phenomeNEWS - This Month's Music Review

This Month's Music Review
by Greg Ozimek

Happy holidays to all! Peace in the hearts of people everywhere.

Lonely? Herein are some ideas to “be without” and move past the lonely feelings which may be brought on by the December holy days. Being alone and lonely are two different animals, I learned early this year. A friend informed me that it was possible to feel lonely in a room full of people... and in a house full of three generations of her own family.

Emotions are in their own unique category and holiday emotions need to be recognized as a major involvement for some, perhaps most, people. Music. Listening to music is an answer; I think a very good one.

Feeling the music, more than listening (but just listening too) has total effects on our bodies, nervous systems and our mood. Music can change the direction of our life.
Bobby McFerrin sung, a capella, Don’t Worry – Be Happy,” back in 1988 and won a number of awards for that simple, albeit imaginative, song. Even today, this to-the-point saying resonates an all important and key principle of life and living one’s life.

“Don’t worry – be happy,” might actually be considered a mantra since it was a famous quote of Meher Baba, Indian holy man (1894 - 1969) who was an Avatar (the body incarnation of the Supreme God – not the computer icon).

Yes, I suggest you listen to music, your favorite music. Pull out your CDs and vinyls and let yourself feel good.

And yes! I have a special way for you to listen to nearly all of the popular music you’ve ever heard. You will need a computer to access a wonderful website where you can do a search which will bring up songs that you can play on your computer over and over and over. Go to: www.seeqpod.com, type in some key words, click on a result and fly down memory lane!
This is sooo cool! You can type in a full song title, a portion of the title, a word from the title or the full or partial name of the artist. You cannot save the music but can make a play-list so you can come back to the treasures you have found.

Along the way, if you listen to Don’t Worry – Be Happy remember that McFerrin didn’t use any musical instruments in his tune; all of the musical non-vocals were noises he made.

This December and today, re-make your life! Don’t worry – be happy... explore your favorite music, enjoy it and lift yourself to better feelings which lead to the life you choose, a life you want.

WOMEN IN CHANT: THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF CHRISTMAS
The Choir of Benedictine Nuns of the Abbey of Regina Laudis, Sounds True

Gregorian Chants for the Christmas Season.

Awesome. Amazing. You’ll smile. You may cry. You will be touched. The beauty of the endearingly pure voices, joined in devotional chants, taking their hearts into regions of space and time which can only be called Divine will enthrall you and make your heart swell and overflow.

These Gregorian chants are sung by clear, sharp, modern spiritual women who have dedicated their hearts and lives to the praise of God through prayer and work. The Regina Laudis Abbey is presently made up of 40 women, representing a wide diversity of personal and professional backgrounds.

Their prime mission as contemplative Benedictines is to pray the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours, keeping the prayer of the psalms resonating through the day and night, every day of the year.

As the Vatican through its media department, the Holy See Press Office, has boldly stepped into the Internet Age so has the Abbey of Regina Laudis. By placing your CD into your computer you open deeper dimension to their music.

Their new CD includes a 120 page digital booklet, complete with the Latin texts and English translations of each chant selection and 48 full color photographs taken by noted photographer Robert Fenton Houser.

The digital booklet also has a special section consisting of personal reflections by individual women of the Regina Laudis community on the five courageous and tenacious women mentioned in the Genealogy of Jesus: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba, as well as a meditation on Mary, the Mother of God.

The Abbey of Regina Laudis, was founded in 1947 in Bethlehem, Connecticut, U.S.A. Regina Laudis means Queen of Praise.

The nuns of the Abbey chant the Mass and full Divine office each day, while expressing the traditional Benedictine commitment to manual work and scholarship through various contemporary media and professional disciplines.

Their mission to praise God at all times is symbolized by the lyre on the abbey’s crest and by their motto, taken from the book of Judith. Non recedat laus: Let praise never cease.

You can support the Abbey’s mission directly by purchasing from the Abbey online at www.abbeyofreginalaudis.com. Women In Chant CDs can also be purchased or ordered at your local music store. Blessings to all!