The Blessing of Music

Everywhere there is music for me.

The wind now blowing outside, like a sweet melancholy song to my heart.

The stillness inbetween gusts like space between beats.

The sound of my heart beating, my own inner space music moving thru this body.

And in these moments, as in so many others, I am blasted by the blessing that music is in our lives, especially for those of us who play music every day.

A few days ago, I was performing at the Mile High Church in Denver for the Xmas Candlelight Services. At some point during one of the 6 services I performed in, my heart just completely melted, and I had to really work to not shed tears up there in front of 1000 people. Realizing the gift that I so often take for granted as just who I am humbled me so deeply, and touched me so profoundly that no words can express the feeling inside.

Music is such a natural expression, yet for many it is a spectacle to behold. For those of us who know the merging that happens when we are present with our hearts and the Muse, it is almost unfathomable to not seek to recreate that experience as often as possible, but many have never experienced the bliss of being part of that creation that makes music happen.

I suppose that's what makes me so passionate about my work, sharing music with non-musicians, normal every day folk who just never knew they had it in them, as well as musicians. To see someone light up with the joy, the beauty, and the experience of creating music with others is one of the biggest joys I've known in this life...then to see that being get hooked and make it part of their life is a whole other level.

At the Mile High show, one of my students, Serenity Chambers, was there performing with me. Serenity started playing only 2 months ago as a beginner in one of my women's classes. Seeing her standing so strong, in such power, and holding the energy on stage with me and the choir behind her was a testament to what is possible when someone is given the space to explore, learn and be held in their potentiality. She rocked, didn't miss a beat, and anchored the energy so sweetly and gracefully, and I felt so honored, so blessed, so inspired...and so humbled by grace once again.

THe Blessings of music are so many.. being part of the creation, part of the music is one of the deepest and truest joys I can imagine in this life. As always, I give deep thanks, deep gratitude for this gift and that I can share it in the ways that I do and those yet to come.

Sweet Windy Night Blessings..

AWAKEN THE VISION NOW

For many of us, considering our "future" seems a mixed experience of excitement for the possibilities of changes, and dread for the seemingly undeniable realities of the times of transition between the current situation and the "possibilities."

Everywhere now, in practically every paper, magazine, and media outlet the stories are shouting at us. For many of us, we've been aware that this was an undeniable scenario for a decade or more: global warming, wars, water shortages, peak oil production, dissolution of communities, global devastation of natural resources, etc.

I can remember pretty clearly the day I tried to open up discussion about global warming with my father. He laughed and said it could never happen, some lame brain trying to scare people, some radical environmentalists ranting... It's funny to me on some level, but now he writes to me talking about it so matter of factly, because now the "papers" and TV say it, so now it's actually real, whereas before it was just the wild ranting of his idealistic young daughter. :)

Some part of me, as that young idealist, never wanted to believe it would happen in my lifetime, I wanted my father to be right that maybe it was just a bunch of hoo haa. I never wanted to fully accept, though I knew in my heart, that the world I knew as a child would not be one I could offer to any child of my own if I were to choose to have one.

Some part of me still wants to deny it. It hurts sometimes way too much to really open myself to what I see as possible outcomes for future generations & this planet. I recently did a group visioning excercise with several people, looking into the future and seeing what was there. I will tell you that for a long time no one spoke. When they did, I am convinced that they were speaking more from imagination than from the truth of what they really saw; because it was too hard to speak what we really saw. Several of us shared after that this was indeed our experience, and I don't doubt that others also saw the bleakness and the scarcity, the polluted waters, the dead vehicles piled up everywhere with no gas to move them, the grocery stores empty and returning to nature, and barren trees.

I suppose on some level, every generation must feel this. Yet it seems in the past 30-50 years some of the most devastating effects to this planet and our people have been unfolding and the impacts are just now beginning to be really tangible and evident. So much so that there is it seems no recourse, no real easy way out of our current situations, except to see them thru, do the work and prepare ourselves for the worst, and pray for and hold space and intention consciously for the best possible outcome.

