Bardo Thodol – ‘Liberation through hearing during the intermediate state’

Samana’s fourth album, The Doors of Bardo, is a multidisciplinary, immersive exploration of human consciousness and the profound mysticism rooted in our ancient past. Following an extensive research journey across Britain’s prehistoric sites, Franklin and Rebecca undertook artistic investigations into the sonic archaeology and anthropology of consciousness. They explored the biophysical and mental responses elicited at these sacred locations, with particular focus on dreams and the subconscious mind.

The album intricately weaves together philosophies and practices of transcendental consciousness, emphasizing the delta brainwave—a neural rhythm intimately linked to trance states and the REM phase of sleep. Franklin and Rebecca were especially intrigued by the delta wave’s role in altered states, both within shamanic rituals and during the deep dream states encountered when sleeping near and beneath neolithic monoliths. Throughout their research, they recorded dreams experienced in these unique environments, deepening the album’s connection to the subconscious.

The Doors of Bardo invites listeners into a sonic landscape that bridges ancient ritual, neuroscience, and the mysteries of the dream world, offering a compelling meditation on the thresholds of human perception and transcendence.

Bardo Thodol – ‘Liberation through hearing during the intermediate state’

Samana’s fourth album, The Doors of Bardo, is a multidisciplinary, immersive exploration into the modes of human consciousness and the profound mysticism of our ancient past. Following an extensive journey across Britain’s prehistoric sites, Franklin and Rebecca undertook artistic research into sonic archaeology and the anthropology of consciousness, seeking to understand the subtle interplay between place, mind, and spirit.

Their work delves deeply into the biophysical and mental resonances awakened within these sacred landscapes, paying particular attention to the realm of dreams and the subconscious—the threshold where waking life dissolves into deeper awareness. The album weaves itself around the philosophy and experience of transcendental consciousness, focusing especially on the rhythms of the delta brainwave. This slow, primordial oscillation, often found in the depths of trance and deep sleep, symbolizes a return to an elemental state—a passage through the veils of ordinary perception toward the infinite.

Franklin and Rebecca were drawn to the delta wave’s significance, intrigued by how it emerges in shamanic trance rituals and in the REM phases of sleep where dreams intensify—moments when the boundaries between worlds blur and transformation becomes possible. By recording dreams encountered when sleeping closely to and beneath these neolithic monoliths, they sought to capture the echoes of ancient consciousness and the timeless dialogue between human and landscape.

The Doors of Bardo is thus not only an album but a sonic pilgrimage—an invitation to traverse the liminal spaces between life and death, waking and dreaming, the known and the ineffable.