As the Glastonbury festival takes place this weekend, this month’s newsletter has a focus on music and sound !
I hope you enjoy it.
Sinead
Tina Turner passed away last month at the age of 83.
Although she never played at Glastonbury, she was a legendary singer and performer. Her brilliance made all the more extraordinary because of the hardships she overcame.
In addition to her music, Tina wrote 3 books, the latest of which “Happiness Becomes You: A Guide To Changing Your Life For Good” was published in December 2020 when Tina was 80.
The book’s 8 chapters loosely follow the 8 decades of Tina’s life. Tina’s goal with the book was to offer hope and inspiration and she shares some of the Buddhist principles which helped her along the way.
In an interview with US TV show Today.com in 2021, Tina was asked to sum up her life in 3 words. She replied with “Hope. Resilience. Victory”.
Tina was inspired by Buddhist teachings and for about 50 years, Tina practiced Nichiren Buddhism. Nichiren was a Japanese religious leader born in 1222.
Perhaps it says something about her musicality but she credited chanting with being very helpful for her mental health. Her Nichiren chant “Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō” translates as “I devote myself to the mystic law of the lotus”. It is used to affirm that all of us have the capacity to overcome any challenges that we are faced with. This was also the chant repeated by singer, Boy George, (who performed at Glastonbury in 2010) when he was part of an ITV reality TV show set in the Australian jungle.
One of the most famous Glastonbury performances in recent times, was that of Sir Paul McCartney last year. At 80, he was the oldest headline act in the history of the festival which first started in 1970. Sir Paul practices transcendental meditation (TM), which he has often spoken about.
In TM, practitioners repeat a mantra in their heads whilst staying silent. This type of meditation was promoted in the 1950s by Indian Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In this case, the chant is usually a word like “om” which is considered a sacred sound. The Beatles and others made this type of meditation popular from the 1960s onwards.
There are many other famous musicians and singers known to practice chanting and different types of mindfulness and meditation. Perhaps, we’ll get the benefit of their talents if we tune into Glastonbury TV footage over this weekend? Of if you are lucky enough to be at the Glastonbury festival, I hope you enjoy a great weekend of live music!
“I was a victim, I don’t dwell on it” Tina Turner
“Transcendental Meditation gives me an island of calm in the midst of so much turbulence” Sir Paul McCartney
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” Plato
Sinead Huskisson 