Today's DailyOM Offerings...
May 30, 2008
Marimba Music of Guatemala
Chapinlandia
2007
First introduced to Guatemala by African slaves brought over from the Caribbean, the wooden, xylophone-style mallet instrument known as the marimba has been closely linked with the country's cultural identity since the early days of Spanish colonization in the mid-16th century. It was declared the national instrument of Guatemala in 1978, a reflection of the central role it plays in Guatemalan culture. And on Marimba Music of Guatemala, we're treated to 19 delightful dance tunes performed by one of Guatemala's most beloved marimba ensembles, Marimba Chapinlandia. Each piece arranges a sprightly rhythm and catchy melody for seven marimba players, a string bassist, and a drummer. The music of Chapinlandia is simple and joyful. Traditionally played at weddings, baptisms, banquets, and other social occasions, it's also great for lazing about on a hot summer day, the sun at your back, and a cool drink in your hand.
Most of the music on this collection was written in the first few decades of the 1900s, after the turn-of-the-century invention of the chromatic marimba made it possible for popular salon pieces to be adapted for the new instrument. As a result, much of Chapinlandia's repertoire has a charming old-timey feel, like the waltz "Recuerdos de un Amigo," with its carousel melody and circus snare rolls conjuring mustachioed gentlemen and parasol-toting ladies on a pleasant noon-day stroll. "Linda Morena" has a Spanish bolero feel to it, which adds a sensual undertow to its bright melody. This one cries out for a young balladeer to join in, singing melodramatically to woo the "beautiful dark woman" of the title.
While much of the arrangements on Marimba Music of Guatemala thrive on simple, harmonized melody lines and easy-to-follow dance forms, there is a surprising range in the emotional range of these pieces. It's hard to imagine a dance song livelier than the upbeat corrido "Soy de Zacapa," but there is great sadness in the somber melodies and arrangements of "Noche de Luna en las Ruinas (Moonlit Night in the Ruins)." Harmonized marimba lines quiver and shake, while the song commemorates a dramatic reenactment of the 1903 earthquake in the Guatemelan city of Quetzaltenango. As diverse and lovingly arranged as the songs on Marimba Music of Guatemala are, the marimba is the star here, its warm, unmistakable tone and warbling vibrato blowing through each song like a soothing tropical breeze.
May 30, 2008
Invaluable Fun
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may feel a strong desire to play today. A lighthearted mood could cause you to work through your responsibilities as quickly as possible so that you can spend the rest of your time engaging in more enjoyable pursuits. You may enjoy spending time with children more than usual or participating in fun group activities. If you feel torn between your obligations and your longing for play, consider making the most of your time by treating your duties as games. Find opportunities to challenge yourself as you move through your day or challenge a loved one or acquaintance to a short game. Today can be a perfect day to gather the people you care about in your home for an afternoon or evening of cards or board games.
Letting your inner child express itself can help you achieve a lightheartedness that warms your soul and positively colors your life experience. Because the demands placed on us by the modern world are so rigorous, we often forget the importance of play. Play is not only enjoyable but also useful. It can help you adapt to new situations and learn new skills. When you allow yourself to behave in a childlike manner, you release yourself from your daily routine. Giving in to your urge to play and be playful helps you cast off the tension that builds up within you during your day-to-day life in order to nurture buoyancy within your spirit. Giving in to your desire to play today will cheer you and make your day more fun.
May 30, 2008
Full Release
Water Meditation
Our bodies are over fifty percent water, so it makes sense that human beings have always considered water to be a sacred source of life and healing. It is literally half of who we are, and well over half of the earth’s surface is water. Water cleanses and hydrates, contains and produces nourishment, and when we enter it, holds us in an embrace that leaves no part of us untouched. Meditating with water can be a powerful way of aligning ourselves more fully with this support system that makes life both possible and pleasurable on so many levels.
We may wish to conduct our meditation while in physical contact with a body of water, whether in the intimacy of our bathtub or the vast container of an ocean. We might float on our backs in a swimming pool or sit with just our feet submerged in a pond or creek. On the other hand, we may simply close our eyes and choose a location based on our imagination. Whatever we choose, we can begin by closing our eyes and listening to our breathing. At the same time, we tune in to the particular music of the water we have chosen-the loud rushing of a river or waterfall, or the surreal silence of the world beneath the surface of the ocean. We might consider how the type of water we choose reflects what we seek-the peace beneath the hectic surface of life, the cleansing power of a river racing through a canyon, or the mood lifting, melodic bubbling of a lively creek.
