Today's DailyOM Offerings...
January 4, 2011
Amba
Felix Maria Woschek & Friends
1996
Spirituality is ingrained in Eastern culture, and has drawn seekers, worshippers, and students for many years. It certainly attracted German multi-instrumentalist Felix Maria Woschek, who came to the vast perfumed expanses of India to study its music. There he began his longtime collaboration with Ustad Sultan Khan. Khan is part of a generation of Indian musicians who have strong classical backgrounds and are unafraid to incorporate them in their embracing of newer genres, reciprocating the sentiments of the Western musicians. Trained in the sarangi (a classical Indian stringed instrument) by his musician father Ustad Gulab Khan, Khan has been performing since age 11; his debut concert was at the All Indian Conferences. He is the receiver of numerous awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, given by India's National Academy of Music.
The two have collaborated on various projects for Woschek's own label, Woschek Spiritual Sounds. The musicians' desire to give with their music is apparent in their 1996 album Amba: A Love Chant. There is love in both tracks of this album, that for the divine mother and that for the people of Tibet, with each song inspiring you to carry out acts of love and compassion toward others. In the 45-minute "Amba," electric guitar and saxophone blend seamlessly with sarangi and strings to serenade the holy feminine power that is Amba. Male and female vocals join together in harmony, allowing both sexes to sing praises to and benefit from the presence of this universal mother.
"Free Tibet" has a more somber reverential tone though the intent of love and respect is no less prevalent. Low, guttural chants create a resonating bassline that hints mournfully at the loss of human rights, while deep male vocals echo and reverberate at a higher frequency, instilling a sense of awe for the history and spiritual culture that comes from Tibet. Though slow and solemn, the echoes of voices and high-hitting string notes create a sense of balance and hope.
January 4, 2011
Completing Your Understanding
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
A guarded mood can interfere with your ability to work and play closely with others today as you may feel that you cannot trust the intentions of your collaborators. Your overly careful approach can drive a wedge between you and those with whom you must share duties, which can prevent you from communicating effectively. Opening the lines of communication will likely be a matter of reaching out to the individuals whose presence is inspiring your conservative mood. The more you learn about their background and motivations, the more comfortable you will likely feel putting your faith in them today.
Protecting ourselves from harm in situations in which we must work closely with others to accomplish a shared goal can be as easy as taking steps to find our more about the values of our partners through straightforward conversation. Often we fear what we do not understand, and our misgivings regarding others are simply the result of the fact that we tend to perceive those we do not know as alien and different. When we make an effort to get to know our acquaintances and colleagues, they begin, by degrees, to seem less threatening and to earn our trust. We can also accomplish the inverse since our willingness to open up in dialogue will typically ease the fears of others. When you let your guard down and express your curiosity today, you will discover that your collaborators are not as foreign as you imagined them to be.
January 4, 2011
The Direction Of Happiness
Leaving A Relationship
When attempts at working out issues in a relationship aren't working, it may be time to examine moving on.
One of the hardest decisions we ever make in life is leaving a long-term relationship that just isn't working. When attempts at repairing and working out issues aren't working, it may be time to examine moving on. We are emotional creatures, and when our heartstrings are tied to those of another, separating from that person can feel like an act of courage. It is not something most of us will take lightly, and many of us will struggle with our desire to stay in a relationship that is unfulfilling simply in order to avoid that pain. We may question whether the happiness we seek even exists, and we may wonder if we might be wiser to simply settle where we are, making the best of what we have.
On the one hand, we almost relish the idea that true happiness is not out there so that we can avoid the pain of change. On the other hand, we feel within ourselves a yearning to fulfill our desire for relationships that are vital and healing. Ultimately, most of us will follow this call, because deep within ourselves we know that we deserve to be happy. We all deserve to be happy, no matter where we find ourselves in this moment, and we are all justified in moving, like plants toward the light, in the direction that leads to our greatest fulfillment. First, though, we may need to summon the courage to move on from the relationship that appears to be holding us back.
Taking the first steps will be hard, but the happiness we find when we have freed ourselves from a situation that is draining our energy will outshine any hardship we undergo to get there. Keeping our eyes trained on the horizon, we begin the work of disentangling ourselves from the relationship that no longer fits. Every step brings us closer to a relationship that will work, and the freedom we need to find the happiness we deserve.
