Nice piece of music and a nice article on Journeying with music.
However I think when it comes down to it, it's all just a form of Meditation, just "Different Strokes for different folks."
Underneath, I think Meditation however you want to define or try and define it, it really just comes down to a method to be able to become totally immersed in our own, "Awarenesss" or in our own state of "Being".
Until we can reach or come close to the point where we become, Aware of the Awarenesss of "Awareness" itself and without the awareness of that "Awareness" disturbing us from, or lifting us out of that "Awareness" or a Zen Flow State where nothing is actually happening but everything is perfect of itself!
The methods we use to obtain the above can be many and varied, but at its core we bring the mind to stillness to appreciate the world beyond traditional thought and movement that operates at a higher vibrational frequency.
For Centuries Shamanic Journeying has used a repetitive Drum Beat to try and reach this Awareness Plane, as has Hari Krishna Drumming, however the practices of Yoga to put the body into a flow state, Buddhism & Hinduism through Prayer and Traditional Meditational Techniques, or a Taoist or Confucius practice through a Right way of Living are really not so otherworldly different than any modern Western Meditation Techniques designed to still and calm the monkey mind.
Clearly anything that allows the mind to remain a little more single pointed can appear helpful in practice like for example Cannabis. however the danger with Cannabis is, in this instance it becomes very easy to mistake the wood for the trees and think we are actually getting somewhere on our Journey when in actual fact we're just a little too stoned to become aware of any thing too much at all. LOL.
Clearly as I've discussed with yourself before I'm a great believer in the purpose of Psychedelics as part of this Journey which if used properly can almost seam like a Short Cut to Transcendance as it removes the garbage from our mindset and strips our Ego bare to allow us to start seeing clearly more easily and therefore makes our mind much more receptive to entering a "Flow State"
As for music to meditate to, I personally like stuff like some of the Didje and Handpan Music to get into a Flow State with, for instance like Zavier Rudd -Spirit Bird, but I also like World and Celtic Music like, Dead Can Dance, Loreena McKennit, Vaz, Azam Ali etc.
However depending on mood I can also go really deep with some Modern Improvisational Jazz, something for instance like Joe Henry Civilians.
Infact Music in general can become so easy to get into a Flow State with once we really start to open up and let it breath through us.
Anyway thought I would just share these personal Viewpoints Julia.
Thanks for sharing, Mark! I agree - at the core it's all meditation. I used a different term because many people have specific associations with meditation (namely, sitting cross-legged in silence). Sam's music is definitely inspired by some ancient shamanic rhythms. Thanks also for your music meditation favorites - we will be sure to check them out! Hope all is well 🙏
I notice your Partner is a bit of a Composer then.
Is that mainly electronic or both?
I must admit I know very little about electronic digital composing but have absolutely loved Music from somewhere very deeply within my Soul for an absolute eternity.
After Climbing and Skiing, music was almost next in importance to me. Either with or without the addition of an Entheogen, music always seamed to pretty much instantly transport me to a different place and time.
First love was always very downbeat Alt Country Singer Sonwriters but I can listen to pretty much almost anything apart from modern standard melody driven popular chart style music.
But I am old School, so still listen to Cd and normally as it was intended by the Artist, from start to finish without interruption.
I also have a few different instruments which I pick up and play regularly and do love it, viz:, Didje, Handpan, Tar Drum, Shamanic Drum, Djembe Drum, Harmonica and Banjo. Though I'm absolutely average on all of them at best.
P.S. please let me know Julia if your looking for any particular music advice and I will try and assist. I'm definitely a bit of an Addict when it comes to Music and have probably in the region of 5,000 Cd's or so throughout the House and pretty much always have music on.
Though the Addict part in me mentioned above was just I suppose my nature in general. An Addictive Personality that had to do something or try something to the absolute N'th Degree, oblivious to the outcome or possible consequences because of being totally absorbed by the moment and the Journey.
Wow, 5,000 CDs! What a collection. He is a trained concert pianist and classical composer by background - he used to do mostly classical compositions, then self-taught electronic production so now he mixes all of it 😊
Yeah, a lot of them don't get listened to very much now as I'm sure you can imagine. That's interesting what Sam's doing. A lot of work though, particularly if he's mixing in actual musical instruments. My favourite 2 Musicians of All Time are both Multi Instamentalist Singer / Songwriters, but traditionally started their journey with Piano Based Singer Songwriting Music. They are Nick Cave and Tom Waits. Though I first heard both over 30 years ago, I still pretty much love everything that both have ever produced. Also seen both of them live on a handful of occasions which has been absolutely amazing whether in a large Concert Hall or smaller more intimate Setting.
Love this! I’ve been in this journey too! Movement mediations or music meditations. Microdose and/or cannabis (small dosing goes a long way in staying stable and connected). Lately the album I’ve been journeying with is by Yaima- moongate live. 💚
Thanks for sharing, Scott! I just checked out the Yaima album - it's so nice. I love that you're also doing this practice. I wish it wasn't so hard to find the right music to do this with. Unless you know what to look for on Spotify there's no way to find it, no curation. Maybe we need to create something 😅
PS I will share more from Sam but in the meantime his Instagram is @samsaundersmusic (he's mostly sharing piano there)
Thank you! Yes, it was easy to stay with the methods underlying tone - I most of the time! Searching for it reminded me of my search for “center” in the distractive aspects of my life. I liked it!
Amazing, glad you resonated with it, Debra! I feel the same when I listen to it. To me, the music somewhat assimilates the monkey mind which makes the exercise harder but even more rewarding.
Thank you for sharing. No medicine onboard, I listened. The busy violins I found distracting. But perhaps on a journey they would be lovely. I liked as the piece began to quiet a bit, violins receding, vocals and ethereal coming in. I would be interested in listening to more as I trust your sensibility.
Thanks for the feedback, Sarah! You're not the first person to note this. It is somewhat by design - the idea is that the music simulates the "monkey mind" in this case and that one practices to stay focused on the object of attention (the piano note) despite everything else going on. This is definitely the most "intense one" though- he has some other ones that are calmer. We need to find a way to assess who will enjoy which most since it is so subjective 😊
But I relate to your sentiment, the first time I listened I found it too busy. When I listened again, it already got easier and now I've listened to it so many times that I'm able to focus and get lost in it, it almost puts me in a trance. But we will definitely find a way to share some other ones!
Thanks for this. Very nice. I decided to take a special break this morning to listen to this and am glad I did. Something about this piece seemed to get inside me--I listened twice--and bring about some trembling. Now my stomach is gurgling away (which I was told by a bodyworker is a sign that processing is happening.) Now to work! This afternoon I'll do my usual 'music meditation' for 40 to 60 minutes. I'm completely with you on this. I've been doing it for five years having 'learned' about it from journeys.
Thank you Zida, so glad you liked it! I resonate so much with your comment, I also had a pretty strong visceral reaction to it (I didn't share that in the post because I didn't want to prime anyone and I was also curious if it was just me?). I love that you're already working to make sense of it. I didn't know about the stomach! Will begin paying attention to it.
Well said... there's few things that provide such a direct window into the human soul. Psychedelics being one of them 😅 We will find a way to make more available!
The question arises, "What would have to happen, or would it be like for my life to be a mediation? Let's say with no separation but rather a connection in and with each moment, one moment at a time. Absence of separation of any kind?
Musings on a beautiful Sunday morning. Thank you for yours.
Beautiful musings. I can only imagine what this would feel like. Sometimes I have a few hours, or maybe even a whole day, that feels like this — but modern life is so contradictory to this aspiration that in order to truly live it, one needs to be somewhat removed from everything else (I’m thinking of Henry Thoreau here for some reason…)
Thank you. I’ve been circling the concept of life as a “meditation” or a “conversation” with the deity or consciousness itself. A mentor lived by the idea that learning leads to growth and life”. In this framework, every moment, person, and encounter is a teaching moment. This liberated him from the known in service of what could be known. It comes as close as being intentionally fully present without the traditional boundaries of intentionality. Just hanging out with him created awareness and, ultimately, the habit. In the past year, I playfully titled the process my “prayer.” In each moment, learning what the moment, scene, or person has to teach becomes my daily” prayer.” One time, the thought occurred that “I don’t have a “prayer.” Even that was a learning moment—one prayer at a time.
