Gone. Gone. Gone Beyond

 


Sacred mantras, a gentle spirit, and heartfelt lyrical themes; gossamer dreams swell and fade like the rising and falling of the breath, guiding us to a quiet place in the heart, a place of stillness and light. Popular music chases the dance of the ever-transforming new, focused on the moment that moves the market, while spiritually based  consciousness simply persists. The magic of true stardust is transcendence, moving from worldly delusion to spiritual enlightenment. 

Donna De Lory is blessed with the magic of true stardust, she has contributed much to the world of popular music and now she has a new/ancient message in her sound. Since her album Bliss in 1999, she has been bringing a vision of the beauty that is everlasting, having emerged on her own from supporting the likes of Madonna, Carly Simon and Bette Midler with dance and backing vocals. Her voice has enraptured the yoga music community and drawn new ears to the message of calming contemplation and respect for the natural beauty that glows within each of us.

The opening track eases in and rises slowly, layers of lightness and beauty, sweet strings deep under the glowing mantra. The sound of inhalation, and is remembered in the mind along with that inhalation: Sooooo...

The sound of exhalation, and is remembered in the mind along with that exhalation: Hummmm... 

"So Hum Breathing In" (8:46) is a Hindu mantra, meaning "I am" in Sanskrit. "I am that" is found in the 14th century commentary on the Vedas by Sayana. Tiny details come into focus as the vocals lift and illuminate. One simply watches the breath, being aware that it is coming in and going out with the sounds so and hum. Your beauty, your energy, your duty, your religion, your Guru and guide; your study, worship and prayer -- all can be found in engaging yourself to the remembrance and repetition of breathing in and breathing out.

Why are we here? What is the purpose? Such questions persist through lifetimes. The name Ma means the earth (Ma),  or simply "Mother," or sometimes "Mother of the mountain," and Ma also has the associated epithets "Invincible" and "Bringer of Victory." With vocals and subtle keyboards; "Ma Song" (9:39) builds, a cello coaxes in a string ensemble, with guitar and tablas. As from one stream, millions of waves arise and yet the waves, made of water, again become water; in the same way all souls have sprung from the Universal Being and would blend again into it.

A prayer of forgiveness is something we all seek at some point in life. Forgiveness is a valuable gift that is neither easily obtained, nor easily given. Forgiveness is essential for life; it frees us from past wrongs and gives us hope for the future. "Forgiveness Prayer" (8:23) with strings glowing, woodwinds gently unfolding, slowly swaying in bliss, learning to let go of past troubles. Forgiveness is the ultimate act of love. All we need to do is to accept this free gift of forgiveness. The past is released and the present is bright.

The translation for "Om Gate Gate Paragate" (8:57) is something like gone, gone, everyone is gone to the other shore - awakening. This is a beautiful companion for sitting peacefully in meditation. The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom, glowing woodwinds, harp and strings expands so slowly, building ever upward. This is a very traditional mantra, the exposition of the Perfection of Wisdom and all gathered rejoice in its teaching. In some ancient practices this mantra is chanted on a daily basis, this is a powerful and uplifting message.

We can never love and honor Our Most Blessed Mother too much. With a Christian vibe, this is a prayer to the Holy Ghost in an Eastern garden. "Mary Meditation" (7:08), learn to ask Our Blessed Mother to cultivate a great love and devotion to her in your heart and the heart of others. Learning to love is the most important task of everyone. This has the feeling of being a choral piece, layers upon layers, interesting voices. The essential message is about compassion and persistance enduring the world to achieve the greater afterlife, the percussion brings a sense of eternal journeying. A sinner, with imperfections just like me, was able to leave it all behind to follow the Lord.

"Where Do I Find You" (5:27) features a piano in a huge chamber, a cathedral of glowing light, and suggests the dream quest, with whispers and ethereal atmospheres, persistent yet not anxious, very sincere and patient in feeling.

For something to be considered true in the ultimate sense, it must be true not just at one given moment, but always be true in all three periods of time: the past, present and future. The message here is a request, to lead me from falsehood to the truth. Lead me from darkness to light. Lead me from death to immortality. Om Peace Peace Peace. "Asatoma Sadgamaya" (6:54); Eastern words plus Western percussion with an Eastern tempo that melts into Western words. This is a heartfelt cry for assistance in transcendence, with a traditional mantra feeling, rich strings just below the surface, holding the vocals in the center. The words ask to help me free myself from my sundry misunderstandings regarding myself, the universe and God and bless me with true knowledge. Lead me from darkness to light, and light floods the room.

What is that light? "Unbreakable" (8:46) uses Western words and an Eastern message, incorporating the sound of a sarod, glowing almost growling, with flute and tabla and a deep slow piano. This primordial nature is clear light, unproduced and unchanging, free from all defilements, and is therefore indestructable. The goal is to know the "truly real" and thus become one with it. God is not known through the intellect but through intense contemplation, motivated by love, and unbound of all thought, honoring the inherent goodness of both people and nature.

These songs are each a prayer, from human traditions that have, over the centuries, been part of a spiritual awakening which continues as we breathe. The light which is thy fairest form, I see it. Listen carefully to your breath; you will hear the sound of the individual self which appears as a separate existence, is in essence part and manifestation of the whole. Knowledge is the eye of all that, and on knowledge it is founded. Knowledge is the eye of the world, and knowledge is the foundation. That is what one calls Yoga, experiencing and practicing awareness of the stillness of the senses, concentration of the mind. Ultimate truth does not point to a transcendent reality, but to the transcendence of deception.

This is an album based on beautifully supple, soaring voice and heartfelt lyricism, building and shaping the tracks, glowing around the mantras that eternally float upwards. Donna De Lory said that she wanted to make a record that would be good for so many different experiences - Yoga class, sacred ceremonies, healing arts....

She became quiet during the time of COVID to make this album, and experimented in the studio recording mostly her layered voice.  She really liked the theme of the "regeneration" that happened during COVID, that is part of this storytelling process. The journey is a journey of knowledge. The universe and its things are in a constant state of change. The planets are in constant motion, their positions in relation to each other and the other astral bodies are in continuous flux. The seasons similarly are ever-shifting.

The album is available from:

https://www.donnadelory.com/merch/heaven-remixes-pwal4-tm6b6

https://www.donnadelory.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@DonnaDeLory

Originally published October 15, 2021

#DonnaDeLory #newage #chant #vocal #electronicmusic 

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