Our world is moving so fast and the realities facing us aren't going to just go away without being attended to. Our current situation has most people working so hard to barely survive that the average person has no time or energy to consider planning for the future of even themselves, much less our communities and our nation, and even our world. Many of these people feel a sense of powerlessness, a sense of "what can I do?" And then are so exhausted mentally and emotionally at the end of their work day that they just want to zone out and collapse into sleep.

Many of us can relate to that, probably almost everyone. I am calling it "Overwhelm Syndrome" these days as I'm seeing it, and hearing about it from every direction, and every age group, even the youth. I think on some level we all know that feeling: that the ride is just not totally in our control and we just have to hang on and try to make it to the finish line, any extra output or requirements just seem like way too much to bear. Helping our neighbors, shoot, even talking to them, contributing to our youth, volunteering, growing our own food, going to local council meetings to effect change, etc., that's all just far too much to add to the daily load for most people in this country. And I can say, with all honesty, that I understand, get it, feel that way a lot and totally have compassion for the experience. Fully.

I write to process my own thoughts, I write to remind myself of truths I know inside and I write to inspire and offer reflection. I write because it's something that I know may touch or open a doorway for another being to see possibility or feel connected in some way. I write because we share experiences, and when we write them for others to read it validates our experiences and reminds us that we are never alone in our experiences.

And tonite I write to invite the sharing of ACTIVATION of VISION!

Somewhere, deep within all of us who feel the pressure of this world and are affected by the scourging of the planet, and the depletion of it's resources, from oil to healthy soil to grow food in, somewhere there is a spark of possibility, a vision of a better way, a better world for our children, an easier way, more opportunity at health and harmony. I'm inviting you to VISION this future within yourself, write it down in detail, let it fly, imagine it, dream it and then share this with as many people as you can! AWAKEN THE VISION WITHIN and you may find that you are so NOT alone in what you see as a future possibility. The Entire Renaissance happened from less than 50,000 people. That's not a huge number.

Human beings are creatures of invention and the possibilities are infinite when we truly step up and become engaged in the creative process thru intelligent and focused dialogue, sharing, networking and communication. I'm not saying it's the easiest thing in the world, nor necessarily quick as true community dialogue and creativity is a process, and a lengthy one at times. However, there are solutions available to ANY and ALL of the crisis we are dealing with, and it is crucial in this time that we begin to focalize and learn to work together to create local systems that WORK EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY. Systems of how to grow food for every family, how to support our local businesses and keep on keeping on if and when the greater system burps, hiccups or pukes on it's own foulness. There are probably already groups or events happening near you to plug in to. Find them, and be supported and be one of the contributors to bringing this forth for all of us.

If you haven't already: START NOW! Little steps lead to a long journey and a destination. If you don't take the first step, to VISION, then you can't take the next TO ACT. I know you're tired, and overwhelmed.. welcome to the club. But it's time for all of us to really take a step, then another one, and put this vision into ACTION so that our children and their children have a future here that is sustainable and intelligently contemplated to consider their well being.

There are indeed many beings awakening in this time to the stark reality with a committed passion to bring forth alternatives. Seek them out and be with them. Be with us! :)

Free Flowing: A Sharing of the Heart

Being someone that has been an active participant as well as someone that has sat on the sidelines witnessing what occurs, I've seen beautiful things come together within community musical sharing groups that are almost difficult to put into words and is something that almost needs to be felt as a personal experience.

What I do know and can say at this point is that it seems that in the moment music making brings out a precious and mysterious quality and essence. I wonder if I might be a mess if I didn't have the music, dancing, drumming outlet available on a consistent basis for myself. And for me just being able to 'get out of my head' has been such a relief & necessary part of keeping my balance & peace in times of stress & responsiblities on so many levels.

There is no need for head thinking here. It is all a free flowing in the moment space. Never quite knowing what to expect and what will show up, there have been times that I have been in awe. I am happy to have my expectations blown apart.
And just when I think it's the best, I've come to see that it can get even better.

I enjoy the in the moment playfulness that happens. Everyone is there, in thier own space but in the space together too. And they are not anywhere else in thier minds, just right there together to create, to play, to express, to be creative and without any effort. This sort of energy seems to transcend all the other stuff, and quite quickly. I so honor and respect this place to see this happening and to be a part of it's experience.

