AXIS MUNDI

AXIS MUNDI TranceFusion Sonic Chant revives the timeless ritual of Shakti-Shiva's Dance...The Spontaneously Arising Ecstatic Agony of Endless Bliss born at the dawn of Consciousness.

Our music recreates the shamanic energy and acoustics of Vedic Cave Rituals in ancient India to invoke a journey through the mystical dimensions of Coherent Emotion and Primal Yearning.

Kundalini Trance Chanting channels the throbbing currents of primeval Devotion, Didgeridoo & World Beat rhythm into a resonant whole, igniting the Inner Mounting Blue Flame and infusing modern Trance Dance, Flow Yoga, Whole Body Meditation and Dynamic Movement with the living energies of Quantum Field Transformation.

BAND MEMBERS:

*Stuart Sovatsky - KundaliniTrance Chant

*Sondra Slade (aka Auntie Matter) - Producer/Percussion

*Deborah Cardoza - Percussion

*David Allport (Zorg) - Didjeridoo

Members Bios:

Stuart Sovatsky, PhD, - Trance Chant - After completing a degree in East/West Religion from Princeton University in 1971, Stuart was initiated into the Shaktipat Kundalini Yoga lineage of Swami Kripalu in 1973. Stuart's own intensive 30 year yoga practice includes decades of emotionally rigorous tantric monasticism whereby his style of spontaneously-arising chanting, (known as "anahata-nad") emerged. Akin to the magical, sacred speech of Hebraic nigune, Islamic qwaali, gospel "holy ghost " and Glossolalia "speaking in toques" inspired vocalizations, it also draws upon raw energy reminiscent of jazz improvisation and heavy metal ranting. While "melodic" kirtan chanting has become a popular form of group musical meditation with several fine kirtan leaders in our midst, Stuart took the road less traveled, into the origins of Devotional Chanting as manifestations (kriyas) of Kundalini Yoga. His chanting sounds other-worldly, driven by the private intimacy of intoxicated worship and passions that exceed the norms of musicality. Between 1972-78, he had opened one of the first yoga studios in the US, taught the earliest prenatal Yoga classes, led numerous asana and kirtan retreats, had received the first Federal grants to bring yoga & kirtan to incarcerated youth and the mentally ill living in the flop-houses of Atlantic City, and was first choice to co-direct Ram Dass's "prison ashram." Now a psychotherapist for 30 years, he is Co-president of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, a trustee since 1991 and faculty member since 1987 at the California Institute of Integral Studies, &

co-convener with Robert A.F.Thurman of the 2001 Infinity Roundtable on Eastern Religion (Columbia U). He has led chanting meditations at numerous Association for Transpersonal Psychology Conferences (1982-1995) & has presented over 25 scholarly presentations on Kundalini Yoga, nationally and in India, including at the 13th International Congress on Vedanta (U Miami-Ohio), World Association of Vedic Studies (U Mass), Global Renaissance Conference (Menla Institute), Science of Consciousness (U AZ), World Congress on Sexology (Delhi, India), Brain/ Consciousness Conference (Madras, India), Indian Psychology (Pondicherry, India) & Consciousness & Psychology (Hyerdabad, India). In 2000, he convened the first International Conference on Prison Yoga and in 2004 he will be the only Westerner invited to partake of rare Tantric rituals in Kerala, India. He is the author of Words From the Soul: Time, East/ West Spirituality and Psychotherapeutic Narrative (State Univ NY Press) recommended by Ken Wilber, Eros, Consciousness & Kundalini (Inner Traditions, 3rd edition reissued by Motilal Banarsidas in India), endorsed by Georg Feuerstein, Ken Wilber, Richard Rosen, Prabhakar Vaidya, & "The History of Euro-Hinduism in America" in the Columbia University Desk Companion on Eastern Religion (ed. Robert Thurman).

In 1994, he began pioneering the application of electronica to vocal anahata-nad to approximate the acoustics of the Vedic Cave Rituals of Elephanta Island, India, from whence all modern hatha yoga originated as ecstatic trance dance transhistorically linked to the present world-fusion music and dance scene, thus creating a temporal bridge connecting transformative spiritual & shamanic practice from past to future. He joined Axis Mundi in 1999.

http://home.jps.net/stuartcs

Sondra Slade - founded AXIS MUNDI & is the Producer, Artistic Director & Lead Percussionist:

Doumbek, Djembe, Klong Yaw, African Talking Drum, Jingle Stick, Shakers, Bells & Gongs.

She is a Musician, Ritualist, Event Producer, Visual & Media Artist, and Herbalist. She has studied music her whole life and performed with a variety of ensembles from Rock n' Roll to Spoken Word, Acid Jazz and Sacred Sound. She studied New Music with John Cage at the University of Illinois, and in the 1960's and 70's she was a singer and percussionist with renowned Jazz and New Music Composer Bill Russo's Rock Opera "Free Theatre" companies in both Chicago and San Francisco. She studied Classical North Indian music with Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, (Vocal), Zakir Hussain and Shankar Ghosh (Tabla), & Vince Delgado (Dumbec), at the Ali Akbar College of Music in the 1970's, which is when she first became involved in Sacred Sound as a spiritual path and began journeying the mystical road of Trance Drumming as an integral part of her practice of Kundalini, Bhakti and Anahata-Nad Yoga. She continued her studies of Middle Eastern and Indian Percussion at The Center

for World Music. She has been Producer, Artisitic Director and Publicist for a variety of

World Music Events, including the Association for Transpersonal Psychology's premiere Sacred Music Concert at Saint Aidans Church, assorted Sacred Sound Ritual Celebrations

for the California Institute of Integral Studies at their campus and Saint Gregory's Church, Rodney Yee's Piedmont Yoga Studio, the Harmonic Concordance, PantheaCon, EarthDance, and Open Secret, to name just a few.

Sondra is also a Media Producer who has created many projects for the Bay Area spiritual community, including 3 years of creating the Immersive Media Surrounds for Matt Fox's Techno Cosmic Mass, a video on Hildegarde of Bingen in conjunction with Rev. Lauren Artress of Grace Cathedral, and several projects for Da Avabasa (formerly Da Free John) and the Free Daists in the lineage of Muktananda and Ramanamaharshi. Sondra served

as Adjunct Instructor of Spirituality at Holy Names College and the University of Creation Spirituality, where she taught a course in "Immersive Media Environments For Ritual, Healing & Celebration", on the faculty at GAIA Institute teaching "Sacred Sound & Trance Drumming for Transformation", self-published her book of Sacred Ritual Poetry "The Little Book of Odes & Invocation" to critical praise, writes for many journals & magazines,

teaches Trance Drumming classes and private lessons, and facilitates Drum Cirlces and Rituals around the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

Article about Sondra & Axis Mundi - Magical Blend Magazine - USA:

http://www.csimediacorp.com/magicalblend.com/library/readingroom/articles/sonic.html

'The Mystery & Science of Magical Speech in Ritual Use' by Sondra Slade:

http://www.oceanseminarycollege.org/RE2012_Slade.pdf

Get "The Little Book of Odes & Invocations" @ WitchVox:

http://www.witchvox.com/books/dt_bk.html?id=2342

Deborah Cardoza - Percussion - Djembe, Udu, frame Drum, Cajon

Deborah has been a percussionist ever since she played the pots, pans and wooden spoons in her parents' kitchen as a child. She was a percussion major and drum instructor at CSUS, where she studied Percussion Performance under Dr. Daniel Kennedy at Sacramento State and earned her B.A. in Child Development. She has been a member of the Sacramento State Symphonic Orchestra, the Sacramento State Percussion Ensemble and the Bay Area Women's Percussion Troupe. She performed with Gamelan Dharma Santi and the group Radiant Friend, amongst many others, and enjoys teaching percussion to a wide variety of community members including children, developmentally-delayed adults and high school students. She is a dynamic drummer, performer, presenter, teacher and drum circle leader. She joins Axis Mundi on percussion where she brings her array of talents on several world drums.

