New World Kirtan > Calming Chants for a Crazy World

I’ve been listening to Miten’s new CD ‘The Jungle Sessions” lately. It was recorded in Costa Rica during lockdown, and what a delight it is! ‘Never Give Up On Love’ beautifully expresses where I’m at just now, but all the tracks are great, you should check it out. I’m still coming at you from the couch, but there have been some positive developments. I started physical therapy last week, and have made appointments for MRIs, with the neurologist, etc. Everyone is booking into December, so this is yet another invitation for me to cool my jets and be patient. But I made it down the steps to the basement yesterday & was able to also come back up — that was a big accomplishment! I’m mostly just hanging out with Bill & the cats and doing lots of spiritual work. The injury sucks, but it is also blessing me with an opportunity to dive deep. The recovery process has become a spiritual journey, and I’m taking advantage of it. Kitzie’s words of wisdom for the week? Please, please .. live your life as much as possible in Unity Consciousness. This consciousness manifests as a sense of oneness, compassion, love & respect, both for human beings and for nature. You can foster & encourage unity consciousness through meditation. Global solidarity — all of us united in Love, in this consciousness, will change our world. Thanks for listening to the podcast, dear hearts, and until next time —Namaste THE SET: Miten, The Jungle Session; Never Give Up On Love Deva Premal & Miten, Om Namo Bhagavate/Oneness: Omega Ecstatic Chant Suzin Green & Daniel Johnson, Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra: Daughter of the Mountain: The Mantra Project, Vol. One: Daughter of the Mountain SatKirin Kaur Khalsa, Lightness Of Being: Magic Mantra – Ek Ong Kaar Sat Gur Prasaad Deva Premal & Miten, Spirit of Mantra: Hanuman Mantra Lauren Monroe: Oneness Chant – Single Maneesh De Moor, Signatures On Water: Om Carrie Grossman, Pranam: Lokah (Peace On Earth)

Over the years you guys have been through a lot with me & I’ve told you how chanting has helped. I’ve produced the podcast through my Mom’s illness & death, dealing with the fear before the surgery to remove the spinal tumor. two hip replacement surgeries, and one hip dislocation. Last Monday my left hip dislocated again, this time accompanied by nerve damage. And I’m left with the question WHY? Why did this happen just as I was starting to get my life back? I’ll go into more detail about this in the introduction to the podcast, but I think the Divine needed to get my attention. By diving into that, convalescence has transformed into a journey filled with Grace. The prognosis for the nerve traction injury is good, thank God. It will just take time. Once again, chanting has literally been a Godsend, ‘This Is The Day’ by Jaya Lakshmi is my guiding light — it’s about releasing into the hands of the Divine. The rest of the chants in the set are about healing & releasing fear, I’ve been listening & chanting to them on a daily basis since the injury. I’ll post updates as I get more information. I would sure appreciate prayers, grace, reiki — just beam all that healing energy right to my left leg & hip. It is so greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening to the podcast, dear hearts. Be present to the beauty of your life & until next time. Namaste. This Week’s Set Jane Winther, Om: Mantra Jaya Lakshmi, Live At the Altar of Love: This is the Day Deva Premal & Miten: Spirit of Mantra, Day 4 – Radiant Health Deva Premal: Spirit of Mantra: Maha Mrityunjaya Johanna Beekman, Mantra Sangha: Health & Healing (feat. Ankush Vimawala, Krishna Das, Nina Rao, Hans Christian, Sherrie Howard, Mark Kelso, Myriam Turenne, Jim Beckwith, Noelle Whittington, Karen Seva, Girish, Kavita Kat Macmillan, Danny Solomon, Masood Ali Khan, Sianna S Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda, Lakshmi Dreams, Pt. 1 – Single: Hanuman Chalisa Lullaby (feat. Ananda, Ananda Yogiji & Jaya Lakshmi) Ananda Rasa Kirtan, Mulani – Dub Kirtan; Jagadambe Jay Ma Durga (feat. Prajna Vieira) Deva Premal, Mantras for Precarious Times: Om Shree Dhanvantre Namaha (Healing) Tina Malia, Anahata; Hey Ma Durga Ajeet & Maneesh De Moor, Darshan; Dance of Ganesha Indiajiva, Om Spiritus – Music for a Peaceful Planet; Lokah  

