Chanting for Healing, a Spiritual Voyage

Written by Paula Gilbert


Paula Gilbert, one ofrepparttar main artists andrepparttar 122218 producer ofrepparttar 122219 Chanting For Healing Music CD tells her spiritual story of howrepparttar 122220 album was made. The album benefits global unity causes such as OxFam, RAWA, Twin Tower Orphan Fund, Global Exchange, and Food Not Bombs.

Paula is a performance artist, songwriter and teacher who foundedrepparttar 122221 Cloverdale School of Music in 1994. After 9/11 she attended a Shamanic (Native American) mask making class that she had been attending every year forrepparttar 122222 past 7 years. The purpose ofrepparttar 122223 class was to create a vision forrepparttar 122224 following shamanic year which begins each year in November. Inrepparttar 122225 class,repparttar 122226 participants worked together with a facilitator to create their vision through several guided meditations and journaling. The class took place late in October followingrepparttar 122227 attack on America. During one of her meditations she had a vision. Paula says, "I became fluid and went intorepparttar 122228 earth. I saw myself dressed as a bear going around a table with children. I also saw a stone mouse from my Mother’s table that we had made together up inrepparttar 122229 mountains when I was young. Then I saw birds flying throughrepparttar 122230 light above me and I feltrepparttar 122231 Bear merge with me and tell me that he would be there to help me with strength inrepparttar 122232 coming year. Thenrepparttar 122233 bear said we would need some birds for spirituality and a blue bird with a black head appeared and told me to gatherrepparttar 122234 chants from all overrepparttar 122235 world, especially Afghanistan and to put them on a CD for healing and prayer." There were other parts torepparttar 122236 vision telling her to use not just her own renditions but also to dorepparttar 122237 research and to include a chant forrepparttar 122238 children andrepparttar 122239 soldiers.

Afterrepparttar 122240 class, Paula went home with her mask and beganrepparttar 122241 research and started collectingrepparttar 122242 chants. She told her mother about her vision and her mother offered to help out. She wanted as many chants from different cultures and languages and possible. Once she had collected several chants, on December 16, 2001repparttar 122243 recording began at Joe Hoffmann Studios in Occidental, California. Paula Gilbert, and local artists/musicians Tory Rotlisberger and Mal Tornay started offrepparttar 122244 recording with their beautiful rendition of Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai, Ram Om which means "I am, you are, we are one". The recording continued on December 30th in a beautiful mansion on top of a hill in Sonoma County with a large group of people including local musician Zackary Miller on dijiridu (one ofrepparttar 122245 oldest instruments onrepparttar 122246 planet). Mal Tornay again brought his wonderful drumming ability along with his daughter, a beautiful singer, Elise Tornay. Katy Ketchum a local artist from Sebastopol brought her healing voice and impeccable piano playing and her husband Mike, a local poet, who also added torepparttar 122247 vocal team. Local performance artist, Tory Rotlisberger again brought her healing voice along with her friend and vocalist Joanna Noble of Noble Designs in Healdsburg, and more friends and vocalists Karen Wallace and John Faulkner. Rick Mariani of Wolf Coffee with his twin sons Nicolas and Mitchell added to their vibrant vocal mix as well. Paula’s family also participated in this recording session, with her Mother, Pat Gear, two Brothers, Karl and Rodney Sanchez, her sister-in-law Bethany Sanchez and her neice, Crystal Sanchez. "It was a great healing adventure to all sing together. I remember it was pouring rain outside. It was likerepparttar 122248 skies were raining allrepparttar 122249 tears of grief we felt forrepparttar 122250 victims ofrepparttar 122251 9/11 attack."



Chanukah and the Downloading of Primordial Light

Written by Rabbi Michael Ozair


Chanukah andrepparttar Downloading of Primordial Light The Mystical Significance of “36”

God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis1:3)

The 36 candles onrepparttar 122217 menorah correspond torepparttar 122218 36 hours when Adam and Eve were bathed in The Primordial Light of creation. Today, as we kindle our own lights, we call forth a revelation of this now hidden and intense light.

(12th century Kabbalist, R. Eliezer of Worms)

The Primordial Light of Creation is hidden inrepparttar 122219 36 candles of Chanukah.

(B’nei Yissachar, Kislev)

Introduction

The mood of Winter shares with usrepparttar 122220 tender gift of returning to our inner wombs, where our wisdom resides and from which our destiny will once again shine forth in Divine Timing.

Chanukah,repparttar 122221 Festival of Lights invites us to turn our senses inward to find, cultivate, and rededicate our inner sanctuary. It is a time to empty accumulated garbage, to create an open and receptive space, and to cultivate an intimate relationship with our emotions asrepparttar 122222 sensory system of our soul. As we become more peaceful inside, we gather back our power, one candle at a time. The more supportive and nurturing our inner container,repparttar 122223 morerepparttar 122224 Ohr HaGanuz,repparttar 122225 Primordial Light of Creation becomes available to us during this time of year.