Zorg (David Allport) - Didjeridoo & Didj Sound Healing

Zorg's musical practice began with electric guitar, initially rock and funk, and then transitioned to acoustic jazz and bass playing. His study of rhythm intensified during

his 3-year training with Reinhard and Cornelia Flatischler as a teacher of TaKeTiNa.

His practice of musical trance has deepened with his exploration of the possibilities of

the Didjeridoo. He can also be found spinning fire and playing surdo while stiltwalking.

He followed an early interest in ancient cultures and meditation by studying Sanskrit

and Pali as an undergraduate at Oxford University, England. He then spent a year in

India, becoming initiated by Swami Lakshmanjoo into the Kashmir Shaivite school of

Tantra, returning to Oxford University to write a doctoral thesis on Kashmir Shaivism.

Past Members:

Travis Wernet - Didjeridu - 1999 - 2006

Susie Goldenstein - Percussion - 1999 - 2002

Amy Carr - Percussion - 2002 - 2003

Lisa Sangita Moskow - Percussion - 2003 - 2009

Vlad Cardema - Didjeridoo - 2007 - 2010

Past Guest Didjeridoo Players:

*Alan Tower

*Frankieman Cepeda

Our music is based on the LIVE PLAYING of SPONTANEOUSLY ARISING SOUND - everything is improvised in-the-moment. Although some of our music is posted in WORLD FUSION and some in ELECTRONICA TRANCE, we create our sound totally from live Vocal, Percussion and Didgeridoo performance, with real-time on the fly processing of effects, if any. Nothing is created on a computer or synth/beat box. We are live, in the moment embodyments of the TRANCE.

World Beat, Indian, Middle Eastern, Sacred Chant, Nu Jazz, Ethno-Ambient,

Ethno & World Groove, Asian Massive, Asian Underground, Bhangra, Trance & Goa, Sacred Sound, Yoga Music, Experimental

Ecstatic Human Voice with Live Looping and Vortex Sonic Processing, Shruti, Harmonium and Electronic Bagpipes - World & Tribal Percussion: Doumbek, D'jembe, Klong Yaw, Talking Drum, Rik & Tambourine, Roland Handsonic Electronic world Drums, Gongs, Bells, Shakers, Zils (Finger Cymbals) - Didgeridoo, Mouth Harp.

Additional Info & Bookings:

axismundi@jps.net

Our Other Websites -

Facebook Fan Page:

http://www.facebook.com/axismunditrancefusion

http://pweb.jps.net/axismundi

http://AxisMundiSpiritTribe.tribe.net

Articles on Axis Mundi:

http://www.csimediacorp.com/magicalblend.com/library/readingroom/articles/sonic.html

http://www.wellbeing.com.au/natural_health_articles?cid=7724?d=617868

Reviews of Auntie Matter's "Little Book of Odes & Invocations":

"Facing North" Review @

http://facingnorth.net/Witchcraft/little-book-odes-invocations.html

"Pagan Books" Review @

http://paganbookreviews.com/2011/05/22/the-little-book-of-odes-and-invocations-by-auntie-matter/

"Restoration Earth Journal" Review:

http://www.oceanseminarycollege.org/RE2012_Davis_Slade.pdf

Immanion Press UK Review @

http://www.magicalexperiments.com/my-definition-of-elementals

Auntie Matter's Trance Drumming Classes:

http://pweb.jps.net/axismundi/id5.html

http://www.classmonkeys.com/org/trance-drumming-classes-san-francisco

Review:

http://www.radicalsages.com/sageblog_id.php?id=301

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