Renace La Fuerza (Danza Guane) by Almaconvoz

Our beloved Sophya Dhyana Ramirez just released her gorgeous new single and the accompanying music video! This is what she has to say about the intention behind the project:

Energy of life is what has been given to us, a gift from our first breath on earth. Time allows us to understand this gift and gives us, all days, the opportunity to dive into the inner waters and embrace all that we are , so that we can come back to the world with the confidence of knowing our own treasures: those that no one is gonna find for us. As Sa'di says, "Every soul is created for a certain purpose and the light of that purpose has been kindled in that soul."

May we all take the time and effort to connect with ourselves and be a light of joy, harmony and peace. May we be a good seed for the world.

Stream Renace la Fuerza on your platform of choice here!

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Merging of a Tear, a poem by Sèmà Barley

Merging of a Tear

By Sèmà Barley 

Allah, 

As you unlock the gate of my heart,

I meet you in the merging of a tear. 

My tears, the Earth’s tears,

We belong to you, we are but Your tears. 

I met you in the merging; 

The place where I crack and surrender.

Fusing, melding, whirling,

we unify. 

Drowning in your ocean is my life vest, 

There is no separation!

In my heartbreak, there is coalescence with You.

There is no separation. 

There is only merging. 

Will I cry forever?

In that tear, I am held by You;

Healed in the drowning.

Safer there, submerged in Supreme Presence’s orbit, 

The place where everything ends and You begin.

The album born out of Mendocino Sufi Camp: Spirit of the Redwoods by ITO and the Moonlight Hippies

Next gen Sufi Galen Deery, who lives in Pennsylvania and grew up with the great fortune of a Sufi grandmother (the beautiful Stephani-lila Murdoch), shares his experience of Mendocino Sufi Camp—and the band and album it inspired.

Spirit of the Redwoods
Every July, a gathering is held that welcomes elders and youngsters of all genders and all cultures to a magical place. This takes place in Mendocino (Northern California) deep within the Redwood Forest. In this cathedral of life, lead-singer Galen (ITO) was introduced to the teachings of Sufism, meditation, various yogas, and most of all, artistic/musical expression. At the young age of 13, all of this impacted him greatly. His love for music was ignited and directed towards bringing people together with song and dance. ITO and the Moonlight Hippies take these roots to the stage to tell the stories, to offer cultural prayers, and to catalyze interpersonal healing. This new album “Spirit of the Redwoods” is a collection of those stories that combines genres of Medicine music with Jazz on tunes like “Bridge” and "The Four Treasures", Pop with Reggae on songs like “Ganesha” and “Shooting Star", and Ambience with Psychedelic Rock on anthems such as “Shine” and “Breathe". All of this experimental sound, paired with uplifting lyrics is a calling to those who are ready to come together to reintroduce that seemingly lost idea of living in harmony and balance. The final track on the record, entitled “A Prayer for Peace”, is a live recording from 2019 taken at this gathering. Chanting and singing for the restoration of unconditional Love. Right there…thats what this album is all about. Enjoy and welcome Home!

About the band
An optimistic, uplifting, refreshing new sound armed with a ukulele, ITO and the Moonlight Hippies aims for your heart with their music. A four-piece gang of high-vibe brothers who have grown so much together and now offer that healing to you. These songs are from the experiences of Galen (ITO) as a young teenager seeking something different early on in life. As this seeking has gone deeper, so has the experiential sound of the band’s music. Their self-proclaimed genre, “Spirit Jam”, has come due to the surplus of styles coming together from Medicine music to Jazz, from Pop to Reggae, from Ambience to Psychedelic Rock. With all of these influences, ITO and the Moonlight Hippies brings a message and a prayer to reintroduce a seemingly lost idea of living through love and harmony with this Earth and humanity. This starts with restoring that harmony inside of ourselves. Thats what this music is all about. Doing my inner work to start trusting the process of my own unique human experience. With that, we welcome you to the family…

Stream ITO and the Moonlight Hippies on iTunes
Steam ITO and the Moonlight Hippies on Spotify

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