Howling Together:
Music, Medicine & Mysticism In The Modern Age
The Winter solstice is here. Things are cold and long since motionless in Mother's Nature's frigid north, but between the frost in the air and crunch of the snow beneath our feet, magical things are always happening. Harrop, BC's very own Howl is acutely aware of that magic flowing through all things, even in the coldest of seasons - she works with it, every day, both within the world of music and beyond it. Arriving at Sub Chakra HQ's inbox at the year's 11th hour, her 79-minute mix of pure bliss is rife with future garage moods that both elevate the soul and contemplate the nature of our being. It all starts at the heart, and radiates outward like pure light, reaching every sense and garnering a wondrous state of unity and cohesion. Truly, if these frostbitten weeks have got you feeling cold inside, cozy on up with our last mix of the year and have a read about Howl's thoughts on music, the magic needed to host an impromptu festival, and her work as a facilitator of constructive plant medicine work and consciousness expansion.
Scryer:
Marissa, thank you for crafting this absolutely lush mixtape for us, and for taking the time to do this interview! You really hit the future garage angle with this mix, but I know your selections, in general, are super diverse - so could you tell us a little bit about you and your history with electronic music?
Howl:
Thank you for reaching out! I’m very honoured to have this mix hosted by Sub Chakra.
My history with electronic music reads like a rom-com movie script. I was 18, and out at the bar with some friends, when I met a cute guy. At the end of the night he invited me to the after hours club with his friends (some I’m still friends with now). I had no idea what that was, but I went, and had a blast - the first time I partied till sunrise. That summer (2005!) I went to my first festivals, Motion Notion and Shambhala, where I caught dnb fever. House and techno and straight 4/4 for hours on end wasn’t my thing.
Drum and Bass lit something within me. From then on I was the one in the basement at big room house raves where the local DJs played dnb and other dungeon sounds. I became close with a few of them, who donated their old records to me and gave me my first DJ lesson. In 2006 I bought myself technics and started out as Selectress. I didn’t record any mixes back then, and played a handful of shows.
Growing up in Edmonton was the perfect place to foster my love for electronic music. There were frequent headliner shows and weekly nights of local DJs, and all of my friends (and serious relationships) were producers or DJs or promoters. I was fully immersed in the culture.
Outside of shows and house parties, music like Burial and Nils Frahm became the soundtrack to my inner explorations.
At my first Bass Coast in 2017 dubstep hit me hard. Grime followed shortly after. And then I heard Sorrow and Lewis James. And for the first time since 2010 I felt this deep desire to DJ, inspired to dig for tunes. I decided on the moniker Howl, and started recording mixes shortly after I moved to Canmore in 2018. Which has such a fun little scene. I played more shows in 2018/19 than every year before that combined. I actually drew a graph as a joke to show a friend awhile ago.
In 2017 I started teaching meditation, and it all sort of came full circle. My love of epic ambient soundscapes and dance music. I love putting together playlists, but my favourite part is actually mixing. Finding the right phrasing and blending feels like magic.
Scryer:
That's quite the well written journey! Sounds like you've had an opportunity to explore many of the scene's most interesting corners. I can see why you have such a knack for multi-genre explorations.
Now, I hear DJing and curating sonic landscapes isn't all you've been up to as of late though. Could you tell us a little bit about the most recent event you hosted? And to that end, is working behind the scenes and making that sort magic happen something you plan on continuing to do?
Howl:
Definitely! I’ve been around to witness a lot of changes and progressions throughout the years, in addition to all the people who’ve put in blood sweat and tears to grow themselves and shape their sound. And those who’ve created new waves of events and festivals, and now are building their own sound systems. Western Canada is a treasure trove of talent - and it’s exciting to see these people creating their own opportunities, and receiving the attention they all deserve for their passion and commitment.
That’s basically how Barn Burner, the event I was a part of, came to be. When my fiancé and partner in all things, Aaron Mayes (who produces and DJs under Misfortune Cat) and I found out Wicked Woods was being postponed, we were gutted. In addition to our fave festivals, all the small scale boutique events were cancelled all summer, and neither of us had a chance to hear anyone rumble a system, let alone play on one (aside from attending the Grove reunion, but when you become accustomed (and spoiled!) attending upwards of 5 events each year, one just isn’t enough).
I actually love this story, how it all came together, because it happened so synchronistically. And we all know origin stories are important ;) Here we all are, that weekend booked off for this festival that isn’t happening. Aaron’s close friend, Ben, is super bummed, because he has two small children and was given permission to come and party. With the current state of the world, we all needed it. To feel connected. To do what we love. To hug our friends. To feel the music. To dance all night and watch the sunrise.