Our set for this edition of the podcast is a bit unusual. The chants are specifically used in several religious traditions to help the soul rise from the heavier earth vibrations into a higher plane during the transition of leaving the body. One of our oldest & dearest Satsang members left her body this summer — the Friday after she passed we sang this set for her. It contains several versions of the haunting Kundalini chant ‘Akal’, translated as deathless, immortal & timeless. This chant reminds the soul of its basic nature. We’ll also sing the mighty ‘Maha Mritunjaya’ mantra to Shiva, a chant that takes away our fear of death, and ‘Asato Ma Sadgamaya’ — ‘lead me from darkness into light, lead me from death to immortality. You can use this set to help someone achieve peace as they transition, it’s very soothing if played in the background. If you know someone who has died in the pandemic, you can sing it for them or sing it for all the souls we’ve lost to COVID. This week’s set:  Jane Winther, Mantra: Om David Newman, Travel Well: Travel Well Ravi Shankar, Chants of India: Mahaa Mrityunjaya Snatam Kaur, Spirit Voyage: Akal – Undying Deva Premal, Into Light: The Meditation Music Of Deva Premal: Maha Mrityunjaya Simrit Kaur, The Sweetest Nectar Akal…Deathless Edo & Jo, Kirtan Alive: Asatoma Deva Premal, Deva Premal – the Essential Collection: Om Asatoma (Ben Leinbach Mix) [Prabhu Edit] Daphne Tse, Mata: Om Shanti Our Friday Satsang starts up again on Friday, October 1 so I’ll be posting podcasts regularly again. Stay safe out there, dear hearts & until next time. Namaste.

Hello my friends, and welcome to this edition of the New World Kirtan Podcast. I haven’t posted in a while as I needed to take a break for various reasons, but everything is well here. The weather has been mostly spectacular, and we’ve had so many visitors — son David, son Jesse & his fiancee, my brother Michael, and up next is a trip to Cape Cod to visit Bill’s family. How incredible it has been to give people hugs after this long, long drought. I’m loving being back in the garden, able to work without pain. New hips were one gift of the pandemic, a killer recipe for gluten-free wholegrain sourdough bread was another. But seeing people dying all over the world from this virus helped me realize once again that life is short. Anything can happen at any time. And it has me questioning how I want to spend my time in the hopefully many years I have left. Those of you who know me know I’m not exactly built like Tinkerbelle, my weight has been a lifelong obsession. So another gift of the pandemic for me was realizing I don’t want to spend the rest of my life as a fat person — I have a chance for a reset with the new hips, and I’ve decided to go for it. I’ve lost 30 lbs and feel like a new person. In many ways I am. Now I’m going to brag on some developments in my VoiceOver career — I’ve been nominated for an award in documentary narration! It’s for ‘The History of Las Vegas: the Early Years’. We’ve completed three of a five-part series, the first three parts are up on YouTube. I’m pretty pleased to tell you that Part 1 has had over 4 million views, here’s the link. Our Friday Satsang is on hiatus until the end of September, but there are a lot of sets backed up that I’ll be releasing as podcasts over the next several weeks. We just subscribed to Apple Music — what a rich trove of kirtan awaits me there, and hopefully some fresh tracks for the new season of our Kirtan Satsang. So probably like most of you, I’ve been going through some things. The state of the world has me feeling sad & discouraged, maybe you too? And I’ve noticed something. Since being on hiatus from the Friday Satsang, the protective layer that usually surrounds me is diminishing. Things are getting to me, and I’m guessing it’s because that center of calmness isn’t being reinforced on a regular basis by singing a kirtan set every week. So I’ve renewed my commitment to regularly put these sets out for your practice, and for mine. This week I’m pleased to present another set by Sky, ‘Revealing Our True Self’. Stay safe out there, dear hearts & until next time. Namaste. This week’s set: Om Hari Om/Sharanam Ganesha(Refuge) – Sean Johnson & the Wild Lotus Band Shivoham (Live) – GuruGanesha Singh, Manish Vyas, Ram Dass, Snatam Kaur Om Asatoma – Deva Premal Har Mukanday – Mirabai Ceiba Adi Shakti – Matthew Schoenng, Nirinjan Kaur, Ram Dass Surya Namaskar Mantras: Agni Mix (feat Nina Rao) – Daniel Johnson, Nina Rao, Suzin Green Om Purman – Jaya Lakshmi Om Guru (Trust Within) – Edo and Jo Har Ji – Mirabai Ceiba Diamonds in the sun – Girish

