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HARMONIUM TUTORIAL
Shiva shambo - new part added: Shiva Shambho - a classic! Naming shiva as all that is, and using the mantra as the sonic form of the deity, so that we might use the practice of chanting the name to recognise that shiva is also our essential nature. Shambho - the auspicious one. The first part is a classic meldoy, part two I added on, enjoy finding your own voice with it! :)
Om mani padme hum: This beautiful buddhist chant is said to cultivate compassion. It references the jewel (mani) that sits in the lotus (padme) which some say is referring to the soul sitting in the body. The lotus famously grows through mud before it can flower, and so this idea that as we grow through there mud may we slowly recognise the spark of divinity that we hold within our body - and in recognising that in ourselves, we are much more able to recognise it within each other, at which point compassion naturally arises.
Hare Om Namah Shivaya: This beautiful chant is for Shiva, amongst other things calling to shiva we call to the aspect of ourselves that knows how to remove our own ignorance (the misunderstanding that we are somehow separate from the whole of existence itself). Melody: I learned it from Lina & Joaquim here in Portugal but not sure on authorship.
Shiva Shambho: Calling to Shiva, remover of ignorance - the aspect of ourself that calls in remembrance of our pertinence to the bigger picture of existence and nature, when we maybe forget or feel small and lost. Maha (great) deva (god) and Shambho is another name for shiva. I learned this melody from Stephanie Snyder. Enjoy!
Radhe Govinda Lullaby: A lullaby for Radhe and Govinda, young lovers that embody the essence of joy. Radha, the goddess of the universe and Govinda - the name for a Krishna in his youth. This melody evokes nostalgia and a sense of yearning for the sense of wholeness that we somehow sense is available to us even when it feels out of reach - it is a call for an integration of the masculine and feminine aspects inside our own being (not referring to gender but more to yin/yang, solar/lunar, ida/pingala aspects of ourselves that when integrated created a third thing which is a felt sense of our own wholeness and interrelatedness with all that is. Melody by Paula Andreewitch.
Ganesha Mantra: A beautiful chant offering salutations to Ganesha, the remover and placer of obstacles. The graceful dancer, son of Shiva and Parvati. The aspect of ourselves that we can call upon to support us to digest difficult experiences and an example of gracefully navigating the obstacles in our lives. Beautiful melody by Edo & Jo.
Goddess Prayer: A longer and more complex chant, and one of my all time favourites. This chant calls to various forms of the goddess and comes from a text called the Devi Mahatmayam. This is from the Argala Stotram that is comprised of 26 verses, here I share the first 3. The melody was taught to me by my teacher Stephanie Snyder.
Maha Lakshmi Tutorial: A longer, more challenging but absolutely beautiful chant invoking the goddess Lakshmi, called the Mahalakshmi Astakam found in the Padma Purana. I chant the first three verses but have listed the rest below for your further exploration. I learned this melody from Stephanie Snyder.
Guru Mantra Tutorial 2: A slightly more complicated but beautiful chord progression for the Guru Mantra that I learned from Stephanie Snyder, with a peace prayer added at the end. “The teacher is in all the beginnings, all that is sustained, all of the change and loss and challenge. The teacher is nearby and beyond the beyond, I bow down to that teacher that is indeed everywhere.“
Easy Harmonium Jai Ma Mantra: A good one to start your harmonium journey with! An absolutely beautiful mantra with very simple harmonium. Calling to Ma, the Devine mother, the goddess that is awareness itself, and the ground of being in which every possibility exists. This is an adaptation of Nicky Slade’s beautiful Jai Ma mantra.
Arunachala: Arunachala is a mountain in Tamil Nadu, India. It is a considered to be a highly auspicious holy site, and the home of various ashrams and temples. Arunachala means red mountain, and every year people make pilgrimages to the top of the hill carrying embers from a fire to the top of the mountain. The red of the mountain and the fire and flame can also be understood as the flame of our deepest knowing and highest wisdom. This melody is by Mooji.
Jaya Jagatumbe: A mantra for Durga, as sung by Krishna Das. Durga is the embodiment of the fierce warrior goddess. She fearlessly leads us to right action even when everything within us is resisting. Jaya - Victory to! Jagatumbe -mother of the universe. He Ma - calling out to Ma the devine mother, and the part of ourself that knows how to nurture, look after and love fiercely and unconditionally.
