Today's DailyOM Offerings...
March 31, 2009
Rapa Iti
The Tahitian Choir
1992
Rapa Iti (aka Oparo) is a tiny island in French Polynesia, some 750 miles from the region’s most populous island of Tahiti and thousands of miles away from the nearest continent. At the time that French musician Pascal Nabet Meyer recorded this album, the island’s population numbered just 330 inhabitants, 126 of which belonged to the choir heard on Rapa Iti. These songs document the life, creation myths, and history of this isolated people, all sung in an ancient tongue that has all but vanished from spoken language.
The breadth of the material here is far greater than one would expect from the inhabitants of such a remote island. A song like "Himene Tatou" fashions a glowing hymnal from a text honoring a native deity; this is the clear influence of western missionaries that came to colonize Rapa Iti after its "discovery" by the British in 1791. On the other hand there is an alien strangeness to "Te Vahine Ororagni," with its overlapping polyphony, pulsing male chants, and strident female lines. The cacophony easily depicts the song’s lyrics, about a resource war over water. It would sound like a traditional African song if it weren’t for the choir’s queasy sliding between microtones.
The Tahitian Choir’s trademark is a sudden, bewildering dropping of the pitch in the middle of several tracks. The group sounds like it’s detuning itself in "Tau Matamua," or that a 45 rpm recording is being switched to 33 rpm; time seems to shift momentarily as the entire choir realigns itself in a new key and begins its call and response chanting anew. There is nothing like it in western music. Suddenly we are drawn away from the rough warmth of these songs, and reminded that the residents of Rapa Iti lived in complete isolation for hundreds of years, developing their own traditions completely distinct from our own. Yet we still recognize the liveliness in this chattering, multilayered music. Ringing out from the middle of the South Pacific, Rapa Iti confirms that even in the furthest reaches of the globe, humanity can rely on music to express its strength and peculiar character.
March 31, 2009
Warmth’s Undeniable Draw
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may feel particularly approachable today. The welcoming mood driving your choices and actions will likely inspire you to surround yourself with people whose company stimulates you. To achieve this end, you may need to adjust your outward attitude to reflect the loving warmth you feel within. You may be surprised to see how quickly your social calendar can fill up once others notice your kindly and nonthreatening demeanor. If you have difficulty attracting companionship, you should consider adopting a proactive attitude toward your relationships. This can be a wonderful time to reach out to loved ones you seldom see or to take a class that will expose you to new people.
During those times when we are desirous of company, we can attract friends and family as well as new acquaintances to our sides by projecting an attitude of warmth and compassion. People are naturally drawn to individuals who interact with the world with an upbeat and welcoming demeanor. When we do not let our weightier concerns come between us and our ability to enjoy life, others can sense that we are approachable and open to the unexpected. And because we do not walk through our lives tied to expectations, we can derive legitimate pleasure from the appearance of positive people in our spheres of influence. Consequently, others are eager to spend time in our presence and are never afraid to be themselves in our company. The warm and welcoming mood you embody today will help you attract the companionship you so keenly crave.
March 31, 2009
Protecting Your Flow
How Fear Blocks Creativity
To understand how fear blocks creativity, take a moment to imagine yourself telling a story. First, imagine telling the story to someone you love and who loves you. You probably feel warmth and energy as you fill in the details of your tale to your friend’s delight. Now, imagine telling the same story to someone who, for whatever reason, makes you uncomfortable. The wonderful twists and turns, the fine points and colorful images that unfolded in your mind for your friend probably won’t present themselves. Instead of warmth, energy, and creativity, you will probably feel opposite sensations and a desire to close down. When we feel unsafe, whether we fear being judged, disliked, or misunderstood, our creative flow stops. Alternately, when we feel safe, our creativity unfolds like a beautiful flower, without conscious effort.
Knowing this, we can maximize our creative potential by creating the conditions that inspire our creativity. In order to really be in the flow, we need to feel safe and unrestricted. However, achieving this is not as simple as avoiding people who make us feel uncomfortable. Sometimes we can be alone in a room and still feel totally blocked. When this happens, we know we have come up against elements in our own psyches that are making us feel fearful. Perhaps we are afraid that in expressing ourselves we will discover something we don’t want to know, or unleash emotions or ideas that we don’t want to be responsible for. Or maybe we’re afraid we’ll fail to produce something worthy.
When you’re up against fear, internal or external, ritual can be a powerful-and creative-antidote. Before you sit down to be creative, try casting a circle of protection around yourself. Visualize yourself inside a ring of light, protective fire, or angels. Imagine that this protective energy emanates unconditional love for you and wants to hear, see, and feel everything you have to express. Take a moment to bathe in the warmth of this feeling and then fearlessly surrender yourself to the power that flows through you.
