Happy Valentine's Day

I am
really just a tambourine 
grab hold, play me

-    Hafiz

* * *

Experience the pulse of the drum.

Respond with a myriad of expressive gestures
echoing ancient traditions. 

Move your body, mind & spirit
toward a vibrant sense of sensuality,

and a deeper level of well being.

Feel empowered, uplifted.

Experience awakened inner creativity.

Dance in the light of the ancient moon…..

Behind the veils, Intoxicated with love

I  dance the rhythm of this moving world.

-    Rumi

It’s a drum and arms waving.

It’s a bonfire at midnight on the top edge of a hill,

This meeting again with you.

-    Rumi

* * *

I invite you to.... Delve into Danse Orientale ,
an art form with a rich history dating back to antiquity
which beckoned me to a world beyond....

Danse Orientale  is the name I use for the movement vocabulary I teach incorporating Middle and Far Eastern arts.  With great fondness I recall the first time I heard the intoxicating melodies and hypnotic rhythms beckoning me to experience the mystery and wondrous magic carpet ride these ancient arts provide.

A voice inside the drum (said),
 I know you are tired...

but come, this is the way! 

-    Rumi

Enthusiastic Emergence @ NAMM 2014

Permit me if you will to express great enthusiasm following my attendance at the 2014 NAMM tradeshow (Jan. 23-26) where the response to the debut of the SYSTRUM exceeded expectations ~ i.e., despite its having been "buried" by the sands of time, I was delighted by the number of people who knew what it was without the slightest solicitation on my part. Hooray!

The SYSTRUM and I arrive ready to play at the Drum Circle!
Photo credit:  D

 Arthur Hull
Photo credit:  D

Among my personal highlights was bringing the SYSTRUM to the Friday night REMO Drum Circle* which draws men, women and children of all ages to the Palm Garden outside the Anaheim Convention Center for a group music-making experience led by REMO facilitator extraordinaire and rhythm ambassador, the one and only Arthur Hull. 

(Click here to see a video collage of the drum circle!)

WOW - WOW - WOW!  What a fabulous, amzing, mystical, magical, wonder-filled experience robust with delightful surprises ALL associated with the debut of the SYSTRUM at this spectacular event hosting over 9,000 merchants and attended by 90,000+ at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Arrival at Convention Center

I flew from PA to CA on Thursday, January 23 with purrrr-fect and on-time connecting flights.  Upon landing @ LAX my syster in the systrahood Ms. D was waiting my arrival in her gold chariot and off we flew to her abode.  Not having seen each other in person for several years we stayed up 'til the wee hours of the morning talking about various and sundry things as well as strategizing the SYSTRUM's first-ever appearance at this event.

The next morning we played a recording of beautiful ragas as we prepared ourselves in a relaxed manner to be Her representatives at this big event.  We were blessed to navigate the freeways with ease between Santa Monica and Anaheim.  Upon arrival, we made our way to the Mid-East Mfg. booth to deliver a couple items I thought might enhance Her debut amidst the array of beautiful instruments on display therein.

Tahya & Diana at Mid-East Booth, NAMM 2014

Tahya & Kim at Mid-East Booth, NAMM 2014
Photo credit:  D

On our way to check in with our friends at REMO I met guitarist and author Robb Lawrence after which we headed over to REMO 'hub' where I enjoyed meeting the super talented yet unassuming Pete Lockett who is renowned as one of the most versatile multi-percussionists in the world:   

Pete Lockett
Photo credit:  D

Many friends were made and photos were taken, even amidst our hotel shuttle mates both that night and the next morning:

Miranda Rondeau, Tahya, Sean Lee, Diana, Junko Lewis and Miwa Rocker

Sebastian Nylund, in the green jacket,
Diana, moi and John Williams, Philly-based saxophonist
BTW, John took a keen interest in the SYSTRUM
and upon taking it in hand, 
he expressed a knowing that this instrument was used for 'clearing'
things that make you go hmmmmmm

Chris Declercq
with two Chicago sweethearts
Photo credit:  D

I look forward to returning to NAMM next year and in the meantime fostering all these new relationships and burgeoning SYSTRUM circulation!  May its re-emergence 

     a) empower hand-drumming enthusiasts who previously may have found themselves challenged to learn techniques associated with various hand drums by discovering the joy of playing percussion ala this wonderful & historic instrument associated with rich millennia-old traditions,

     b) shed light on Egyptian (ancient and contemporary) culture and Goddess cults of Hathor & Isis, etc.,  and

     c) re-inspire meaningful intentional ritual and creative authentic living in our daily lives...

Diana & Tahya on the final day of NAMM

 ---

Photo credit:  D

*FINAL NOTE: Over the years Paulo Mattioli facilitated numerous Remo Drum Circles at NAMM and we shared many a smile in his recounting those experiences.  Your spirit lives on brightly in the Remo Drum Circle my dearly departed friend. We miss you muchly and remember you always with great fondness.

www.NAMM.org 

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is the not-for-profit association that promotes the pleasures and benefits of making music and serves as a hub for people seeking the newest innovations in musical products, recording technology, sound and lighting. NAMM activities & programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages.

Influence of Layne Redmond's book

The book by Layne Redmond, When the Drummers were Women is a book that holds a prominent place in my personal library as well as in my life, "literally" documenting the teachings I'd learned ~ that is, practices of rhythm and movement which have been handed down in oral tradition for thousands of years.   Thanks to Layne's work, much of this information now was compiled and in print with photos of historic artifacts related to the spiritual history of rhythm and rituals dating back to ancient matriarchal cultures.

However, BEFORE this book was published, going back I believe to the year 1996, my friend and then accompanist Benjamin Iobst** first hosted Layne Redmond at an event in Kutztown, PA, which I attended. Layne announced with great pride that her book was about to be published.  Meanwhile, that afternoon she led us in a group chant while encouraging our playing several of the basic strokes associated with the frame drum. She was a a natural talent dedicated to her frame drumming skills and she was a master facilitator; no wonder, since we'd come to learn she'd been studying and playing with Glen Velez for years. Glen is a master percussionist, vocalist, and composer, specializing in frame drums from around the world and recognized to be largely responsible for the increasing popularity of frame drums in the United States and around the world.  BTW, I went on to produce several programs with Glen years later which I will write about in a subsequent post. 

By this time (1996) Benjamin and I had been collaborating for a couple years.  He was originally introduced to my craft when attending one of my shows at Musikfest.  He had signed my 'fan' mailing list and in short order we subsequently met in person at a Middle Eastern Dance concert produced by Nagwa Said at the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia, PA.  As fate would have it we were in line standing side by side awaiting admission to the performance when he introduced himself.  Ben went on to say that he'd been studying percussion and would like to play for my troupe of dancers.  I agreed to audition him, was delighted by his talent and we fast became friends.

That's Nagwa (front and center) with her troupe of dancers
performing "El Raks Sai'd" @ the Annenb erg Center, Philadelphia

[Long story short, I was a fan of Nagwa Said since 1982 when I met her teaching a charming scarf dance at a week-long training session at the Bellevue in San Francisco produced by the legendary Jamila Salimpour.  In fact, I still adhere to the dance vocabulary Jamila developed. Read more about Jamila ala her daughter's website ~ go to: Suhaila Salimpour.]

But I digress.... Inspired by many (all) pages of Layne Redmond's book, I particularly resonated with p. 102 related to the 'birthing chapel' at the temple complex dedicated to the Goddess Hathor so when I had the good fortune to visit Egypt in 2007, I made certain Dendera was on the itinerary!   Much to my surprise upon seeing the Temple of Hathor, tears welled up in my eyes and then streamed down my cheeks.  I was overwhelmed with a feeling I couldn't quite identify, it was as though I was being welcomed "home" and yet, mind you, I am an American woman born of German and Irish descent who was raised in New Jersey.

Upon returning to the US, I found myself compelled to add a sistrum to my collection of hand percussion instruments.  It would be an understatement to say I was disappointed to discover my research indicated at that time, none were available for purchase ~ at least not like the ones I saw depicted on the temple walls.  I thought "ho hum, that is a shame," shrugged my shoulders and went back to my daily routines.  