It's also cool what I have noticed with the time, it does seem to fly. Just like the saying goes... "time flys when you are having fun." This does seem to be the case.

What I've realized again being in The Magical Mystical Muse, is how amazingly profound the opportunity is when an individual or commmunity is in a space of safety, love, support, creativity, spirituality and nurturance... it allows like a launchpad for sweet things to open up and come forth. It is of innocent, healing & inspirational quality. So very essential, especially in our current times. It is something that I wish I could experience in my everyday life. Once you have felt it, you will know what I mean, and to those that have, I'm sure they would agree.

Being in-sync, in-the moment, in-tune in some unspoken way, is so very powerful.

Cheri Shanti has so graciously helped facilitate this to bring together what is somewhat mystical & magical in nature. I think anyone desiring such an element in their soul would appreciate the time & essence of The Muse. It helps to bring forth some awesome stuff that might otherwise not get tapped into... I think it is connected to our higher & ligher beings.

I would also say that it is as if we are able to break through this thick fog of our daily mundane world and trancend to a higher playing field - so to speak.
I feel so many people don't have an outlet that they can safely co-creatively express themselves, that it, very unfortunately, gets bottled up inside and perhaps for a lifetime... Yikes.

I have a dream that one day this stuff will be happening all over.

Jenny Sustello, Boulder, CO

Gratitude Day.. Letting the Love Flow

On November 24, Cheri Shanti, Rhythm Harvest & The Mandala Community Center hosted an all day mini Retreat day for the Boulder Community. The intention for the day was to offer a space for community sharing on a deeper level than what our often too busy lives allow us time and space for and to share our Gratitude for Life together. The entire event was offered free to encourage participation and was very well attended, with over 40 people coming throughout the course of the day and night. While there were many events throughout the day, inclulding, yoga, meditation, a sound healing meditation with crystal bowls, a potluck and an open mic, the highlights of the day were the Community Sharing Circle, and the Magical Mystical Muse Experience.

The Community Sharing Circle provided an opportunity for participants to share an attitude of Gratitude and to network their skills and professions with each other. Gratitude was expressed for :
-“elevated states of consciousness in the Boulder Community
-“meaningful work”
-“moments of tears, toe remember you’re alive”
-“positive role models for our children”
-“communities that are like links in a chain, each connecting with the other.”
-“music circles, ceremonies and friends.”
-“the opportunity to breathe and to wake up each day to start anew.”
-“gatherings like this one and for the freedom to gather like this.”
And much much more. The tenderness and connection between each being present made for a really sweet and heart warming experience for all. All ages were present, from 10-75, each person really listening and respecting what the others had to offer and share.

People came from Denver, Paonia and the greater Boulder Community to share in this day of community celebration. The Crystal Bowl Meditation, led by Cheri Shanti, was a popular and profound experience, and followed by a wonderful Potluck Feast.

From 7-9 PM there was an open mic and about 15 people shared songs, poems and stories. Singing along was encouraged, and the talent was outstanding. Noella Rosara got everyone grooving with her “Rocked by the waves of the Belly of the Ocean” song, and Ethan, Well and Djero grooved a unique acoustic trio on the spot, and Cheri Shanti offered songs off her CD, Visions of Reality.

At 9 PM, the Magical Mystical Muse Ceremony of Gratitude was opened with close to 40 people in the circle. Drums, rattles, and voices merged in a wild and rapturous expression of celebration for this life and carried the group into a fully participatory experience of music, song, dance, improv and creative play. Costumed beings emerged in capes, face paints and big smiles to juice up the vibe and added an element of playfulness, mystery and intrigue to the experience.

At 1 AM, the Ceremony was closed, and all left with big smiles on their faces, love in their hearts and a sharing of souls that will keep them connected throughout time.

Compassion for our Elders

Aah.. today one from the heart. From that place of deep sadness and compassion unending for the seemingly always present "generation gap" that our culture has created for us. Yet another paradigm shift we are actively engaging in today.

