‘Earthwise’ follows the journey through life from being born (From the Stars) to discovering wonders of the natural world around us and to its natural conclusion of transitioning back to spirit (Crystal Condor).   

There are 13 songs on the album which represent the 13 moons of each year, and it moves through the three worlds of existence as seen by the Q’ero people (and many other native tribes) who I spent many years training with in Peru.  

•	The Ukhu Pacha - can be translated as the underworld or the realm of the subconscious, this is governed by the animal guardian of Snake, as this is how consciousness moves in serpentine form (From the Stars, Rumi’s Prayer, The Portal of my Heart) 
•	The Kay Pacha - is the physical world which we inhabit and is governed by the Puma (Endlessly Creating, Home, Song of the Earth, Cycles, Ay Mapacho, Rositas Para Pachamama, River of Songs, Amanita Rise)
•	The Hanaq Pacha - is the upper realm where the beings of the most refined energies dwell and is governed by the Condor (Crystal Condor, Saminchay)

Earthwise was produced by Tristan Starling at Chaski Records based in Stroud and features collaborations with many notable musicians including Asha McCarthy on Rumi’s Prayer who has also played cello for Beyonce (if it’s good enough for Beyonce!), and Iam13E, a Bristol based rapper features on Song of the Earth. Singer Josie Wildgoose also features on the harmonies of River of Song - it was beautiful to have two sisters singing for the sacred waters on that track. Jazz Trumpet player Johnny Bruce also features on Song of the Earth and Aryaya Camino also brings her beautiful harp to Crystal Condor.

Earthwise

This is a devotional song to the medicine of Amanita Muscaria - a mushroom which changes lives in incredible ways.   

Written by Elle Chaska 
Produced by Tristan Starling
Artwork by Jennifer Milor

Amanita Rise

A song about the power of offering back in sacred reciprocity for all that has been gifted to us.

Song by Elle Chaska 
Produced by Tristan Starling

Rositas Para Pachamama

Home is a song that celebrates the plants that helped me get back to a sense of home - alongside a trust in my heart that helped me find the way on the long path home.

Home

Ay Mapacho is a devotional song to the spirit of Grandfather Tobacco, a plant that helps to connect beyond the veil. 

This is a simple and sweet song, reflective of the qualities of pure Mapacho

Ay Mapacho

Rumis prayer - Featuring

Elle Chaska - Vocals Acoustic Guitar
Tristan Starling - Vocals, Classical Guitar, Flute 
Asha McCarthy- Cello 

Elle Sings - Rumis Prayer 

Written by the 13th century Sufi poet Rumi, the poem is simply reminds us to keep returning to look inside, the outer world is full of distractions that keep us from knowing bliss and true love. 

Close your Eyes 
Fall in Love 
Stay There 


Tristan Sings - Mul Mantra. 

“Mul” means “root” or “fundamental” and is chanted to connect to the root of all things, to connect to spiritual enlightenment and to the divine essence. 

Written by Guru Nanak in Gurmukhi, a sacred Indian language developed in the 16th Century the mantra is translated as follows:

Ek Ong Kar - I am one with all that is
Sat Nam - Truth is my name
Karta Purakh - I am the doer of everything
Nirbhau - I am fearless
Nirvair - I am without vengeance
Akal murat - I am deathless
Ajooni - I am infinite
Saibhang - I am self existent
Gur prasad - This knowing is a blessing that sets me free
Jap - Meditate
Aad sach - I am before time
Jugad sach - I am throughout all the ages
Hai bhi sach - I am forever true
Nanak hosi bhi sach - I am true now


Tristan - Hu Chant 

Hu, also sometimes spelt Hoo, is the Sufi name of universal god, it is equivalent to the Hindu Aum. When chanted it reminds of the intimate divine presence which can be found within every hu-man, it is the void before it is conceptualised and mimics the sound of the first breath;  thus Hu is in every word or sound made by any living being, as the spirit of all sounds. Its partner is Sia, the inward breath and together these represent the masculine and feminine forces of the universe.

Rumi's Prayer

"River of Song" was inspired by ceremonies where water is sung to all night and then returned to the river.  Ceremonies of this kind have taken place for eons and so the song imagines all the songs that the waters must have heard over the years - so much that there must be a river of water that have had songs sung to it.

