Jeprocksdworld

Got this article from an email subscription I made with Daily Om. I feel  fuzzy and new-agey lately.

Harmonizing with the Universe
The Benefits of Singing

Singing is an act of vibration. It takes music from the realm of the unformed– whether that is in your mind or from that magical space of inspiration–and moves it from within to without. From the first breath singing moves the energy in a circular way inside your body. As the breath fills your lungs, it brushes against the second and third chakras—the centers of creation and honoring self and others. Instead of merely exhaling, pushing the air past the fourth and fifth chakras where heart charka and the center of will and intention reside, singing engages both the heart and mind. Sound vibrations from vocal chords resonate in the sinus cavities, filling the head with motion and sound while the brain lights up with the processing of the mathematics of music. This marriage of activities brings the third eye into play and opens the door for inspiration from the crown chakra before sending the sound out into the world.

Once the vibration begins, it is sustained with each note, moving throughout your body and the space around you. This can help you to harmonize your frequency with the world and with the divine. The use of the voice can bring about catharsis, a cleansing from the expression of emotion, which is why we feel better after singing certain types of songs. All of this occurs even if we are not conscious of what we are singing, but when we really connect with an intention, the power of the voice and music together are powerful tools in creation.

Even if you are not a singer by nature or talent, you are not left out. If you have a voice, it is your birthright to celebrate life with song. It doesn’t matter if you don’t feel you have a nice voice. Chanting or humming, singing solo or with others, your voice is yours to enjoy. Whether you sing along to the radio or use vocalization as part of your meditation time, singing and harmonizing are healing activities that bring your body’s vibrations into alignment with the universe.

Few days from now and it’s already Maundy Thursday. We’re all set for the Visita Iglesia! so let’s have a recap:

Hotspot no.1 Diocesan Parish of Peñafrancia
Hotspot No. 2 San Marcelino Church
Hotspot no. 3 Iglesia de Sta. Ana
Hotspot No. 4 Ermita Church

And lastly, Hotspot No. 5 Malate Church

Declared as a national historical monument by the Philippine Historical Commission, this church houses the Nuesta Señora de los Remedios or Our Lady of Remedies. Flocked by devotees, the church attracts young Filipino mothers praying for swift recovery from childbirth or cure for their sick young children. The practice became customary with the passage of years thus the image came to be known as the Virgin of Remedies and Patroness of Mothers and Children.

This tradition of women-centered devotion is both indigenous and universal as explained by Niko Rio Arevalo in his papers entitled “Origin of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios”

Traditional in the old days was the “churching” of women who had just delivered… [When] a mother rose from the childbed, she was supposed to go to the church to be blessed. The practice recalls the “churching” of Mary after the nativity in Bethehem. But in the Philippines, the favourite church for this ceremony was the Shrine of Malate… for the Remedios was famed as the Virgin of Healing especially for women’s ills and children’s diseases.

Visita Igelesia map illustration by jeprocks

I first heard this when I watched the Oscars ‘08.  Lately it’s been playin’ in my head over and over… it must be the strings or the letters.

Falling Slowly
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
OST Once

I don’t know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can’t react
And games that never amount
To more than they’re meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You’ve made it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can’t go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I’m painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It’s time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You’ve made it now

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You’ve made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I’ll sing along

Chat with a friend…

11:17:26 AM Friend: sya nga pala huli ka na sa biyahe
11:17:36 AM jeprocksdworld: byahe?
11:17:41 AM Friend: kasi lahat kaming nakasama mo new accounts eh mga magulang nah!!!
11:17:42 AM jeprocksdworld: i dont care
11:17:44 AM jeprocksdworld: ahahah
11:17:46 AM jeprocksdworld: may sarili akong car
11:17:53 AM jeprocksdworld: i can go there by myself
11:17:54 AM jeprocksdworld: ahahahaha
11:19:05 AM Friend: ahahahaha…

Two months from now, I’ll be turning 30… Carpe Diem!

Hotspot no. 3 Iglesia de Sta. Ana

One of the Philippine’s oldest landmarks that used to rule the rotunda of Old Panaderos and Calle Herran (now called Pedro Gil). This church was dedicated to St. Anne, Mary’s mother, the titular Patroness of the district. Sta. Ana Church enshrines the image of Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados, or the Lady of the Abandoned a.k.a. Inang Mapag-Ampon, the giver of refuge, asylum and surrogate care. The title “Desamparados” was conferred to the image because it was appointed as the Patroness of social outcasts such as the orphaned, the insane, the abused, the imprisoned and condemned, and the poor.

It was Fr. Ingles who transported the Desamparados devotion to the Philippines, dedicated his lifetime to the building of the church, the Franciscan congregation, and Marian advocacy. Miracles of the Desamparados were found in the healing waters of the fountain behind the church; the non-occurrence of Japanese atrocities in Sta. Ana during the war; the quick resolution of house fires in the district; and notably, the convergence of insane persons in church at any time of the day. According to church documents:

“There has never been a time when the church was without the presence of at least one person who is mentally ill. Every generation yields a man, woman, or young person thus afflicted who regulary visits the Blessed Mother. Sometimes, there are as many as three or four of them coming at the same time. For a while, each would prove distracting to worshippers. But every parishioner knows that the Blessed Mother wants them there”. (Diaz Rivera 1991, 15-16).

Another item of interest is found here. After the death of former Archbishop Pedro de la Santissima Trinidad Martinez y Arizola, his heart was removed, encased in metal, and interred under the main altar table in his request as a sign of his undying love for Mary.

Hotspot No. 4 Ermita Church

The Church enshrines the Patroness of the City of Manila, the Nuestra Señora de Guia or Our Lady of Guidance considered one of the oldest extant Marian images discovered inshore found in 1571 by a member of the landing party of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi on the shores of Manila bay. The image was found propped upon makeshift altar made of pandan palms worshipped by natives who regarded it as a “diwata” (a female deity), claiming that the statue belonged to their ancestors.

The image was officially given the name “guidance” because it served as a beacon to incoming ships in early times, particularly during stormy weather. Many ship captains claimed to have sighted a large beacon on shore that guided them smoothly into the harbour. Upon disembarking, the sailors found no sign of a lighthouse or structure other than the church itself. The brightness was attributed to a heavenly source since church candles could hardly have been expected to give off light of such intensity, much less on windy nights and from long distances.