Parenting Panel with Sahffi Lynne
Sahffi Lynne, an international medicine musician and vocal coach, offers their music, meditations, ceremonies, and teachings as medicine to illuminate our connection. Their channeled original music and spirit-inspired performances have taken her melodies around the world, from Peru to Zimbabwe.
When she’s not teaching as a vocal coach, she offers medicine music concerts with her band, monthly New Moon Medicine Music Meditation concerts, individual and small-group ceremonies, and yearly “Illuminate Your Connection” retreats. As a guide, Sahffi works in conjunction with psychedelically-trained therapists and psychologists to help people heal from their traumas and reclaim their heart through supportive integration.
This impressive woman has found her calling in using music as medicine and a form of emotional healing. We got a chance to speak with Sahffi about their music and parenthood:
How many children do you have? And what are their names and ages?
I have a trans son, 18, named Liam.
Did you have fears or concerns about how becoming a parent would interfere with your artistic endeavors? Have those fears come true, or no?
I was actually getting ready to move to California from Maryland with my very first album when I found out I was pregnant. I was happy, yet also disappointed that my planned road in life was taking a bend I wasn’t planning on. I ended up having a very difficult pregnancy and post-partum depression, so music didn’t come back to me until my son was about 2 years old. I realized as he started finding his voice that I needed to bring mine back! So even though I thought my musical life was over, it was in fact my son who inspired me to get back to it.
In what ways has parenthood helped your creativity, if any?
When my son was young, we would sing all kinds of transition songs that I would make up so we could move smoothly to the next part of the day. It’s on my bucket list to make an album of these songs, as it really helped Liam understand what was next and not get so rattled from one moment to the next. I remember “It’s Bathy Time!” was a big favorite, as he often didn’t want to get in the tub, but once he was in there, it was hard to get him out! An exciting song about bath time usually convinced him to remember how fun it was! Now he’s almost 19, seems so long ago, yet also yesterday at the same time. Those early days were so fun, just singing for fun and making up songs all day long!
What has parenthood taught you about yourself, your music, or your creative process?
Being a full-time music mama has not been easy, and perhaps it wasn’t the smartest choice on my part, especially in the beginning, lol! I often struggled financially in the early years, yet I knew in my heart I wanted to show my son that following your heart and living a life you love is more important than anything else. It was, and still is, important for me to show him that when you are authentic with what you give in your life, it surely will return to you in unexpected and supportive ways. We have always had what we’ve needed, even if we didn’t always have what we wanted. Parenthood has shown me that my capacity for patience and perseverance equals my capacity for love and creativity, and has given me great strength in times of struggle. I am incredibly grateful for my son, he has made me who I am today!
How do you juggle your family and your career? Who’s your support system?
In the beginning my sister and my mother helped so much, I definitely would have struggled much more without their consistent help. As my music career grew, I was able to create a schedule that worked around Liam’s schedule, and I was blessed to have been able to homeschool him in middle and high school. Liam also attended a microschool and I enjoyed teaching music there and getting to be with my son as he grew up. Liam’s dad is also very involved in his life, we have co-parented well over the years and I’m proud of the young man our son has grown into!
Have you ever written a song for or about your kids?
Yes, I’ve written many songs for my son, yet the one that is my favorite, “Live in Love,” was released on my last (and sixth) album, “Pulse of Evolution.” I wrote it for my son when he was 11, having a hard time going through a puberty he didn’t want. I remember singing it for him for the first time, and he just said, “I’m too old for lullabies!” and went to his room. A few minutes later he came downstairs and said, “Mom, can you record that so I can fall asleep to it?” I knew then it was a good one for him to reconsider his initial reaction! The video that is out for that song is a stream of photos from friends and community members holding their children. It’s a nice reminder that we all have love for our children in common, and if we remember to breathe in and out, we all “know what it’s like to live in love.”
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