January 27th, 2022

Bismillah Er Rahman Er Rahim
Those words are the first verse of the first chapter of the Quran, encouraging humans to bring our awareness to God/Love/Compassion/Mercy before we begin anything.

The translation for these words that I have learned in the Dances of Universal Peace is: "We begin in the name of Allah, most Merciful and Compassionate." 

This week I came across Neil Douglas Klotz's translation widened my sense of the Bismillah, and I did my best to express that experience in this new song that came through. I believe the word remembering is not about remembering with our minds, but re-membering in our bodies and spirits what we know in our core....  that the essence of the One is in us and in all things.  Here is Mr. Klotz's beautiful translation:

We begin by remembering 
the sound and the feeling
of the One Being, the wellspring of Love
We affirm that the next thing we experience
shimmers with the light of the whole universe

We Begin by Remembering
melody © K Hannan 2022
words based on Neil Douglas Klotz's translation of the Bismillah

We begin by remembering
the sound and the feeling
of the One being
the wellspring of Love
the wellspring of One Love
your Love  my Love

Bismillah Er Rachman  Er Rahim
Bismillah Er Rachman Er Rahim

everything is shimmering
everything is shimmering
everything shimmers with
the light of your Heart