Over the next couple of days I overheard phone calls between Aaron, Ben and our friend Aaron Brown (Illustrator). I knew something was happening... Then Ben found a venue. A friend of a friend with a barn and a acreage who loves hosting people because he loves connection… The boys were planning a party with our Canmore crew, Local Wild Life, and their sound system. So - we had a location, sound, and homies ready to jam. That’s when things started to escalate - quickly. What started out as friends coming together to jam in the barn turned into a 2 night full production festival. Within 3 weeks.
Since we had this massive space, why not bring out sound to match? Hence the Void sound system provided by Poppin Audio (which is the best I’ve heard). If we have professional sound, shouldn’t we have visuals to match? Which brought Miirror (Jakob Toews) on board. And if we have a stage, why not invite more homies to play? And if more DJs are playing, shouldn’t friends come to party? And we rolled with it. The stage itself was a piece of art. Literally. Illustrator had installed this giant wooden bird on the roof of a restaurant patio in Calgary, which was scheduled to come down two days before our event. He had a vision of turning this bird, with a massive wingspan into our stage. It was beautiful.
The highlight of every AB summer festival for me has always been Sorsari. Alex and I have known each other since around '09. I still don’t understand how he hasn’t been booked to play Bass Coast or to destroy the Grove at Shambhala. Here is this massive talent living in the heart of AB playing early slots at boutique festivals. So he was #1 on my list.
Aaron and I started inviting people to play, and our time slots for 2 nights were full, with more wanting to come. We were actually relieved when a few said they couldn’t make it! We know enough talented producers and DJs from Nelson, Canmore, Calgary & Edmonton to hold down a 3 night festival! Which I am bursting with pride about. Everyone brought their absolute A game. And for 2 nights from 6pm - 8am I was on the dance floor soaking it all in, my face hurt from smiling so much.
We had top tier talent, visuals, sound, and a stage. And this amazing group of 40ish people who were there to experience it with us, and brave the cold camping of Oct. 1 in Sundre. I am eternally grateful to everyone who showed up and put their heart and soul into it. A huge shout out to Miirror who worked 12 hours straight doing visuals, two nights in a row! And to Aaron - I watched him navigate difficult conversations and solve every hiccup along the way with such grace. I’m so happy to have him by my side. It was an epic weekend. And I can honestly say for the first time in my life I exceeded my own astronomically high expectations.
If we can pull that off with 3 weeks notice, on a 0 degree Celsius weekend, with no budget (most of our DJs paid to come and play, to cover costs) - what can we do on purpose? I’m excited to see what comes of this adventure. I never intended to be a promoter, but after attending raves and festivals for 16 years it was incredibly fun to plan one, and extremely rewarding to watch it all come together with the people I love.
Planning this gave me the opportunity to play the final sunrise set - which I’ve discovered is my favourite time to DJ. After hours on end of rattling bass and heavy frequencies my goal was to settle the energy, and bring everything to a close through sound. I incorporated a lot of the music I use during meditation classes, and received some great feedback afterwards on how it felt like being ready to greet the new day. It’s a form of integration, and showcases the scope of musical intention and the power of sound to achieve different states of consciousness. Which is part of the work that I do.
Scryer:
You got me speechless. What a tale! It's no small task making something like that happen so fast. I guess a little bit of magic goes a long way in the end. It sounds like you all etched a lifetime-highlight into the astral scrapbook with that one. Your ambition, motivation and soulful intentions to the craft are clear, but I know music and event hosting aren't the only radically awesome thing that's keeping you busy. Myself, and the readers, would love to hear about Highly Guided and what that's all about!
Howl:
Highly Guided is essentially a culmination of my passions and personal experiences in the realms of meditation, sound, and accessing higher states of consciousness through psychedelics. I first journaled about my desire to create and provide this service in 2014 - it’s very humbling and rewarding to see my dreams now coming to life!
I have an extensive relationship with psychedelics. My introduction to them began in 2005, when I started attending raves and festivals - I’m sure some of the readers can relate. The open hearted connection and joyous wonder in that space is beautiful, amplified with psychedelics' ability to assist in letting go of your earthly responsibilities and ego amour, allowing your inner self to shine bright with authenticity. Yet at the same time I witnessed the duality of psychedelics in terrified faces and first aid emergencies. Realizing how that setting, with the energy of upwards of 15,000 other people can become extremely overwhelming when what was intended to be a party turned into a deep inner experience. This led to my Psychedelic Crisis & Harm Reduction training.
In my love of learning, interest in science and the mysteries of the universe, I find myself easily trapped in internal thought loops, constantly thinking, evaluating, and overthinking. I want to know!! From an early age most of us are taught that rational, logical thought is more important than our intuition or gut feelings, or expressing raw emotion. In school we are praised for memorizing facts, and many of us become indoctrinated by Science's authority as the only means to know reality. Originally, I wanted a career in Psychiatry. I graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science, in BioSci and Psychology in 2011. I was stuffed full with information, yet I lacked the understanding that can only come from personal experience. Interesting to reflect upon, considering the scientific method typically disregards anecdotal evidence as proof… This missing piece of numinous wisdom came to me through a very high dose of psilocybin.
