Le Souffle Écarlate Music composed and performed by Sherif Dahroug Under the French label Lyre de Mercure, Sherif Dahroug unveils his latest musical creation, Le Souffle Écarlate: Une Ode à la Dame de Dendérah, a work steeped in the sacred traditions of ancient Egypt. This visionary piece pays homage to Hathor, the goddess of light and renewal, through a symphony that interweaves spiritual contemplation, cosmic symbolism, and profound wisdom. At the heart of this opus is the Benou, the sacred heron, poised serenely by tranquil waters. Its elongated, graceful neck and pointed beak evoke an air of nobility, while its still and contemplative stance suggests wisdom and patience, as if guarding a mystical sanctuary. Silhouetted against a misty golden background, the heron stands as both a sentinel and a guide, bridging the realms of earth and sky in a tableau of timeless spirituality. The Benou: Sacred Guardian of the Elements In Egyptian cosmology, the heron symbolizes balance and harmony, embodying the equilibrium of water, earth, and air. By the waters of the Nile, the heron is a master of renewal, drawing life from the river’s depths while serving as a custodian of the soul’s subconscious journey. Its delicate yet steadfast presence mirrors the teachings of Ma’at, the goddess of cosmic order, representing stability and grace in a dynamic universe. On land, its rooted posture anchors it to the material world, while in flight, the heron becomes a celestial messenger, bridging the temporal and divine. With wings outstretched, it mirrors the solar barque of Ra traversing the heavens, a metaphor for spiritual ascension and eternal rebirth. Like the Benou, who heralds the dawn, the heron emerges as a timeless emblem of resurrection, its presence signaling the perpetual renewal of life. A Cosmic Alignment: Venus and Hathor On October 5th, a rare celestial event will unfold as Venus, the morning star, pierces the twilight, illuminating the horizon alongside a crescent moon. In Egyptian lore, this alignment symbolizes the union of Osiris and Hathor, a sacred dance of transformation and renewal. Venus, akin to the Benou, heralds the transition between the worlds of light and shadow, guiding Ra’s barque through the celestial realms. This confluence of the sun, moon, and Venus was venerated by the ancients as a profound moment of cosmic balance. For Dahroug, it serves as inspiration, intertwining mythology with music. As the Benou ascends in the twilight, it becomes a luminous bridge between the mortal and divine, echoing Hathor’s journey aboard her barque, Khabat, traversing the boundaries of night and day. Le Souffle Écarlate: A Musical Ode Dahroug’s composition embodies this sacred transition, evoking the cycles of death and rebirth central to Egyptian rites. Through its melodies, the work captures the essence of twilight—a moment suspended between two worlds—where the heron, as a guide, bridges shadow and light. The album’s title, Le Souffle Écarlate (The Scarlet Breath), resonates deeply with this theme, symbolizing the fiery glow of transformation at dusk and the eternal cycle of life. The music traverses cosmic passages, drawing the listener into the mysteries of creation and the renewal celebrated in ancient Egyptian rituals. The sacred mantra, "I am the one who shall rise again, as Ra is born anew," reverberates throughout the album, uniting past and present, death and rebirth. This eternal proclamation, found in the Pyramid Texts, echoes the profound connection between music, mythology, and cosmic harmony. A Celestial Offering As the Benou ascends on October 5th, the celestial alignment of the sun, moon, and Venus will mark the festival of Hathor, the luminous goddess of Dendérah. In this moment of cosmic unity, Dahroug’s Le Souffle Écarlate will serve as a musical offering to the eternal beauty of Hathor, a celebration of Egyptian wisdom and its resonance through time. With this opus, Sherif Dahroug invites listeners on a journey across the boundaries of existence, offering a bridge between the ancient and the modern, the earthly and the divine. Le Souffle Écarlate is not merely music; it is a sacred voyage, an ode to the mysteries of life, death, and the eternal light that binds them.