Amba
Felix Maria Woschek & Friends
1996
Spirituality is ingrained in Eastern culture, and has drawn seekers, worshippers, and students for many years. It certainly attracted German multi-instrumentalist Felix Maria Woschek, who came to the vast perfumed expanses of India to study its music. There he began his longtime collaboration with Ustad Sultan Khan. Khan is part of a generation of Indian musicians who have strong classical backgrounds and are unafraid to incorporate them in their embracing of newer genres, reciprocating the sentiments of the Western musicians. Trained in the sarangi (a classical Indian stringed instrument) by his musician father Ustad Gulab Khan, Khan has been performing since age 11; his debut concert was at the All Indian Conferences. He is the receiver of numerous awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, given by India's National Academy of Music.
The two have collaborated on various projects for Woschek's own label, Woschek Spiritual Sounds. The musicians' desire to give with their music is apparent in their 1996 album Amba: A Love Chant. There is love in both tracks of this album, that for the divine mother and that for the people of Tibet, with each song inspiring you to carry out acts of love and compassion toward others. In the 45-minute "Amba," electric guitar and saxophone blend seamlessly with sarangi and strings to serenade the holy feminine power that is Amba. Male and female vocals join together in harmony, allowing both sexes to sing praises to and benefit from the presence of this universal mother.
"Free Tibet" has a more somber reverential tone though the intent of love and respect is no less prevalent. Low, guttural chants create a resonating bassline that hints mournfully at the loss of human rights, while deep male vocals echo and reverberate at a higher frequency, instilling a sense of awe for the history and spiritual culture that comes from Tibet. Though slow and solemn, the echoes of voices and high-hitting string notes create a sense of balance and hope.
January 4, 2011
Completing Your Understanding
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
A guarded mood can interfere with your ability to work and play closely with others today as you may feel that you cannot trust the intentions of your collaborators. Your overly careful approach can drive a wedge between you and those with whom you must share duties, which can prevent you from communicating effectively. Opening the lines of communication will likely be a matter of reaching out to the individuals whose presence is inspiring your conservative mood. The more you learn about their background and motivations, the more comfortable you will likely feel putting your faith in them today.
Protecting ourselves from harm in situations in which we must work closely with others to accomplish a shared goal can be as easy as taking steps to find our more about the values of our partners through straightforward conversation. Often we fear what we do not understand, and our misgivings regarding others are simply the result of the fact that we tend to perceive those we do not know as alien and different. When we make an effort to get to know our acquaintances and colleagues, they begin, by degrees, to seem less threatening and to earn our trust. We can also accomplish the inverse since our willingness to open up in dialogue will typically ease the fears of others. When you let your guard down and express your curiosity today, you will discover that your collaborators are not as foreign as you imagined them to be.
January 4, 2011
The Direction Of Happiness
Leaving A Relationship
When attempts at working out issues in a relationship aren't working, it may be time to examine moving on.
One of the hardest decisions we ever make in life is leaving a long-term relationship that just isn't working. When attempts at repairing and working out issues aren't working, it may be time to examine moving on. We are emotional creatures, and when our heartstrings are tied to those of another, separating from that person can feel like an act of courage. It is not something most of us will take lightly, and many of us will struggle with our desire to stay in a relationship that is unfulfilling simply in order to avoid that pain. We may question whether the happiness we seek even exists, and we may wonder if we might be wiser to simply settle where we are, making the best of what we have.
On the one hand, we almost relish the idea that true happiness is not out there so that we can avoid the pain of change. On the other hand, we feel within ourselves a yearning to fulfill our desire for relationships that are vital and healing. Ultimately, most of us will follow this call, because deep within ourselves we know that we deserve to be happy. We all deserve to be happy, no matter where we find ourselves in this moment, and we are all justified in moving, like plants toward the light, in the direction that leads to our greatest fulfillment. First, though, we may need to summon the courage to move on from the relationship that appears to be holding us back.
Taking the first steps will be hard, but the happiness we find when we have freed ourselves from a situation that is draining our energy will outshine any hardship we undergo to get there. Keeping our eyes trained on the horizon, we begin the work of disentangling ourselves from the relationship that no longer fits. Every step brings us closer to a relationship that will work, and the freedom we need to find the happiness we deserve.