We Have a Beautiful Mother

We have a beautiful
mother
Her hills
are buffaloes
Her buffaloes
hills.

We have a beautiful
mother
Her oceans
are wombs
Her wombs oceans.

We have a beautiful
mother
Her teeth
the white stones
at the edge
of the water
the summer
grasses
her plentiful
hair.

We have a beautiful
mother
Her green lap
immense
Her brown embrace
eternal
Her blue body
everything
we know.
               Alice Walker
               From: Her Blue Body Everything We Know
               Included on the CD: Praises for the World

Late afternoon clouds after a beautiful, inspiring, sunshiny morning. I practiced today along with our Praises for the World CD. What a different and wonderful experience!

This collaboration of 16 musicians repeats the same musical theme throughout as each artist improvises on a common subject: this beautiful world we call home. The contributions are amazingly diverse in honor of this common theme: Buddhist and Hindi chanting, singing in Portuguese and Spanish, vocal improvisations, spoken word poetry, and more.

The CD case describes its contents as, "A devotional and ecstatic long playing chant for our world." The manner in which each piece segues seamlessly into the next is incredibly soothing and heart-opening.

I admit, I have been working relentlessly on refinements to my practice. This was an unexpected and welcome diversion. Today I moved with awareness and intent as I allowed myself to be buoyed by the tremendous artistry and gratitude expressed through this recording. What a gift!