Description

1. Entering the Mystery
2. The Helpers
3. Sancti Spiritus
4. Letting Go
5. Initiation
6. The Center
7. Inbetween
8. Cosmic Consciousness
9. Inner Truth
10. Celtic Praise
11. Divine Harmony
12. Unified
13. True Freedom
14. End in the Beginning
15. Together

Engineered, performed, composed and arranged by Kimba Arem
Additional engineering and Mixing by Mike Yach
Additional arrangement by Mickey Houlihan
Mastered by Dave Glasser, Airshow Mastering

Musicians:

Kimba Arem— quartz crystal didjeridu, 4-chamber flute, vocals and harmonic overtoning, Native American flutes, piano, waterphone, keyboards, tingshas, Tibetan bowls, crystal bowls, windchimes
Michael Stanwood— harpsicord
Bonnie Paine— saw, washboard
Luiz Estevao Salvagnini— piano, guitar
Markus Johanson— hang
Danny Cudd— hang
Kailin Yong— violin
Christine Tulis— harp
Beth Quist— vocals
Josh Larson— vocals
Seth Larson— vocals
David Darling— cello
Sam Sidwell— cello

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Crossing the Great Waters was originally initiated in 1992 by a near-death experience, resulting in what I call my awakening.  Since that time, I have been continually called to the “betweens” to explore, understand, and at times assist souls through these mysterious life transitions. After over 20 years of integration of the near death experience, I realized that the time had come to birth this project, music intended to help navigate these sometimes intense and transformational states of being.

Transitional stages such as birth, death, near-death experiences, major life changes, psychedelic journeys, and metaphysical explorations throughout one’s life occasionally call for specific tools that are designed and intended to gracefully guide one through these sacred passages.  This CD is created for use during such times.

This CD project, in everything from the circumstances of recording, the musicians who showed up, the title of the CD, the song names, the artwork used, and other details, were delivered in divine timing and in strong waves of synchronicity over the course of a year, alerting me that there was definite help from the beyond to make this project possible, and that I was to be the diligent orchestrator/messenger of the project.

The CD is designed to be listened to from start to finish in its entirety, to complete the whole journey through each of the stages.  All songs are woven together without breaks between the songs, so the 64 minute journey is to be listened to from start to finish as one flow.

The final song, Together (one of the “channeled” piano pieces) is intended to deliver the soul into the Light– either to a reunion with source, with one’s larger family, or the integration of lost soul pieces. We may meet and celebrate with our larger cosmic family as they greet us into the new world we are about to explore.

My greatest wish is that this CD can help those in need of gentle cosmic but grounded guidance during dying, birthing, or any other transitional state that offers the potential for transformation.  I encourage you to make a copy of this, if you wish, for those who cannot afford or not in a position to purchase this CD, and share it if you think it can assist in their journey.

It has been a great honor to steward the birthing of this project.

May any merit generated through this production be a blessing to all beings.

Blessed be,

Kimba

 

The Bardos and Perinatal Birth Matrices:

According to the Tibetan tradition, after death and before one’s next birth, when one’s consciousness is not connected with a physical body, one experiences a variety of phenomena. They call this a bardo state, and it has different phases as the soul journeys toward the light of rebirth or reunion with source . The bardo can also offer a state of great opportunity for liberation, because transcendental insight may arise during this time.  With helpful guidance, souls can more gracefully find their way through this sometimes perilous passage.

A similar but seemingly very different experience happens during the birth process, outlined by Dr. Stanislav Grof, who is one of the key founders of the field of transpersonal psychology. He describes the basic perinatral matrices that correspond roughly to the different stages of the child’s development in the uterus, and finally it’s passage through the birth canal, and it’s lasting impact on consciousness.

Since my near death experience in 1992, much of my interest over the years has included studying the bardos of the dying process and the perinatal matrices of the birthing process, which has  inspired this work.  Expanded states of consciousness (from a near death experience or using certain types of music, breathwork, plant medicines, shamanic drumming, etc.) also can help us access our encoded memories of past life or birthing experiences and help us to gain further understanding and insight into our basic nature and (sometimes unconscious) behaviors– and this can be extremely healing and liberating.

Not surprisingly, the different songs and sections of this CD journey ended up corresponding very well with the main phases outlined in the processes of both dying and birthing.  Since it’s release, the CD has been used for both birthing, and for midwiving the dying.

This voyage to the beyond also corresponds to the mythical Hero’s Journey, describing the entirety of the journey of one’s life– a seemingly more extended bardo or transitional state.  As defined by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces:  “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder… fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won… the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow (hu)man.”

Binaural beats and suggested listening:

This CD is encoded with binaural beats that start in the upper alpha range and go all the way down to delta, associated with dreaming and deep sleep.  It may not be suitable for use while driving a car.  It can be listened to in headphones for the optimum binaural effect, but a good set of speakers can also work well for the journey.

Side note on the title:

The title Crossing the Great Waters came to me in a meditation very suddenly and clearly as I was nearing the completion of transcribing this work.  It seemed like the project had taken enough form to have an official title, and this one came in immediately.

The next day, I decided to do an I Ching reading, which I do quite rarely but was needing some guidance.  I received the 64th hexagram, which I had never received before.  This hexagram, Nearing Completion, referred to “Crossing the Great Waters.” This was excellent confirmation of the appropriateness of the title…

As I completed the project a year later, I did another I Ching reading, and received the 1st hexagram, The Creative Power,  also referring to “Crossing the Great Waters.”

Many of the song titles were created from guidance from the 64th and 1st I Ching hexagrams in consecutive order. Ironically, it seems to imply that when we get to the end of a journey (the last hexagram, 64) it is merely the beginning– and when we have just finished the journey (the 1st hexagram), we get to the beginning, to start anew.  This is a similar process as outlined in the Kaballah:  “From Creation’s perspective, the beginning and the end of any event takes place at the same instant– the Light sees the cause and the result simultaneously… as every detail of a full-grown tree exists within its seed.  Kabbalists and Taoists call it ‘the end in the beginning.'” Similar to the alchemical ouroborus symbol… as we complete our Earthwalk and pass through the gates of death, a new beginning awaits us in the higher worlds…

 

 

 

Track Listing and Samples