Today's DailyOM Offerings...
June 20, 2011
Shalom Salam
Felix Maria Woschek & Friends
1993
Felix Maria Woschek is a German-born musician drawn to sounds far beyond his native Europe. With Eastern culture’s rich spirituality, it’s easy to see how the music could inspire this multi-instrumentalist’s work. It was in India where Woschek began collaborating with musicians from backgrounds so different from his own with the idea of unity in mind. He was moved by the spirituality in these cultures, and devoted himself to reinterpreting and sharing their songs with all, highlighting their similarities in the hopes of spreading peace and releasing it on his own label, Woschek Spiritual Sounds.
In 1993 Woschek released Shalom Salam, an album that effortlessly unites Jewish and Muslim religious tunes. Vocalist Esther Strohmeier joins him, among others. The album begins with “Call of the Dervish,” a beautifully operatic number that conjures up the image and mysticism of the whirling dervish through a somber drum rhythm and magical-sounding flutes, which take on a new life halfway through the song. Woschek uses his own voice as an instrument, with female vocals resting lightly on his bassier ones, for an extreme sense of unity. At over eight minutes, the song is sure to help induce a trance similar to that of the dervishes.
On “Journey to the Lord of Mercy,” Woschek utilizes his experience singing bhajans (Indian devotional songs) to exercise his vocal chords as he expertly wails with yearning, praise, and, finally, satisfaction at merging. He makes the unusual choice of incorporating the saxophone, which adds a hint of familiar amid the exotic praise, implying that, like the message, there is an element of familiar in wanting to be more spiritual and achieve forgiveness. Woschek makes a Spanish-influenced ballad out of the traditional prayer “Shema Yisraeyl,” which is meant to unite the Jewish people in the belief that God is one and all are one under God. His voice intermingles with Strohmeier’s in a prayer that is surely heard by whoever the higher authority may be. The guitar has a hint of flamenco, which adds a sense of drama and importance without being over the top, so the listener has an acute understanding of the importance of the prayer and its message.
June 20, 2011
Kinder Choices
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
A kindly and considerate mood can influence your relationships with others today, as you may be compelled to think of how your choices will affect the people in your immediate environment. The resultant thoughtfulness that manifests in your behavior can make a wonderfully positive impression on your loved ones and colleagues, since they will likely prove to be the beneficiary of your goodwill today. This can also be a good time to examine decisions you recently made as well as those you are putting off until some future date; these can also have an impact on your ability to get along with the major players in your existence.
When we make an effort to take others' feelings into account before speaking or acting, we can avoid hurting people's feelings as we pursue our own purposes. There may be times when our interests conflict with the interests of the individuals in our environment-we may not at first recognize these instances, but our tendency to give others due consideration will help us identify potentially hurtful choices. We need only give a moment's thought to the consequences of our chosen path before proceeding with our plans to know whether we are on the right track. Should we discover that the choices we are primed to make are likely to impact others badly, we can take our efforts in a less damaging direction. Your thoughtfulness will ensure you do not hurt the people around you today as you will negate conflict before it escalates.
June 20, 2011
Staying Afloat amidst the Spin
Taking Things Personally
Try not to take everything personally, things that people say and do don’t always have anything to do with you.
Every time you interact with others, you have the choice to listen to, acknowledge, and let go of their words, or you can take what they are saying personally. Taking things personally is often the result of perceiving a person’s actions or words as an affront or slight. In order to take something personally, you must read negative intent in an individual’s words or actions. But what people do and say has no bearing upon you and is usually based on their own experiences, emotions, and perceptions. If you attempt to take what they do or say personally, you may end up feeling hurt without reason.
If you are tempted to take a comment or action personally, creating some distance between yourself and the other person can help you. Try to determine what is at the root of your feelings. Ask yourself if the other person’s words or actions are just reinforcing some insecurity within you or if you can really be sure that an offense was intended. You may even want to ask them what they meant. Finally, put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Instead of taking their words as the truth, or as a personal affront, remember that whatever was said or done is based on their opinion and is more reflective of what is going on inside of them, rather than having anything to do with you. You may have been an easy target for someone having a bad day, and their comments may have been offered with no ill intentions.
When you recognize that what anyone says or does doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with you, you will no longer feel hurt or attacked. While it’s easy to take things personally, you should never let anyone’s perceptions or actions affect how you see yourself or your worth. Your life is personal to you, and it is up to you to influence your own value and sense of well-being.