This week we continue our journey into mantra with Day 3 of Deva Premal & Miten’s 21-Day Mantra Meditation Journey. This week we’ll explore Lord Ganesha, one of the most loved Gods in Hinduism. In most households in India, a new task begins with a prayer to Lord Ganesh. His name has become synonymous with beginnings, and he is also known as the remover of all obstacles. As the god of beginnings, he is invoked at the start of every enterprise, rite or ceremony. Our set this week has wisdom from Deva & Miten followed by lots of Ganesha chants from various kirtan artists. This week’s set: Deva Premal & Miten, 21-Day Mantra Meditation, Day 3 – New Beginnings Kristin Luna Ray, Shining Through: Ganapataye Adam Bauer, Wonderville: Pranam (Om Ganesha) Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda, Kirtronica: Jai Ganesha Wah!, Love Holding Love, Ganesha (Album Version) Devi 2000, Prepare Your Soul To Dance: Ganesha Sharanam (Preston vs Kenny Remix) Ena Vie, Heart of Devotion – EP: Ganesha Ajeet, Darshan: Dance of Ganesha: Manorama, ‘In All Beings’ Sarva-Bhuteshu: Invocation to Lord Ganesha Katie Wise & Bhakti Explosion, Lovolution: Lokha Love

This week we continue our journey into mantra with Day 2 of Deval Premal & Miten’s 21-Day Mantra Meditation Journey. This beautiful program features 21 specially selected mantras with guided meditations by Deva & Miten into their meaning & essential energetic properties. If you’re curious about chanting & the meaning of the various mantras, this is the series for you. The mantra we’ll be exploring this week is ‘Om Shanti’ which translates as ‘peace in body, peace in mind, peace in speech & spirit’. Then we’ll sing the  ‘Om Shanti’ mantra with lots of different kirtan artists. Our Satsang really loved this set last Friday night, I hope you will too. Until next time! Namaste. The Setlist Jane Winther, Mantra: Om Deva Premal & Miten, 21-Day Mantra Meditation, Day 2 – Om Shanti Wah!, Shanti: Maa Edo & Jo, Kirtan Alive: Om Shanti Michael H. Cohen, Illumination: Soundtrack For The Satya Yuga: Om Shanti Om Brenda McMorrow, Igniting The Beauty: Loka Samastha / Om Shanti Blue Spirit Wheel, Tridevi: Om Shantih Johanna OneHeart, Heart Beats One: Om Shanti (Peace In Our Hearts) Sheila Chandra, Roots and Wings: Shanti, Shanti, Shanti Diane Arkenstone, The Best of Diane Arkenstone: Om Shanti Daphne Tse, Mata 2009: Om Shanti

Flame carriers of a 5,000-year-old tradition, Deva Premal & Miten are at the forefront of the burgeoning worldwide chant phenomenon. The two have been travelling the world since 1992, and with more than a dozen albums & a fan base that includes both Cher and the Dalai Lama, they are the Johnny & June Cash of sacred music. Our Friday Satsang is very familiar with Deva & Miten as we play their music in almost every set. We also use their 21-Day Mantra Meditation quite a bit – this is a beautiful program that features 21 specially selected mantras with guided meditations by Deva & Miten into their meaning & essential energetic properties. This week our Friday Satsang begins a journey through this mantra meditation journey, starting with the sacred syllable Om – the Cosmic Yes. If you’re curious about chanting & the meaning of the various mantras, this is the series for you. TONIGHT’S SET 04/23/21 The Moody Blues, In Search of the Lost Chord: Om Deva Premal & Miten, 21-Day Mantra Meditation, Day 1 – hOMe, the Cosmic Yes Prem Joshua And Chintan, Kashi: Songs from the India Within: All Roads Lead to Om Brent Lewis, DJ Free & Soulfood, Yoga Groove: Om Wade Imre Morissette, Maha Moha: The Great Delusion: Om Deva Premal & Miten With Manose, Cosmic Connections Live: Om Mantra (The Cosmic Yes) Jane Winther, Mantra: Om Ahh Hum Yvette, Into the Arms of Love: Om Maneesh De Moor, Signatures On Water: Om Indiajiva, Om Spiritus – Music for a Peaceful Planet: Lokah

