We have a long and beautiful history with the Mantras and Eastern teachings. From years of living in India to the longstanding devotion to Babaji and his teachings, Hinduism has been a central part of the development of Sound of Light, the Florestral community, and Sacred Sound Studios. The spirituality, great gurus, and deities of Hinduism have had a great impact on the trajectory of our lives and the creation of Florestral.
In 2016, we (Vismay and Luaya) went on a trip to India that further cemented these changes and altered the course even more. A week spent in the beautiful Babaji ashram, completing daily rituals of devotion and karma yoga, planted seeds that would eventually grow into the trees that bear fruit to this album. The Fire Temple in the ashram especially drew us in with its beautiful rituals and strong energetic cleansing. Eventually, after our return to Costa Rica, the seeds began to sprout as plans were made and then carried out to construct our very own Fire Temple in Florestral. A long and spirited process was undertaken to bring the Fire Temple to completion, and it is now a beautiful, strongly sacred space that hosts our own Fire Ceremonies several times a week.
The fire, the music, and the karma yoga have deeply positive impacts on the human soul; the devotional practices that we conduct in the ashram are cleansing for the body, mind, and spirit. Especially in these tempestuous times, as the world becomes ever more unstable, these rituals are extremely important. They serve not only to purify and cleanse us from the lies and despair that are fed to us constantly through the media and other people, they also serve to ground us; to remind us of our purpose and our mission on this Earth.
Not everyone, however, is lucky enough to live in the forest and have access to a Fire Temple and regular ceremonies and rituals. But the core of the ceremonies is in the mantras, the songs and prayers of devotion that we sing to honor our gods and ourselves, and we want to share them with the world as best we can. These are not songs that we have written or invented; many of them come from India, are in Sanskrit, and are as old as they are holy. We do not claim to have created them; we are only trying to learn from them, and use the means and resources that we have to share them with more of the world in a way that makes them accessible and applicable to everyone.
Music is a universal language and a powerful tool. We invite you to use it, as we do, to uplift yourself and those around you; to spark joy, love, and hope in the hearts of all who hear.
Included here is a video walkthrough of our beautiful Fire Temple on the land.