Rapa Iti
The Tahitian Choir
1992
Rapa Iti (aka Oparo) is a tiny island in French Polynesia, some 750 miles from the region’s most populous island of Tahiti and thousands of miles away from the nearest continent. At the time that French musician Pascal Nabet Meyer recorded this album, the island’s population numbered just 330 inhabitants, 126 of which belonged to the choir heard on Rapa Iti. These songs document the life, creation myths, and history of this isolated people, all sung in an ancient tongue that has all but vanished from spoken language.
The breadth of the material here is far greater than one would expect from the inhabitants of such a remote island. A song like "Himene Tatou" fashions a glowing hymnal from a text honoring a native deity; this is the clear influence of western missionaries that came to colonize Rapa Iti after its "discovery" by the British in 1791. On the other hand there is an alien strangeness to "Te Vahine Ororagni," with its overlapping polyphony, pulsing male chants, and strident female lines. The cacophony easily depicts the song’s lyrics, about a resource war over water. It would sound like a traditional African song if it weren’t for the choir’s queasy sliding between microtones.
The Tahitian Choir’s trademark is a sudden, bewildering dropping of the pitch in the middle of several tracks. The group sounds like it’s detuning itself in "Tau Matamua," or that a 45 rpm recording is being switched to 33 rpm; time seems to shift momentarily as the entire choir realigns itself in a new key and begins its call and response chanting anew. There is nothing like it in western music. Suddenly we are drawn away from the rough warmth of these songs, and reminded that the residents of Rapa Iti lived in complete isolation for hundreds of years, developing their own traditions completely distinct from our own. Yet we still recognize the liveliness in this chattering, multilayered music. Ringing out from the middle of the South Pacific, Rapa Iti confirms that even in the furthest reaches of the globe, humanity can rely on music to express its strength and peculiar character.
March 31, 2009
Warmth’s Undeniable Draw
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may feel particularly approachable today. The welcoming mood driving your choices and actions will likely inspire you to surround yourself with people whose company stimulates you. To achieve this end, you may need to adjust your outward attitude to reflect the loving warmth you feel within. You may be surprised to see how quickly your social calendar can fill up once others notice your kindly and nonthreatening demeanor. If you have difficulty attracting companionship, you should consider adopting a proactive attitude toward your relationships. This can be a wonderful time to reach out to loved ones you seldom see or to take a class that will expose you to new people.
During those times when we are desirous of company, we can attract friends and family as well as new acquaintances to our sides by projecting an attitude of warmth and compassion. People are naturally drawn to individuals who interact with the world with an upbeat and welcoming demeanor. When we do not let our weightier concerns come between us and our ability to enjoy life, others can sense that we are approachable and open to the unexpected. And because we do not walk through our lives tied to expectations, we can derive legitimate pleasure from the appearance of positive people in our spheres of influence. Consequently, others are eager to spend time in our presence and are never afraid to be themselves in our company. The warm and welcoming mood you embody today will help you attract the companionship you so keenly crave.
March 31, 2009
Protecting Your Flow
How Fear Blocks Creativity
To understand how fear blocks creativity, take a moment to imagine yourself telling a story. First, imagine telling the story to someone you love and who loves you. You probably feel warmth and energy as you fill in the details of your tale to your friend’s delight. Now, imagine telling the same story to someone who, for whatever reason, makes you uncomfortable. The wonderful twists and turns, the fine points and colorful images that unfolded in your mind for your friend probably won’t present themselves. Instead of warmth, energy, and creativity, you will probably feel opposite sensations and a desire to close down. When we feel unsafe, whether we fear being judged, disliked, or misunderstood, our creative flow stops. Alternately, when we feel safe, our creativity unfolds like a beautiful flower, without conscious effort.
Knowing this, we can maximize our creative potential by creating the conditions that inspire our creativity. In order to really be in the flow, we need to feel safe and unrestricted. However, achieving this is not as simple as avoiding people who make us feel uncomfortable. Sometimes we can be alone in a room and still feel totally blocked. When this happens, we know we have come up against elements in our own psyches that are making us feel fearful. Perhaps we are afraid that in expressing ourselves we will discover something we don’t want to know, or unleash emotions or ideas that we don’t want to be responsible for. Or maybe we’re afraid we’ll fail to produce something worthy.
When you’re up against fear, internal or external, ritual can be a powerful-and creative-antidote. Before you sit down to be creative, try casting a circle of protection around yourself. Visualize yourself inside a ring of light, protective fire, or angels. Imagine that this protective energy emanates unconditional love for you and wants to hear, see, and feel everything you have to express. Take a moment to bathe in the warmth of this feeling and then fearlessly surrender yourself to the power that flows through you.