Every morning the most mind-blowing musicians gather in the trees. I wholeheartedly recommend to everyone that at least once before Summer Solstice, to go to the woods, 90 minutes before sunrise, and experience the silence turning to song. I am blessed to live beside an ancient Oak forest, and this was recorded in front of my house. The intensity increases as the sun rises.

Dawn Chorus Ireland ~ May Flower Moon

Friday morning, 23rd July 2021. If someone had ever suggested to me to make a dawn recording at this location on a 'normal' Friday morning, I would have exclaimed: "Seriously, are you joking?". This place is so close to the city that a 'normal' Friday morning (and especially so during Winter, with its long nights and short days) would have meant, if exceedingly lucky, something like 70% heavy traffic noise and 30% dawn chorus (including not only birds but an array of various mammals as well).

But here we were, three days into a strict Covid-19 Delta lockdown... Of course, one gets curious. How much difference? After all, from the 'Nature' point of view, as opposed to the 'Human' point of view, it seems fair to say that what is 'normal' is what happens when the 'Human' is not around. In a lockdown situation, 'Human' is still very much around, but rather heavily circumscribed, for his/her own good. And this happens, also, to be beneficial to 'Nature'. So, what might that mean, in terms of 'acoustic ecology'? Well, as it turns out, it means 'a heaven of a lot'.

This excerpt from a much longer recording commences from 06:34, i.e., from mid-Winter's early twilight through to sunrise and after. (The longer recording begins several hours before first light.) Yes, there is some sporadic 'essential' traffic noise to be heard; mainly, as one would expect, in the lower frequencies; and the low-frequency rumble of the occasional 'essential' jet landing at or taking off from the local city airport. But, from this field recordist's perspective, Nature definitely owns this 'Delta' dawn. The overwhelming noise of mechanised humanity has been radically subdued by ... a microscopic virus. Of course, one feels great empathy and sympathy for humanity (after all, one is  human). But the Paradox naturally arises in one's mind, and one naturally reflects and meditates upon it...

If 'Humanity' is, as humans tend to allege, the 'pinnacle of all Nature', why is it that Nature, which utterly grounds and supports all of 'Humanity' and all of its entrepreneurial endeavours, is treated by 'Humanity' as some kind of expendable and disposable raw material, or as rubbish? Isn't it so poetically ironic that 'Humanity' is ultimately quieted not by discussions of 'ecological ethics', not by 'philosophy' - which, as Socrates once said, was born of a sense of 'wonder' at the kosmos - but by a self-concern for survival in the face of a virus that it cannot even perceive with its own natural perceptual senses? But is it really the individual's personal body and life that is of most concern here? Or is it not, rather, the current socio-political economy that is most at risk? Changing this global political economy and its behaviours is clearly not as easy as trying to change the individual body and its behaviours.

This leads to the thought, the question, the problem: What is good for human economy is not necessarily good for natural ecology, and what is good for natural ecology is not necessarily good for human economy. And so, what is to be done?

Such are some traces of the inner reflections and meditations of a field recordist, sitting damp and cold through the night, first light, and dawn, listening in sublimely grateful joy to Nature's 'beautifully musical' voicing of so many 'beautiful' voices... They are simply uttering their existence. They do not conceive of themselves as 'beautiful'. But their intrinsic 'beauty' and 'value', their intrinsic 'music', may be, and arguably should be, best understood from the perspective of a certain 'ecological aesthetics'... 

Best listened to with (good) headphones (with a flat frequency response).

Recorded on the land of the Kaurna people, which is now a Conservation Park.

2021.07.23 A Covid-19 Delta Lockdown Dawn. Winter.

Sacred Chant Native American. Dennis Hawk sent me a Facebook message asking for a collaboration.  He lives in the U.S. A few months later I received a clear prompt from a dream to contact Dennis with a “yes, let’s do it”. He sent me the “Spirit Awakening” track heard here, with a simple request to “Please put some of your guitar on it”.  I improvised a few lines, on this recording, and he liked it. I added more of the same, more shimmers and thrust and melody. The more I listened to the mix the more I became hypnotised by the subtle layers of the sacred chant and flute. That's all Dennis Magic. The five or six layers of guitars eventually became an ambient, wide screen cinematic stream of sound.

Spirit Awakening

Spirit Awakening - Collaboration with Dennis Hawk

Freely improvised performance by Barrel (Hannah Marshall, Ivor Kallin & Alison Blunt) on 17th March 2015 at St Catherine's Church. Occasion of Sonic Imperfections at Telegraph Hill Festival, London, recorded by Fred Nice and Nigel Bryant. With thanks to Ian Faragher for inviting us.
For more info about Barrel www.alisonblunt.com/BARREL.html

2. Barrel at Sonic Imperfections (Telegraph Hill Festival) 2015

Appears on the Frosty Springnight album "Wrapped In Darkness":
https://silentloverecords.bandcamp.com/track/courage-beyond-reason

photo by Elseh
www.flickr.com/photos/187686180@N02

"Courage Beyond Reason" by Frosty Springnight

Nadja speaks to Michaela Boehm, author of the book The Wild Woman’s Way, international teacher, and tantric lineage holder. 

Topics they discuss: 

-how Michaela wrote her book The Wild Woman’s Way in only seven weeks!

-her journey from living in Germany to moving to LA and building up a successful counseling business where she now works with A-List actors and billionaires 

-why it’s important to constantly expand our beliefs and why she stopped teaching with David Deida

-why gender-stereotypes are a trap that can prevent us from being fully empowered and stable men and women

-how to do masculine practice if you’re too much in your feminine energy 

-how to deal with anxiety and panic attacks head on

To purchase Michaela’s new book as well as find out about her teaching schedule and upcoming workshops, please visit https://www.michaelaboehm.com/

To connect with Nadja and to download her FREE mini-course "Awaken Your Big SHE", a.k.a. your feminine Soul, please go to www.nadjaeriksson.com

The School of Feminine Pleasure no 16 - Michaela Boehm: The Wild womans way

I played the crystal bowls and recorded with the sounds of the island ocean, the forest river, the northern lake.
Then tuned together.
I like to listen this song with headphones!!

Me, and the waters

YO EN TI

„EESTI ESO” seekordses saates käis külas Leonhard Järvis, kes on kirjanik ning aastaid tegelenud teadliku unenägemisega. Mees selgitas, millega on täpsemalt tegu. Unes nii-öelda üles ärkamist ja unenäo juhtimist saab ka täiskasvanuna harjutada. Kuidas seda teha? Leonhard jagas saates nippe ja harjutusi, mille abil enda unenäomaastikku paremini tundma õppida.

#18 Leonhard Järvis. Lucid dreaming ehk teadlik unenägemine kaardistab alateadvust

Musician, Composer, Performer, Adventurer. 
Why 'Alchemy Sounds'? In respect of esteemed comprovisation colleagues.

2. Barrel at Sonic Imperfections (Telegraph Hill Festival) 2015

AlisonBlunt-AlchemySounds

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