This week’s set is brought to you by our dear Friday Satsang member Sky. You can find Sky’s other sets for us on Spotify under ‘Corvallis Satsang‘. Enjoy! Setlist: Jane Winther, Mantra: Om Ty Burhoe, Invocation: Indian Chill Out Wade Imre Morissette, Mahadeva Shambo: Sargam Scales of Music Jai Uttal, Kirtan! The Art & Practice of Ecstatic Chant: Durga Pahimam Wah!, CD Krishna: Gopala Hare Donna De Lory, Sri Ma: Chants of Divine Mother: Amma (Maha Devi) Shantala, Sri: Sri Ram Jaya Ram Deva Premal & Miten with Manose, A Deeper Light: Om Kumara Mantra (Innocence) Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda, Lakshmi Dreams, Pt. 2: Dhanada Stotram Johanna OneHeart, Mantra Soul: Om Guru Deva (Surrender to Love) Marti Nikko, DJ Drez, Sheela Bringi, Explorers of Infinity: Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu  

Rob and Melissa are husband & wife kirtan musicians from the Seattle area, but they travel extensively, leading kirtans, workshops and retreats around the world. They have shared their music at numerous yoga festivals in the US, including Bhakti Fest, Prana Fest, Samsara Fest, and the Northwest Yoga Feast. They’ve been to Corvallis several times to play for us, and their music is featured regularly in our Friday kirtan sets. Rob & Melissa are both beautiful human beings — you can hear the sweetness in their voices and in the music they play. We were so happy to welcome them again to our Friday Satsang via Zoom. Enjoy! PS. The gentle snoring sound you sometimes hear between the chants is their puppy, Bodhi. She’s dreaming that she’s a tanpura. Until next week, my friends. Namaste.

Hi everyone, Sometimes all you really need is a good night’s sleep, right? This week’s set is all about soothing you into a deep slumber, so prepare your space & get comfy — pajamas are optional but encouraged!   SETLIST Jane Winther, Mantra: Om Miten, Devotee: Dance When You Walk Snatam Kaur, Prem: Aad Guray Nameh Jai Chand + Grayson, The Space Between: Humee Hum Jaya Lakshmi, Jewel of Hari: Govinda Hare Shantala, The Love Window: Purnamadah Carrie Grossman, The Ram Sessions, 108 Ram Deva Premal, Deva: Seven Chakra Gayatri Mantra Swaha, Salutations: Shaantih Prayer Carrie Grossman, The Ram Sessions, Deep Peace Jane Winther, Compassion: Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Our world is changing. Spring is here, and so are the vaccines. What will the world be like when we’re all released from our homes? I’ve written a blog post called ‘The View From My Lockdown’ for my voiceover site, and in it, I talk about what has been getting me through over a year of quarantine & two hip replacements — basically, it has been baking, I’ve made all kinds of good stuff! Big news! We’re now recording the music portion of our Friday kirtan sessions, and I’ve made the links with the passcodes available at the New World Kirtan website, so you’ll be able to go & listen to the Friday sets or download them to your computer. Adam Bauer did a live set for us this last Friday, and his recorded set is there — you won’t want to miss that one. I’ll be posting all our Friday satsang sets here going forward. So we’re all about to bust out after having been cocooned for over a year — what will that be like? Bill & I have had our first vaccinations, so we’ll be finding out soon. How about you? What are you taking into the new world we’re emerging into, and what are you ready to leave back in the before time? I’ll look forward to letting you know how things are progressing here in my world — with two new hips, hair that is now salt & pepper grey & a great recipe for gluten-free sourdough bread. Be kind to each other, my friends, and until next time. Namaste. The Set: Deva Premal & Miten With Manose And Maneesh De Moor, Om Muni Muni Adam Bauer, Wonderville: Close at Hand (Jai Shri Krishna) Jai Uttal, Corner: Return To Shiva Station: Kailash Connection Donna de Lory, Drumspider: The Offering Luna Ray, Shining Through: Saraswati’s Essence Lana Sugarman, Reverence: Shivo Ham Rob & Melissa, Rama Lullaby: Tejase Shantala, Soul Of The World: LIVE2LOVE Jai Chand + Grayson, The Space Between: Humee Hum Dave Stringer & Spring Groove, Yatra: Lokah Samastah