As we move between awareness of our breath and awareness of the water in which we find ourselves, we can begin to release the things we no longer need into the rushing river, or release ourselves completely into the water’s embrace as we float, in our minds, in the watery womb of an ocean or a lake. When you feel you are ready to return to more solid ground, ease your body back onto earth, in your mind or in reality, and lie flat on your back, allowing the water to bead and roll off your skin, soaking the earth and evaporating into the air, leaving you cleansed, healed, and renewed.
May 30, 2008
Blessing Bowl, Yoga Moods, The Backdoor To Enlightenment
Gift Of The Week
Blessing Bowl - This set comes with everything you need to enrich your own life or somebody you love with blessings. The idea is to write blessings, poetry or a meaningful word onto one of the pieces of paper and tie it with a ribbon and place it in the bowl. The end result over time is a reminder of the blessings in your life. This makes a beautiful gift for a wedding, birthday, housewarming or just because. The blessing bowl can also be used in a guestroom for your guests to write you a thank you note of blessings or for a teacher at the end of the school year. There are many traditions and rituals you can come up with on your own such as reading all of the blessings on New Years Eve.
View Blessing Bowl
Yoga Moods (CD) - "YogaFit" instructor Beth Shaw has been bringing yoga to millions through her emphasis on movement and fitness; she selected the tracks on Yoga Moods from the most chilled and soothing down-tempo lounge music from Europe, sequenced to fit perfectly into a yoga session. The music was then re-mixed by the Gordon Brothers on their Sequoia label and the result is a sure bet to lead one effortlessly deeper either into their yoga trance or couch-centric relaxation.
Listen to Sound Clips
The Backdoor To Enlightenment: Eight Steps To Living Your Dreams And Changing Your World (book) - This is an interesting book as it is a mixture of a fictional spiritual adventure along with non-fiction wisdom. For thousands of years, the secret to enlightenment has remained hidden in the distant reaches of the Himalayas, deep in wisdom impenetrable to all but the most dedicated seekers. Blending centuries-old texts with contemporary wisdom, readers of any faith can bypass the traps and limitations of modern life and achieve lasting peace every day. The book is set up in 8 chapters with the non-fiction wisdom at the end of each fictional adventure chapter.
Read Excerpt
For more information visit DailyOM Gift Shop
Marimba Music of Guatemala
Chapinlandia
2007
First introduced to Guatemala by African slaves brought over from the Caribbean, the wooden, xylophone-style mallet instrument known as the marimba has been closely linked with the country's cultural identity since the early days of Spanish colonization in the mid-16th century. It was declared the national instrument of Guatemala in 1978, a reflection of the central role it plays in Guatemalan culture. And on Marimba Music of Guatemala, we're treated to 19 delightful dance tunes performed by one of Guatemala's most beloved marimba ensembles, Marimba Chapinlandia. Each piece arranges a sprightly rhythm and catchy melody for seven marimba players, a string bassist, and a drummer. The music of Chapinlandia is simple and joyful. Traditionally played at weddings, baptisms, banquets, and other social occasions, it's also great for lazing about on a hot summer day, the sun at your back, and a cool drink in your hand.
Most of the music on this collection was written in the first few decades of the 1900s, after the turn-of-the-century invention of the chromatic marimba made it possible for popular salon pieces to be adapted for the new instrument. As a result, much of Chapinlandia's repertoire has a charming old-timey feel, like the waltz "Recuerdos de un Amigo," with its carousel melody and circus snare rolls conjuring mustachioed gentlemen and parasol-toting ladies on a pleasant noon-day stroll. "Linda Morena" has a Spanish bolero feel to it, which adds a sensual undertow to its bright melody. This one cries out for a young balladeer to join in, singing melodramatically to woo the "beautiful dark woman" of the title.
While much of the arrangements on Marimba Music of Guatemala thrive on simple, harmonized melody lines and easy-to-follow dance forms, there is a surprising range in the emotional range of these pieces. It's hard to imagine a dance song livelier than the upbeat corrido "Soy de Zacapa," but there is great sadness in the somber melodies and arrangements of "Noche de Luna en las Ruinas (Moonlit Night in the Ruins)." Harmonized marimba lines quiver and shake, while the song commemorates a dramatic reenactment of the 1903 earthquake in the Guatemelan city of Quetzaltenango. As diverse and lovingly arranged as the songs on Marimba Music of Guatemala are, the marimba is the star here, its warm, unmistakable tone and warbling vibrato blowing through each song like a soothing tropical breeze.
