A choice to accept a spiritual world and be content not understanding all of it has led a Collingwood resident to publish a book, turn it into a stage production, and experience more of life’s mysteries.
Jake McArthur is the author of the book Opening to the Mystery and the solo performer for the stage production by the same name, which is coming to the Marsh Street Centre later this month.
The show is based on spiritual experiences McArthur had with his daughter, Erica, both before and after her death in a car crash in the year 2000, when she was 23 years old.
Before moving to Collingwood, McArthur lived in Caledon, in a home where he had planted a tree in Erica’s memory. One day he was on the porch with his black lab, buddy, and McArthur mentioned Erica’s name. Buddy popped up from a nap to stare at Erica’s memorial tree.
“I looked at the tree and I said, ‘yep, I’m just thinking about you, hunny,’ and with that music just started to engulf me,” said McArthur. The music turned into an original song with lyrics that continue to play in McArthur's mind.
Another time, while in a canoe on the Ottawa River, McArthur had an experience with a Monarch butterfly that lasted half an hour.
“The intimacy of it just made me believe that somehow … it was related to Erica,” said McArthur.
McArthur wrote down the experiences, and in the late 2010s started thinking about turning those writings into a book, which he self-published in 2019.
He was asked to tell some of the stories on stage for a show at Simcoe Street Theatre, and later Theatre Collingwood asked him to perform for the 2022 Porchside Festival.
He has continued to work on the performance version of Opening to the Mystery with the help of a mentor.
The title of his book and show is a reference to a life philosophy McArthur has adopted in his career as a student of spirituality – he eventually completed a doctorate of ministry – and as a father who lost his daughter.
“What I’ve always been left with … was the same feeling that I really don’t know anything about the spiritual world, I only know that I’ve had experiences,” said McArthur. “And so I call that the mystery that I don’t understand.
“But various things take place, and they helped me feel more connected to that mystery, albeit, never providing me with a full understanding. And I’m totally content living that way,” said McArthur, suggesting it’s a more “exciting” way to live than certainty.
He doesn’t use the word retirement, but McArthur stopped having a traditional job before Erica died. Since then, he’s done various other work including writing, acting, and he is a celebrant for funerals, end-of-life ceremonies, and weddings.
He’s lived in Collingwood for nine years, and has been performing the stage version of Opening to the Mystery in venues from Collingwood to Orangeville.
Each time, he said, it can be different.
“I am different every day, because I am the one who is, primarily, the actor … I’m different every time, and so I put different emphasis, but the stories are the same stories,” said McArthur.
For the show at the Marsh Street Centre, which is put on by Theatre Collingwood, McArthur will be joined by Violet Roseman on Tibetan Singing Planet Bowls.
Also on stage for the show will be Brennan Sloan performing original music, and Nicole Bishop leading a guided meditation.
The show takes place on Oct. 14 with doors opening at 6:30 and showtime at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $25 and are available online through Theatre Collingwood here.
Copies of McArthur’s book will be available for sale at the show, or you can purchase them from McArthur, who is reachable by email at [email protected].
