Sanctuary by Seven Rivers of Fire
וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃
“And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them” Exodus 25:8
A sanctuary is typically understood to be a space that is either already considered sacred and, as a result of this, is set apart, or it is a space that is first set apart and then made sacred; however, if we understand nature itself to be divine, how does this affect our understanding of the concept of what a sanctuary is? Is it possible to set nature apart from itself? And how could we possibly sanctify nature when it is already sacred?
I believe that It is in our relation to others and the natural world that we can most immediately experience the divine. Moments in which we recognise the divine or encounter the divine to me are sanctuaries in themselves. To ‘sanctify’ nature and our relationships with others then is to recognise and honour their inherent sacredness.
In creating the music for this album I wanted to recognise and honour the divinity of the natural world and my fiancé, while also creating a sonic sanctuary for the listener. Whether I have managed to achieve any of these aims is ultimately up to the listener to decide.
Credits
Written, performed, and recorded by William Graham Randles
Engineered, mixed and mastered by the mighty Rob V. at The Sound-O-Mat
Special thanks to: Tara, Duncan, my family, Matthew, Rob, and Josh.
