Imaginarium
Spread your wings and fly,
For you are both earth and sky.
Someday you will realize you are the One,
You are the Imaginarium.
1. Imaginarium (4:00)
I sleep in the mornings,
but I wake up when you go to sleep.
And then I carry you into the deep.
For you are the One.
Yes, you are the Imaginarium.
Spread your wings and fly,
For you are both earth and sky.
And some day you will realize.
You are the One; yes, you are the Imaginarium.
You don’t have to wait until you go to sleep,
To surrender to the Deep.
For you are the One.
Yes, you are the Imaginarium.
So, spread those wings and fly!
2. The Conversion of Dolorosa (4:40) No lyrics. This tonal poem is a passionate portrayal of the journey from sadness into joy. It is a passage that is always open to us, but only when we are ready to walk through our own dolorosa (sadness). Sometimes, we are seduced by the dark psychological landscapes of our own melancholy. But this terrible inner terrain is only one of the vistas open to us. We are like cut jewels, each facet reflecting a different angle of light, each aspect of ourselves opening to a different vision and experience of the world. The final transition in the music from a minor to a major key is accentuated by the guitar at the very end. It is the final act of conversion. Leaving dolorosa behind, a new world of possibilities opens. An exclamation of joy is the last note heard.
3. Body Rub (4:31) No lyrics. The percussive elements were created using my own body, set against a backdrop of exotica and lyrical passion. I placed this track here because I have found that a new awareness of our bodies often emerges after passing through psychological darkness.
4. The Healing Spheres at Madrona Point (5:01) No lyrics. On the island where I live, there is an area that is held sacred by the local native peoples. In the past, before the island was settled, some legends hold that the sick were often brought to this place for healing. As you walk deeper into the trails that lead into this part of the island, you eventually come across an amazing gathering of Madrona Trees. They stretch and bend like ballet artists—an inherent grace and beauty I have never seen in any other type of tree. I discovered, quite a while back that there are unusual energies here, and when I shift my attention into soft-focus, a Shamanic method for increasing alpha activity, I can see luminous spherical shapes in the branches. They sing to me, and they sing to me whenever I return to this place. They actually sing to everyone who visits but not many are aware of them. I have tried to capture this inner sound-scape as best I could. It is my hope that some of their healing energies may find their way to you whenever you listen to this song.
5. Upon the Indigenous Sea (10:13) Anuay. This word-sound came to me during a workshop with about ninety people. Suddenly we were transported by the sound of an ancient shaman singing to us as we crossed the cosmos in a giant canoe. The word means good journey, not in any earthly language that I am aware of, but rather in the language of the inner worlds. For several minutes the shaman paddled with us in the canoe and celebrated our lives and our journeys through the bedazzling realms of existence. I often encounter beings like this during psycho-navigation, both during personal meditations and with groups. They seem to be part of a vast interconnected web of intelligence that is indigenous in nature.
6. An Unexpected Breeze (6:19) No lyrics. Not all breezes or gentle winds are the same. Some rise unexpectedly for no apparent reason, and some of these unexpected breezes have voices within them. If you listen deeply enough you can hear them singing. They open doors that lead to other worlds.
7. Calling of the Heru Boat (4:03) The ancient Egyptians developed a very detailed psycho-navigation device for entering the imaginal realm. It was called the Heru Boat. It has a large single sail that catches the celestial winds and carries one into the Duwat, the other world. The rattle sounds come from a cestrum, a metal rattle used in the Hathor Temples of ancient Egypt during rituals. For a very interesting experience, imagine yourself in a sail boat sailing into the cosmos as you listen to this track (or the whole CD for that matter). Put your attention between the eyes and back about an inch behind the bridge of the nose. This area is an energy-portal and was used by ancient sages to explore other realities. The Taoists call it the Heavenly Gate; the yogis call it the Ajna; and to the Egyptians it was a secret passage known by adepts. Placing your awareness here, imagine yourself in the Heru Boat. It has an innate intelligence and will take you into fascinating experiences if you let it.
8. Ode to the Electrons (7:50) No lyrics. Unseen and largely unappreciated, the electrons eternally create and un-create our world. Although it sounds quirky (or should I say quarky), some say that the electrons are angels—that they have consciousness, and that they respond to our thoughts and feelings. Certainly quantum mechanics holds that sub-atomic particles are affected by the intentions of those observing them. As odd as it may sound, there is no objective observer at the quantum level since the process of observation affects what is being observed. I don’t wish to turn this into a physics lecture, so if you want to learn more about this oddity in the fabric of our universe I will refer you to Bell’s Theorem. Truth really is stranger than fiction, but back to the electrons. This is a tonal poem, homage to the unseen forces, without which we would have no existence.
9. Ohana: Dance with Humans and Leviathans (10:21) Ohana is a Hawaiian word that means family. Indeed humans and whales, as well as dolphins, are part of an extended mammalian-family. We share many commonalities between us including, for one, similarities between our brains. The rest of the song is made up vowel sounds mimicking what I think must be one of the most vowel-rich languages of the world. The sounds of Humpback whales that you hear are not really whale sounds at all. I made them myself, to match or harmonize with the musical passages. Humpbacks are extraordinary creatures. They make sounds very similar to those in the song and they exchange songs with other Humpbacks. Some indigenous cultures hold that the whales are great cosmic beings, hold the memory of Earth and ply the oceans not only to feed and to mate, but also to balance and protect the web of earthly life.
10. The Boatman (4:46)
So lay down on your bed,
And rest your weary head.
The stars are up in the sky,
To sing you a lullaby.
The cow jumped over the moon,
And we found the silver spoon.
There’s nothing for you to fear,
For love is always here.
The Boatman is waiting by the stream,
To carry you into the land of dream.
So leave your past on the shore,
For there is so much more.
Much more for us to see,
Much more for us to be.
And when he sets the sail,
If you look closely you can tell.
He doesn’t sail by any chart,
But by the compass of your heart.
The Boatman is waiting by the stream,
To carry you into the land of dream.
Yes, leave your past on the shore,
For there is so much more.
Much more for us to see,
Much more for us to be.
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