Shalom Salam
Felix Maria Woschek & Friends
1993
Felix Maria Woschek is a German-born musician drawn to sounds far beyond his native Europe. With Eastern culture’s rich spirituality, it’s easy to see how the music could inspire this multi-instrumentalist’s work. It was in India where Woschek began collaborating with musicians from backgrounds so different from his own with the idea of unity in mind. He was moved by the spirituality in these cultures, and devoted himself to reinterpreting and sharing their songs with all, highlighting their similarities in the hopes of spreading peace and releasing it on his own label, Woschek Spiritual Sounds.
In 1993 Woschek released Shalom Salam, an album that effortlessly unites Jewish and Muslim religious tunes. Vocalist Esther Strohmeier joins him, among others. The album begins with “Call of the Dervish,” a beautifully operatic number that conjures up the image and mysticism of the whirling dervish through a somber drum rhythm and magical-sounding flutes, which take on a new life halfway through the song. Woschek uses his own voice as an instrument, with female vocals resting lightly on his bassier ones, for an extreme sense of unity. At over eight minutes, the song is sure to help induce a trance similar to that of the dervishes.
On “Journey to the Lord of Mercy,” Woschek utilizes his experience singing bhajans (Indian devotional songs) to exercise his vocal chords as he expertly wails with yearning, praise, and, finally, satisfaction at merging. He makes the unusual choice of incorporating the saxophone, which adds a hint of familiar amid the exotic praise, implying that, like the message, there is an element of familiar in wanting to be more spiritual and achieve forgiveness. Woschek makes a Spanish-influenced ballad out of the traditional prayer “Shema Yisraeyl,” which is meant to unite the Jewish people in the belief that God is one and all are one under God. His voice intermingles with Strohmeier’s in a prayer that is surely heard by whoever the higher authority may be. The guitar has a hint of flamenco, which adds a sense of drama and importance without being over the top, so the listener has an acute understanding of the importance of the prayer and its message.
June 20, 2011
Kinder Choices
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
A kindly and considerate mood can influence your relationships with others today, as you may be compelled to think of how your choices will affect the people in your immediate environment. The resultant thoughtfulness that manifests in your behavior can make a wonderfully positive impression on your loved ones and colleagues, since they will likely prove to be the beneficiary of your goodwill today. This can also be a good time to examine decisions you recently made as well as those you are putting off until some future date; these can also have an impact on your ability to get along with the major players in your existence.
When we make an effort to take others' feelings into account before speaking or acting, we can avoid hurting people's feelings as we pursue our own purposes. There may be times when our interests conflict with the interests of the individuals in our environment-we may not at first recognize these instances, but our tendency to give others due consideration will help us identify potentially hurtful choices. We need only give a moment's thought to the consequences of our chosen path before proceeding with our plans to know whether we are on the right track. Should we discover that the choices we are primed to make are likely to impact others badly, we can take our efforts in a less damaging direction. Your thoughtfulness will ensure you do not hurt the people around you today as you will negate conflict before it escalates.
June 20, 2011
Staying Afloat amidst the Spin
Taking Things Personally
Try not to take everything personally, things that people say and do don’t always have anything to do with you.
Every time you interact with others, you have the choice to listen to, acknowledge, and let go of their words, or you can take what they are saying personally. Taking things personally is often the result of perceiving a person’s actions or words as an affront or slight. In order to take something personally, you must read negative intent in an individual’s words or actions. But what people do and say has no bearing upon you and is usually based on their own experiences, emotions, and perceptions. If you attempt to take what they do or say personally, you may end up feeling hurt without reason.
If you are tempted to take a comment or action personally, creating some distance between yourself and the other person can help you. Try to determine what is at the root of your feelings. Ask yourself if the other person’s words or actions are just reinforcing some insecurity within you or if you can really be sure that an offense was intended. You may even want to ask them what they meant. Finally, put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Instead of taking their words as the truth, or as a personal affront, remember that whatever was said or done is based on their opinion and is more reflective of what is going on inside of them, rather than having anything to do with you. You may have been an easy target for someone having a bad day, and their comments may have been offered with no ill intentions.
When you recognize that what anyone says or does doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with you, you will no longer feel hurt or attacked. While it’s easy to take things personally, you should never let anyone’s perceptions or actions affect how you see yourself or your worth. Your life is personal to you, and it is up to you to influence your own value and sense of well-being.