Many of the pieces on this CD are featured in Pelorian Digital's Deer in the Yard videos.
Watch all the Deer in the Yard videos at the Pelorian Pages YouTube Channel
Deer photographs by Starseed.
Photograph of Starseed in concert by Purusha.
Tracks 1 & 6 recorded live at The Flying Lotus on October 1st, 2005
Tracks 2, 3, 4 & 5 recorded live at Tara's Refuge on December 11th, 2005
Mt. Shasta, California.
Cover photograph from Tara's Refuge concert.
Cover painting: detail from In's Herz der Dinge by Marlis Jermutus.
Ware Soku Kami Nari is a Japanese mantra declaring divinity for all humanity.
Cover painting: detail from Flow of Aum by Marlis Jermutus
The Hindu Goddess Lakshmi bestows all that we hold good in an earthly life - love, grace, prosperity, pleasure, beauty, abundance. Because of her distaste for the ancient god Indra's power-hungry ego, she disolved herself in the Ocean of Milk. In the Hindu tradition each new incarnation of the universe involves churning the Ocean of Milk. At some point after Lakshmi's disappearance, the lack of Lakshmi as well as a variety of other cosmic wonders that had grown scace, left the gods and demons so dismayed that they conspired together to churn the Ocean of Milk until Lakshmi reconstituted. Apparently it took quite a long time and an enormous amount of effort but eventually the churned ocean produced Lakshmi, and a host of assorted marvels such as Surabhi the cow of abundance, Sura the goddess of wine, Parijata the celestial tree which bears every flower and fruit one desires, Rambha the cosmic dancer, Chandra (the moon), and Dhanwantri the celestial physician with his bottles of medicines, one of which immediately captured everyone's attention. Dhanwantri possessed a container of Amrita, ambrosia, the drink of the gods, the elixir of immortality. Of course everyone ran for the bottle of Amrita. Only Vishnu had the presence of mind to distract the demons by taking on the form of Mohini, the demon's favorite mystical diva of the time. With a little slight of hand Vishnu/Mohini gave alcohol to the demons while pouring the Amrita for the gods. When things settled down a bit, the three main gods for creation, preservation and transformation, Bhrama, Vishnu and Shiva took a good look at Lakshmi and their hearts filled with desire. Lakshmi examined the three gods closely. Bhrama was already having a difficult time with his consort the talented Saraswati, and Shiva had impetuously claimed the moon for himself when she popped out of the churning ocean, making it awkward for him to take Lakshmi as well. Lakshmi respected Brahma, but probably had enough of creative egos after her experience with Indra. There are many stories of Lakshmi's love and devotion to Shiva, but Shiva was not the stable family man her talents preferred. In the end only humble Vishnu created a balance for Lakshmi's gifts to the world. It was Vishnu who brought a contented smile to Lakshmi's face.
Ware Soku Kami Nari is a Japanese mantra declaring divinity for all humanity.
Cover painting: detail from Appreciation for the Stars #1 by Marlis Jermutus
"The Eastern mystics see the universe as an inseparable web, whose interconnections are dynamic and not static. The cosmic web is alive; it moves and grows and changes continually. Modern physics, too, has come to conceive of the universe as such a web of relations and, like Eastern mysticism, has recognised that this web is intrinsically dynamic. The dynamic aspect of matter arises in quantum theory as a consequence of the wave-nature of subatomic particles, and is even more essential in relativity theory, where the unification of space and time implies that the being of matter cannot be separated from its activity. The properties of subatomic particles can therefore only be understood in a dynamic context; in terms of movement, interaction and transformation."
- Fritjof Capra
"The wave/particle complimentary seems to mirror the existential experience of consciousness . . . The ordinary consciousness of the "self"— in the vernacular sense, with no technical philosophic doctrine implied— is much like a particle: "solid," "isolated," "real," encapsulated by the skin and more or less static. When one becomes detached enough for neurological self-criticism—for revising models as one goes along— the "self" appears more like a process and even a wavy process: it "is" a succession of states, rather than a state itself (as Hume noticed) and these states come and go in a wave-like manner, "flowing" between "inner" and "outer." As one observes them come and go, one learns to choose desirable states . . ."
- Robert Anton Wilson
Cover painting: detail from Dancing on the River by Marlis Jermutus
The aspirant Enters the Ambient Temple, acknowledges Shivakara, Lord Shiva's transformative vision. The vision brings a Dimensional Crossing. Some aspirants may catch a glimpse of Zanoni's Mystical Smile, and discover Dolce far Niente. Zanoni, written by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton in 1845, is a fictionalized account of the life of the Comte de Saint-Germain. Dolce far Niente - "the pleasure of doing nothing" The Greek modes describe a variety of musical flavors. Charukesi Mode, a major scale with a flatted 6th and flatted 7th, has no Greek equivalent. Charukesi is the name for this scale in the Indian Classical music system.
Cover painting: detail from Infinity by Marlis Jermutus
Comte de Saint-Germain, reputedly known personally in the royal houses of Europe over a period of more than two centuries. International diplomat, master of alchemy, painter, musician, healer and herbalist. Legends claim that no one ever saw him eating, he presented precious jewels as gifts as freely as giving away flowers, and he routinely changed the lives of those who met him.
