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Winter And The Sacred Tree

by To Wake You

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1.
An Ash I Know 04:37
lyrics
An ash I know, hight Yggdrasil, the mighty tree moist with white dews; thence come the floods that fall adown; evergreen o’ertops, Urth’s well this tree. Ask veit ek standa, heitir Yggdrasill, hár ba∂mr, ausinnn hvítaauri. Pa∂an koma doggvar, pærs í dala falla. Stendr æ yfir grænn, Ur∂ar brunni.
2.
Nobilis Humilis/In The Winter Night 05:02
lyrics
Nobilis Humilis, Magne martyr stabilis Habilis, utilis, comes venerabilis… The winter sky is darkening, the tide is closing in Over forest, hill and dale soars the Northern wind Every shifting shape and ghostly creature’s on the run Good hearts stay awake in vigil waiting for the sun While lighting candles in the house we listen for the sound Of sacred bells to break and turn the darkness around On this the longest nights of all our song and dance will shine Holding hands around the tree; a circle of light In the winter night the valley bells chime The wolf and raven ride, the Evergreen shines Until the sun again Above the mountain rim will rise In the pale moonlight I can see my own shadow Making tireless attempts to catch me in the snow I hang a gift on every branch of fir that I pass Asking all good spirits to help me safe across Far away in the woods there stands an Evergreen A well of water at its roots; a gathering of dreams From its endless deep pours out the bending Milky Way The shimmering of candles that we burn ‘til light of day In the winter night the valley bells chime The wolf and raven ride, the Evergreen shines Until the sun again Above the mountain rim will rise
3.
Skoven 02:25
lyrics
Skov skov kan du høre mig? Jeg står hernede under dit tag Skov skov kan du se mig? Jeg er kommet tilbage Og du står her, den samme Med sølvblinkende kroner I spejlet i havet Bliver jord og himmel til et Blå hav ved din side Tærer på dine rødder Storm og salt Alt har det givet mig Mine øjnes blå farve Og jeg har rejst så længe Og ofte kun i blinde Men hvem husker de timer Fra nattens yderste kant? Skov lad mig nu finde Døren til dit inderste grønne rum Hvor alting synges Med den samme stemme Jeg hører træerne hviske En gådefuld fortælling Engang ord i familie Mit hjertes forvandling i dag English translation: Forest forest can you hear me? I am standing here beneath your roof Forest forest can you see me? I have come back And you are here, the same With silver blinking crowns In the mirror in the sea Earth and sky become one Blue sea at your side Tearing at your roots, storm and salt Everything it has given me, The blue color of my eyes And I have traveled for so long, often blindly But who remembers those hours From the edge of the night Forest let me find now The door to your most inner green room Where everything is sung, With the same voice I hear the trees whisper An enigmatic story Once familiar words Today the change of my heart
4.
The Great Trees Are Prayers 05:29
lyrics
Blessed with Light Praised be the One Blessed with Life Praised be the One Blessed with Love Praised be the One Blessed with Peace Praised be the One Rooted in Love Showered in Rays Each drop of Rain Sing we your Praise Be Still My Heart The Great Trees Are Prayers
5.
Oh Most Noble Greenness 03:37
lyrics
O most noble Greenness Rooted in the sun In the clear bright calm You shine within a wheel No earthly sense or being can comprehend you You are encircled By the very arms of Divine mysteries. You are radiant like the red dawn You glow like the incandescence of the sun O most noblest freshest Green As morning dawns you blush As sunny flames you burn O most noble Greenness Rooted in the sun
6.
This Light 04:59
info
7.
A Rose For You 03:33
lyrics
A rose for you. A tree bearing fruit. The Earth that froze. The message that broke. A deer for you. From deep in the woods. Dependent lives. The sacrifice. A star for you. A light in my room. A moment to shine. The search for a truth. An angel for you. The voice of a child. A soft mouth that speaks: Protection and peace. A heart for you. The sweetest tune. A night of song. Eternal Love.
8.
Hodie Christus Natus Est 02:28
lyrics
Hodie Christus nátus est: hodie Salvátor appáruit Hodie in térra canunt Angeli, laetántur Archángeli: Hodie exsúltant jústi, dicéntes: Glória in excélsis Déo, allelúia. Translation: This day Christ is born, this day the Saviour has appeared; this day Angels sing praise on Earth, the Archangels are rejoicing; this day the righteous are glad and say, Glory to God in the highest, alleluia.
9.
All Together, All Of Heaven 05:14
lyrics
All Together All of Heaven Heaven Touching Holy World Tree

about

WINTER AND THE SACRED TREE - A live concert recording

(*Note: click on the individuals tracks to see notes and lyrics for them.)

