Cantoria

“I know you can do this Daddy”

This is what my 8 year old daughter Zoe scribbled one day on a post-it note when she saw me feeling sad and confused because, at that moment, something just wasn’t going quite the way I’d wished or imagined it would. I keep that note on my computer display to remind me of what is possible, always. And it does.

I imagine that, similarly, so very many people have wished for peace, love, harmony in our world, and have felt a kindred sadness and confusion. To this, I am certain Zoe would write another note for us all: “I know we can do this”. And I believe her.

What began as a simple, casual recording of a Sabbath Prayer … evoked so many positive and inspiring comments … and together these elements innocently and profoundly led us to look more deeply, ultimately guiding us along a most beautiful Spiritual, musical path … Cantoria was born.

Along this path we asked why the words, sentiments, meanings of this musical Prayer brought such a deeply beautiful affect on so many. Perhaps, we thought, it is because these words came from ancient Sacred Scrolls which some call the Tanakh, some the Old Testament, and others the Tawrat (or liturgical poetic writings based on these Sacred Scrolls). Whatever the given name, it is widely accepted that these Holy Words form the foundational Source for at least 3 of our world’s profound faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. According to these, we are all children of Abraham.

How incredible. How beautiful. Three faiths, so seemingly disparate, yet so closely entwined in their original Spiritual Source. Can we possibly find our similarities and celebrate our connections? The shared words and expressions of Love, Peace, Brother & Sisterhood, Compassion, Lovingkindness that every religious belief on Earth says is our Essence, our Truth … can we celebrate these? Together?

Zoe and I believe we can.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful…

…if we could somehow find a simple yet powerfully Universal way to bring together our Spiritual commonalities, our shared Glory,
and celebrate!

Further along our journey we discovered that there are 7 Sacred Spiritual focal points on every human body: our Chakras. These points on our bodies connect us with the Divine, the One, to All of Nature, and to one another. And these are present in each and every one of us, no matter our faith, our nationality, our size or flavour.

We delved deeper and discovered 7 Sacred Prayers, each with a direct meaning and connection to each of our chakras, and all from the Writings in the Tanakh. And when we played these Prayers for various Spiritual leaders, from Preachers to Yoga teachers, Rabbis to Meditation leaders, … the effects were powerful and quite similar: calming, peace-giving, healing, and joyfully loving. Our favorite responses were from couples who, while listening, held hands and smiled at each other with the Love you knew they were feeling inside and now sharing with a glance and a touch.

Zoe and I now invite you to join us along the Journey of Cantoria and to feel the Universal Peace and Love within. Let us together see if we can perhaps rekindle our inter-connectedness and our similarities. We are hoping that this small project of Lovingkindness will remind us of our united Truth and reunite us in Love, Peace & Harmony, just as our God, your God, their God, whomever and whatever they may be, told us all that we could. This is our humble way of saying…

We know you can do this.

Namaste,
Mark Fenster, Zoe Fenster