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Kirtan, music for the soul

25/3/2019

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Kirtan is the call and response singing of ancient and sacred Sanskrit mantruas.

I was properly introduced to Kirtan thanks to a wonderful spiritual healer.

After talking to her I realised that I had actually been listening to it for many years thanks to some CDs a friend had given me. I'd always loved these CDs but never understood they were a form of what is known as Kirtan.

My spiritual healer invited me to a concert by a wonderful Kirtanist, Sri Prahalada, and a whole new world of music and meditation opened up to me.


Whenever I have been lucky enough to go to Kirtan I have left with a sense of peace and lightness of being that lasts throughout the week. You can either sit and listen to the ancient mantras being sung or join in with the call and response. There are some amazing Kirtan musicians and singers out there, such as Krishna Das and Jai Uttal..

Many mainstream musicians are also lovers of Kirtan. George Harrison was a devotee, Sting has collaborated with Krishna Das, and Tina Turner can be heard singing mantras on YouTube.

It is said that these Sanskrit mantras hold a special healing vibration. They have been sung for thousands and thousands of years.

The story is told of how around 500 years ago Lord Chaitanya brought Kirtan to the people. It used to be only the Brahmin caste that experienced the power of the mantras but Lord Chaitanya believed that kirtan was for all mankind. He predicted that in the future it would be sung in every town in every country, worldwide. I believe this is fast becoming the case today.

One of my favourite Kirtan compilation albums is: Kirtan, the Bhakti Yoga of Chanting Mantras. It's also available to listen to on Spotify.


I believe that when you are making something it is important to imbue your creation with a positive energy that can be passed on to whomever the creation finds a home with. 

I make a point of playing Kirtan music whenever I am creating jewellery. I believe by doing this, whatever I am making will be imbued with the high vibration of the mantras.

When I look at the finished product it brings me joy. I really hope the recipients of my creations can feel this joy and aliveness also. I feel flowers are so special and important in our world today. Just experiencing the beauty of a flower can connect us with our true nature, which is love.

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Home is where the heart is

7/3/2019

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I am sitting here in a little village in Lincolnshire in the house I grew up in as a teenager. I could call it "home" as they say home is where the heart is. These days when people ask me where I'm from I am at a loss to say. For the past three years I have been working as an online transcriptionist whilst housesitting. It's a great way to see new places and make new friends, including the furry kind. 

Being a digital gypsy has made it possible for me to come and visit my mum whenever needed as I can easily work from home. Even though it's a long way to England from Australia it works out really well as I can keep earning at the same time as keeping an eye on mum if she needs it. To tell you the truth though, as always, she is looking after me. Lots of lovely home cooking and all my laundry done. It's a while since I've had my underwear ironed!

Spring has arrived. First the snowdrops showed their lovely faces in abundance. Then the crocuses, daffodils, tulips and bluebells joined the party. There is a lovely tradition of bulbs being planted by the roadsides so they grow in a random, wild kind of way as shown in the photo. The sound of the birds is enchanting, sweet trilling and twittering unlike the raucous squarks of the Australian parrots.

I will treasure this time here but I am excited to return to Australia in April. Things will hopefully be cooling down there then. I will spend some time in Sydney, including the beautiful Northern Beaches, before heading to a housesit in the quirky little town of Jamberoo.

Jamberoo is in a valley and surrounded by dairy farms. It's a really friendly and arty little community with a mock Tudor pub that the bikies love to visit as they have to ride down a mountain to get to it. It kind of feels like home because the street I will be housesitting in for the third time is such a great little community. They are all retirees but a very interesting and talented bunch who will go out of their way to help you.


I am also very lucky to have a wonderful and inspiring friend nearby. She has a conservation property on top of a mountain, complete with wallabies, wombats, lyrebirds and an array of beautiful parrots. You feel like you are totally immersed in nature when you are up there. 

My fur friend, Millie, will be across the road from me on the Jamberoo housesit. I looked after her for four months and she snuck her way into my heart. It was in Millie's house that I decided to start making Flannel Flower jewellery again.  

The gorgeous Miss Millie

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In-between work I have been able to develop the felt flannel flowers at mum's. It was her idea to crochet the lariats. The crocheted wool and felt go together really well and add to the whole organic feel of the jewellery.
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I have also been slightly obsessed with aromatherapy. I find essential oils so uplifting and healing. I came across this amazingly comprehensive book:
The Fragrant Pharmacy
This wonderful book by Valerie Ann Worwood is full of recipes to do with health and beauty. She even has a section on aromatherapy for animals. Every recipe I have used so far has worked for me.

I am absolutely in love with essential oils and like to diffuse them whilever Ia m being creative.

Being in my English home has been really good for me and I can thank mum for giving me the time and space and feeling of security for that. I think we all need that feeling of security at times but I also love the adventure of staying in different places and not quite knowing where I am going to be in the distant future. I have stayed in some beautiful houses and in the most wonderful areas of natural beauty but it's the friends you meet along the way that really make it special, both the two-legged and four-legged kind. 

Please note, as an Amazon Associate I will earn a small commission if a purchase is made through the link provided above. I only ever put links to products that I love.
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    Amanda Wylde
    Jewellery designer, digital gypsy and lover of Mother Nature's artistry

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