It is being released in conjunction with World Water Day 2024 - "water for peace' theme and to raise awareness of the work of Water Now https://waternowus.com a charity that aims to bring clean water to indigenous communities. 

The song meanders and flows just like a river and contains beautiful watery soundscapes and dreamy guitar by Tristan Starling 

The song also features the beautiful voice of Josie Wildgoose on harmonies and was produced by Tristan Starling

River Of Songs

From the Stars takes us on dreamy journey that reminds us of our divine origins - that we come from the stardust and to stardust we will return. 

Produced by Tristan Starling

From the Stars

Song of the Earth is a call to remember the rhythm of the earth that we live upon. If we can come into harmonious rhythm with the earth and feel her heartbeat we can surely start to treat the earth with the great care and respect that she deserves. 

Written by Elle Chaska featuring Bristols epic Lyricist  @iam13e  

Produced by  @tristanstarling2219  at at Chaska Productions.

Song of the Earth (featuring Iam13E)


 
Cycles is a song inspired by connecting with Dandelion, it speaks about honouring the natural cycles of life, and it asks us to let endings pass peacefully. When we hold on too tightly and don’t accept change as a natural part of life, that’s when we can start to feel pain.  Dandelion is a master of alchemy and change as sunny yellow heads transform into moon like globes whose star children take to the sky and the cycle begins anew.  The song has an interesting cyclical musical technique known as a canon so the song also cycles within itself too.  
Produced by Tristan Starling 

Cycles

In the Q’ero culture, they describe the world as existing with two different forms of energy, sami – which is refined ordered light energy (light as opposed to heavy, not bright) and hucha, discorded chaotic, heavy energy.  The job of the spiritual warrior (as you no doubt are if you are reading this!) is to transform hucha into sami.  Saminchay is the verb of sami – it means to fill you with the sami, the most refined pure light.  This energy is recognised by many cultures, Christians call it the holy spirit, Buddhists call it Chi and I’m sure it has many other names. 

In the Q’ero culture they say that there are large epochs of time where sami has the upper hand and vice versa and that we are living in a hucha period right now – just look around you and I’m sure you can discern for yourself that’s true. The term lightworker is used a lot in spiritual circles and whilst I believe there are some distortions and lost egos around this title, what we can consider is that we are here to transform energy – from heaviness to lightness.  Saminchay! 
Produced by Tristan Starling 

Saminchay

The Crystal Condor is the final song on the album and it is a song about the transition from life to death. In the Q’ero tradition it is said that upon death we are greeted by the Crystal Condor who helps our soul to transition back to the primordial light from which it came we came from the stars, and now return to them coming full circle.  There are many traditions who recognise the figure of the psychopomp, the ancient Egyptians had Anubis whilst Christians have Saint Peter, and the Greeks the goddess Hecate.   

This song was written in several stages, the first when my grandma who was in her 90’s passed away and finished when our 17 year old dog Rafa passed away. I had to be in the grief of loss to be able to write it, to feel its bottomless pit, to allow the tears to fall as I wrote and to help me make sense of it all.   

It’s the first song that I played the piano on the track, having started lessons with that a few years ago … proving to myself its never too late to learn. 

Produced by Tristan Starling, Harp by Aryaya Camino 

Crystal Condor


When I was younger, I struggled a lot with drink, drugs, any substances that I could use to numb out on.  I didn’t understand that pain was trying to show me something - deep inside of me a healing journey was awaiting to unfold, or else it was going to drown me.  Thankfully I took the step onto the healing pathway and though it has been far from easy and with many twists and turns and not only steps but what felt like sprints backwards… eventually, gradually, like a softly blossoming flower, I opened my heart to feeling again, to safety again, to trust again and that took me into feeling everything on a deeper level, as much as I could be present with pain I could deepen the same into love.  

Pain is a portal if we can let it in…to feel it – all it wants is our loving attention, and we can then watch it transform in the witnessing of our loving presence. 

Produced by Tristan Starling 

The Portal Of My Heart


One day I was contemplating the creative process and I had the thought ‘what if all songs have been sung’… and decided that was a great theme for a song, because of course there are infinite iterations of everything to be created – 10,000 people could paint a picture of a cat and each would be beautiful and individual and it’s the same with music. You are uniquely you and your creations are vital and necessary and in every act of creation we sit in the same energy that created the universe and that feels soooooo good! So let’s all do more creating! 

Produced by Tristan Starling 