May 30, 2008
Invaluable Fun
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may feel a strong desire to play today. A lighthearted mood could cause you to work through your responsibilities as quickly as possible so that you can spend the rest of your time engaging in more enjoyable pursuits. You may enjoy spending time with children more than usual or participating in fun group activities. If you feel torn between your obligations and your longing for play, consider making the most of your time by treating your duties as games. Find opportunities to challenge yourself as you move through your day or challenge a loved one or acquaintance to a short game. Today can be a perfect day to gather the people you care about in your home for an afternoon or evening of cards or board games.
Letting your inner child express itself can help you achieve a lightheartedness that warms your soul and positively colors your life experience. Because the demands placed on us by the modern world are so rigorous, we often forget the importance of play. Play is not only enjoyable but also useful. It can help you adapt to new situations and learn new skills. When you allow yourself to behave in a childlike manner, you release yourself from your daily routine. Giving in to your urge to play and be playful helps you cast off the tension that builds up within you during your day-to-day life in order to nurture buoyancy within your spirit. Giving in to your desire to play today will cheer you and make your day more fun.
May 30, 2008
Full Release
Water Meditation
Our bodies are over fifty percent water, so it makes sense that human beings have always considered water to be a sacred source of life and healing. It is literally half of who we are, and well over half of the earth’s surface is water. Water cleanses and hydrates, contains and produces nourishment, and when we enter it, holds us in an embrace that leaves no part of us untouched. Meditating with water can be a powerful way of aligning ourselves more fully with this support system that makes life both possible and pleasurable on so many levels.
We may wish to conduct our meditation while in physical contact with a body of water, whether in the intimacy of our bathtub or the vast container of an ocean. We might float on our backs in a swimming pool or sit with just our feet submerged in a pond or creek. On the other hand, we may simply close our eyes and choose a location based on our imagination. Whatever we choose, we can begin by closing our eyes and listening to our breathing. At the same time, we tune in to the particular music of the water we have chosen-the loud rushing of a river or waterfall, or the surreal silence of the world beneath the surface of the ocean. We might consider how the type of water we choose reflects what we seek-the peace beneath the hectic surface of life, the cleansing power of a river racing through a canyon, or the mood lifting, melodic bubbling of a lively creek.
As we move between awareness of our breath and awareness of the water in which we find ourselves, we can begin to release the things we no longer need into the rushing river, or release ourselves completely into the water’s embrace as we float, in our minds, in the watery womb of an ocean or a lake. When you feel you are ready to return to more solid ground, ease your body back onto earth, in your mind or in reality, and lie flat on your back, allowing the water to bead and roll off your skin, soaking the earth and evaporating into the air, leaving you cleansed, healed, and renewed.
May 30, 2008
Blessing Bowl, Yoga Moods, The Backdoor To Enlightenment
Gift Of The Week
Blessing Bowl - This set comes with everything you need to enrich your own life or somebody you love with blessings. The idea is to write blessings, poetry or a meaningful word onto one of the pieces of paper and tie it with a ribbon and place it in the bowl. The end result over time is a reminder of the blessings in your life. This makes a beautiful gift for a wedding, birthday, housewarming or just because. The blessing bowl can also be used in a guestroom for your guests to write you a thank you note of blessings or for a teacher at the end of the school year. There are many traditions and rituals you can come up with on your own such as reading all of the blessings on New Years Eve.
View Blessing Bowl
Yoga Moods (CD) - "YogaFit" instructor Beth Shaw has been bringing yoga to millions through her emphasis on movement and fitness; she selected the tracks on Yoga Moods from the most chilled and soothing down-tempo lounge music from Europe, sequenced to fit perfectly into a yoga session. The music was then re-mixed by the Gordon Brothers on their Sequoia label and the result is a sure bet to lead one effortlessly deeper either into their yoga trance or couch-centric relaxation.
Listen to Sound Clips
The Backdoor To Enlightenment: Eight Steps To Living Your Dreams And Changing Your World (book) - This is an interesting book as it is a mixture of a fictional spiritual adventure along with non-fiction wisdom. For thousands of years, the secret to enlightenment has remained hidden in the distant reaches of the Himalayas, deep in wisdom impenetrable to all but the most dedicated seekers. Blending centuries-old texts with contemporary wisdom, readers of any faith can bypass the traps and limitations of modern life and achieve lasting peace every day. The book is set up in 8 chapters with the non-fiction wisdom at the end of each fictional adventure chapter.
Read Excerpt
For more information visit DailyOM Gift Shop