The Inspiration… “Our ancestors tapped into their spiritual power to achieve great things.” What you hear on this album is a musical manifestation of what I hope to inspire in the hearts and minds of listeners. The musicians (Allyn, Amin, Brian, CV, Christie, Herman, Janelle, Victor) did a beautiful job capturing the spiritual energy. The Music… The following nine tracks explore the fruit of the spirit... As a community, we’ve witnessed our share of atrocities, and it is not enough to simply sit idly by awaiting action. It is time for a Spiritual Awakening, a process used by our ancestors to create real lasting change. The music on this album captures the journey of a people waking up. When the soul awakens, the spirit soars. Awakening… The soul becomes aware of the dissonance and calls for the body to rise up. The tension propels us to take action. The ostinato of life’s challenges submits to our will to create a new dimension of melodic possibilities. Self-awareness diminishes ignorance. Social justice seems natural, but there is a barrier. With the tool of hope and a will steeped in faith, we take the first step. We are Spiritual beings. Our DNA is coded with instructions on how to achieve greatness. The groove helps us march forward in our quest for resolution. We are restless because we know all God’s children deserve justice. There is a war on peace, and we will fight back with love. We repeat. There is a war on peace, and we will fight back with love. With a spiritual awakening, we begin to see life around us differently. With love and newly enhanced senses, we seek Atonement for mistakes. Family, friends and allies set aside differences. We sing our collective blues and begin to break free from draining restrictions. We begin to taste the possibility of freedom. The groove is lucid. The dream is vivid. The dream becomes reality with affirmations of love. Love is reinforced with Beatitudes. Divine love, self-love, community love. We sing out loud using a rich harmony passed down from previous generations. There are leaps and twists but we tackle each interval with determination. We dance to the polyrhythms dictating the complex strategy needed to navigate society. The polyrhythmic patterns make it hard for everyone to participate in this movement. As we dance, we have Compassion. Our awakening encourages us to inspire our brothers and sisters not yet on the path towards freedom. As they experience our passion, they begin to follow our seductive sequence. Our Covenant with God keeps us motivated despite the obstacles. We feel the intense connection between all living beings. Our unique voices create a collective composition. We are relentless. We can’t sleep because the moment is near. We step forward together. We take position and begin to explore the depths of harmonic possibilities within our commitment. The scene changes and the message passes from one messenger to the next. We strengthen our commitment to community through Prayer. The dream of a brighter tomorrow becomes clear. We see ways to resolve the complications. We give thanks for our transformation. We call on our ancestors during a Ritual that feels as old as time. First one voice, then others join. We feel the drums, the harmony, the resolution. Transfiguration…We feel the challenges. We’ve done our spiritual work and now… We finally arrive at our destination and begin to Rejoice in freedom unobstructed. We are awake. With music we heal and inspire a Spiritual Awakening. Reginald Cyntje February 2015