During that experience I felt the divine unity of consciousness and its timeless nature. I knew that my consciousness and soul would continue to exist beyond this lifetime and constraints of my physical body, as it seemingly has been doing for forvever. My ego personality completely dissolved into the infinite and eternal cosmos. My sense of Self was completely altered, and it radically shifted my worldview away from atheism and scientific materialism.
I began to read every book I could find on spirituality and psychedelics, and dug deeper into Eastern mysticism and other methods of achieving alternate states of consciousness (where I eventually fell in love with meditation, which I have been teaching since 2017). I was attempting to integrate this new sense of 'knowing' into my daily life. While very difficult at times in the few months that followed, overall it was a profoundly healing journey - direct evidence of the power and potential of psychedelics to shift into a higher perspective of awareness, and a more loving and connected way of living life. Looking back, I had experienced a spiritual emergency, yet I know it was exactly what I needed at that time in my life to grow and evolve. It also solidified the importance of integration and having a community of support to process these types of internal events, which led to my training as a Spiritual Emergency Coach.
My forays into psychedelic realms have been the most memorable, eye opening, heart-mind-spirit expanding experiences of my life, including the challenging ones. They shaped me into the person I am today - grounded yet spiritual, compassionate, joyous, and fully believing in magic and miracles. They guided me to heal wounds from my childhood. They taught me there is value in not having my shit together all the time - that it is ok to fall apart, and that I don't need to hold anyone's expectations of me in order to feel successful. They taught me about love, integrity, and clarity, and helped me navigate many big life decisions. They taught me about the intricate web of existence, interconnection, and the eternal infinite cycles of life, death, and rebirth.
Through psychedelics I became even more present to the beauty of nature, and the wonderful sense of simply BE-ING - outside of time and the need to spend it doing something. I have a sense of wonder and curiosity about consciousness and other dimensions, and how psychedelics could possibly be a portal to another realm… at minimum, they tune the dial on our everyday 3D reality. Reading books and current research on psychedelics fills me with hope for the future of humanity, living healthier, more connected lives from a space of greater awareness, wholeness, and compassion for the earth and all living things upon it.
I volunteered in Oakland, CA at MAPS Psychedelic Science Conference in 2017 where I attended countless presentations and panels led by world leaders in psychedelic knowledge and research. I also met Rick Doblin, who founded MAPS in 1986 (the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), at a conference in Victoria, BC in 2016, and was able to ask him questions regarding psychedelic entrepreneurship. Rick is an innovator and visionary, who promotes the importance of providing unbiased education on these substances, along with an understanding that the war on drugs isn't actually about drugs, but a war on controlling consciousness; and how their legal status and criminality is a race and class war, not based on the inherent harm of these substances.
In 2018 I registered highlyguided.ca and started to shape the offerings I would provide, using sound, meditation and consciousness exploration with psychedelics. (Turns out I found my own path towards Psychiatry, expressed in an underground, more holistic way). I believe these ancient, sacred technologies hold the gateway to our future.
This summer, my fiancé Aaron Mayes joined me, and now we work in tandem. Aaron is incredibly intuitive, heart-led, emotionally intelligent, and a wonderful communicator. His personal history with psychedelics is a great story (he might tell you all about it if you ask him). Through our own experiences, we have drawn a map of this vastly unknown territory, which we use as a navigation tool while holding space for others to safely cross that threshold and make it back home. He brings balance to me and to Highly Guided. I am thrilled and forever grateful to have him on board!
We are with you every step of the way, from preparation to integration. Through careful screening, we select a consciousness elevator and create a custom personalized experience for each individual with sound and meditation. This is where we differ from current research in medical applications of psychedelics - these need to be standardized and controlled in clinical trials in order for them to be prescribed as medications for diagnosable disorders. I have full respect for the medical model of psychedelics and am aware of its pitfalls due to cost and inaccessibility. We also believe that many people (although not all) can benefit from their intentional use to increase creativity, improve problem solving, and enhance general wellbeing in those who are not eligible to receive medically prescribed psychedelics.
I believe we are re-entering the time of the mystic, for each individual to have direct communion with ultimate reality. Our work is an invitation into the unknown. Into the infinite beauty of the eternally unfolding present moment. By inducing intentional shifts of energy and consciousness, vibrational transformations occur. New neural pathways are created and your nervous system is realigned. These practices increase our understanding of ourselves and the cosmos, resulting in deep inner knowing. By learning to adjust and focus our attention and awareness we can collapse old narratives and heal trauma. As we create a new experience of reality for ourselves, life flows with greater ease. We expand, explore, and evolve, as we allow our highest Self to be the guide.