I find it no minor tragedy, in this culture, that the elders are so alienated from the youth, and a major tragedy that they have such a one sided perception of such a diverse and broad subset of the population. There is so much wisdom, so much knowledge and so many resources that the elderly contain and can offer to the world, and there is just such a huge gap between those who are "retiring" and those who are still active. In a culture that only expresses value for staying "young & beautiful" they are pushed out, and have grown up with the awareness that it was coming and so resigned themselves to it.

And the sad thing to me is that my parent's generation, the 60-70 year olds are so "accostomed" to this way of being, that they are actually fully participating unconsciously, in this isolationism. A lot of them put their parents in nursiing homes, not knowing what else to do, nor having the "time and energy" required to help out or be present, living in different states, etc. So on some weird level, many of them actually participated in the creation of this way and so they fully expect it to be their reality too. Certainly not each individual, there are most definitly exceptions! And I sincerely pray for more of them!

However, it appears that many people in that age group just won't participate in any kind of active productive/positive involvement with the youth, their children or what's really going on in the world. To me, that is a tragedy for our time, especially for those of us in the growing subset of the population who do actually value the wisdom of our elders and would like to have them more involved in our world and daily lives. Interestingly our numbers are growing! Over 30% of the population now, world wide, is concerned about the elderly and WANTS them to be actively involved. This shows me that when we get older, we will probably stay more involved and participate in creative solutions to our world WITH our children. Now there's a concept I am thrilled to support and live to experience!


I am so grateful for the shift coming, and still my heart grieves for the lost generation of elders of whom my parents belong to.

Here's a generation that lived thru some pretty big stuff, huge technology advances, TV, internet, wow, and on a global conflict level they've seen too much war, constant war. They, whether they choose to fully realize it or not, were huge pieces of creating the current crisis that we are involved in on every level. Of course, there is no blame in this, every generation creates some insanity for their children to unravel and comb out, and I am not in any way convinced that there is/was mal intent. People simply do what seems "right" at the time, often not thinking far enough into the future to see the possibilities for devastation.

In their time, money became GOD and we are still living with that. This money obsession, "security" obsession has poisoned the well of loving human relationships deeply. There is little concern, for people like my father, for following the higher good of one's life's purpose, for art, for creativity, for the EXPERIENCE of life: what a silly waste of time... All that seems to matter is the almighty $, insurance, bills, and some like called "security," that supposedly comes from having a high payiing corporate job. The main goal of life is to make as much money as you can, hoarde it and hold on to it at all costs. Many of them survived the depression and are terrified now of being "without." PROGRESS was the name of the game, the big constsant push irrespective to the effects on the earth, to future generations or your own well being.

How old is George Bush? Right in that age group, denying the real situations, focusing ONLY on power, money and a wasted resource that is peaked out and done, leaving the youth of today a pretty HUGE world crisis, on almost every level: energy, food, war, poverty, high land prices, and high taxes.

The American dream is crumbling right before our eyes, and on some level, this elder generation must feel some of the weight of that, whether they choose to acknowledge it or not. They did some good, a lot of good and made headway on some really amazing technologies; and they made a lot of very careless decisions that are now destroying our ecosystems and any possibility of a life like they had as youth where there was still some real untouched nature and clean waters, safe streets, etc.

We are ALL responsible, each one of us at some level, yet I wonder if that generation, the 60-70 year olds, feel the weight of this more than any others as it was they who were really active during these crucial times, they who raised the generation that, in their eyes, atleast according to my father, is a generation wasted. Now that's a burden to bear. To feel even disappointed in your own children must feel horrible as a self reflection. Tragic, truly tragic. And I feel for them, deeply, those who choose to continue to carry that burden into their aging years, especially those who respond to their own creations and children with such bitterness and hostility.

Gratefully, I have met as many elders that are joyful and amazing, yet to see it in my own family touches me and brings me to tears of compassion and sorrow.

Here are my father's exact verbadim words on how he sees the 20-30 year olds, and his one and only daughter:

"As for "you folks" guess you have not seen any of the TV specials or articles reviewing the 20 and 30 year old generations and the challenges they pose to industry gov and military. You are a self centered narcissistic group that some consider an alien life form. You discount things American, and conventional, tend to accept the unconventional right or wrong so long as it is convenient or satisfying and don't have strong personal relationships or work ethics. Rather it's about me, be happy, how great I am, and learn all about me on my blog. Amazes me. Frustrates me. Think it's only me? Watch some of the specials and below are a few lines from some of the articles I've read recently."

And so it is clear to me, the confusion and one sidedness to the above attack. My prayer and intention is to have first, compassion for these elders who are being fed total propaganda by our government run media, who, of course, wants to keep us separate and disconnected from each other. People like my father are not willing to participate with the culture anymore, in his own words, "I'm done, it's your mess." Understandably, he's tired and supposedly has no energy to help the current situation, though there's plenty of energy to complain it seems! LOL... typical!

I just see the need for compassion deeply as there are a lot of angry old people in the world who refuse to consider situations and or subsets of the population truly objectively, but want to believe what is convienet to keep them isolated and angry. We can reach out to these people and share love with them thru our compassioinate listening and exampliar beingness.

Imagine if my father did a search on the good works that the 20-30 year olds are doing: he might find out that it is this group who is working hard to find solutions to the crisis we have, working in groups to plan out ways to grow our food, find alternate fuel sources, help our elders be more assimilated, stop wasting resources, working to help the youth, providing alternatives to drinking and drugs, and getting active in local communities to help foster a more local economy that can actually survive a recession when it comes. He might find that there are far more beings in this subset who are concerned with the welfare of the planet than they are with how pretty they are. He might find that his TV is telling him lies all the time, that in fact the govt is controlling the very information that he is fed... imagine that...??

Or even better, imagine if he actually came and witnessed objectively the life of someone in that age group, like me, his daughter. He would find strong community and personal relationships, a strong committed group of beings who are working to find solutions and not sitting around watching TV all night. He would find intelligent, wise concerned beings who do more than talk, but ACT with conscious consideration and full integrity. He would find beauty, joy and awareness that everything is more than it seems. He certainly would find a picture very different than the one his TV and "articles" are painting for him in his chair in Florida, isolated from the actual real people he's hearing about. He'd find a whole new way of being that is centered around love and truth. And he'd likely still go home thinking he was a failure as a father because I don't have a 401K or a new car and a corporate job. He'd likely have a hard time seeing any value in what I know to be "real" life: Community, love, connection, music and going to bed every night feeling like I'm living a life of meaningfulness.

Again.. the need for compassion. These people don't understand the higher truths of life, at least not totally consciously. Somewhere in there they get it, I really think everyone does, but the programming of years of a way of being, and being "right" is difficult for the conscious mind to deny very deeply, and so it may refuse anything different, particularly as the mind ages it can (but not always) become more inflexible and rigid. And they just weren't gifted the same tools that are available now to us and so again, the call is for compassion. To love them regardless, to honor them regardless.. AND to stand strong as examples of evolution and possibility.

So, I invite us to educate our elders, show them the truth of who we are. Many will refuse to see or acknowledge, they would rather stay angry and feel that they failed. Many will continue to believe the hype, but some, some will come around and see the bigger reality.

Love your elders.
Honor them.

They gave us much wisdom and many lessons to learn from on every level. They have taught us much to continue on with, and MUCH to leave behind and for BOTH we must be grateful.





"

Streamside Muse

Sweetness of cool autumn nite envelopes me
Another place of home has me singing the song of silent contemplation..
Here by the Fall River
I am slower
I am softer
I am more receptive to the truths of life

Away from the distractions
I am only with myself
All I can hear is this river running thru me
All I can feel is stillness, deep and cherished

And in the quietness my heart rejoices
Here there is no expectation
No ringing cell phone
No need to do
No need at all
Here for this nite alone in sweetness with firelight and river song
I AM only This...

Nothing is wrong...
Nothing is bad...
All in my life is love..

Yet retreat, even for just one night, is profoundly simple and wildly blissful.

I enjoy the stillness deeply
As I do the wildness of rhythmic ectasy and the pounding of feet on this blessed earth
The balance is necessary and in our modern world so often neglected for "duty" or "responsibility"

Realizing the pressures are

Reflections on the passionate being I am
Passionate about stillness
As I am passionate about sound explorations
As I am passionate about Love
As I am passionate about Sensuality
As I am passionate about Life...

