During one of the most potent and transitional periods of my life, which began not quite a month ago, this song was conceived. It is an expression of grief, remembrance, pain, longing, and hope. There is so much more to say, but I’ll leave it there for now.
This is the story of a song coming to life through the raw and uncertain spark of an idea, inspired by intense awakening and emotion. I wrote most of it while watching the sun rise each morning in Paxos, Greece, where I was attending a 5-day gathering.
The song began coming through the evening of the first day of the workshop, after I had been blown wide open in a very unexpected way. On that evening, as I was headed to bed after releasing through the most intense cry I’ve had in a long time, these lyrics and a melody popped into my head: “Where is my warrior?” I picked up my guitar and started fiddling around.
Here is a video of the beach spot in Paxos where I sang and played each morning, developing the song (note the orb, which is almost always present). It was hard to say goodbye to that spot on the last morning, not knowing if I’d ever be back.
Here I am at my home airport, still playing the song, as I waited for my daughter to pick me up. I was feeling all the feels as my life-changing journey came to a close.
But it’s really only just begun.
This was the state of the song on my first morning home, watching the sun rise on my local beach (again accompanied by a friendly orb):
Sidenote: If you think orbs are simply light refraction, I highly recommend reading The Orb Project.
The version below (and the main audio for this piece) is where it’s at now. This is a very rough recording that I’ll use as the foundational concept for bringing in more instrumentation and vocals. I know it has way too much reverb… but the reverberant echo reflects the haunting emptiness I felt while writing the song.
No tuning or AI has been used.
The additions I hear include dissonant guitar, strings, some warm and aetherial synth, bass, and a bit of a beat. I’ll see where it goes, and trust that the right collaborators will come in. I look forward to sharing its next iteration.
This process is the medicine.
Thank you for listening.
Much love,
Mikkel
I am a musician, educational guide, holistic practitioner, and founder of Aethers Reach.
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I do not use AI in any part of my creative process, nor have I ever logged on to an LLM. I’m here to stay human, and appreciate the work of others also committed to this cause.
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