Heart of the Shamans by Liquid Bloom

Heart of the Shamans CD by Liquid Bloom with Amani Friend and Rara Avis, Robert Mirabal, and vocalists Ixchel Prisma and Sarah West, offers shamanic music with global rhythms, nature sounds and evocative vocals for healing music and yoga instrumental music.

Heart of the Shamans was conceived as a sonic prayer, a lovingly-crafted ritual transport into the heart of the universe. A voyage through the energy centers of the body, this music is designed to support ceremonial trance states of awakening. Weaving powerful voices and instrumentation from around the world into a layered, multi-dimensional sonic tapestry resonant with ancestral depths, the music is inspired by such diverse sources as indigenous ceremonial dances of New Mexico’s deserts and pueblos, and sacred traditional ayahuasca invocations from Amazonian rainforest cultures.

The album’s liner notes offer guidance for participatory, immersive listening. A succession of mudras – traditional hand gestures from India believed to provide physical points of reference and increase energy flow throughout the body – are also suggested to enhance the participant’s experience, each specific to one of the album’s six major compositions.

Also included are two bonus remixes, of songs from Liquid Bloom’s debut album, Shaman’s Eye, which were created specifically for trance journeying. Their multi-layered currents of sound and chanting have been freshly remixed to embrace Ixchel Prrisma’s sacred medicine songs.

Music Produced by Amani Friend and Rara Aivs. Guest artists include Native American music legend Robert Mirabal with his Taos flutes and chant, and vocalist Ixchel Prrisma and Sarah West.

Track Listing:
1. Ceremony of the Heart (8:48)
2. Cosmic Soul Lotus (6:06)
3. Healing Fire Breath (6:34)
4. Temple of the Goddess (3:16)
5. Ecstatic Grounding (6:28)
6. Sacred Blessing (7:56)

Bonus Tracks:
7. Jaguar Dreaming (Medicina mix) (16:08)
8. Roots of the Earth (Medicina mix) (16:40)

Suggested Hand & Body Mudras

As an option, hand mudras may be helpful to our inner experiences with this music, giving physical points of reference and flowing an increase of energy through the body. For example, if the music directs our awareness to the heart, placing our hands over the heart ignites this center and embodies vibrations of love and wisdom within us.

Track 1 – hands over the heart (4th chakra – Key of F)
Track 2 – hands in open lotus above head (8th chakra – Key of C & F)
Track 3 – hands anywhere for healing (2nd chakra – Key of D)
Track 4 – palms held in front of body (healing the entire body – no Key)
Track 5 – hands over belly (1st chakra – Key of C)
Track 6 – open hands held out in offering (4th chakra – Key of F)

Sound Alchemists

Amani Friend – overall production, sound design, composition, pads, didgeridoo,
percussion, shakers, jaw’s harp, nature recordings, gongs & bells
Rara Avis – Production, pads, deep mantra chants, overtone singing, spoken word
Ixchel Prrisma – medicine songs, sacred chants, channeled prayers, mantras, spoken word
Sarah West – angelic vocals and tones, spoken word
Robert Mirabal – Native American flutes, spoken word
Aum Prakash – whistles, charango, mantras, jaw’s harp
Bente Darma Friend – spoken word
Domonic Dean Breaux – silver flute
Steve Landsberg – surbahar and tamboura
James Cunané – shamanic smoke breath
David Dunn – nature recording of pond insects

Album Production

Album produced by Amani Friend and Rara Avis
Album intention, inspiration and text written by Bente Darma Friend
Original painting on cover “Vine of Spirits” by Vajra (www.altaroftheheart.com)
Graphic design and packaging layout by Amani Friend (www.gobaldragon.com)
Produced, Mixed and Mastered at Global Dragon Studio (Santa Fe, NM)
© & (P) Global Dragon 2014 (ASCAP)

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the talented musicians and vocalists who have contributed their masterful art to this project. We are grateful this album has become a unique and selfless offering to the world, helping inspire healing energy and assisting in ceremony, prayer, meditation and creativity. Deepest bows of respect to the lineage holders and ancient wisdom carriers of the traditional cultures that are woven into the fabric of this collaboration. Thank you to Vajra for allowing us to use his amazing artwork for the cover design, to our White Swan family for always supporting such medicinal music, and to Craig Kohland of Shamans Dream for his support and friendship over the years.

A portion of all proceeds from this album will be given to the Paititi Institute