Thursday, December 1, 2011

still-sound 21. Stars

Neb 06, 2009


Neb 07, 2009


This morning I must have listened to a track named Stars by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois at least five times, maybe more. It's essentially an abstract soundscape taken from an album from 1983 called Apollo: Atmospheres and Sountracks.  Beautifully amorphous and peaceful - it's music that doesn't come to a point, no progressions or counterpoint. It's music that simply is, more spatial than narrative.  This is a quality I also love about some traditional Asian musical genres like gagaku. 

For a few years I made drawings inspired by nebulae.  I lightly touched black paper with colored pencils until hazes started to appear.  Some hazes started to concentrate in areas and formed saturated points.  I named all of these drawings neb.

Heian Koh from Kunmeido

I started to meditate while listening to Stars this morning.  I rarely listen to music when I meditate, I find it distracting but formless soundscapes sometimes help me.  I burned the Heian Koh incense from Kunmeido.  A very dry smell that reminds me of the pine incense I used to buy at the Bread and Circus Health food store in Providence when I was in college.  Rosie jumped on my lap while I meditated.  One would think that perhaps she was seeking comfort while the intense Santa Ana winds dramatically bended the trees outside.  But she often jumps into my lap when I meditate, wind or no wind. 

I understand that historically pugs were raised to keep Buddhist monks company.  At this point their brains are hardwired into thinking 'if I see someone meditating, sit on him'.

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