Happy 2021 dear friends! This is the set I played on New Years Day for our Corvallis Satsang. To harness the energy of new beginnings, the music is focused on chants to Ganesha, the destroyer of all obstacles. Ganesha is probably the most beloved of the Hindu deities, and in India he is invoked before the beginning of almost every task. I’m doing a lot of chanting to Ganesha right now — not only because it’s the beginning of a New Year, but also because we have a week coming up that contains perilous waters for our country. Please use the set to support the personal changes you’d like to see happen in this New Year, but I also ask you to give the United States a prayer or two for a peaceful transfer of power. Here’s to all our bright new beginnings, my friends. Here’s to staying healthy so we see them all come to fruition. Until next time. Namaste. Set List: Manorama, ‘In All Beings’ Sarva-Bhuteshu: Invocation to Lord Ganesha Deva Premal & Miten, Songs For The Sangha: Ganapati Mantra / Strong My Roots Brenda McMorrow, Ameya: Ganeshaya Adam Bauer, Wonderville: Pranam (Om Ganesha) Dave Stringer, Japa: Ganapati Jai Uttal, Kirtan: The Art & Practice Of Ecstatic Chant [Disc 1]; Ganesha Sharanam Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda, Sarasvati Dreams; Ganesha Japa Johanna Beekman, Heart Beats One; Shines Like A Million Suns Katie Wise & Bhakti Explosion, Lovolution; Lokha Love

Winter Solstice occurs on Monday, December 21 this year. For many cultures around the world, the winter solstice marks an important milestone. It’s the shortest day of the year and the longest night of the year, and signals a powerful transition point between seasons. The Solstice is believed to hold a powerful energy for regeneration, renewal and self-reflection. Also occurring on Monday is an astrological event called the Great Conjunction. The Great Conjunction occurs every 20 years and refers to the planets Saturn and Jupiter aligning in the heavens. The planets will get so close together that they may look like one very bright star — it will be 2080 before the planets align so closely again. If you’re into astrology, this is the closing of one astrological era & the beginning of another, with Jupiter & Saturn beginning a new cycle in a new element. This is a once-in-200-year opportunity to make the necessary adjustments needed to begin the long process of shifting course, and many mark this event in the sky as the beginning of the Age of Aquarius. Pretty cool, huh? Our kirtan set this week is filled with chants that support these momentous changes, evoking & welcoming the light back to our world & into our consciousness. We’ll have music from Deva Premal & Miten, Edo & Jo, Kristin Luna Ray, Suzin Green & Daniel Johnson, Kevin James, Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe, Tim Jordan Kirtan, Maneesh De Moor & Brenda McMorrow. I’m sorry to be the bearer of sad news — sweet Sruti Ram of Sri Kirtan passed this week, another death from the  COVID virus. It’s going to be a long winter, my friends, but we now have the hope of a vaccine that works. Things are going to get better, but we’re not out of the woods yet, so wear a mask & practice social distancing. Honestly, after this is over I hope I never hear the words ‘social distance’ again. But in the meantime, stay healthy, have a beautiful Holiday & I’ll see you in the New Year. Happy Solstice! Namaste. Set List: Deva Premal & Miten, 21-Day Mantra Meditation: Day 21 – Enlightenment/Gayatri Edo & Jo, Kirtan Alive: Asatoma Kristin Luna Ray, Shining Through: Gayatri Suzin Green & Daniel Johnson, The Mantra Project, Vol. One: Daughter of the Mountain: Gāyatrī Mantra: Lost in Light Tim Jordan Kirtan, Heart & Spirit: Asatoma Kevin James, One: Asatoma Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe: The Shakti Sessions: Gayatri Maneesh De Moor, Sadhana: Cosmic Flow Brenda McMorrow, Igniting The Beauty: Loka Samastha / Om Shanti

