An album created by a Reiki Practitioner. An album my Reiki Master/ Teacher enabled me to create. Reiki practice alleviates times of stress, anxiety and introduced me to a natural clean inner peace that I had sought but never found before. Combined with making music. Its as blissful combination. From a very angry and somewhat lost soul. When suffering and searching leads one on such a beautiful and rewarding journey of discovery. To becoming more centered individual, that is ever evolving. It is a practice that helps me chill out and practice on friends to help them. Even during periods when I’ve neglected daily practice, the energies channel during composition. Balance is Zen. I trained to Level 1 Shoden and level 2 Okuden through Reiki East and West (Judith Davies) in West Bridgford, Nottingham with Jane McLennan. I hope attain Master Level when I feel ready.
Maitreya (Koji Takeuchi) is a wonderful soul. His Japanese Garden is inspiring, peaceful and beautiful. I’m so grateful that it is located up the road from us. Go visit!
You can watch ‘Oneness’ the video I made there.
Maitreya (Koji Takeuchi) and Claudine West. May 7th 2018
Welcome to this journey. Music to be mindful, meditate and chill out to. This was an adventure abundant year in the making. A musical travelogue. Time flows as we capture elements of our life, loves, experiences, states of being. Multi-Instrumentalist Claudine West (aka Earth Tree Healing) releases her 7th instrumental New Age recording via digital stores on 30th May 2018. The name Candle Gardeners came quite suddenly during a celebration of Samhain in 2017. A year in the making. The journey, inspirations and concept created on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, Malibu. CA. Wales and Glastonbury, England. This 12-track album explores ethereal places of musical ascension. Starting by the coast. ‘Overture of Oceans’ introduces the album. Explore sonic sunny rambles with ‘Glastonbury’ then wake with the mellow golden dawn of ‘Eos.’ Chill out to ‘Summerland.’ The upbeat ‘Green Man’ sparkles and indulges. ‘Namaste’ is an evolving improvisation with Sitar. The hypnotic refreshing heartbeat and simple piano of ‘Mercury In Retrograde’ gently prepares you for the meditative ‘Doom Mons’ and 25 minute track ‘Realms.’ We then embark on the final 3 introducing the waking rhythms of ‘Illumine’ and ‘Lithosphere.’ The finale wildfire is ‘Diablo Winds.’
The name Candle Gardeners came quite suddenly during a celebration of Samhain in 2017. I was in Wales with Family. We had prepared the table in the Blue Room for our feast of honouring our ancestors. We lit candles for loved ones and were in and out of the room bringing food. I was tasked to guard the candles. It then happened upon us all the ‘garden’ them. Divination, laughter, affirmations and a noisy hamster wheel via Skype followed. Our circle..The Candle Gardeners. This had been the place where Ange and I had been Hand Fasted on April 1st 2011. The place of magic, where the Green Man and wood nymphs roam. Watching over with blessings. There is a strong possibility of the presence naughty faeries too. (The ones that nicked all of our tea spoons last year!) Thanks for giving me back my cowbell you pesky little ones. I need it for gigs!
The Blue Room Wales. Samhain
Earlier on October 15th 2017. I had stood upon the golden sands of Zuma Beach, Malibu. Watching the Pacific Ocean waves.
Track 1: Overture Of Oceans. I have a true love for the sea, the healing, new beginnings. An indulgence of wonderful negative ions. That feeling good experience that revitalizes ones being. Freedom as the waves crescendo on the shore, a vast open expanse of well being. The danger in one moment, that might just swallow you into the deep blue. The recreation of that feeling musically begins this album. See more blogs of the trip to California. I could and would live here. https://wordpress.com/view/claudsville.wordpress.com
Track 2 (recorded 17.03.18 is simply the beautiful guitar and piano of ‘Candle Gardeners.’ It was the last track and 13th recorded. My album theme tune.
Full video playlist making of Candle Gardeners featuring more videos.
Track 3: Glastonbury. Waking up to birdsong on sunny fresh morning gazing at the Glastonbury Tor. I grabbed my phone and captured the summertime. It’s a magical place. Somerset is a beautiful County. I love the vibes. It’s also a place where we could live. This is inspiring in itself. Creating this track, creating the balance of natures music, with variety and feel of the instruments. Acoustic guitars and flute compliment piano arpeggios. I used an accordion that I bought from a car boot sale in Colwick, Nottingham.
Track 4: Eos. The Greek Goddess of Dawn. To become witness to the absolute wonder and beauty of sunrises over and over is one of life’s many pleasures. When each day awakens.. new opportunities for a blissful existence arise. great for yoga and meditation practice. Chasing sunsets draws me into the woods and flourishing skyline adventures.