As I AM..
In Love
Always

Deep Medicine Muse

I know I'm home here.

My hands lightly dancing across skin strung across a barrel of wood.
My feet move seamlessly in time to the Pulse of Life flowing thru the room.
My voice is carrying the song of my life today, amazement, tiredness, joy and frustration all embodied in the depth of my soul's sharing.

And around me bodies are moving, rattles are pulsing, other voices are singing their truths and the Muse is most definitly ON! One woman is whispering quietly to herself, praying thru tears, another woman, sitting behind me is playing a djembe with passion and power, a man I've shared many circles with plays his saxaphone like some ailing creature lost in the wild, and somehow, in the midst of this, I am home.

Somehow it is more than just an experience, more than just music making, it is Deep Medicine for my very being. Here I can be the real me, fully and with no social constraints on what is "cool" or "acceptable" or even "normal." And even better, I get to share that with others, I get to be witnessed, but even more, I get to witness my community deeply thru their songs, their dance, their stories, their dialogue or monologue. So, here I am home.

I can feel their songs in my bones, as I feel my own and together the sounds weave into a surreal kaleidoscopic soundscape of the experience we call LIFE. Intentionally we offered our vessels this night as portals for the cleansing of all and the song of one is the song of many who have yet to find their voices.

Frustration, fear, laughter, gratitude, awe, love, anger, tiredness and confusion.. it's all RIGHT HERE, in this room with me as I am bent over my drums, my hair creating a veil for me on this night of veils parting, my feet dancing, my fingers lightly creating sweet deep grooves with my heart.

Being one with this experience is being one with life.

At the end of the night, the silence, the stillness, is tangible, thick and no one wants to break it. We've shared stories, belly laughter, danced, drummed, counseled each other and consoled each other thru prose and poetry in magical honest dialogue, arm in arm circling the candles we call fire. And we know each other in a more real way, we felt each other's fears, rejoiced together at our victories and laughed at our ridiculous minds, screamed at time together for the illusion it's created...

Deep Medicine Muse... No where else I'd have rather been on this night when the Veil is Thin...

Gratitude for the True Mystic Musers on this Night of Nights...

Sweetness of Being

Another amazing night of music, drumming, dancing, sweating the stress out of the bones of my being! This medicine of community music is, for me, far more than anything else can give me. It's real, it's tangible, it's hands moving, eyes seeing, feet pounding, body shaking, soul resurrecting truth beyond anything else.

And the amazingness of REAL people, not hpyed up on a stage, not separated by the over amplification of electronics, but sharing the floor together, all at the same level of being. Witnessing, and being witnessed. Singing and BEING the song, dancing and BEING the dance, Praying and BEING the prayer.

The sweetness of being, such a deep and profound truth of human experience that we, with our modern culture, dj's and over amplified sounds have forgotten as a mass.

I give thanks to those who are keeping this way of being alive. Those who still play music together for the love of community and sharing, for the experience of depth that it offers and the undeniable bond that it forms between us as humans on this swirling planet earth. Compassion for our stumblings, for our untrained voices more beautiful than any trained one to my ears often, for our unique ways of moving and grooving.

I give thanks to you, Musers of Life, for continuing this journey of truth and prayerful celebration on Planet Earth thru music, dance and song. Thank you!

My Open Opened Heart

I can't help it, late at night after this medicine of Music Making, my heart is just so open and full with love and inspiration, my body is tired and full, and I want to share it, spread it around and ignite passion in the hearts of others to PLAY TOGETHER in this healthy and positive way.

Generations of beings, from 60-10 years old are sharing space together, praying around candles and sharing the depths of the human experience thru this practice. Voices carrying, real human voices, not altered, reverbed and fixed up to sound "perfect" but real true voices of all facets of human expression: sadness, fear, exhaustion, stress, joy, goofiness, play, prayer.. it's all showing up every week in the practice of The Muse...

And I am so honored to have been asked this coming weekend to participate in an event @ CU that is promoting awareness of community sharings, talking circles, music making and the arts as an alternative to our youth to bars, fights and street violence. I am so touched...

