This is a very holy day in both the Christian and Buddhist faiths. It is celebrated as the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary as well as the enlightenment of Buddha. What a day to consider life's potential and all that we are capable of becoming! In every faith from the beginning of time, the practice of chant or sacred sound has encouraged our awakening, stimulating dormant powers in our minds through music and mantra. Repetitive intonations encourage our capacity to open our hearts to what is Divine in us. Chanting "Om," the universal sound of peace, is the seed syllable to begin with. It is the basic sound of the Absolute and allows us to know what is unknowable. Vibrating this single tone attunes us to an eternal state of being. Then try to extend this out to Om Namah Shivaya, intoning on a single note or creating your own sacred melody. This core mantra loosely translates to "Salutations to all that I am capable of becoming!"