Track 5: Summerland. During my first past life regression, described in my Kindle book Claudsville Blogs and Bio of a Bog Woppit I glimpsed a moment in time where I stood gazing upon corn fields. With an electric blue sky and a breeze shimmering. I felt content and accomplished. I felt peace. We arrive at the Summerland. We remember the Summerland. In the afterlife, rapture, blessed be. The music to travel to your places and explore the serenity. I recorded the video on a train travelling back from Wales January 2018.
Track 6: Green Man. It is thought his image was the medieval bridge between Paganism. and Christianity. Our foliage faced Pagan nature spirit. Symbolizing rebirth, spring. I see him as the ‘daddy of the woods.’ Growing up in Nottinghamshire with the Legend of Robin Hood and The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest. Wood nymphs run riot, beheaded vegetation deities, nature is a beautiful thing. What flowed when I composed this was a mandolin menstruation. A fast strum to the beat of a bodhran. I then planted different seeds to grow. The Green Man to me watches over. Lives in the wild abandon. Often glimpsed but ever present. I’d painted him a number of years ago on a box for the Daughter of friends.
Green Man will have its full unveiling upon release. It’s one of my favourite tracks on the album.
Track 7: Namaste. Añjali Mudrā or Pranamasana. A venture into the sitar. I’ve got a beautiful old one from India with a history that dates back decades. How better to honour it with the welcome of Namaste. Starting off on Kalimba. I added an autoharp. This track was Improvised. The spark in sunshine. The limes in a tree. It’s quite a citrine blossom with differing shades of wild orange. I’ve had dreams, meditations and vision during Reiki attunements of temples…floating.
Track 8: Mercury in Retrograde. Spells trouble, trauma for some of us. It certainly meant trying times for us in 2017. Once acknowledged though, one works through it and come out the other end wiser even if a little peeved. I’d been working on a piano riff. The original recording went a bit haywire in my studio. Nothing would sync to it for no apparent reason. I profess not to be a sound engineer. More of a multi-instrumentalist that puts a jigsaw of instruments together. The riff became quite fitting and a reflection of this time.
Now your journey moves into unadulterated relaxation. Lay back, meditate, practice mindfulness, yoga.. dream…
Track 9: Doom Mons. Titan. The largest moon of the planet Saturn. The largest mountain range. I recorded binaural beats and with a setting the turning to God frequency 432hz. This is consistent with the vibrations, patterns and mathematics of the universe. Ancient sites such as Stonehenge and the pyramids reflect the number 432 as the ratio to the sun, earth and moon. Article here There is a subtle difference for listener exploration into Zen compared to 440hz music. At this point on the album it is time to drift off into the cosmos.
Track 10: Realms. 25 minutes of frequency 432hz. Imagine a breeze, imagine a moment. Imagine a horizon. And… relax, meditate, practice yoga, mindfulness, connection.
Track 12: Lithosphere The crust and upper mantle of the Earth. Armed with a flask of tea by the lake. We connect to the earth, the crust. Observing the wonder of the sky and the sunrise.
Track 13: Diablo Winds
I was in San Francisco, October 2017 during the wildfires, the fear, the tragedy, the smoky air, watching it live on the news. Unprecedented destruction. I wanted to capture quickening, the forces of nature…I’ll never forget the burning..thoughts, prayers and healing. Trees are born in fire…
Track 13 (recorded 17.03.18 is simply the beautiful guitar and piano of ‘Candle Gardeners’
Full video playlist making of Candle Gardeners featuring more videos.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Making Candle Gardeners. It was a more ‘go with the green, the flow and the rhythm indulgence. Sessions and my creative juices have been so productive during the winter darkness, Vitamin D supplements and Chai Tea. That I’m now halfway thought recording ‘Reiki’ which will be released on July 1st 2018. The commitment to a track a weekend is a welcome release from a stressful and exhausting 6 months in the NUH day job. Summer is coming…..
Claudine West Music/ Earth Tree Healing links
Check out my other albums.. 8 Sabbats, Archangel Divination 2, The Journey, Archangel Divination, Citadel, Meditation Chronicles.
When the Sun reaches highest in the sky. We celebrate Midsummer. Litha. The Summer Solstice is a beautiful time. Gatherings, celebrations, rituals.
Yesterday (13th May 2017) I began writing and recording my new Earth Tree Healing album. Called ‘8 Sabbats.’
The music journeys through the sunrise to a crescendo of celebration. This album will feature a lot more acoustic instruments such as the sitar, mandolin, autoharp and my guitars. Getting back to my roots. Which began with folk, evolving to Grunge and beyond with the influence of the 80’s. I’ve found my Zen with Paganism, Mother Earth, Spirituality, Meditation and Reiki.
