Many of us agree that Loreena McKennitt, both her voice and music, is so beautiful and soothing that it is as though a red-haired angel was sent from heaven to Canada. With this in mind, there had been instances in my life in which Loreena McKennitt's music has made me get closer to God, particularly in "The Mask and the Mirror". When I first heard "The Mystic's Dream", I felt as if I was attending Mass in a vast church and I felt like flying up to the church ceiling. Second of all, long after I discovered that St. John of the Cross was the author of "Dark Night of the Soul", I would sing to myself Loreena's song version of the poem on my way to Holy Communion. Ah, never have I felt such great love for God when I was singing this. Thank you, Ms. McKennitt, for helping us become aware of the Lord's presence in your music. May God bless you! --Loreenya

quote:

Originally posted by Bart:
Gina,

I replied to one of your posts touching on this a while back and never saw a reply. I'd particularly like to hear your thoughts on this subject. Here's a link to my earlier post...

http://boards.quinlanroad.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/492107...351061013#2351061013

Hi Bart!
I do apologize for not seeing this earlier, so please forgive me.
How do we answer the mystical question of how can Loreena's music be spiritual to such diverse religions and paths? How can she be so healing?
I don't know, it just is.
As for chakras, each chakra has it's one tone, you know A, B, C, D, E, F, G. I have forgotten which note is corelated to what chakra, but by singing or humming that note will attune that chakra. You can hum a note and feel that chakra aligning correctly. I am not that good, yet. It does take practice and I have not been able to sing properly to do it.
Loreena is open it all paths and that also holds a key to answering the question. When one gets set on the thought of "there is only one way, the right and true way" they lose out on a world of other wonderful things. She also called herself a "Not a club type person" and I find myself to be that way with my spirituality. Basically I am a witch that connects with the earth energies, but since so does Native Americans, Daoist, Shinto, Gypsies, Pagans and Celts I include them into my practice.
Don't forget that love has no boundries, so if you love Amaterasu and call upon her for guidence or upon the biblical god, the love will flow and your intent will be heard.
I just finished "Musicophila, music and the brain". It talks about different people and their stories of music interacting with their brains and I feel that since we all start hearing our mother's heart beat in a rhythmic pattern, that is where music first starts. The first instrument was the drum, just like our hearts. Then you add all the other noises that go on inside our mothers. There is music all around us, in the air, from our homes, typing on the keyboard there are patterns and rhythms.
Still what makes Loreena so different. Is it her? I think she is only part of the answer. We, her fans, also "hear" that part of her songs. I do believe we are more spiritual to be able to hear and see that part of her music. Some people don't like to listen to her (it's hard to imagine, isn't it?) Some people don't even like music, but we can see more with her songs then anyone else. Why? Maybe we are older spirits. How many lives have you had before? Or do you see that being selfish and greedy is a waste of time just like being popular?
If Loreena is making us feel better, healthier, and helping us be closer to our spirituality, what are we doing for the world? Is there any way for us to keep this positive energy going and spreading around the world to help those who need it the most?
I don't know if that answers any on your questions Bart, or if it brings up more questions, I can only hope it helps.
Blessed Be,
Gina

My dad just said: "I reckon the Highwayman was a lot closer to God after that night in the song!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

oh, never mind...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jesse,

Hi

I find it very interessting that Dark Night of the Soul is a song to God.
First time I read the lines of this song I thought it was someone who was deeply in love.
And after reading the notes I realized it was the love to God.

But I still think of two humans in love when listening to the song.

If I hadn't read the notes I never would have guessed it was a poem to God.

I actually think that spirituality is an essential element of what Loreena musically does. As soon as I listened to the mask and mirror over two years ago, the first thought that came out of my mind was about the album's depth. To be honest, rather than The Mystic's Dream, I was immediately drawn to Full Circle and The Dark Night of The Soul, thanks to their quality of evoking and eliciting religious atmospheres and spiritual experiences. When I listen to these songs, but I could say even the entire album, I really experience something which is beyond 'the material dimension', and I suppose it's what Loreena calls 'what occurs in a primal and instictive way', which can emerge thanks to her voice. She is an outstanding intermediary! I'm sure that the upcoming album will be another good example of her capacity to set and transfer into music abstract, untouchable meanings all of us can recognize instinctively. That is the reason why I find Loreena's music and voice comforting and uplifting; I mean hers is not simple entertainment, it's a truly spiritual experience; it was what I wrote to Loreena in my first email. So, to make a long story short, I'd like to say: thanks Loreena for making me aware of my deep need to feed my 'freesoul' through your music

Gina,

I replied to one of your posts touching on this a while back and never saw a reply. I'd particularly like to hear your thoughts on this subject. Here's a link to my earlier post...

http://boards.quinlanroad.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/492107...351061013#2351061013

I would certainly echo this sentiment, though asmy spiritual journey carries me on a somewhat different path than that which you walk, Loreenya. This spiritual aspect to LM's music, and how gracefully it transcends the trappings of any one religious or spiritual path is one of the things about her music that I treasure the most.

Particularly, I observe that no matter what else I am presently doing when I'm immersing myself in this music, I find that I find myself also feeling closer to the divine, and I sense that the effect is apt to occur regardless of what path one follows, especially if they are able to listen to the music with the same level of focus with which the musicians play the music, and even much moreso when they practice listening as an art that is part of their spiritual path.

I also incorporate the study of the chakras into my spiritual path, and I find that the chakras can be exceptonally sympathetic to the energies of music. Once of the things about LM's music that stands out to me is that it reflects such an open and complete expression of the energies of all of the chakras. The way the energy of each chakra is modulated in her music, however, is what makes it so spiritually uplifting for me. Sure there are emotions in the music that are painful, but the way and the care with which they are expressed is in itself spiritually uplifting, as when you are experiencing music so deeply, the music can actually provide something of a "muscle memory" for the chakras.

I have also found that music from practitioners of religions or spiritual paths that may be totally unknown to me also has such spiritually uplifting qualities. I so long to hear a duet performance by Loreena and Azam Ali largely because not only do they both have magnificanet vocal talent, but they also both express that talent in such an uplifting way. That being said, Azam is presumably a Muslim, which I am not, and sings much of the time in a language I cannot even identify, but I can pick out those same keys of how she modulates the energy of each chakra in her vocals, and what that choice reflects, just the same.