Spiritually,repparttar 122226 eight nights of Chanukah are a cumulative and progressive process through whichrepparttar 122227 light ofrepparttar 122228 menorah grows to revealrepparttar 122229 inherent light of Creation. The total number of Chanukah lights overrepparttar 122230 eight days is 36 (1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8). As Rabbi Eliezer writes, these 36 lights arouse that very same Primordial Light which illuminated Adam and Eve onrepparttar 122231 dawn of their creation,repparttar 122232 first 36 hours of their existence. The Talmud teaches: “36 hoursrepparttar 122233 Light served . . . and Adam HaRishon (Primordial Man) saw with it from one end of this world intorepparttar 122234 Other”. (Yerushalmi, Brochot 8:5)

The Midrash teaches that this intense light needed to be removed fromrepparttar 122235 universe, hidden away for a time still to be realized. All this so duality could exist andrepparttar 122236 evolution and purpose ofrepparttar 122237 universe could unfold.

Ever sincerepparttar 122238 dimming of that Primordial Light, we yearn for it, search for it and pursue it, in our prayers, studies and meditation. Yet, even in our darkest hours, we can access this memory born ofrepparttar 122239 36 hours when we, humanity as a whole, were bathed in this light. "Where was this Light to be hidden?" asksrepparttar 122240 Midrash. It answers, "inrepparttar 122241 Torah." When we immerse ourselves inrepparttar 122242 truth and wisdom ofrepparttar 122243 Torah, in its inner radiance, we can experience this Primordial Light of wisdom, purpose, andrepparttar 122244 intent of creation.

The significance ofrepparttar 122245 number 36 will lead us into some further deeper understandings.

God’s Name

God’s Name in Hebrew is Elo-him (language of Moses) God’s Name in Arabic is Al-lah (language of Mohammed) God’s Name in Aramaic is Elahh (language of Jesus)

They all share a common three letter root in Hebrew: Alef, Lamed and Heh. The sum gematria, or numerical value ofrepparttar 122246 three letters is 36 (Alef – 1, Lamed – 30, Heh – 5).

Torah

Concept of light (in one form or another), appears exactly 36 times throughoutrepparttar 122247 entire Torah (Rokayach).

Moses

It took Moses 36 days to explainrepparttar 122248 Torah to Israel (Seder Olam Rabbah 10).

Moses himself was born exactly 36 years afterrepparttar 122249 oppression in Egypt began.

When Moses was born, it is said thatrepparttar 122250 house was filled with light. It is written there, “And she saw him, that he was GOOD” (Exodus 2:2) and there (in Genesis 1:4) it is also written, “God sawrepparttar 122251 light,that it was GOOD” (Talmud; Sotah 12a)

Commentary to above: “She saw him, that it (he) was good” — “it” beingrepparttar 122252 Ohr HaGanuz – Hidden Light of Creation, as a Presence that came intorepparttar 122253 world with Moses. (Sha’arei Leshem, p. 130)

The word inrepparttar 122254 Torah used to describerepparttar 122255 Hidden or Primordial Light is “tov” meaning GOOD. When it appears inrepparttar 122256 Torah forrepparttar 122257 first time,repparttar 122258 first letter “Tet” of “tov” (good) has a very unusual feature. The letter “tet”, like many other letters in a Torah scroll have tiny “crowns” extending from them (which kabbalists teach is a hidden language of its own). What is unusual about this letter here is that is has four “crowns” instead ofrepparttar 122259 usual three. According torepparttar 122260 Kabbalist,repparttar 122261 B’nei Yissachar, whenrepparttar 122262 four is multiplied byrepparttar 122263 number nine (the value ofrepparttar 122264 “tet” itself),repparttar 122265 total is 36.

The Patriarch Isaac

Abraham was a righteous person whose very life embodiedrepparttar 122266 values ofrepparttar 122267 Hidden Light of creation. But when Isaac was born, he wasrepparttar 122268 first in history to be circumcised onrepparttar 122269 eighth day. Since eight represents transcendingrepparttar 122270 physical, he became infused with all that "eight" represents (transcendence), raising him forever aboverepparttar 122271 natural world. This is why he, at such a young age warranted to seerepparttar 122272 Divine Presence like his father. Contrary, to popular legend, Isaac was 37 years old when he was “sacrificed”. According torepparttar 122273 mystical tradition, Isaac was a very willing and enthusiastic participant in offering himself up as a sacrifice to G-d, and that although no slaughter took place, Isaac nevertheless left his body.

The event took place when Isaac was 37, forrepparttar 122274 reason that he had already reached his spiritual climax atrepparttar 122275 end of a complete 36 year life cycle. According to Midrash, although Isaac had not died physically, a part of him transcended even further beyond his earthly identity, causing him to be likened to an angel. The text says he was blind afterrepparttar 122276 Akeidah (binding, sacrifice). It wasn’t physical blindness he suffered from, but being “blind” to garments of this existence, especiallyrepparttar 122277 aspect of duality (this is why he was “blind” to his own twin’s characteristics, Esau and Jacob). The energy ofrepparttar 122278 36 facilitates a non-dualistic consciousness since it is a light which Primordial Man bathed in, beforerepparttar 122279 “Fall”.

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