The Tree has always been a powerful symbol in spiritual imagery around the globe, reflecting the grandeur and mystery of nature, both rooted in the earth and touching the heavens. As we know, the Tree has become an integral part of winter iconography, particularly as seen with the Christmas tree.

It was while living in California that Karoline, with some distance from her native Denmark, was drawn into a deeper reflection on Nordic mythology. Winter’s going and coming of the sun was one central theme. Most poignantly, the World Tree of the North, Yggdrasil, appears to be intertwined1 with the decorated trees of the Christian tradition. Our exploration of these mysteries soon gave birth to songs, and eventually grew into this Winter and the Sacred Tree concert.

Not only a manifestation of Scandinavian roots and a love ode to the Nordic light feast, these songs also reflect a personal exploration through various traditions, a journey that we are sure resonates with many people. It has been very enriching to write and offer these songs to European as well as American audiences.

The original compositions integrate several ancient sources that have helped vessel and expand our reflections - How deep do our own roots go? How far can we dare to expand our connectedness to all things and to each other?

From the beginning, we imagined the concert as a communal celebration - an opportunity for people to come together. We decided we would request that the audience not applaud between songs, but rather, stay in quiet reflection - that is, until the final song, when everyone sings along.

The recording itself took place on March 9, 2019, in Damon Castillo’s Laurel Lane Studio in San Luis Obispo, California. Two concerts, two takes, with a live audience. It was essential that
community was there to help us capture the presence, the concentration and the magic of the
moment. We are deeply grateful to those in the room for the energy they all added to the recording.

We invite you the listener to join us in the room, and on our journey into joyful celebration of the winter season - and into the arising and thriving of community everywhere…

Mark and Karoline

1. G. Ronald Murphy, S.J. Tree of Salvation: Yggdrasil and the Cross in the North. Oxford University Press. 2013.

credits

released November 11, 2021

Karoline Hausted: Voice, Piano, Keyboard, Harp, Glockenspiel

Mark Davis: Voice, Guitar, Glockenspiel, Frame Drum

Audience: Voices on All Together, All of Heaven

Recorded live in studio and mixed by Damon Castillo at Laurel Lane Studios in San Luis Obispo

Album mastered by John McCaig

Cover by Michael Neergaard-Holm

Photos by To Wake You. Cover photo: view of Fanefjord Forest in Denmark

Infinite thanks....

We are deeply indebted to Therese Schroeder-Sheker for planting the seeds that grew into this concert: thank you for the idea of creating a ceremonial piece as a communal offering; and for nudging Karoline into looking more deeply into her Nordic roots, and into the myriad spiritual traditions of the globe. Sacred spaces and moments - old and new - are everywhere.

To Damon Castillo: It was a rather spontaneous decision for us to try this live-in-the-studio-with-an-audience thing - we were taking a leap- but we didn’t even think twice about jumping knowing you were there to catch us. Thank you!

To all those who were there in the room for the recording- your presence created, held and was the space in which the music appeared -thank you for Being with us.

And a final, big thanks to all the mystics, the various casters of spells, and our loved ones who have been guides along our life journeys, pointing us toward the Beauty,the Joy and the Connectedness of Every Thing.

Karoline and Mark

© and p Karoline Hausted (KODA) and Mark Davis (ASCAP), except where indicated

Contact: towakeyou@gmail.com towakeyou.com

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To Wake You San Luis Obispo, California

Eight years is a long time. Long enough, in fact, that it may justify the use of the term ‘destiny’ when describing the Shakespearean-esque coming together of San Luis Obispo, CA’s To Wake You; the main difference here being that this story seems set for anything other than tragedy. ... more

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