Meet Ray
Let’s beginning our journey with the beautiful Ray Morocco
How are you inspired to create your poetry?
I feel inspired. By self first and foremost, by my passion and the feelings that arise around certain subjects. If something moves me, I write. If I am overwhelmed by beauty, liberation, emotion, anger.. I write. The inspiration lies in every single moment, in every single day and when the moment calls for it.. I write. Unless specifically asked to write something about something for a collaboration I just write whenever I feel and sometimes magic comes out.
Describe for someone who has never heard of it what spoken word poetry is ?
In my experience with it, spoken word is poetry that in written specifically to be performed. The way I write something that I know I’m going to read out loud is different than the way I write something that is just going to stay on paper. The voice adds so much depth and resonance to the words so you formulate the piece in a way that allows your voice to makes it vibrant and has character. Maybe you make some words rhyme or say some words louder than others. It’s all about the show !
You travel a lot in your RV, what do you like about this nomad life ?
The RV is something new for me and I absolutely love it because It gives me the freedom to have the comfort of home out on the open road. I only got the van so that I could drive my dog across the country because the airlines will not fly his breed so instead of travelling in a car this had more space and more utilities. The nomad life has always been for me. The RV is good for Canada but I was living a life on the road long before I bought it.
We can see that you are always surrounded by nature, Why do you feel it’s important to incorporate elements of nature into our lives?
I am Nature and Nature is me. That’s it. Everything bout the natural world exists in us and is a part of us We must lear to unify and become one with Her to remember how to truly live. If I could live in the middle of the forest I would (and I probably can) but the opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet :p
When we fully align Earth, Air, Fire and Water with our human bodies we start to incorporate harmony into all aspects of our spirit, we start to understand where we can release and rebirth. It is VITAL to connect to the natural world.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced while writing your poetry?
The biggest challenge I face is to show up to the page. You can’t write something good if you never start writing. I need to write more ! Sometimes I am just too distracted by literally everything.
How long does it take to write your poems?
When I am focused I can write an award winning poem in a couple of hours. To be completely honest though it is very hard for me to focus and also the time depends on a lot of things. Is there a due date? What am I writing about? What else do I have going on in my life at that moment? Am I dating someone?
All of these things (even men) play a big role in determining when a piece may get finished.
What do you think that people miss if they only read poetry, don’t hear it spoken?
I think it is quite a beautiful thing to hear the words instead of read them but hearing them read by someone else takes the creative ownership of the experience away from yourself and places it in the power of the reader. You are now hearing the way the reader imagines the words. It’s beautiful because it makes it multi-sensory. You can receive the experience through different senses.
The true answer is I don’t believe you are “missing” anything, I do truly see beauty and respect both ways.
How can we keep inspiring younger women to pursue their dreams ?
Keep pursuing ours ! The best. Way to heal or inspire anyone outside of ourselves is to do it for ourselves first. Do it with Truth and authenticity, do it with. Goodness in your heart and even when everyone tries to stop you KEEP DOING IT. That would be the biggest inspiration of all.
As a woman traversing a lot of things; movement, spirituality, and sound- what sort of inner work do you do to keep inspired and aligned with your creative spirit? My spiritual journey is fairly new. It’s an endless path and it doesn’t have any shape or form. I posses all that I need inside of me and I explore many tings outside of myself to help build that internal tool box that I can go to and grab what I need when I need it. I’m not going to sit here and say meditate everyday or whatever but I can honestly say that until your mental, physical and spiritual planes are somewhat balanced you will be in constant dissonance. That means moving your body, getting strong! meditating and working on your blockages and also exploring different forms of connection to God. Explore everything thats good for you and keep what you love and need.
Can you share with us a little about your journey ? your own relationship with nature?
This journey of seeking, searching, pondering, inquiring really has been an adventure I have embarked on since I was 17. Leaving the small town of Niagara Fallls- knowing so deeply that the life I am meant to live is not small, the heart I shall love with is not small, and breaking out of this only cage I had ever known. I embarked on the arduous road of life and can truly say I have never looked back.
I started with Canada as my playground, then took off to countries a-many, picking mangos, handing out flyers, doing whatever it took to keep going. I was a collector- of moments, of interactions, of energies and of very minimal things. But still, I searched. No matter where I went, there “I” was, looking continuously outside of myself instead of seeking the depths inside of me of all that “I” already was. Sound familiar anyone?
My spiritual journey and my journey as a poet really went hand in hand, approaching my life story at the same time. I wrote in a journal, a diary, for most of my life but always seemed to be releasing and complaining and not composing consciously until I really started honouring the spirit that lay in this physical form.
Why do you feel that it is important that our society move into a more harmonious and healthy relationship with our planet? If we are not in a healthy relationship with our planet, our Mother, our source of abundance-we are not i a healthy relationship with ourselves. If we are not in a healthy relationship with ourselves, we can never have a healthy relationship with anyone else. The disconnect is a vicious cycle. Honour everything. Be good, do good and have faith.
Do you practice any specific meditations or ceremonies?
I practice zen meditation which is sitting in complete silence. I have worked with many ceremonial practices, medicines, techniques but I am always learning more and open to receiving. Recently I have been exploring Qi gong for movement, silent sits for meditating and have sat many times with the medicine of the Amazonian tree front – Kambo- for ceremonial release (always find a trained practitioner)
What’s next (travel, poetry… )
Now that I brought my dog to me I am quite limited. I have no where I can really go because I cant leave him. It was a big responsibility to take upon myself and it is the longest I have stayed in one place. I would love to adventure through South America and keep writing and performing in Mexico but I don’t see me leaving Canada anytime soon, mainly because I cant.
Find her on IG : @raysnaysay
