Mantra
Sound and music have been used since ancient times for healing and transformation. Indigenous cultures and ancient civilizations understood that the voice could carry intentions, prayers, and emotions to the divine realms. I believe it to be a powerful tool that has the ability to transform any negative energies within the body and open gateways for our life-force to flow. When we chant mantras or sing beautiful songs, we harmonize and synchronize the internal rhythms of the mind and body. Singing is a language of emotions. It can tap into the depths of one’s feelings, revealing layers of suppressed emotions or unspoken truths. Singing with purpose and intention helps infusing each note with the energy of your desires.
The Sanskrit word “Mantra” is derived from the root Man– “to think”. In India mantras are considered to be a prayer or sacred utterance, but also a very powerful kind of spell or weapon of supernatural power. A mantra can be a verbal instrument to produce something in one’s mind. Singing the ancient words with subtle intentions will help you to reach a deep state of meditation. By simply repeating the mantras, you can disconnect from your thoughts. The mantra becomes more abstract so it can lead you into a place of pure consciousness. Each mantra with its different sound has another effect on the human psyche. The sound vibrations penetrate every cell of the body.
Breathe and be
I guide many different ceremonies in which music plays an important role. In my events like the Psychedelic Soundjourney and the Mantra & Medicine weekend we use sound as a tool for transformation.
I also help you to liberate your voice in group work. When we sing with others, blending our voices, we start listening more attentively, feeling the energy of the group trying to find harmony. As everyone synchronises their breathing, and thereby the beating of their hearts, singing in unison, a bond forms and feeling of completeness surrounds the group.
In most of my events we serve plantmedicine like Cacao and Microdosing to support this deep work. Read more about these plants and their properties HERE.
Mantra & Medicine weekends
The Mantra & Medicine weekend is a journey where we take you deeper into the world of the transformative power of music, chants and rituals. Our voice is an instrument. Liberating it can help you heal and express your truth. Each event has a different theme and is like an initiation into a different season, holding it’s own unique elements and teachings. We integrate music from all over the world because we believe in inviting and experiencing áll aspects of life. The light, the love, the bliss, but also the darkness and the rawness. Working with these different energies helps us grow and become more of who we really are. At the center of our Mantra & Medicine weekends lies a profound and heartfelt mission: to unite people from all walks of life through the universal language of music. We aim to do more than simply share music from around the world; we strive to create a transformative sensory experience. We believe that by immersing ourselves in the rituals and practices of different cultures and times, we can gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the beliefs that have shaped us and our world.
We recognize that our world is a mixture of diverse cultures, religions, and traditions, and it’s our firm belief that the power of music transcends the boundaries that sometimes divide us. With the Mantra & Medicine weekends we want to create a space where all these beautiful beliefs can harmoniously coexist, side by side, in a celebration of humanity. We acknowledge that there may be sensitivities surrounding the sharing of religious or cultural traditions, and we approach this with respect and empathy. We strive to create an atmosphere where everyone can feel comfortable, knowing that their beliefs and traditions are honored, even as we explore those of others. Our intention is never to offend but to foster deeper understanding and appreciation. Music is a universal language that knows no borders or barriers. It has the power to build bridges. It reminds us that, in our hearts, we are all connected. Regardless of our backgrounds, when we sing and make music together, we become one in spirit, and our shared humanity shines through.
Winter
Mantra & Medicine weekend
Call of the North
With this Nordic winter theme we want to bring the wisdom and healing of ancients myths and various Norse spiritual traditions. Nordic music is raw, powerful and has an uncompromising quality to it. By chanting these songs and invoking these energies, we can allow ourselves to go into the parts we often ignore or even repress.
Learning to accept the light ánd the darkness within yourself, others and life, is a huge gift. By bringing consciousness to the depths of our soul, we are able to clear our energetic body and use our life force to reclaim and rebirth our true and beautiful self.
Spring
Mantra & Medicine weekend
The Path of Light
As the world awakens from winter’s slumber and the first blossoms begin to appear, we celebrate the joy of light returning. It’s a time to plant seeds—both in nature and within ourselves—that will flourish in the warmth and light of the months ahead. We embrace the energy of renewal and fresh beginnings.
