Today's DailyOM Offerings...
August 25, 2011
The Sounds of India
Ravi Shankar
1968
Around the world Ravi Shankar is perhaps one of the most known names in Indian music, and the musician most directly responsible for introducing this rich musical culture into pop music through his musical influence on the Beatles. Born in 1920 in India to an orthodox Brahmin family, Shankar incorporated devotional music into his life at a remarkably young age. By age 13 he was already on tour playing music and dancing. At 18 he decided to focus solely on music, studying sitar with Allaudin Khan, and by 19 he was already giving music recitals. He toured Europe and the United States, writing music for sitar and orchestra, eventually greatly influencing violinist Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison of the Beatles, who went on to take sitar lessons from Shankar. Shankar garnered numerous awards, both musically and within the community. He received three Grammy Awards in the States and in his native India he was awarded the country’s highest civil honor, the Bharat Ratna, and was a nominated member of the upper chamber of India’s Parliament.
Shankar’s 1968 album The Sounds of India has the master explaining world music to the West through patient lessons, both musical and spoken. The record is a piece of history, an educational tool, and a source for relaxing music. It also serves as a classroom for world music enthusiasts, and highlights the loving human element in Shankar as a musician, while also displaying his skill. The album opens with his soothing, musically accented voice explaining the exact meaning of the ragas, as well as the significance of each portion and instrument of the raga and its structure. He takes care to ease the Western listener into the genre, making this album a great gift for any beginner taking a cautionary first step into Indian music.
After explaining the ragas, Shankar dives into a truly heady one on “Dádrá.” The twang of the sitar is all too familiar and Beatles lovers are sure to hear and understand the sounds that held so much allure for George Harrison. Shankar closes with “Sindhi-Bhairavi,” which is played on a descending and ascending scale, as he kindly explains, and shows an immense amount of skill and shockingly impeccable precision on the sitar. Higher and lower tones play off each other, with the tabla adding a wonderfully conversational element to the already talking scales. With the lesson portion only taking place in the beginning of the tune, it’s easy to fall under the hypnotic spell of these exotic sounds.
August 25, 2011
Being Direct Yet Compassionate
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You could find it easier to be direct with others today. Being able to claim your feelings and express them could be a way for you to gain control over the things that have immediate value for you. The power behind your thoughts could also give you the confidence you need to approach any situation in a positive and even-handed way. Not letting what others say that conflicts with your own ideas bother you could help you maintain the composure you need to be influential and persuasive today. Should someone say something that diverges from your own ideas, you can take a deep breath, listen to his or her ideas, and then search from within for the will to say your feelings honestly. You may find that calling upon the deepest parts of your soul can provide you with the strength you need to be direct, and yet gentle and compassionate at the same time.
Our words have much more power and validity when we are truthful and frank with our feelings. While there may be times when we need to skirt around an issue, our ideas will be much more potent if we remain faithful to how we feel and if we express those feelings candidly. The time and consideration we put into averting what we really think will only make others frustrated with us, which in turn will lessen their desire to be open to what we have to say. By being open and straightforward with your feelings today, your interactions will be much more successful and convincing.
August 25, 2011
Focus on the Good
Raise Your Vibration
There are many ways to raise your vibration including thinking positive and uplifting thoughts.
Everything in the universe is made of energy. What differentiates one form of energy from another is the speed at which it vibrates. For example, light vibrates at a very high frequency, and something like a rock vibrates at a lower frequency but a frequency nonetheless. Human beings also vibrate at different frequencies. Our thoughts and feelings can determine the frequency at which we vibrate, and our vibration goes out into the world and attracts to us energy moving at a similar frequency. This is one of the ways that we create our own reality, which is why we can cause a positive shift in our lives by raising our vibration.
We all know someone we think of as vibrant. Vibrant literally means “vibrating very rapidly.” The people who strike us as vibrant are vibrating at a high frequency, and they can inspire us as we work to raise our vibration. On the other hand, we all know people that are very negative or cynical. These people are vibrating at a lower frequency. They can also be an inspiration because they can show us where we don’t want to be vibrating and why. To discover where you are in terms of vibrancy, consider where you fall on a scale between the most pessimistic person you know and the most vibrant. This is not in order to pass judgment, but rather it is important to know where you are as you begin working to raise your frequency so that you can notice and appreciate your progress.
There are many ways to raise your vibration, from working with affirmations to visualizing enlightened entities during meditation. One of the most practical ways to raise your vibration is to consciously choose where you focus your attention. To understand how powerful this is, take five minutes to describe something you love unreservedly-a person, a movie, an experience. When your five minutes are up, you will noticeably feel more positive and even lighter. If you want to keep raising your vibration, you might want to commit to spending five minutes every day focusing on the good in your life. As you do this, you will train yourself to be more awake and alive. Over time, you will experience a permanent shift in your vibrancy.
