Allah

For millions of people around the world, the word, Allah represents the name of God. Its literal translation is "Al" or “The” and "lah" meaning “God.”   For someone like me who did not grow up or spend most of my adulthood with a deep cultural embodiment of this meaning, Allah becomes a mantra.   Languages such as Aramaic and Sanskrit are described as mantric, where words are formed from sounds, which are the perceptual manifestation of vibrations. And when we focus on the sound "ahhh," it resonates within our core, and has the potential to uplift, creating a sense of well-being and connection, a connection that extends beyond ourselves to a greater oneness.   When I say or sing the sound “ahh,” whether it is in the form of Amen, Amin, Hallelujah, or Allah, my natural expression of the sound is to have my throat wide-open, which might be understood as opening the throat chakra.   This openness carries the sound beyond the throat to the heart, above to the crown chakra, and for me, it resonates through the entirety of my being, touching every chakra or energy center.   The result is a wholeness, a completeness, a oneness, The One, The Only Being, Allah. This chant of the word Allah was created by my friend Bernie Heideman. I'm singing three a melody and two harmonies, plus background vocals singing theword Hu, which representsthe divine breath.