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temple transports us into the realm of the gods. The vastu home speaks to our soul, our mind, our body.
The Existence of Guidelines
There are guidelines for the structure of the raga, such as the particular notes that are to be played, exclusively, and the emphasis attached to specific notes within these chosen notes. But these guidelines, as in vastu, are guidelines that anchor the music so that it will ultimately resonate properly and achieve its objective. The guidelines exist as useful boundaries that provide, within the enclosed space, tremendous latitude for artistic creativity and freedom. In fact, a raga, unless it has been recorded, never sounds the same a second time, even when the performance is by the same artist. This leads to the second reminder of the connection between the raga and the cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction. The raga exists in a time frame limited by the performance. It is created slowly, then builds, intensifies, evolves, and spins back on itself, until it finally concludes with the vibrating silencea silence that is mandatory and concludes the expression of AUM.
Interconnectedness
A successful performance of a raga brings us so far inside the music that we nearly become one with the performer. Often people in the audience will mimic the artist's hand gestures or they spontaneously express a word of appreciation when their inner self has been deeply touched. Listeners voluntarily connect to the music and the performer. Faces in the audience are normally unusually serene. This interconnectedness is intentional and vital, as important as it is in vastu. It makes us, the listener, feel one with the essence of the music. The raga inspires and soothes the soul. We realize that our own vibrations are connected to the vibrations of the beautiful sound that flows around and through us.

 
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