Tape 002: Ferns & Moss

A botanical playlist and shamanic drum meditation journey. 
Inspired by the descent into winter, the softness of moss and mysticism of ferns that thrive in the darkness, curated by DJ Kyma for horti.

SOFTEN INTO THE SULTRY SOUNDS OF FERNS + MOSSES:


With hauntingly sultry and sophisticated influences of enchantment, the music for this playlist has been intentionally chosen and sequenced to take you on a journey into the wild woodlands within for a gasp of fresh air, getting into the deepest and darkest crevices awaiting your awareness in the darkness of winter.

Napping on the couch in your cozy home next to the warmth of a crackling fireplace - you awaken to a smoky scent and an inkling to take a drive into the darkness where ferns and moss dwell, meeting curious critters that guide you to a wishing well...

  • November - This track definitely sets the mood with an apt title for this post. A hauntingly dreamy and ambient track to nap to. Has me feeling like a little Marimo moss ball ebbing and flowing with the tides beneath a rolling river. We are now entering the darkness of winter...
  • Coiled Corner - Cozied up next to a warm fire - a sultry and smoky scent. Looking outside to see ferns through the fog - an inkling and invitation washes over you to drive outside of your comfort zone…
  • Midnight Drive - Getting lost in the mystic fog of dusk. Driving slow - nowhere to be...You find a place to park - the stars reveal themselves as well as an opening for a mysterious trail into the woods. You get out and enter into the dark…
  • Small Talk - The mind begins to chatter. The fear arises. Critters of the night scatter.
  • Into Black - Everything begins to fade into black. Continuing down this path you come across a meadow of ferns and an enchanting moss covered rock. Under the moonlight you find rest and refuge amongst the softness of the moss beneath your bones. You begin to drift into a deep, dark slumber...feeling at home.
  • Malamente - A witch and a wishing well appear. As you gaze into the dark you are drawn by a voice...
  • Vide Noir - “Many nights have I heard her voice. Whisper my name without making a noise. Calling out from a pure, black void. Tears of sorrow or tears of joy. Drops in my cup as my mind is destroyed. Staring into a pure, black void…” down the well we go, falling deep into the earth…where we will grow
  • The patient - Deconstructing the mind. A surgeon in the night extracting the light…
  • Wicked Games -  Wicked games playing tricks on the heart. The swirling and whirling of darkness everything appearing unclear, everything’s falling apart.  
  • Staying - Conjuring the soul to find the source of light within...
  • Fortress - The veil is lifted. The curtains are gone. You find a guide to take you home... “Galaxies kept within. Eruptions of silver beneath our skin. We have galaxies kept within. Eruptions of silver beneath our skin…”
  • Desencanto (Vruno Remix) - The voice of the darkness continues to softly whisper through the mind...
  • Kairosmind - Guided by the stars and back into the light. The journey home begins. From the pulsing heart of the earth you make your ascent to the surface.
  • How Could I Forget You? - Above ground. You re-awaken to a sunrise. Birds chirping. A new life. You look around to be surrounded by golden and glistening ferns on your mossy bed. A gentle whisper, “How could I forget you?”... You lift your head...
  • The Old & The Young - “Awoke from a long one that came on the heels of a day. Where sun would arise and then grant us the kindness of ray. Fields full of gladness surrounded by droves that await…”
  • Leaf Off/ The Cave -  Let the light lead you out...
  • No Reason - Happy for no reason. Accepting the magic in every season
  • Nothing Else - Just the way you are...
  • Staying Alive - You’ve arrived to a new day… you breathe in the crisp air of dawn and thank your guides as you make your way back home. Because in the darkness of night and the death of winter you will always find the light...to thrive and stay alive.

    EMBODIMENT ACTIVITY (optional):

    Visualize + Listen: You enter an enchanted forest and approach a crackling fire in the clearing. Your breathe is cool and crisp, a soft sponge-like moisture beneath your bare feet. Surrounded by fanning ferns you take a seat. At the foot of a large tree, you feel the warmth of the fire on your skin, you close your eyes and settle in. Connecting your breath to the breeze, your heartbeat begins to pulsate with the beating of the drum as wind blows across the leaves.

    BACKSTORY + SYMBOLISM:

    Both of these botanical friends (ferns + mosses) have an enchanting quality about them and thrive in dark places, they carry a sense of mystery, solitude and peace which we can carry with us as we begin to cozy up with ourselves this Winter. I spend most of my weekends upstate in Bethel, NY now surrounded by moss, ferns and the mystical fog. The nights are getting longer and the days colder. A large rock nearby overlooks a small pond. This rock is covered with moss and surrounded by ferns. A couple weeks ago I went to this rock to let off some steam and meditate after a run. I removed my running shoes and was reminded of the soft, dewy texture of moss beneath my feet and sat to discover the teachings that moss has to share about attentiveness and patience. The art of seeing the unseen, allowing it to reveal itself in its own time. An invitation to dwell in the dark spaces between the limits of ordinary perception. As death knocks at the door of Winter we are reminded the old giving way to the new. Entering a period of hibernation, incubation or dormancy that gives way to the awakening rebirth that occurs each Spring.