A couple weeks later I awoke with a start and sat straight up in my bed.  I kid you not!  It was really startling, as though the Goddess herself had shot an arrow into my heart with a note inscribed detailing my mission to re-emerge the sistrum. I could not ignore nor deny that I had been 'called' and, long story short, permit me to simply say it has been a labor of love and devotion to the Goddess not to mention a bowing with reverence to the temple priestesses of ancient Egypt ~ among them Meresamum, for example.  

It would seem my life-long vocation honoring the rituals, rhythms, and movements of traditions steeped in women's history(herstory) thus led me to being "instrumental" in the re-emergence of a percussion implement played by women at the temples of ancient Egypt. Apparently, it was simply a matter of course ~ dare I say, my destiny.

Now nearly seven years after my visit to Dendera, I am pleased to announce:  The Tahya™ Ceremonial Systrum, manufactured by Mid-East Mfg., replicates the percussion instrument used as rhythmical accompaniment in temple ritual and festival processions in ancient Egyptian culture.  For more information with links to videos, etc., I invite you to visit HathorSystrum.com

* * *

**Benjamin Iobst "Singing Bowls of Tibet"  © '99 Seven Metals Records produced by Randy Crafton, Engineer/Producer/Owner @ Kaleidoscope Sound

Sweeping away the sands of time

SSSSsssssSSSSssssSeSheShet ssssSeSheShet ssssSeSheShet
She has been unearthed from the sands...
Yes, once buried beneath the sands of time 
She now rings loudly across the lands!

There is so much more to tell about this wonderful evolutionary journey but for now permit me if you will to proudly shake the SYSTRUM and invite you to do so too!  

I am soooo excited to make this announcement and hope you will continue to enjoy this blog revealing the blessings of many a deep, meaningful, healing, energetic and joyful experience since my trip to Egypt in 2007.  Revelations from that trip heighten and renew my enthusiasm for the wonders of a life lived wherein every day affords new opportunity for sharing my passion, meeting new people and widening the circle of friends.  Thank you God/Goddess/Goodness... 

Till my next post, please celebrate with me!

SYSTRUM aka SISTRUM
visit:  HathorSystrum.com

Oso many temples . . . Oso little time ~

Arriving in Luxor, the clip clop of horses hooves pulling carriages was but one of many steps back in time. Our hotel in Luxor was situated a block from the beautiful new Luxor museum and equidistant between the corniche (boulevard) along the Nile and the bustling main back road that led to the open market. Across the street from our hotel we enjoyed tea the proprietor of Farouk Papyrus as we perused his beautiful papyrus paintings.

As we walked the narrow dirt alley ways, home to the inner city residents of Luxor, we also saw sheep tethered to a post outside the front door of some the homes. The main roads were shared by horse-drawn carriages, carts pulled by donkeys, motorcycles and bicyclists. Young children played in the alleyways in front of their homes and walked the sidewalks quite freely.

I found Luxor a contrast in cultures each struggling for its "rightful" place. There are the splendid ancient sacred temple sites both on the East and West Banks and a sprawling 21st C. tourist culture imposing upon the long-standing agrarian village culture of this ancient city that may even predate pharonic times.

Bas-relief at Abydos ~ Seti I
making offering with incense
and menat 'necklace' (rattle) 

With Luxor as our "base camp" we visited Abydos, the Osiris cult center built by Seti 1 approx. 1295-1279 BCE*. Abydos was regarded as the holiest of Egyptian towns in Pharonic times. 

The bas-reliefs at this site were simply awe-inspiring and no photo can ever convey the magnificence of seeing this ancient art in person. For example, not only is the art perfect in its execution and astonishing in its standing the test of time, but the renderings of loving scenes between pharaoh and goddess, goddess and child stir the soul. Furthermore, the ability to convey the pleated linen garments not to mention the transparency of the fabric in this style of carving baffles my imagination. 

