Lotus Bird by Noriko
Collectively known as The Song of the Eternal Heart, this set of 108 devotional songs charts a quest for spiritual healing and understanding…..an inner journey which has run in parallel with my external journey of music studies, travels, collaborations, performances and teaching.
Although I have been a musician all my life, singing has never played a major role in my activities.
My father loved to sing. In his twenties he was a member of the Workers Music Association Choir, touring all over Eastern Europe, and in later life he worked as a crooner in nightclubs and working men’s clubs.
Danny Freedman
Towards the end of his life he became celebrated as a street-singer who raised huge sums of money for charity. Read The Guardian obituary…
Although my father’s passion for music was a strong influence on me, in my own musical life my singing voice has always taken a back seat, as I have focused mainly on musical instruments.
However, since 1995, away from my professional musical life, I have been taking part in sacred ceremonies where all the focus is on singing. And within this context I have been ‘channeling’ a series of songs.
These songs are to be sung in a ceremonial setting, and although they are intended to be shared within that context, they were not initially intended for public performance. Recently however, I began to integrate some of these songs into intimate concerts with Ravi and other friends, as it now feels that the time has come to share them with a wider audience.
My Spiritual Path
It was when I was in my twenties that I first felt drawn to a spiritual path. At this time it was the teachings of Zen Buddhism that awakened my interest.
A few years later this interest led me to Japan and to a deep and ongoing study of the shakuhachi – ancient Zen flute.
When I was thirty-three years of age, living in Kyoto, I had another key encounter on my spiritual path. I met some musicians and singers from a spiritual community in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest who were travelling in Japan. They introduced me to the music and to the teachings of Mestre Raimundo Irineu.
At their invitation I began to visit Brazil and to immerse myself in the sacred music and rituals of their forest community.
Since that time, and many trips to Brazil later, my relationship to the spirit of Amazonian musicality has continued to deepen.
Ramana Maharishi
Travels in India have introduced me to other spiritual teachers such as Sri Ramana Maharshi and Babaji, and I have also continued to feel a resonance with the music and the teachings of Buddhism.
Behind these various spiritual lineages l feel there is One Divine Light, and it is my awakening to this light that is reflected in this chronological sequence of 108 songs, the Song of the Eternal Heart.
Songs of the Pure Land & Lotus Rising
The last eight songs are a special set called Songs of the Pure Land that I received following the passing of my dear mother June Freedman in November 2009.
illustration by Noriko
The full book of songs with illustrations by Noriko Takahashi can be purchased here »
I also have a new collection of songs – Lotus Rising which includes my most recent song, Bhaiṣajyaguru.