And I am so tired.. sleep comes to me so much easier after a night like this when my heart is just wide open with love and compassion and the experience of witnessing and being witnessed in a creative, unique, shamanistic way with other beings of profound love...

Thank you to those who participate in this practice of mindfullness, this mediation of the soul, and this way of being together that goes beyond any other experience I've ever known in this life... the most real, tangible and profound sharings I've ever known..

Thank you.. from the bottom of my heart.

Sacred Sharing

Amazing heart sharings of songs created in the moment by ordinary real people given permission to explore and play

Super trancey, deep sharings of the soul come effortlessly when we are given permission to be real with our humanness

I know this as medicine, as food that keeps me sane and balanced in a world that seems determined to desensitize, disconnect and distract

When I think about the options for a night out: a loud DJ scene, get numbed out @ bars or with TV, try to talk (or avoid) to drunk people, another dinner at a restaurant, a class that directs my energy for me, telling me what to do when and how, a movie, surfing the net, checking email, going to sleep out of total over sensationalized exhaustion from doing, going, talking, working all day and feeling a little empty...

OR
being where I was tonite: in a sacred space, creating music in the moment with other people, feeling and knowing myself as part of something REAL, tangible and clear that isn't a show but a full merging of spirit, and form with other beings who are open enough to be exposed, witnessed and support others in that same space..going to bed feeling inspired, lifted, grateful and totally amazed by witnessing other beings... wow..like I am now, and EVERY WEEK after th Muse session..

There is no contemplation on which is a more rewarding option for me: it's like saying do you want Intimacy and truth OR Sensationalism and Illusion... do you want to be Blasted by music that is unhealthily loud OR Embraced and softened by Ineractive Sensitivity...where the musicians will ACTUALLY RESPOND TO YOU, WITH YOU & FOR YOU? Do I want to watch the show or BE the EXPERIENCE ITSELF.. Hmm... ???

No brainer for me... Obviously that's why I keep showing up to do this Magical Mystical Muse Experience, & hold the space week after week...

Don't get me wrong.. all things have their place.. techno, DJ's and bars included.. and I'm not putting them down: Once in a while I even like to go to those places/events myself... I'm only suggesting that thru the obsession and exclusiveness of that "way" we are losing touch with some integral and powerful part of the human experience that is really the foundation for all of it.. Before electronica, and nightclubs was music circles, fire circles, drumming, dancing... they are the total root of where we are now, it's always been music that's brought people together.. only now most of what we are hearing isn't really live, there's no direct and real interaction between the musicians and the dancers.. (obviously I'm talking about electronica here, not bands). Music has become more of a spectator sport than a participatory community experience that connects people and empowers people to sing, and be part of the creation...

Well..for those of you in Boulder.. you may not know what you miss every Wednesday night from 9-11 PM, so you may not even miss it.. but I can tell you there is some really sweet and powerful magic happening, totally different every week... There is a beautiful and intimate community forming that is creating something very unique in these times where people have, for the most part, forgotten that making music, telling stories and being humans together is a NATURAL EXPERIENCE...

If you haven't made it yet, or have been away for a while... come play with us.. you might just find something you didn't know how much you were missing... YOUR SELF... and a transcendental experience of the human beingness that goes beyond words...

Consider this a formal invitation.. if you're not in Boulder, find a space and invite people to come play in it with you, get funky, get creative, get OPEN, pray, dance, sing, tell your stories, and turn off the stereo and the super loud stuff and listen to the sweet still space between the beats and between the moments, hear the breath of each other, the sounds of the night breathing with you, the songs you never knew were in you... the ancient voices, the future prophesies...

Do it.. it's the oldest most ancient art form and it's being lost and forgotten to techno and bars...

It's worth considering: Once in a while, give yourself the chance to experience the natural essence of music, acoustic, and co-created in community... this is the roots of all of it... truly... don't forget..and teach the children..

See ya in the Dreamtime..

Boulder: Wednesday nights 8:45 PM-10:30: The Magical Mystical Muse Experience: Sacred Improv Jam space for everyone