The bas-reliefs also exquisitely rendered the offerings made at the temple ~ e.g., the alabaster perfume vials; baskets laden with grapes, pomegranate, celery, lettuce, and loaves of bread; a long handled implement depicted as a forearm with the hand holding an offering bowl with burning incense.

From Abydos we traveled back toward Luxor stopping at Dendera home to the Temple of Hathor. 

Temple of Hathor, Dendera
also referred to as 'The House of Sistrum'

Visiting this site was especially meaningful to me. I feel a connection to the goddess Hathor, goddess of love, music, dance, and fertility. It was wonderful to see the temple columns adorned with Hathor's beautiful face.

Hathor

Little did I know how meaningful it would prove to be for me to see the processional of priestesses depicted on a chapel wall processing with sistrum.

Priestesses of Hathor in processional
each playing systrum (aka sistrum)

All too soon it seemed it was time to return home ... Thanks to the careful attention to details of our Windows of Egypt staff everything went exceeding well and every inch of the itinerary went without hitch on time and sa-moothly. Hamdul'Allah (Praise God)!

If I had to choose a favorite capsule of this excursion I would be hard pressed to choose between visiting the temples or...

the smiles and waves of the children as our convoy passed from town to town or ...

the nearly full moon night in the White Desert drumming and dancing with our Bedouin friends. Long will I remember the White Desert's magical lunar-like iridescent landscape and the smiles shared at the fireside.

I had many wonderful experiences; my dear friends and I shared many treasured moments and personal revelations. The most magical ones I hold secret so that when Egypt beckons you, you will be equally surprised and delighted, but I will tell you this:
Professor Shata shared with us a popular Egyptian idiom:

 "We do not ask how old you are;
 rather how young is your heart." 

 He also pointed out that depictions of a deity leading the ruler underscored the ancient admonition of "hand follows heart" ~ i.e., stepping forth with the left foot, the left (heart) side leading. 

I close with an inscription from a statue of Satepihu discovered in his tomb at Abydos:

"Your heart will guide you,
and your limbs will obey you."(1)

May your heart lead you when Egypt beckons!

---

(1) Hatshepsut exhibit catalogue, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 2005

Dancers kicking up their heels. . .

Saqqara: On the seventh day (out of seventeen) of our 2007 Egypt tour, we were impressed with the sublime grandeur of the bas-relief at the mastaba (rectangular tomb) of Mereruka [son-in-law of King Titi dating back to the Old Kingdom (approx. 2340 BCE*)]. I especially loved seeing depictions of clappers marking time for the dancers kicking up their heels.

Yours truly kicking up her heels @ Hathor Chapel, Isis Temple Complex

Aswan and the Temple of Isis: On Day 8 our group headed toward Jordan while my friends, Lana, Melissa, Gloriel and I flew to Aswan in order to visit the Temple of Isis with its supremely high and sweet energy.In fact, during my very last few hours in Luxor at the end of our tour I was reminded of these images when I enjoyed a celebration on the West Bank in honor of the first day of Spring (the Monday following Easter Sunday). A troupe of Nubian drummers and dancers were entertaining tourists at a local restaurant and their performance consisted of three men drumming and eight men chanting while clapping. They moved in two lines facing one another, coming together and then backing up. They then progressed to circle dances with their hands either palm to palm or embracing one another with their arms draped around the shoulders and one extremely agile young man dancing in the center. He deftly descended to his knees while shimmering his shoulders and softly bending backwards. 

Isis, the Great Mother Goddess, is greatly revered throughout ancient Egyptian culture and to this day she is a symbol of loving protection among other things. Her temple on the island of Philae was the last to close. Due to invading religious dominance, it did not cease operation until approx. 550 CE* when during the reign of the Emperor Justinian (527-565 A.D), the main temple was converted to a church. After this the temples of the island were neglected but they remained practically intact since the ancient days. After the dam was built in Aswan, with each inundation the situation worsened and in the sixties the island was sadly submerged up to a third of the buildings all year round.

Melissa on the ferry to the Temple of Isis NOTE: In 1960 UNESCO started a project in order to try and save the buildings on the island frothe destructive effect of the ever-increasing waters of the Nile and so the complex was transported from the Island of Philae to the nearby island of Agilkia, situated on higher ground.

