Lindie Lila’s Goddess Music

The soul and sacred sounds of chantress Lindie Lila

What is termed 'world music' is among my favorite genres. With a vocal background in jazz, how did your journey lead you to your current style of choice?

I grew up in a house where my parents loved music, particularly country music. When I studied jazz and Middle Eastern dance it opened my mind to world music. I have been a student of world music ever since.Through the years I have studied many aspects of sound healing which I now incorporate into my songwriting.

I am very passionate about exotic world music instruments and how one can implement them for the healing benefits of the listener. I put a lot of attention into the production of my music so that it can uplift and raise consciousness. The Goddess energy also influences my music very strongly and because I use chanting as part of my own personal spiritual practice it comes very natural to me to write and channel original chants. I truly enjoy the rich flavor and choices of music instruments available within the scope of the world music genre. I guess my personality is very exotic, spicy and deep, so I resonate with this genre very strongly.

You have an incredible connection to nature, water, and the pulse of humanity. How do these inspire and shape your creative work?

I often find myself getting lost in the natural environment around me, as if I feel it inside myself, as if I am the ocean, the mountain, the river, the water, the moon, as if there is no separation between us. Nature is a very sensorial and erotic experience to me and I get energized

by the untamed elements and majestic natural environment around me.

Nature stimulates my inner fire, my creative force, my flow and it connects me to a deep sense of purpose within my being. It speaks to me in tongues, and gifts me ideas, inspirations and peace. I am head over heels in love with water, the ocean and rivers. I can play for hours in water, float, flow, splash or just walk by the sea and songs will just pour into me or out of me. To me the ocean especially is like a lover that I can never get enough of. My music is often inspired by an experience I have had in nature. My creative force is deeply connected with the pulse and the beauty of Mother Nature.

How have your training and teaching of Middle Eastern dance colored your approach to music making?

Dancing to me is a great source of magic, it shifts energy and stimulates my inner fire, as well as giving me lots of flow and joy! I can’t really separate my music from dancing, and sometimes I will literally dance a song into being. I will move my hips, dance in a circle, shake a rattle and stomp my feet, shimmy and shake to create shapes with my body and this all helps to birth the songs.

While I don’t dance professionally at this stage I am often swaying and swirling about in the house, in the garden, on the beach, in the water, anywhere really.I am just a dancing, singing, music making being and the fact that I qualified as a Belly Dance Instructor has just helped me tremendously with my rhythm in music. It has broadened my creative mind by introducing me to very colorful sound palettes to choose from.

I now find myself seeing music in shapes and patterns, instead of just hearing it in my head. The in-depth training opened my body kinesthetically to experience music on a more holistic level.

I have found chants to be one of the most calming and grounding of music styles and I am so excited about and fascinated by your upcoming e-book coming out in July. As I understand it, each of the lyrics from your new album Sisters of the Moon - Goddess Chant are portrayed as a mandala. Please tell us all that you can about this unique project.

In this E-book each of the lyrics on my *Sisters of the Moon* album is portrayed as a mandala. These visual journeys embody the essence of the accompanied songs.

While I was musing the songs into being, I was touched by the fertile and aesthetic grace of the Goddess. I felt a deep urge to draw the shapes of my songs and melodies, weaving them into twirls, circles and sways on paper. Repetitive rhythmic percussion evolved into gentle geometrical structures, symmetry and form. This in turn urged my body into motion, and I found myself dancing waves of sensuality. Each image became a//mirror into my own inner landscape.

These songs and mandalas are perfect for sacred song circles, ritual dancing, meditation and guided visualization. They are a source of self-discovery and a means to initiate a deeper connection with the Great Goddess.

Visit Lindie Lila’s site for song samples And I imagine you get tons of feedback from fans and listeners who feel the same way. Can you share with us some of the comments you've gotten on your work that have meant the most to you?

Here are a few of my favorites. You can share as much as you like.

"Dear Lila, your new album 'Sisters of the Moon' is infused with beauty and grace, the feel is sublime and etheric. I love your haunting vocals and the talented musicians and singers who joined you, the harmonies are wonderful! 'Gayatri Mantra' is my have so far... Congratulations on a truly beautiful collection of powerful feminine songs and chants! I looove all the songs, listening to them now! *They evoke such an exquisite mood and ambience that would be perfect for sacred women's gatherings, gentle dance, veils, meditation, yoga...dreaming, ritual. *You've done an amazing thing with this creation and it'll bring joy to many people around the world for years to come. Thank YOU for creating it! xx" ~Keti Sharif , Australia

"I cannot help but feel that a review of your album in anything but poetry would not serve it justice, for poetry is what your music is. Even still, I am left dumbfounded, unable to fathom words that can properly describe this awe-inspiring experience. Still, if I was to describe my feelings, I would use the word, Awen. It is a Welsh word that stands for wisdom, truth, and above all, divine inspiration. The nine tracks of Sisters of the Moon are no less then a spiritual experience. They give the listener a chance to find their most inner sacred place. As I myself lay there, listening to your sublime music (with head phones -as advised!) in both reverence and enthusiasm, I could feel myself strongly connected to my inner sacred spirit. There is an old quote by Bhagavan Nityananda, a wise sage of India. “The Heart is the hub of all sacred places. Go there and roam.” With each track, each sacred chant that connects us to the divine, the passions of your work is evident, for it comes from your heart, a most sacred place. It is because of this, that I feel the magic of your work within my own heart as I lose myself in the music, making this album one of the most awe-inspiring I have come across, and I am honored to have been one of the first to have listened to it. Thank you” ~Jonathan Riojas, Texas

"Ahhh…. there is magic on this CD! Smooth, soothing, floating, I cannot even find the right words...one has to listen to absorb this music to feel the magic! Well done!!! Thank you my dear Lady for another awesome CD!!!! ... Really I am speechless...The album is awesome! What a wonderful gift you have given us! I slept like a baby last night. I had been having troubled sleep for a couple months. Your voice, your beautiful songs from your soul are very healing. I have a friend I want to gift this album to so will be ordering again soon. you Lindie Lila! Thank you!" ~Nain Catrin, USA “Four years ago I was 20 weeks pregnant. They discovered the baby’s kidneys are not working and an abortion was the only outcome. I was devastated. I felt like a murderer. I did not know how to face life again. Mize gave me a cd of Goddess chants. How it changed my life. It gave me peace and acceptance of what happened. The chants carried me through my pain and disappointment. The Goddess chants and Lindie-Lila was put on my path to heal me. I am forever grateful for that. Still today when I am sad and feeling worthless the chants inspire me to be someone, that I have meaning in this life. My children love the chants and I hope it will mean something in their lives too." ~Zelna Coetzer Wiid, South Africa

It seems that much of the process involved in creating your music requires quiet time alone to think, meditate, chant, commune with nature, etc. What do you most enjoy doing with others?

• I love a good time with girlfriends • Laughing • Dancing • Flirting • Spending time with babies • Snorkeling • Picnics • Just relaxing with friends and family • Getting up to mischief

What is exciting you most these days?

I get very excited to travel to exotic countries, to grow my music into a sustainable career, being in nature. Snow!I recently experienced snow for the first time, loved it! Living the mystery I guess. Composing more songs and producing them. Oh my I get so excited about so many things, it’s impossible to name them all.