Chant to Open Our Hearts to "The One Who Loves"

We are always pleased and privileged to feature one of our students' work. This entry came about as a result of a module on "Contemplative Practices Across Traditions." Please enjoy the work of Christine Hiester, a video with an original chant. 

"I decided to create a video with a chant I composed and recorded along with images of candles from different traditions and a Hafiz poem—one of my favorites! Creative media are a significant part of my prayer practice ... I began to compose a chant one day last week using the interval of a perfect 5th. The interval of a perfect 5th along with its complement, a perfect 4th, when sung or played in tune has frequencies that match so completely it creates a hollow, open sound. You can hear this when listening to a violin or other string instrument tune. When the 5th locks in, the musician can hear what is called a “beatless” 5th and knows tuning is complete.

Once I sang through the chant, I created a harmony to go on top of it. The composing of this chant brought me into a space of prayer and I envisioned my singing bowl as the initial tone. I decided I wanted to create a video with images that were meaningful to me, and I chose candles from many traditions, lit in prayer and unity. 

Finally, I chose the poem by Hafiz, translated by Daniel Ladinsky, which speaks to the reality of unity and Oneness that is discovered through contemplation when we enter into the heart of the One Who Loves."

Watch and listen here:

https://tinyurl.com/y54wvwe6​

​Thank you, Christine, for allowing SGTI to share your creation with others! 

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The photos Christine chose are from the following artists on Unsplash:
Hitanshu Patel
Thomas Kinto
parag patel
Diogo Nunes
Udayaditya Barua