Similar to my feelings in the Bahariya Oasis I could have lingered much, much longer in Aswan; however, only one day was allotted in Aswan so that we could join a convoy to Luxor in order to be able to stop at Edfu, home of the Temple of Horus, son of Isis and avenger for his father Osiris, Egyptian god of life, death, and fertility.

Ancient Egyptian Diety: Horus

Edfu: Temple of Horus
Horus is a deity of the Ancient Egyptian religion, whose cult survived so long that he evolved dramatically over time and gained many names. The most well known name is the Greek Horus, representing the Egyptian Heru/Har, which is the basic element in most of the other names of Horus. 

Horus was so important that the Eye of Horus became an important Egyptian symbol of power and protection. He had a man's body and a falcon's head. He only had one eye because after Osiris was murdered by his brother Set, Horus fought with Set for the throne of Egypt. In this battle Horus lost one of his eyes and later this became a sign of protection in Egypt. Horus united Egypt and bestowed divinity upon the pharaoh. The temple complex dedicated to Horus at Edfu impressed me and I had a wonderful realization as I viewed the falcon statues depicting this revered Ancient Egyptian deity. 

happiness ... straight from the heart

During that fateful trip in 2007 we stayed several days and nights at the Beshmo Lodge in the Bahariya Oasis.  One evening after dinner we were entertained by some of the local villagers -- a singer, a man who played mizmar and nai, another who played an exotic looking stringed instrument whose name I was unable to capture, along with several drummers and dancers ~ all male. The hip articulation, foot work and shoulder shimmies rivaled any dancer I've ever seen and the happiness coming straight from the heart beamed brightly through their eyes.

They encouraged me to dance and I enjoyed myself in this wonderful organic setting albeit I have to admit the tempo of the 2/4 rhythm they were playing was a wee bit faster than I felt comfortable with or inspired by. When they started doing deep knee bends, I bowed out. One by one they encouraged everyone to dance and before long everyone was dancing hand-in-hand.

The next day we headed out to the White Desert where we would camp that night was a caravan of 4x4 jeeps. Hours passed as we drove miles and miles past the black desert sand remnants of volcanic activity making our toward the White Desert. Along the way we stopped at Crystal Mountain, discovered only 20 years ago. Brilliant sparkling crystals charged by the sun and the moon dazzled us in the mid-day light.

Jihadah, our driver

In our jeeps we took detours off road through sand dunes and in and around the boulders and natural sculptures of the spectacular White Desert. I enjoyed this experience of being off the paved road and driving into nature while at the same time thinking/praying/hoping escapades such as ours do not harm the environment. I must tell you the Bedouin men were extremely careful to carry out everything we carried in and I bless their hearts for their diligence in this regard.

In addition, they not only skillfully maneuvered the jeeps (and changed a flat tire off-road), the also set up a beautiful tapestried camp and happily drummed and sang for us by a lovely fire after preparing a feast and pitching tents for us ~ and all this amidst a sand storm!

After a couple hours of the winds kicking the sands around, the storm finally passed and we enjoyed our desert camp feast which consisted of barbecued chicken, roasted vegetables and rice, chopped tomatoes and cucumber salad and tahini and bread.  After dinner we clapped along with the men who were drumming and singing at the fireside.

Jihadah, our driver, tied a scarf around his hips and with a cigarette in his hand, he danced around the fire joyfully singing with a broad smile on his face and a teasing and slightly mischievous kind of sparkle in his eye. Pure joyfullness pervaded every cell of his being and extended out toward all of us as he invited us to join him in...

the dance,
a celebration of life.

In the morning our Bedouin hosts broke down camp as efficiently as they had set it up and not one trace of our ever having been there remained behind.

We reluctantly left Bahariya Oasis and the hardy, happy Bedouin souls we met there; however, Saqqara, home of the famous "Step Pyramid of Zoser", the mastaba of Mereruka, the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza, the many temples of Luxor and the West Bank, and more, still lay ahead.