Who I am, and the music I carry

I am Cassandra Èhiden Lorien, Song is my sword, my medicine, and my shield. How I came to realize this, and all that music can hold, came with a drastic upheaval of my life that put me on the path to shamanic initiation. This could and perhaps one day will be, the subject of a stranger than fiction novel, but here are the bones of the story

What brought me through the darkness- In fact the only thing that touched it was somatic practice, and singing.

My current ethos is derived from working with Songlines, the journey of pilgrimage and reverdecer ( detailed further here)

Following a songline, means uncovering an ancestral connection. We all have gems waiting within our personal histories. Once we have a thread, we can move into discovering more about what defines it.

Bringing what we have learned home into our body, and voice is where we transform. There is also much work done to find ease, and release trauma or blockages with the voice.

Each language has its own unique vibration. Every letter sound combination, musical form, and way of speaking -hold information, and activation for us. Our ears develop first, and with them we hear the heart sounding out the drum beat of life.

The more I learn about frequency, quantum theory, and spirituality -the more I am convinced of how significant this all is, and want to devote myself to bringing others into full embodiment of their voices.

Much which is unseen is carried within ancient songs and languages. As we listen, our souls remember, our divine channels open.

If you find yourself attracted to a rich tradition that is outside of your own known heritage, respectfully exploring is also part of this practice. We are one human family, what the music is activating may be older than traceable history, or a past life connection.

In 2021 I was in shadow. I weathered the entire pandemic on my own, had my home and community of New Orleans devastated by Hurricane Ida, and got into a car wreck the same day I lost a great love.

I was not depressed, I was broken.

With the pain came isolation, intrusive thoughts, and mental collapse. Medicine music, and letting go of who I thought I was brought me healing, and eventually expansion beyond what I thought was possible.

The path was not easy, there was a great unwinding of my life. I sold everything, and closed my business to travel through 8 countries in Europe. Connecting with the land in a reciprocal energy healing exchange.

I can not point to any one moment where things shifted. But little by little I recognized a whole lifetime of becoming.

I committed fully to my path, and since doing so- I have been incredibly fortunate to begin to sing in ceremony, and learn directly from some of my greatest inspirations in a short time.

I traveled to Costa Rica to attend “Song of the Ancients” for Gaelic song, and other ceremonies with Peia, and then came back for Vocal Oddesey with Nessi Gomes at Pachamama.

I also pursued online study in breathwork, sound healing, Irish Gaelic fairy song, and song weaving with: James Nestor, Scarlet De La Torre, Mary Mclaughlin, and Anna Biriyani of Curawaka respectively. These and many other indigenous voices, and wisdom keepers have helped me embody my true resonance and purpose.

I currently find myself based in Andalusia Spain, furthering my study of music and languages.

Many of own songlines happen to cross through Iberia, where Occitan, Sephardic and Celtic melodies were carried by troubadours and my ancestors through trade routes and diaspora.

My focus is sacred and ceremonial song, as well as old folk, and lullabies, in an ever expanding array of languages (currently about 9). When there is time I weave myth, and historical insights to connect the listener further.

I travel frequently to the US, and spend time visiting my sister in Devon England. Digging up songbooks and stories while traveling through Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and England to work with the land, and the Avalon frequency as often as I can.