Kirtana

I purchased this CD of Kirtana at the Journey Intensive. I heard some of the songs last year before the CD was released and I really loved them. You can hear samples of the songs at the website.

I decided to post the lyrics of one of my favorite songs because it goes so well with what I have been learning and experiencing in Eckhart Tolle's Book and in The Journey.

Just because the tracks are laid...
or just because your ticket's paid for...
and some crazed conductor keeps on calling out your name,
you don't need to board the train.
No, you don't need to board the train.

Trains of thought will come and go,
but you are not your thoughts, you know -
so why get all caught up in where they lead?

You are who these thoughts are passing through - don't you see.
You are who these thoughts are passing through.
Be free. Be free.

Even when you're feeling frightened,
sad or hurt or unenlightened,
you can find a peace that underlies what passes by.
Don't mistake the weather for the sky (of your being)
Why mistake the weather for the sky?

Feelings rise then fall away -
even those you wish would stay,
so why equate your sense of self with mood?
You are who emotion passes through - don't you see.
You are who emotion passes through.
Be free. Be free.

What a blessing to have taken birth in this human form -
with the chance to see that who we are was really never born,
can never die, is always free.

If Destiny decides to strike some version of the script you like
And make a melodrama of your endless cabaret,
you know you can still enjoy the play (yes you can) -
if you're still and you know how to play.

Just treat it like a mystery and view it from the balcony.
Laugh and cry and stomp your feet,
but don't believe a thing.
You are who these scenes are passing through - don't you see.
You are who this play is passing through.
Be free. Be free.

Here is Kirtana's biography as listed on her website:

Born and raised in a small coastal town in Maine, Kirtana has played the guitar and written songs since the tender age of eleven. For the last twenty years she has lived on the central coast of California, drawing constant nourishment and inspiration from the beauty and energy of the area.

A long time student of spirituality and meditation, Kirtana's music early on reflected themes of personal transformation, healing and a growing self-awareness. As might be expected, her albums sequentially chart her spiritual evolution as her attention shifted from personal healing, to concern and prayers for the planet, to the necessity for awakening to our true nature.

In 1997 she met her beloved teacher: Gangaji. The songs from her cd: 'This Embrace' reflect the love and self-recognition sparked by that life-altering encounter.Her fifth CD, 'A Deeper Surrender', has been described by one reviewer as "an exquisite paean to the ineffable longing for the Beloved" Her sixth and most recent cd, 'Falling Awake' continues the expression of that deepening.

In addition to her own concerts, she performs at New Thought Churches, satsangs, and Truth-centered conferences. Her music is distributed internationally and has been used by various spiritual teachers, noted authors, healers and seminar leaders at their meetings and workshops (including events with Gangaji, Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie, Brandon Bays, etc.)

The usual category designation for such music is 'New Age Vocal'. But a more appropriate genre might be 'Music for Awakening' or 'Contemporary Sacred'. In Kirtana's own words the best description for both her music and her purpose in sharing it is to "celebrate divine love and the truth of who we are."