What once was a seed, now is a fruit. Leaves that were not too long ago green, now they become tints of copper, yellow, umber, and every tone in between. Nature’s ever-so-magnificent transformation into a new season inspires this month’s theme of the LAUREL Monthly Soundlust, Morphosis.
The playlist curated for this edition brings together songs that inspire change, either through their lyrics or (especially) through their melody and instrumental play.
Changing with the seasons
morphosis
: the mode of development of an organism or one of its parts
As we witness the Night being handed over the reins of the Northern Hemisphere by the downsizing Day, the Autumn Equinox (happening while I’m writing these words) has officially marked the beginning of the fall season, sometime around the 22nd hour of September 22nd (Romanian timezone). * insert awe for serendipity *
Welcome, Autumn!
Fields of thick and darker clouds travel through the days of these late September skies, carried by a crisper wind that’s shaping them into mysterious-looking creatures. Like some nymphs of nature that dance in slow-motion circles to their ethereal songs, the skies are now welcoming a new season, summoning every living thing on earth to celebrate their harvest, to clean up their slate, and sow new intentions.
The cycles of nature are deeply embedded in our existence. The more we pay attention to the transformation that occurs in our natural environment, from color to form and shape, the more we connect to the idea that our lives are also happening in cycles and that we are continually developing.
Recently, I’ve noticed more and more people around me talking about experiencing a boost of energy, of motivation for planning and action, feeling an urge to clean and declutter their homes/lives, and it all reminded me that September also happens to be one of the busiest months of the year for a gardener.
All the work with the new harvest, with cleaning the garden and the orchard, the planting of trees and vegetable & flower seeds, the fertilizing of the soil, and so on – all this inspires more than care for the external environment we live in, but also a deep care for our inner garden.
This is a time to start turning inwards, to quiet down the external noise and focus on what’s good for us, to put things on the table, look attentively at them, set them in order, prioritize.
Soundlust no. 16, a symphony for change
This edition is an open invitation to each one of us to explore our own season of change, to reassess our intentions and goals, to clear our surroundings and our minds from everything that charges us with unwanted energy.
The music selection proposed for Morphosis brings different dynamics, ranging from powerful symphonic heavy metal to mellow Celtic folk tracks, each conveying a cinematic sound through an extraordinary vocal and lyrical body of work.
To illustrate the creative context of this playlist, try listening to it as you imagine a butterfly transforming itself from a larva into a natural piece of art, in full color and splendor, or simply imagine yourself emerging to a new version of yourself.
Among the tracks included in the Morphosis music collection, the Nightwish version of Walking in the air – a beautiful song originally composed by Howard Blake for the animated film “The Snowman” back in 1982 – is a notable piece we need to mention, for its dramatic combination of symphonic elements with heavy metal particularities and the divine soprano voice of Tania Turunen. This musical melange builds up a sense of transformative energy right from the beginning of the playlist.
In between, Enigma, Poets of the Fall, Loreena McKennitt, and other beautiful voices join the musical space.
At the other end of the musical spectrum in Morphosis, the mellow tonality of Celtic folk songs, the airy-fairy voice of Aurora and the surprising (in this particular setup) inclusion of a London Grammar piece leave us, hopefully, with a state of calm and harmony, as well as with a desire to simply surrender to our own seasonal transformation and growth.
Lyrical highlight: Gajumaru, a song performed by Yaima
Creating concrete visions of a macrocosmic prism
With a brilliant optimism and appropriate ambition
To be open from the center, redirected to the moment
This is it love, this is it love, unrestrainable nature.
Enjoy listening!
P.S.: I would love to learn more about the transformation you would like to dive into during this autumn season and what are the things that inspire you on this journey. Comment below or meet me on Instagram, at @ laureljournal.