The Sounds of India
Ravi Shankar
1968
Around the world Ravi Shankar is perhaps one of the most known names in Indian music, and the musician most directly responsible for introducing this rich musical culture into pop music through his musical influence on the Beatles. Born in 1920 in India to an orthodox Brahmin family, Shankar incorporated devotional music into his life at a remarkably young age. By age 13 he was already on tour playing music and dancing. At 18 he decided to focus solely on music, studying sitar with Allaudin Khan, and by 19 he was already giving music recitals. He toured Europe and the United States, writing music for sitar and orchestra, eventually greatly influencing violinist Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison of the Beatles, who went on to take sitar lessons from Shankar. Shankar garnered numerous awards, both musically and within the community. He received three Grammy Awards in the States and in his native India he was awarded the country’s highest civil honor, the Bharat Ratna, and was a nominated member of the upper chamber of India’s Parliament.
Shankar’s 1968 album The Sounds of India has the master explaining world music to the West through patient lessons, both musical and spoken. The record is a piece of history, an educational tool, and a source for relaxing music. It also serves as a classroom for world music enthusiasts, and highlights the loving human element in Shankar as a musician, while also displaying his skill. The album opens with his soothing, musically accented voice explaining the exact meaning of the ragas, as well as the significance of each portion and instrument of the raga and its structure. He takes care to ease the Western listener into the genre, making this album a great gift for any beginner taking a cautionary first step into Indian music.
After explaining the ragas, Shankar dives into a truly heady one on “Dádrá.” The twang of the sitar is all too familiar and Beatles lovers are sure to hear and understand the sounds that held so much allure for George Harrison. Shankar closes with “Sindhi-Bhairavi,” which is played on a descending and ascending scale, as he kindly explains, and shows an immense amount of skill and shockingly impeccable precision on the sitar. Higher and lower tones play off each other, with the tabla adding a wonderfully conversational element to the already talking scales. With the lesson portion only taking place in the beginning of the tune, it’s easy to fall under the hypnotic spell of these exotic sounds.
August 25, 2011
Being Direct Yet Compassionate
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You could find it easier to be direct with others today. Being able to claim your feelings and express them could be a way for you to gain control over the things that have immediate value for you. The power behind your thoughts could also give you the confidence you need to approach any situation in a positive and even-handed way. Not letting what others say that conflicts with your own ideas bother you could help you maintain the composure you need to be influential and persuasive today. Should someone say something that diverges from your own ideas, you can take a deep breath, listen to his or her ideas, and then search from within for the will to say your feelings honestly. You may find that calling upon the deepest parts of your soul can provide you with the strength you need to be direct, and yet gentle and compassionate at the same time.
Our words have much more power and validity when we are truthful and frank with our feelings. While there may be times when we need to skirt around an issue, our ideas will be much more potent if we remain faithful to how we feel and if we express those feelings candidly. The time and consideration we put into averting what we really think will only make others frustrated with us, which in turn will lessen their desire to be open to what we have to say. By being open and straightforward with your feelings today, your interactions will be much more successful and convincing.
August 25, 2011
Focus on the Good
Raise Your Vibration
There are many ways to raise your vibration including thinking positive and uplifting thoughts.
Everything in the universe is made of energy. What differentiates one form of energy from another is the speed at which it vibrates. For example, light vibrates at a very high frequency, and something like a rock vibrates at a lower frequency but a frequency nonetheless. Human beings also vibrate at different frequencies. Our thoughts and feelings can determine the frequency at which we vibrate, and our vibration goes out into the world and attracts to us energy moving at a similar frequency. This is one of the ways that we create our own reality, which is why we can cause a positive shift in our lives by raising our vibration.
We all know someone we think of as vibrant. Vibrant literally means “vibrating very rapidly.” The people who strike us as vibrant are vibrating at a high frequency, and they can inspire us as we work to raise our vibration. On the other hand, we all know people that are very negative or cynical. These people are vibrating at a lower frequency. They can also be an inspiration because they can show us where we don’t want to be vibrating and why. To discover where you are in terms of vibrancy, consider where you fall on a scale between the most pessimistic person you know and the most vibrant. This is not in order to pass judgment, but rather it is important to know where you are as you begin working to raise your frequency so that you can notice and appreciate your progress.
There are many ways to raise your vibration, from working with affirmations to visualizing enlightened entities during meditation. One of the most practical ways to raise your vibration is to consciously choose where you focus your attention. To understand how powerful this is, take five minutes to describe something you love unreservedly-a person, a movie, an experience. When your five minutes are up, you will noticeably feel more positive and even lighter. If you want to keep raising your vibration, you might want to commit to spending five minutes every day focusing on the good in your life. As you do this, you will train yourself to be more awake and alive. Over time, you will experience a permanent shift in your vibrancy.