Electra, the final track from my latest album Pleiades, was the Greek word for amber. Formed from fossilized sap that once flowed from ancient trees. It was discovered by the early Greeks that pieces of amber produced an electric charge when rubbed together. The Ancients believed amber was made from honey and imbued with special talismanic qualities. As the mother of Troy’s founder, Electra was remembered in that city with the “Palladium,” considered to be a sacred object that fell from heaven. Zeus threw the statue down from heaven when Troy was founded, but Greek warriors spirited it away, thus enabling the Greek capture of Troy. According to some, the Palladium was placed within the temple of Vesta to tend to the sacred hearth. The fire of the hearth symbolized the warmth of loving relationships, which suggests a link between the hearth fire and our hearts. This female power was upheld until the flame was extinguished when Christianity redefined the spiritual pathway between heaven and earth. Electra personifies a matriarchal guardian, reminding us to tend to the sacred fire within us.
Electra is the ten minute long finale. It is almost like an EP. The synths sound terrific. It is one of Veraart’s finest songs ever – and it will for sure be a fan favorite for years to come.
BT Fasmer, New Age Music Guide
Like a scoop of an earth-moving crane, Christel’s vocals carry you and transport to the starry worlds, where mysteries become mystical and unknown becomes the most cherished companion
Vivek Kumar, New Music Alert
The Pleiades have been used throughout history and by many cultures to signal the end and beginning of seasons. The position of this constellation was used to indicate the times for planting and harvesting crops, as well as when to hold various rituals and ceremonies. This star cluster thus served as a celestial calendar to initiate festivities at the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Because one of the seven stars is “lost,” some cultures began their annual cycle of seasons by observing the remaining six stars of the Pleiades.
In India these were related to their mythic son Karttikeya, whose six heads represented the six seasons of the Hindu calendar. Some Native American and Australian Aboriginal cultures used the Pleiades to mark the arrival of their different seasons. Our modern solar calendar, based on the two solstices and two equinoxes, give us our four seasons, however they originated from ancient Greek observations of the relationship between the sun and the Pleiades.
Christel’s total talent brings brand-new perspectives to ambient music… her stunning vocal work will reach down deep inside of you and touch your heart
Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion
When the Pleiades set in autumn it marks the beginning of winter. The end of winter at the spring equinox is signaled by the star cluster following the sun. The beginning of summer is marked by their appearance in the night skies with the star Arcturus, and autumn begins when they become visible in the night skies. The use of the Pleiades to determine the solar equinox and solstice is common even when observers are following a solar or lunar calendar.