Mystic Music of Carmelite
You may not have heard of the Carmelites, but do the names St. Teresa of Avila, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and St. John of the Cross ring a bell; a mystic bell perhaps?According to Wiki the Order has a strong Marian devotion and from the sites I have visited about the Order of Carmelite they are very much into Contemplative Prayer/Lectio Divina…
The Order is under the special protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and thus has a strong Marian devotion. As in most of the orders dating to medieval times, the First Order is the friars (who are active/contemplative), the Second Order is the nuns (who are cloistered) and the Third Order consists of laypeople who continue to live in the world, and can be married, but participate in the charism of the order by liturgical prayers, apostolates (ministries), and contemplative prayer. There are also offshoots such as active Carmelite sisters.[…]Among the various Catholic orders, Carmelite nuns have had a proportionally high ratio of visions of Jesus and Mary and have been responsible for key Catholic devotions.
Their Constitution
Their constitution says this about contemplative prayer and the mystery of Jesus and the Eucharist…
20.These fraternal values find expression and nourishmentin the Word,in the Eucharist,and in prayer.Hearing, praying and living the Word- in silence, in solitude and in community, especially in the form of lectio divina -Carmelites are led, day by day,to know and experience the mystery of Jesus Christ.[…]Every day, if possible, the brothers are called,from solitude and from their apostolic work,to the Eucharist- source and culmination of their lives - […]
They are called Carmelites because of their origin, they believe that their inspiration comes from the prophet Elijah and what happened to him on Mount Carmel when he was challenged by the baal worshippers, this is found in 1 Kings 18. What I found particularly interesting is that Mount Carmel was considered a High place as early as 16 century BC according to the Egyptian records and this was where Baal and Zuess were worshipped, and I hesitate to say that we are seeing those gods being being worshipped today by the apostate church, unknowingly. Irony - I think NOT!
The Hebrew word for alter is Meso Beoch. The Meso Beoch is the most important picture for Christ in scripture. Blood atonement was made upon the Meso Beoch.High places in hebrew is Bemoat; Hezekiah had taken the high places away; Blood atonement was made upon the Meso Beoch.Idolatry doesn’t begin by the worship of other gods, idolatry begins by worshipping the true god in unbiblical ways. Israel began their idolatry by worshipping Jehovah at some other alien high place; not by worshipping baal or molech but by worshipping not according to Jehovah’s commands.The hebrew term for idolatry is not worshipping idols it is ‘avoda zara’, which simply means a form of worship which is alien to scripture. (Taken from a series called ‘Attack of the Remnant’ by J J Prasch which I have posted about here)
The Carmelites
The Carmelites have their origins and roots on Mount Carmel, a prominent landmark in northern Israel. Although Mount Carmel is not a high mountain, it has held great significance in the collective history of the West.The recorded history of Mount Carmel is one of a place of worship. Before coming to prominence in the sacred memory of the Judaeo-Christian people through the example and witness of Elijah, the great prophet of the God of Israel, it was already sacred to the pagan gods Zeus and Baal, among others. It is on the heights of Mt. Carmel that Elijah wages the great battle for the worship of the people of God, whose hearts had strayed to Baal. The story of the contest is told with great drama in I Kings 18. Elijah calls the people of God to stop their wavering and dithering, and to return to the God of the covenant.Many tried to reform the Order, to return it to its original focus of prayer and contemplation, but none were as successful as the great sixteenth century Spanish mystic, Saint Teresa of Jesus of Avila. She received great inspiration from gazing back at the ‘holy fathers on Mt. Carmel, who in such great solitude and with such contemplation of the world sought this treasure [prayer and contemplation], this precious pearl.’ Aided by Saint John of the Cross, together they shaped what was to become a new Order,[…]@Carmelite.com
Contemplative Prayer and the Seven Chakras
St. Teresa of Avila wrote about the ‘The Interior Castle’ and Carla from More Books and Things researched the seven rooms of the soul/heart and found that they can be related to the seven chakras. There is a very strong connection between the contemplative/lectio divina and the kundalini/serpent power of enlightenment.The pieces of the puzzle are all falling into place and the emerging/emergent church is welcoming this contemplative practice with open arms and crossed legs, even though it is well known that this practice is gnostic and mystic and has no biblical foundation for its use whatsoever. You really have to streeeeetch scripture out of all context to say that this practice is a legitimate form of biblical prayer. It is a form of mystical/occultic prayer.
The New Sound of Mystic Music
Anyway, I have just found out that there is going to be Teresian Carmelite writings put to music so you can have all Carmelite famous sayings and writings in the form of mystical music…
Setting the writings of great Carmelite mystics to music is the objective of “Hermosura,” the first international competition of sacred Carmelite music.The Teresian Carmelite Association in Italy launched the initiative with the goal of “generating the most possible interest, above all in countries in which the writings of the Carmelite mystics are part of their literary heritage,” Luca Garbini, the artistic director of the competition, told ZENIT.Among the mystical phrases listed are “Living Flame of Love” by St. John of the Cross, “Let Nothing Disturb You” by St. Teresa of Avila, “Story of a Soul” by St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, and “Who Are You, Sweet Light?” by St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein).Garbini explained the criteria for selecting the pieces: “The choice was made by considering both the musicality of the texts and their particularly ’strong’ content, in order to inspire the composers to musical creations with a strong emotional impact.”We want to recover beauty in a renewed repertoire of sacred music.” @Zenit
Interesting to note that Pope Benedict says the following…
Benedict XVI says that music has the power to lead us to the Creator of all harmony. @Zenit
I wonder if the ECM (emergent/ing’ers) will catch on to this new sound by quickly getting their mp3’s filled up with this mystic music so that they can contemplate whenever they have a felt need to get down and get silent with god? OMmmmm, Hillsong watch out! There could be a new sound in town!Interesting Articles:
