Discography

Catalog

"I suppose that people in the know who've been following my music have picked up on the Carlos Castaneda theme in the titles of some of the pieces. The first track on "Being in Dreaming," (a title adapted from Florinda Donner's beautiful book of the same name) is called "Nagual," which has several meanings. One is "leader of men," specifically referring to the energetic signature of a being who would lead others to ultimate freedom. Nagualism is the practice of interacting with animals as familiars or companions, who do the bidding of the sorcerer. The ancient Nahuatl Indian culture came to be known as Toltec, which is the lineage Carlos' teacher Don Juan Matus belonged to. The Toltecs predate the Egyptians and the Aztecs, and I have a feeling that their wisdom may be connected to the ancient Tibetan shamanistic tradition of Bon Buddhism, which has an unbroken lineage seventeen thousand years old.

"The first track from this newest body of work is called "Arya," which is a Buddhist word meaning "Realized Being". An Arya has broken through the dense layers of ignorance, and remained beyond for long enough to be a changed person forever. That is, the body, energetic anatomy, and mind have been irrevocably altered from staying in the extraordinary vision of non-dualistic reality. I feel a great brotherhood between the words Nagual and Arya . Very directly do they point to the ultimate destiny of human evolution and our deepest wish to be the one who leads others out of suffering forever.

"The album's title "Ally"(AL-lie) is also taken from the Toltec wisdom tradition. The reason I chose it came from a special book on the medicinal use of plants, which defined the ally as "a bridge to help the seeker navigate the other." To harness this power sonically is why I compose music. No other form of art has the same power to alter the minds, and accordingly the realities of the people exposed to it. Within composition, broadcasting of well-made recordings, and ultimately live performances, the influential power over listeners to positively re-dream their future life is without match." -Michael Hewett

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