This time last week most of the country was gripped with anxiety about the election, and by the end of the week, my nerves were just jangling. I felt a very deep need for a soothing kirtan set, and this playlist has the chants to the Divine Mother I played for our Satsang last Friday night. At the end, there is a yummy meditation on the 108 names of the Divine Mother that will put you into the Land of Serenity. Kamala is one of the names of the Divine Mother, isn’t that cool? And so very fitting. One of my Satsang members has introduced me to Spotify, and how easy it is to make a playlist there. I’ve been putting our Friday playlists up, the last two include this set — both are sort of an election 2020 care package. There will be another one up soon with chants for healing — if you’d like to get the latest playlists from our Corvallis Satsang please follow Kitzie Stern or New World Kirtan on Spotify. Producing the New World Kirtan Podcast has been my passion for over ten years. When I started, social media was just taking off — Twitter was like a big cocktail party with really interesting people & Facebook was so much fun. No one knew what a podcast was — I was always explaining it, and no one was really using Spotify. The podcast was a great way of introducing people to kirtan & the artists who were playing it. But times have changed, and it’s time to reassess. The podcast gives the artists exposure, but playing them on Spotify gives them money. I make a playlist every week for our Friday Satsang, and can easily put these setlists up on Spotify. Our Satsang benefits, the artists benefit & perhaps you will also. So with this podcast, I’m making a request. I’d like to hear from you if you want the podcast to continue in its present format. Some of you tell me you’ve been listening for years, and how much you can relate to the story of what’s going on in my life. I am just so appreciative of that, and I wish I could meet you all in person to give you a big hug. The NWK website has recently rebranded & is undergoing a transformation, I invite you to check it out. It’s a great resource for all things kirtan with interviews of all your favorite artists & lots of live festival coverage. There are also charts with chords so you can play your favorite chants & other goodies. I’ll be taking a break for a few weeks as it’s now time to have my right hip replaced. The left hip is healing beautifully — the lack of pain & the additional mobility is wonderful. I can get back down on the floor again — so gentle Yoga is back on the menu — and equally important I can also get back up! I can’t wait to be on the road to full recovery, and that’s job one for the next few months. I’d love to hear from you if the podcast has benefited your life in some way, it will cheer me up as I’m recovering. Do you want me to continue the podcast in its current format? Please let me know, you can reach me at kitzie@newworldkirtan.com. I’ll leave you with the prayer I’ve used to end our Friday Satsang for many years. May we be filled with loving-kindness. May we be free of inner & outer dangers. May we be well in body & mind. May we be at peace & happy. Namaste.

This edition of the podcast is a rerun of a show I produced 4-years ago after Hillary Clinton lost the election for President. I can hear the sadness & discouragement I was feeling in my voice — it was a bad time. Now we’re at the point of electing a new President, and it seems this November 3rd might be quite a good day if you’re a Democrat. I have hope for the first time in years. The set is filled with the music that lifted me up after the election of 2016. We have chants from Avasa & Matthew Love, Dave Stringer & Donna DeLory, Jahnavi Harrison with Gaura Vani, Jai Uttal, Wade Imry Morrisette, Mirabai Ceiba, Madi Das from his Grammy-nominated CD & Johanna Beekman. The lines of people voting give me hope. The involvement of our young people in our democracy gives me hope. The energy behind the Black Lives Matter movement gives me hope. Yes, we’re all spooked by what happened in 2016, but know hope. This country is changing, and in three weeks we’ll know how much it has changed. Be a lighthouse for your community, and visualize the world you want it to be. Work for that vision — we’re going to create it together. Hang in there, dear hearts. Stay healthy, and until next time. Namaste.