St. Germain's Living Room is a hidden spring surrounded by a tiny meadow high above the tree line on Mt. Shasta, California. There is no ordinary trail that leads there.
1 - Blue Reflection - 28:55 - 11/27/99 - Dorian Mode
2 - Previously Untitled - 20:20 - 11/27/99 - Lesbian Mode
3 - The Fabric of Energy - 10:18 - 11/28/99 - Lydian Mode
Cover painting: detail from Meeting the Perfect You by Marlis Jermutus
Indra's Net is one of those ancient Eastern metaphors that could easily slip into a text on quantum mechanics, Previously Untitled, describing The Fabric of Energy. This CD was recorded in three sessions over the evening of November 27th and the early morning of November 28th, 1999. Trivia: before he fell in love with Entering the Ambient Temple, Brian Em's favorite Starseed CD was Indra's Net.
1 - Homage to Holih Molih - 31:04 - 12/30/99 - Lesbian Mode
2 - Monden See - 20:57 - 12/30/99 - Dorian Mode
3 - The Laughing Naga - 6:54 - 1/4/2000 - Lesbian Mode
4 - The Caves of Niwo - 4:44 - 1/1/2000 - Lesbian Mode
Cover painting: detail from Shiva's Dance by Marlis Jermutus
Just at the end of the last millennium, we recorded two long pieces in Pelorian Studios overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In the new century we emerged from The Caves of Niwo with the help of The Laughing Naga.
1 - Opening the Seven lnvitations - 18:17 - 10/31/99 - lonian Mode
2 - lntroducing Young Raja - 13:37 - 10/21/99 - Dorian Mode
3 - Baba Nam Kevalam - 10:59 - 11/19/99 - Dorian Mode
4 - The Vibrant Formula - 6:20 - 10/22/99 - Phrygian Mode
5 - Mickey's 20 Kinds of Weather - 6:09 - 10/22/99 - lonian Mode
6 - The Serpent's Explanation - 16:04 - 10/24/99 - Lydian Mode
Cover painting: detail from Activating the Hidden Queen by Marlis Jermutus
Young Len Raja, born Leonard Orr in Walton, New York, began the Rebirthing movement in 1974 after discovering a simple but powerful modern version of Pranayama, or conscious breathing. Leonard's breathing technique powerfully confronts a person's attachment to the birth trauma, the death urge and other adverse human conditioning. The melody for "Introducing Young Raja" was first improvised when Starseed performed before a presentation by Leonard Orr.
The Seven Invitations introduce the intuitive path to understanding and enlightenment. The path appears to be different for every traveler.
Young Raja transcended his Western religious training and met the Eastern tradition in the form a powerful Baba. He learned The Vibrant Formula of the Gyatri Mantra, a Sanskrit appeal for divine intelligence.
On the other hand, Mickey (a guy from Brooklyn, not the mouse), lives half of every year in Hawaii, and proclaims, "There are 24 kinds of weather in the world, and Hawaii's got twenny of 'em!" The other half of every year Mickey lives in a cave in India.
Perhaps The Serpent's Explanation is the Dance of the Spiral Beings.
1 - Devotion to Compassion - 24:20 - 11/1/99 - Lesbian Mode
2 - Sun Salutation - 13:53 - 11/1/99 - Lesbian Mode
3 - DNA of the Forest - 16:18 - 11/2/99 - Ionian Mode
4 - Fanfare for the Genome - 6:41 - 11/2/99 - Ionian Mode
5 - Waking the Elves - 9:23 - 11/2/99 - Ionian Mode
Cover painting: detail from Enchanted Nature by Marlis Jermutus
Marlis and Rasa first played Tamboura and Sitar together in Germany in 1970. Their improvisational style mirrored the abstract art Marlis created with paint and canvas, and the improvisational music Rasa played with the jazz/rock group Sweet Smoke. After thirty years of travel and crossing each other's paths, this CD from 1999 is their first studio recording. The music on this CD sounds to us like an intimate conversation between two old friends.
On the last track, with the studio windows open, you can hear the winter wind shaking the wood of the Pelorian Tower Studio standing five stories high at the top of a 125 year old Victorian mansion in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts.
1 - Star Deva - 7:07
2 - She Is Calling - 8:50
3 - Etheric Loka - 8:09
4 - Goddess Within - 5:53
5 - Guardian Angel - 10:41
6 - Guidance - 6:02
6 - Neptune Calling -19:05
The distant reaches of space will become the oceans we one day traverse. We can travel now, in ships of sound and imagination, the vast inner dimensions of consciousness.
Live in Mt Shasta - 2006
Lakshmi Smiles - 2004
Particle and Wave - 2004
Entering the Ambient Temple - 2004
Joy for Peace - 2003
Music for St Germain's Living Room - 2002
Indra's Net - 1999
Nature Spirits - 2000
The Temple of Me - 1999
Etheric Sea - 2009
Ocean of Eternity - 2004
From Earth to Heaven - 2004
Healing Waves - 2001
Invocation - 2003