world of creation

In the ancient world, from China and India to Greece, alchemists struggled to find a universal cure for diseases. This would extend through the ages and later be addressed by alchemists. Alchemy is a medieval chemical science, a type of speculative philosophy focused on trying to alter fewer valuable metals into gold; a magical solution intended to discover a means of prolonging life indefinitely.

Fool’s gold is a substance that is found in rock and resembles gold very much.

Gold is one of seven metals of alchemy. It could also be used by other disciplines to represent other things, such as its use to represent the sun in astrology. But in Alchemy, gold represented the perfection of all matter on any level, including that of the mind, spirit, and soul.

In the game of Tarot, The Fool card is numbered as “zero”, which is associated with the notion of  unlimited potential. Various philosophical meanings could be found in tarot cards. When meditating on it carefully, one could try to imagine how to turn any situation into a positive outcome, by playing it around from a different angle and ‘taking it easy’ or ‘acting like a fool’. This specific technique is also used in some martial art practices, such as pretending to be a drunken body, so that your enemy does not notice you are in fact preparing for the next combat strike.

The Fool Arcana is also considered the Fool’s journey through life, and as such, he is ever present and therefore needs no number. The Fool is always ready to begin everything from scratch, dropping behind all the heavy duties and memories from his or her past, and clearing out the inner space for a new road full of incredible adventures. The new road movie will begin and as does every film, good music is always needed. This meditative approach leads to healing; it can definitely bring tranquility in difficult and anxious times.

People tend to create cages of gold for themselves; building houses, and seeking profit.   Quite often, it takes the best years of a person’s life. We all undoubtedly need to be singled out; we do need to become free as a bird in order to feel all the charm of the flight, to actually enjoy the sky scenery!  We shall leave our cage, albeit incredibly beautiful, but still a cage. Since early times, people have been looking for a sacred meaning in alchemic elements in order to make nature serve their purposes, such as healing.

With the help of music, we have the opportunity to conduct healing rituals.

Yet how can the most unsightly or unpleasant, suddenly turn into something attractive, speaking of human beings? Everything depends on the energy, and all energy is subject to transformation.  When applying a sincere effort, we all are, like the ancient alchemists, potentially able to become magicians.

The poison of negative emotions can destroy the good side of an individual. Therefore, one should carefully tune one’s emotions. The question is similar to the one posed in the Harry Potter world, whereby a magic hat chooses which camp each student will attend, asking the fundamental question of ‘will you become good wizards or vice versa?’

The path is unpredictable, and inspiring music can become very helpful, just give it a try and wait for the outcome.

 

When one hears the word ‘extravaganza’, its somewhat bizarre sounding name already keeping us intrigued.  It promises something mysterious and out of everyday rhythm, a certain departure to another world with the help of a supernatural power; like in a story by Edgar Allan Poe where the Angel of the Odd appears to the main hero and makes him confess that the bizarre really can occur. The 19^thcentury British dramatist, James Planché, was known for his extravaganzas. Planché defined the genre as “the whimsical treatment of a poetical subject.” At the same time, extravaganza could be associated with an expensive and elaborate theatrical production, something truly spectacular! The term derives its origins from the Italian word stravaganza, meaning oddness or strangeness. Is definitely something out of the ordinary; always transcending the boundaries of generally accepted norms. An extravaganza musical work is often characterized by freedom of style and structure. All these can be applied when speaking of Anna’s new piano album of the same title ‘Extravaganza’. The incredible and incendiary mood of her danceable sharp piano compositions, combined with the atypical harmonies inherent in the neoclassical style, together create a truly unique quality album. To end this year on a high note, these most enchanting piano pieces will even bring the gloomiest mood out of stagnation.

 

Each season of the year has its unique qualities and purpose. Autumn is the time to collect fruits, fruits of all kinds. Trees begin looking and sounding differently, whenever the wind blows.The Forest in Autumn”, Gustave Courbet

Even the remaining birds that have not yet left for the season are rarely singing.  The sky fills with heavy rainy clouds while each ray of sun is perceived almost as a miracle. The aroma of fallen leaves rises up in the air and mingles with the smell of burning logs in the chimneys of cozy houses. Unforgettable yellow, incredible shades of red; sometimes autumn leaves become so crimson that they appear nearly purple.

But the main color of autumn is gold, a color with a purely cosmic origins. Gold pre-exists the formation of the Earth, the strongest forces in the earth’s mantle are unable to change the composition of gold’s atomic nucleus.

This is what autumn is like. We can no longer change the currency of events; all the aims we pursued since the start of the year now come to their final state, and we have to just accept the cause and preserve what is left. It gets darker earlier, days are shorter and tasks are less demanding. Autumn is there for us to enjoy the existing achievements and gather all the forces for the coming winter and New Year.

As inspiring and fairy as the French autumn forest, the new piano album by Anna Bondareva  L‘Automne was recorded in France. Let’s feel this golden warmth of French autumn via an extravagant piano music.