I’m releasing this as a single on digital stores June 3rd. Enjoy. Claudine.
Surrounded by storm sea surges, snow sprinklings and a panic winter press sensationalism. I’ve sat in my little music cave Claudsville Studios. With some instrumental ‘rumpy pumpy’ the first of my new born kids being dropped off at the pool is Mantaray. This embryonic adventure into haunting piano and loops, Fender guitar expelling mellow cries into the night air for alternative progression on this track. With recording equipment situated on my old Reiki treatment couch (for the vibes) I sat in the glow of a salt lamp with a Crassula Ovata (money plant) for company, while the love of my life slept in the next room. As she stirred in slumber, she believed she was sweet dreaming, listening to my early morning vocal take yawns, harmonies and lyric editing as I progressed. With an oceanic theme around rescue. The song explores the burden of love. A song that arouses from the deep blue ocean then grabs souls with its undertow. This track is number 1 of a new solo album in progress. I’ll add each song as they unfold. Under the Stephen Fry inspired working title of ‘Babbling Merchant of Drivel’ progress is inspired in a Rue Morgue kind of way.
I’m currently in the middle of recording Strange Currencies album ‘Making Monsters’ So it a very musically indulgent time. Pretty darn cool actually. I’ve spent the last 2 evening sessions suffering low mood and red light fever recording the acoustic guitar parts for ‘Stay Down Kid.’ My one take wonders rule left me for dust! With cats jumping all over the studio during takes, and sore fingers. I’m hoping next weeks session will tell a different story. Luckily the swearing flowed like warm pee then the boiling hormonal blood ran free and with a little assistance from some garnet gemstone in my shorts pocket. I kind of nailed it last night. We had recorded a live version to work to. PP Johnson liked his live vocals. So as I’ve just D.I.’d the acoustic. I’ve had to overdub it and mic my trusty ‘Taylor’ up. A song that has been played loads live with my eyes closed… Well.. maybe I should have swapped mugs of tea and vitamin water for Rum. But I think its kind of there ready for mix and master. As this album evolves.. getting the right balance of ballad, funky, poptarty, dirty, distorted and hints of country. Even though I know it will work out great in the end. I learn Logic Pro X as I go. The January blues will depart and be looked upon kindly as a productive time in the darkness.
Whispers on the waves of silence I sensed the love in buoyance In the eye of a hurricane Our ship sails for America A vortex where the renegade goes This riptide rides the ebb and flow Chorus Jettison flames This cargo is killing me Mantaray Set me free Verse 2 Those that inspire me, desire me I’m certain of the dance Lethal switchblades and urban food chains Bridge The world lights up and jettisons The embers burned you, The embers burned you, The embers burned you,
Chorus
Verse 3 I buried myself in the Earth To seek what it was worth I carried strength and faith around Buried scars and saviours I quit the bad behaviours I stopped this drowning before it took you down
Released January 9, 2017
Written, performed and recorded by Claudine West 2017
Welcome to the flood…When the molten core of a sublime energy is explored. With the energy that flows through a conduit from Heaven and Earth. Bliss…and …well being create a beautiful sky of oranges, blues, purples. That Zen moment when worlds collide. The physical and metaphysical, emotional and spiritual. When one exists in peace, safety, purity and decisive thought. No longer a traveller along the rivers of blood that the world created many seasons ago. In a time before a time. With a trigger of recognition and fortitude. The formative years flash forward into a rainbow of light. Do you now sink back and become the absorbed kin that always was? Feel comfort and gratitude for the visions that present themselves. Or fly on the magic carpet of good vibrations? Where it’s a happening or a happened. Enjoy, deal and deliver yourself. Sometimes you don’t need pictures, you just need sounds. You are the audience to yourself.
I channelled Ki Energy last night. I lit my salt lamps up and treated a friend to a Reiki Session. (I had begun channelling before I studied Reiki techniques) I’d not practised in a while- well only during the writing and recording process. It felt great. I wrote the music I made for this kind of adventure. Last night I put them both together and road tested. Track ‘Raphael’s Healing’ definitely did the trick as I worked on her Chakras. It’s a raise in key as well as vibrations.
Bit of Trivia: The beginning of ‘Ariel’ there is a clip of owls in the woods. I recorded this one night on my phone when we were staying in a log cabin in Somerset this year. (We travelled around Dorset and Devon exploring)
Angels are always invited and assist. In 2016 I released the albums ‘Citadel’ and ‘Archangel Divination.’ It’s been a creative journey. Under ‘Earth Tree Healing.’ 2017 will see the release on digital stores of the Guided Meditation album ‘The Journey’ featuring Sally Wathen at Rainbow Bridge.
Then ‘Archangel Divination 2’
Close your eyes, open your heart and mind and listen.