I’ve never spoken or written about this before. Thank you for the opening.
I LOVE this as an alternative/addition to meditation. I would definitely be interested to receive more, with breath work/affirmations. Thank you for everything- I have been missing your newsletter :)
Thanks Celine, so glad you love it! I’ve been taking a bit of a summer break but plan to return soon - your warm words motivate me to do so sooner rather than later 🙏
Lovely piece! I agree that it can be helpful to expand our meditation strategies and music is an amazing tool to become mindful. I find it especially sad when I realize how many people lose their connection to music as the serious responsibilites take over their lives. I my self lost the connection to music for some years and my partner helped me reconnect with it, now I can't go without music, it is the easiest way to regulate my mood and emotions. I especially love sound-healing classes, nothing relaxes me in a deeper way :)
Totally! It was the same for me. I lost touch with it but living with a musician has reconnected me in the most beautiful way 🥰 Glad you liked the music!
Hey Julia.
Nice piece of music and a nice article on Journeying with music.
However I think when it comes down to it, it's all just a form of Meditation, just "Different Strokes for different folks."
Underneath, I think Meditation however you want to define or try and define it, it really just comes down to a method to be able to become totally immersed in our own, "Awarenesss" or in our own state of "Being".
Until we can reach or come close to the point where we become, Aware of the Awarenesss of "Awareness" itself and without the awareness of that "Awareness" disturbing us from, or lifting us out of that "Awareness" or a Zen Flow State where nothing is actually happening but everything is perfect of itself!
The methods we use to obtain the above can be many and varied, but at its core we bring the mind to stillness to appreciate the world beyond traditional thought and movement that operates at a higher vibrational frequency.
For Centuries Shamanic Journeying has used a repetitive Drum Beat to try and reach this Awareness Plane, as has Hari Krishna Drumming, however the practices of Yoga to put the body into a flow state, Buddhism & Hinduism through Prayer and Traditional Meditational Techniques, or a Taoist or Confucius practice through a Right way of Living are really not so otherworldly different than any modern Western Meditation Techniques designed to still and calm the monkey mind.
Clearly anything that allows the mind to remain a little more single pointed can appear helpful in practice like for example Cannabis. however the danger with Cannabis is, in this instance it becomes very easy to mistake the wood for the trees and think we are actually getting somewhere on our Journey when in actual fact we're just a little too stoned to become aware of any thing too much at all. LOL.
Clearly as I've discussed with yourself before I'm a great believer in the purpose of Psychedelics as part of this Journey which if used properly can almost seam like a Short Cut to Transcendance as it removes the garbage from our mindset and strips our Ego bare to allow us to start seeing clearly more easily and therefore makes our mind much more receptive to entering a "Flow State"
As for music to meditate to, I personally like stuff like some of the Didje and Handpan Music to get into a Flow State with, for instance like Zavier Rudd -Spirit Bird, but I also like World and Celtic Music like, Dead Can Dance, Loreena McKennit, Vaz, Azam Ali etc.
However depending on mood I can also go really deep with some Modern Improvisational Jazz, something for instance like Joe Henry Civilians.
Infact Music in general can become so easy to get into a Flow State with once we really start to open up and let it breath through us.
Anyway thought I would just share these personal Viewpoints Julia.
Hope your well.
Kind Regards
Mark
Thanks for sharing, Mark! I agree - at the core it's all meditation. I used a different term because many people have specific associations with meditation (namely, sitting cross-legged in silence). Sam's music is definitely inspired by some ancient shamanic rhythms. Thanks also for your music meditation favorites - we will be sure to check them out! Hope all is well 🙏
Yes Julia.
All good here.
I notice your Partner is a bit of a Composer then.
Is that mainly electronic or both?
I must admit I know very little about electronic digital composing but have absolutely loved Music from somewhere very deeply within my Soul for an absolute eternity.
After Climbing and Skiing, music was almost next in importance to me. Either with or without the addition of an Entheogen, music always seamed to pretty much instantly transport me to a different place and time.
First love was always very downbeat Alt Country Singer Sonwriters but I can listen to pretty much almost anything apart from modern standard melody driven popular chart style music.
But I am old School, so still listen to Cd and normally as it was intended by the Artist, from start to finish without interruption.
I also have a few different instruments which I pick up and play regularly and do love it, viz:, Didje, Handpan, Tar Drum, Shamanic Drum, Djembe Drum, Harmonica and Banjo. Though I'm absolutely average on all of them at best.
P.S. please let me know Julia if your looking for any particular music advice and I will try and assist. I'm definitely a bit of an Addict when it comes to Music and have probably in the region of 5,000 Cd's or so throughout the House and pretty much always have music on.
Though the Addict part in me mentioned above was just I suppose my nature in general. An Addictive Personality that had to do something or try something to the absolute N'th Degree, oblivious to the outcome or possible consequences because of being totally absorbed by the moment and the Journey.
Keep Well. Mark.🙏😚
Wow, 5,000 CDs! What a collection. He is a trained concert pianist and classical composer by background - he used to do mostly classical compositions, then self-taught electronic production so now he mixes all of it 😊
Yeah, a lot of them don't get listened to very much now as I'm sure you can imagine. That's interesting what Sam's doing. A lot of work though, particularly if he's mixing in actual musical instruments. My favourite 2 Musicians of All Time are both Multi Instamentalist Singer / Songwriters, but traditionally started their journey with Piano Based Singer Songwriting Music. They are Nick Cave and Tom Waits. Though I first heard both over 30 years ago, I still pretty much love everything that both have ever produced. Also seen both of them live on a handful of occasions which has been absolutely amazing whether in a large Concert Hall or smaller more intimate Setting.
Love this! I’ve been in this journey too! Movement mediations or music meditations. Microdose and/or cannabis (small dosing goes a long way in staying stable and connected). Lately the album I’ve been journeying with is by Yaima- moongate live. 💚
Would love to know how to hear more from Sam!
Thanks for sharing, Scott! I just checked out the Yaima album - it's so nice. I love that you're also doing this practice. I wish it wasn't so hard to find the right music to do this with. Unless you know what to look for on Spotify there's no way to find it, no curation. Maybe we need to create something 😅
PS I will share more from Sam but in the meantime his Instagram is @samsaundersmusic (he's mostly sharing piano there)
I want more music
We will figure something out 😇 Stay tuned
A) what a beautiful piece!
B) ingenious way to “meditate”
C) that one note is now in my head
D) more please! I absolutely loved it!
Thanks Annabelle, so glad you liked it! Yeah the note gets stuck 😅 We will figure out a way to share more
Thank you! Yes, it was easy to stay with the methods underlying tone - I most of the time! Searching for it reminded me of my search for “center” in the distractive aspects of my life. I liked it!
Amazing, glad you resonated with it, Debra! I feel the same when I listen to it. To me, the music somewhat assimilates the monkey mind which makes the exercise harder but even more rewarding.
Thank you for sharing. No medicine onboard, I listened. The busy violins I found distracting. But perhaps on a journey they would be lovely. I liked as the piece began to quiet a bit, violins receding, vocals and ethereal coming in. I would be interested in listening to more as I trust your sensibility.
Sarah
Thanks for the feedback, Sarah! You're not the first person to note this. It is somewhat by design - the idea is that the music simulates the "monkey mind" in this case and that one practices to stay focused on the object of attention (the piano note) despite everything else going on. This is definitely the most "intense one" though- he has some other ones that are calmer. We need to find a way to assess who will enjoy which most since it is so subjective 😊
But I relate to your sentiment, the first time I listened I found it too busy. When I listened again, it already got easier and now I've listened to it so many times that I'm able to focus and get lost in it, it almost puts me in a trance. But we will definitely find a way to share some other ones!
Thanks for this. Very nice. I decided to take a special break this morning to listen to this and am glad I did. Something about this piece seemed to get inside me--I listened twice--and bring about some trembling. Now my stomach is gurgling away (which I was told by a bodyworker is a sign that processing is happening.) Now to work! This afternoon I'll do my usual 'music meditation' for 40 to 60 minutes. I'm completely with you on this. I've been doing it for five years having 'learned' about it from journeys.
Thank you Zida, so glad you liked it! I resonate so much with your comment, I also had a pretty strong visceral reaction to it (I didn't share that in the post because I didn't want to prime anyone and I was also curious if it was just me?). I love that you're already working to make sense of it. I didn't know about the stomach! Will begin paying attention to it.
Julia, Sam’s music is beautiful. Please do tell us how we can find more 💖
Thanks so much, Shannon! We will figure something out 🥰
Music definitely gets to your soul…would love to hear the other ones you may have available…Namaste
Well said... there's few things that provide such a direct window into the human soul. Psychedelics being one of them 😅 We will find a way to make more available!
The question arises, "What would have to happen, or would it be like for my life to be a mediation? Let's say with no separation but rather a connection in and with each moment, one moment at a time. Absence of separation of any kind?
Musings on a beautiful Sunday morning. Thank you for yours.
Beautiful musings. I can only imagine what this would feel like. Sometimes I have a few hours, or maybe even a whole day, that feels like this — but modern life is so contradictory to this aspiration that in order to truly live it, one needs to be somewhat removed from everything else (I’m thinking of Henry Thoreau here for some reason…)
Thank you. I’ve been circling the concept of life as a “meditation” or a “conversation” with the deity or consciousness itself. A mentor lived by the idea that learning leads to growth and life”. In this framework, every moment, person, and encounter is a teaching moment. This liberated him from the known in service of what could be known. It comes as close as being intentionally fully present without the traditional boundaries of intentionality. Just hanging out with him created awareness and, ultimately, the habit. In the past year, I playfully titled the process my “prayer.” In each moment, learning what the moment, scene, or person has to teach becomes my daily” prayer.” One time, the thought occurred that “I don’t have a “prayer.” Even that was a learning moment—one prayer at a time.
I’ve never spoken or written about this before. Thank you for the opening.
I LOVE this as an alternative/addition to meditation. I would definitely be interested to receive more, with breath work/affirmations. Thank you for everything- I have been missing your newsletter :)
Thanks Celine, so glad you love it! I’ve been taking a bit of a summer break but plan to return soon - your warm words motivate me to do so sooner rather than later 🙏
Felt very light afterward!
Incredible! Especially given the intensity of the piece (or maybe because of it 😇). I have a similar experience with it…
I enjoyed the composition. Can they be on Spotify? I would like access to all:)
Glad to hear you liked it, Tanya! We will figure something out stay tuned 😇
Beautiful piece of music. :)
Thanks Trinity, glad you liked it 🥰
Lovely piece! I agree that it can be helpful to expand our meditation strategies and music is an amazing tool to become mindful. I find it especially sad when I realize how many people lose their connection to music as the serious responsibilites take over their lives. I my self lost the connection to music for some years and my partner helped me reconnect with it, now I can't go without music, it is the easiest way to regulate my mood and emotions. I especially love sound-healing classes, nothing relaxes me in a deeper way :)
Totally! It was the same for me. I lost touch with it but living with a musician has reconnected me in the most beautiful way 🥰 Glad you liked the music!
Thank you so much for sharing this music. I'm looking forward to the future shares. And a Spotify playlist would make it even easier to listen! :)
So glad to hear you liked it, Caitlin! We will definitely figure something out 😊