In this retreat, we draw upon Yogic and Buddhist traditions. Let yourself be carried away by stories from ancient India, tales of deities, and beautiful Sanskrit and Tibetan mantras. These songs carry a deep resonance, invoking energies of healing, transformation, and connection to our highest self. Through devotion we open ourselves to something greater. Our sense of separation dissolves, and we experience the oneness that lies at the heart of all existence
Summer
Mantra & Medicine weekend
Voice of the Desert
Every culture on the planet has their unique type of music. Even though each culture is unique, music unites all races, and has been used throughout history in rites, ceremonies and prayers. In our Voice of the Desert retreat we take you to the dry desert lands of the Middle Eastern world, under the twinkling starts of the Arabian sky. We thereby want to welcome the energy of the Middle Eastern regions, in the beginning of summer; warm, sensual and mystical….She conquers all ages and lets you plunge into the aroma of the coniferous forests of Turkey, mountainous landscapes of Morocco, drifting sands of Egypt and the warmth of the endless sea….
Autumn
Mantra & Medicine weekend
Spirit of the Earth
The theme of this weekend is: ‘Spirit of the Earth’. Indigenous songs hold boundless healing power, and can be described as songs that are infused with the consciousness of love and light. They are often produced and played in the spirit of ‘prayer’ or ‘offering,’ with strong intentions of blessing, healing and all-round wellbeing to those who may tune into them. Medicine songs have been a part of ancient cultures for as long as we know, and have been used to bring balance, healing and restoration to those who need it. These songs are often sung in plant medicine ceremonies.
Medicine songs can take you on a spiritual journey while grounding you and bringing you back into our body at the same time.
Together with my partner Robert Tolenaars I perform devotional music from all over the world in singing circles, cacao ceremonies and concerts. With a combination of vocals, guitar, shruti box and the medicine drum we feel we offer a unique depth to any journey. The power of sound and music is used as a way to inspire and heal, while guiding you through the light as well as the dark.
A little bit more about our way of working:
Every culture on the planet has their unique type of music. Even though each culture is unique, music unites all races, and has been used throughout history in rites, ceremonies and prayers. Music forms connections between cultures. It’s a part of life and is interwoven in society in a way that enhances and lifts a great many people from around the world and unites them together regardless of differences.
The concept of mantra originated in India during the Vedic period. During this age, people started to chant mantras as part of their meditations. Nowadays mantras form an established part of the western Yoga scene.
Devotional singing with the aim to transform, open the mind and the heart, or ask for guidance….is however found in many different cultures around the world. In Sufism (the mystics of the Islam) for example uses hypnotizing, rhythmic singing to elevate states of consciousness, designed to induce a trance like state where one can follow internal routes to self knowledge.
Native Americans use music as part of their tradition for medicinal and celebratory purposes with the drum as the heartbeat and spirit of life. Singing helps to reach a world between te natural and spiritual.. to help heal people or ask for guidance.
Also traditional music in the African culture is performed for spiritual rituals, healing, and various celebrations, whether joyful or sorrowful.
We have spent a lot of time on the mantra book from which we are singing in our events. It contains songs from all over the world. Some existed already, and others we created ourselves. To make it more easy to repeat certain lyrics, we occasionally have taken parts from longer more complicated songs that really spoke to us and transformed them into mantras. Every ceremony we go through this search again, and add new songs to the book. We work with different themes for our Mantra & Medicine weekends, each time taking people on a unique journey mainly focusing on music from a specific era or culture.
Medicine songs & Mantra’s
Om Bhur Bhuvaḥ Swaḥ Tat-savitur Vareñyaṃ Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi Dhiyo Yonaḥ Prachodayāt ~
Om: The primeval sound
Bhur: the physical body/physical realm Bhuvah: the life force/the mental realm Suvah: the soul/spiritual realm
Tat: That (God)
Savitur: the Sun, Creator (source of all life) Vareñyam: adore
Bhargo: effulgence (divine light)
Devasya: supreme Lord
Dhīmahi: meditate
Dhiyo: the intellect
Yo: may this light
Nah: our
Prachodayāt: illumine/inspire
When the fire in my soul Burns a longing for the goal And I know in my heart it is you
Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma
In the deep on the night From the darkness shines the light And I know in my heart it is you
Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma
When the truth is revealed All the sorrows shall be healed And I know in my heart it is you.
Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma