Sundaze 1336 Inside Out 13

Hello, congratulations to the citizens of Tokyo, they get to play host for the 20/20 Olympic Games, after all Fukushima is far away, although near enough for a day-trip for those looking for some nuclear excitement amongst all that sports gold fever. Seriously, i expect plenty of robots and let's hope this earthquake area get's away with it.

At Sundaze this month of September will be all under the Inside Out banner. It maybe a bit much to take it all in as there will be diverse propositions to enhance your insights and well-being. Audiocourses on Meditation , Lucid Dreaming and Kundalini Activation will be accompanied with some regular sundaze music

Today's artist isn't that well known this despite the fact he stands at the beginning of what later became the ambient /new age label. Obviously you should remember him from last week. Now, I know 'new age' tends to be a bit of a dirty word, especially for us music heads, but this artist has the fortune of coming out at magic moment when this genre didn't exist as such and this has little to do with the muzak that is produced under this banner the last 20 years. The albums here are from 86, 91 and 01 and when you'll hear them you'll recognize there's more going on then that reaches your ears, some call him the Mozart of the New Age, surely he's among the bests. Many attribute healing qualities to his music and that may very well be, drink my friend ... N'Joy

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This is a recording of a 5 week retreat led by Pema Chodron based on the concepts in her book. She explains the ideas so much more clearly than I've read in the past and is intended for Western audiences who might not understand some of the language one finds in Eastern philosophy. For example, the concept of ego has always confused me in Buddhist teaching and she makes it far easier for me to apply to my own life. The recordings contain a talk by Pema Chodron, about a particular concept, then meditation exercises and an assignment to work on. I've found them very helpful.

In this 5 CD set, Pema Chodron expands on her prior works (but see Pure Meditation), honing in on Buddhist Shamatha (tranquil or calm abiding) meditation. This is a basic, eyes-open, being-fully-present technique (akin to mindfulness practice).  Total time=5:52:48 in 46 tracks. Her presentation is comprehensive, including: Physical--much detail on 6 points of posture (seat, legs, torso, hands, eyes, & mouth); Emotional--being fully present, attention to tension, observing your pain/stress; Mental/Psychological--generosity, patience, sense of humor; & Spiritual/Mystical--(per Trungpa Rinpoche) "Mixing mind and space." Each CD includes a meditation experience & practices for the ensuing week.

Overall, Pema's voice & presentation are extremely peaceful & meditative--quite conducive to these practices, though she aims at you becoming "your own meditation instructor." To have a more complete appreciation of Pema, see her Good Medicine video. This set is valuable for newbies (though some of the terminology may be unfamiliar) as well as those who have practiced meditation before. It is also a nice refresher.

How to Meditate (166mb)

1 How to Meditate 1 65:18
2 How to Meditate 2 63:29

As this is a 5 part series which takes too much to take it all in, I start with a double bill and expect weekly instalments the next 3 weeks.

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Iasos (pronounced ya' sos)  was born in Greece in 1947, American resident from 1951, he is a musician living in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. He is the earliest creator of the "New Age Music" genre. His company, Inter-Dimensional Music, is based in Sausalito, California. The psychology department at Plymouth State College rated his Angelic Music album as being closest to the music heard by people who have had Near-death experiences. The Buddhist philosopher Alan Watts has said "Iasos is doing the classical music of the New Age."Guitarist Lee Underwood has said "Angelic Music...perhaps exemplif(ies) the best this genre has to offer."

He began studying piano at age 8, with formal music education through high school. in 1967, he began to "hear" music, which he referred to as "paradise music". He moved to California in 1968, to work on creating this music. In 1975, he released his first album, Inter-Dimensional Music Through Iasos, the same year his friend and colleague Steven Halpern released his first album, thus being an early pioneer in the "New Age Music" genre. in 1982, Iasos produced one of the first New Age videos, "Crystal Vista". In 1989, the psychology department of Plymouth State College in New Hampshire conducted research with people who had had near death experiences. The conclusion of the research was that Iasos' music received the highest rating for being most like the music people heard while in their near death state. Iasos has performed and lectured internationally, and his music is distributed worldwide. His music has been used by NASA and the Laserium laser light show.

