inside and have a little faith that if our intentions are good and true, then maybe what we feel in our gut is right. Lying to ourselves only prolongs the struggle.
So, maybe that chief was right, the pair of Queens are on the way. Maybe I must follow my instincts, remember the rules of the game, take an educated risk, and be honest. hehe easier said than done.
These are some things I learned/remembered in Iowa. It is a bitter sweet goodbye. I learned a lot. Including, that I have many tasks at hand.
Next stop Kansas City (which Ive actually already been too and will blog about later), then Denver and South Park Colorado. The end of the Fire 09 Tour is coming, the last few shows are this weekend. One in Denver and the other at the South Park Music Tour.
Thanks everyone again for the amazing support!
Fri 7PM June 26th @ The Lion’s Lair – Denver
Sat 1015PM June 27 @ South Park Music Tour
details available at www.paulinepisano.com/shows.htmlTh
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