Scryer:
Wow. That's just amazing all around, truly. Entheogens and elevated states of consciousness play such a big role in our little world, but the way it sounds like you're tapping into their potential in such a profound, time-honoured and holistic way is no small accomplishment. I'm simply blown away by work like that, and I'm sure many of our readers are thinking the same thing. From what you mentioned earlier, it seems like the spheres of your life's work and music have quite a bit of overlap as well. Has it had an impact on how you approach music? And could you tell us a little about the inspirations that drove the brilliant mix you curated for us?
Howl:
Thank you so much. I’m ever grateful to those who place their trust in us, humbled in awe of the strength it takes to be raw, vulnerable and honest as they embark on the psychedelic journey. It’s an absolute honour to witness. It’s very liberating to openly share my experiences and speak about Highly Guided. Psychedelics have received a lot of negative attention throughout the years, especially the famous Harvard boys club of the 60’s : notably Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, and Richard Alpert. Metzner became a prolific writer and researcher. Alpert adopted a beautiful spiritual practice, becoming beloved Ram Dass. And Leary was ready to shake society to its core. I’ve learned a lot from all of them.
While Leary receives mostly flack for his ideas, I think he might have been ahead of his time, like all visionaries. His often quoted words “in order to use your head, you have to go out of your mind” if taken at face value, out of context, sounds terrifying. Yet, if you consider going “out of your mind” as learning how to increase awareness to “see” beyond what our senses can provide, to shake loose conditioned limiting thought patterns and beliefs, it seems essential for our evolution.
This is how meditation, music and psychedelics come together for me. They help me see that everything I am searching for, I already am. That all of the answers I seek are held within me; and the more I relax and surrender into my own existence and the sensations of being here, alive, present, the more insights I receive.
Sound is a carrier wave of consciousness, information and energy. Choosing music to accompany a meditation session or a psychedelic journey is like curating a set or recording a mix. If it’s haphazard I notice it right away because the energy feels inconsistent. But there needs to be a balance in allowing it to unfold. There has been more than one occasion where I’ve tried to Shazam music I’m listening to during my own inner journey because the DJ in me never sleeps! And this is one of my challenges - letting go of control and the need for things to be perfect. Nature appears perfect in many ways, but if it was static and unchanging we would not be here to witness it’s beauty.
That was the inspiration behind this mix. The opening quote is from Dune, and effortlessly speaks to the dilemma I’ve constantly faced : “The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve. But a reality to experience. A process that cannot be understood by stopping it. We must move with the flow of the process. We must join it. We must flow with it … Let go. Let go.” Suitable for the mantra of a meditation or intention of an entheogenic journey, and for the last mix in Sub Chakra’s stellar lineup for 2021. It’s about saying goodbye and letting go - of expectations, of certain hopes and dreams, loves, wishes. But the beauty in endings is the space that’s created. The void emptiness and abyss we’re left with is a portal. A channel for pure intention and energy to enter and create anew. The rising sun, and with it new beginnings and dreams for a brighter future.
I’m obsessed with epic ambient soundscapes overflowing with emotion; huge synth swells, repetitive chord progressions and arpeggios. Angelic vocals that tell a story which pulls at the core of my being, landing deep within my heart. This mix is the mourning of an ending as the new dawn approaches. Some of these tunes were released as far back as 2007, and like Leary, future garage and wave are ahead of their time.
Some of the tracklist I’ve been sitting on for years, listening to the albums they’re from, waiting for the right time to play them. Burial, Volor Flex, Sorrow, Sorsari, Lewis James, Hyetal, Phelian, Vacant, Deft, Lapalux, EVA808, Lyves and Synkro make some of the most gorgeous music I’ve ever heard. And I’m thrilled to share this with you. I hope, like the second last track by Sorsari, that this mix takes you Home. With all of the uncertainty around us, we need to feel at home more now than ever. But home isn’t a place. It isn’t a person. Home is loving yourself. That secret place deep inside. Your heart, soul, and spirit. Steady; eternal. So do things that help you remember and love yourself. Because no matter where you end up or who you are with, being at peace with the core of your own essence is what truly matters. That is home.
Scryer:
Well, I gotta say, your intention and heartfelt approach to music really shines through on this mix, so I'd say you've hit the mark with astute precision with this one. Moreover, your words, your music and your energy are both wonderfully inspiring and healing. It's been an honour to hear about your work, your thoughts and your journeys, and a joy to take in this wonderful musical curation you've crafted. The soul always shines through when things are done with passion and it's certainly felt here. On behalf of our community I offer a grand thank you for sharing your music and your work with us all!
contact info / socials:
soundcloud.com/ritualmagick_howl
@lickthedragon // @highly.guided
www.highlyguided.ca