Iasos is, by all intents and purposes, much more than a musician. He conducts seminars, concerts and special events and also produces beautiful videos in a sort of a retro-70's-meets-the-new-millenium style. He is infinitely fascinating to listen to, to watch and to enjoy. His vision and his focus is clearly Divinely inspired and after you listen to a Iasos album or watch a Iasos video, you will be Divinely inspired as well.  He may well be one of the fathers of the New Age genre having released his first recording in this vein all the way back in the year 1975. And he is still going strong!"



an opening talk Iasos gave at an event on sound healing. He was asked to explain how sound can induce expanded states of consciousness (in 10 minutes or less). He did this in 7.5 minutes.

Youtube channel  Iasos

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Often credited as the father of New Age, Iasos's music was described by the psych department at Plymouth State "as being closest to the music heard by people who have had near death experiences." While that migh be frightening, it's actually the opposite. Pure rainbow vibes, crystal beams and crystalline waterfalls, Iasos's Jewelled Space tape was recently featured on Crystal Vibrations, and is exactly what you think a website named Cyrstal Vibrations would post. Enchanting, lush & ultra-ribbed for your listening pleasure, Jewelled Space is the sort of dream catcher chill out that epitomized new age, and subsequently made it cliche. Well worth a listen for anyone dabbling in the spirit realm.

Iasos - Jewelled Space (259mb)

01 The Valley Of Enchimed Peace 30:00
02 The Royal Court Of Goddess Vesta 30:00

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Iasos has performed an ingenious maneuver in that he has realized that strong moments in earlier releases' shorter versions can be "re-cycled", literally, into looped, extended ambient creations. I always felt upon hearing the original versions that Iasos could have made the song much longer. Well, he did!

This release by Iasos contains two long tracks designed for deep meditation. Side one, "Cloud Prayer," is an extended half-hour version of a track from his release Wave #1 (Interdimensional Music), with deep slow drones, soaring highs that advance and recede, and fluttering tones like birds or butterflies occasionally passing through. The second side, "Throne Realms," is a new work in Iasos's trademark flowing celestial style, with shimmering synthesizers floating gently throughout. Each is lovely, and, at thirty uninterrupted minutes per side, offers an extended space for meditation

Iasos - Timeless Sound (212mb)

01 Cloud Prayer 30:41
02 Throne Realms 30:01

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If you ignore everything but the music (and that’s what really counts, anyway!) Iasos brings you a delightful and very cheerful series of mostly electronic pieces which evoke images of shimmering seas and sunny beaches, neon-bright theme parks, fragrant gardens, and pretty crystalline neo-Pagan fantasies. Iasos sometimes follows a style similar to his fellow Greek,
Vangelis, but unlike Vangelis with his simpler rock-based harmony, Iasos uses sophisticated, jazz-Impressionistic harmonies based on ninth-, eleventh-, and thirteenth-chords, often altered for even more exotic effects. In my opinion, you just can’t go wrong with harmonies like that. He stays with a bright, sharp, high-pitched electronic texture most of the time, which brings out the visual association of brilliant sparkling light, though on one track he also features a long, rambling flute solo, without
any synthesizers, in the tradition of Paul Horn. And like the album notes say, if you listen with headphones and your eyes closed, it is a totally immersive audio experience. It is just what you need to uplift your self from all the negativity.

Its been released in DVD format as well, melding his music with his vision, Iasos has created an utterly ecstatic experience of sound and light. The DVD consists of eight pieces each of which combines Iasos' music and moving images. A much-needed "33 Second Intermission" divides each of the pieces. The DVD offers the viewer a choice of Stereo or 5.1 Surround. Iasos creatively addresses the issue of copyright in a coda entitled "Permission to Copy."

Iasos - Realms of Light (246mb)

01 Rapture Of The Heart 5:21
02 Waltz Of The Swaying Hearts 4:10
03 The Angels Of Purity 8:37
04 The Fountain Of Creation 3:39
05 The Temples Of Olympus At Dawn 13:32
06 The Diamond-Heart Center Of Creation 10:47
07 Spring Temple Forest 6:53
08 The Gates Of Opal 9:51

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