Upcoming Events & Updates

This week: Don't forget

Awakening the Wild Woman Within

AND

Evolution of the Drum Circle & Alchemuse Drum & Dance Celebration at Double Rainbow Ranch

Hope to see you there!

I leave for my NE Tour on Sunday, off to

Drum & Splash in PN
Starwood Festival in OH
Syrius Rising in NY
Summerland in NY

and more...

Keep in touch and The Muse Network is coming very soon, so stay posted and start sending me resources, links and events to post on the Muse Network for you until we are ready to launch it fully to the world!

Unity Women Empowering Women

Last night's Unity of the Gardens Women Empowering Women's group proved to be a very special evening. Of course, it always is a special evening when we get to come together to play, dance, sing and share ourselves with each other, but the women who came last night to the event held some touching stories and I felt that the medicine that the Muse brought forth last night will be forthcoming for some time to come in their lives.

The Unity of the Gardens Women Empowering Women group meets once a month, and I had been selected to be the presentor for the May event.

The word got out about the drumming and in addition to the Unity Churh women who were regular attendees to this event, a group that wasn't at all connected to the church showed up from a home where women go to recover and rehabilitate from addictions and abuse. I was immediately touched by their openness and humble soft spirits. We talked about how the quest for God and divinity is the real driving force behind many addictions and they had a lot to ask me about meditation and other practices to work with the mind and body healing they were in the midst of.

These women are facing and moving through their darkness with a kind of courage and willingness that comes from the place of surrendering into new strength. Most of them had never experienced a drum circle, or anything like a Muse experience in their lives. They ranged in age from 19-50ish and I could feel that some of them had some pretty intense stories they were working to re-arrange in their own heads, hearts and selves and I felt so grateful that spirit had brought this group to be a part of this nite.

As always, the circle opened with intention, followed by some moments of quiet reflection to ground and relax, and just seeing them soften, their shoulders relax and their breathing unite was a gift to experience in and of itself. I know for a few of them the whole experience was like stepping into some bizarre field of whackiness, and I could feel the trepidation within them at the onset. In spite of it, they were brave enough to be open and I watched them soften, laugh, smile, and free themselves little by little, more with each excercise we did!

And seeing them after the circle closed, looking softer and more radiant, feeling how much more connected they were to each other, and the opening that I could feel and see in their hearts was the sweetest gift I could have and reminded me once again of why I love this work. I am so grateful and humbled to be sharing this in this world!

Thanks to the women of Unity and all who came last night for sharing yourselves and being brave and fearless in the great unknown.. and finding your joy there waiting for you!

The Evolution of the Drum Circle: Jupiter, FL

May 13, 2010

Being back in Florida is such a sweet experience of homecoming, love, community and support and I feel so grateful for what is happening here. Clearly there is a strong current of consciousness, community and even sustainability that is emerging here which inspires me and warms my heart to it's depths.

Last night at the Corners Drum Circle, in Jupiter, I found myself surrounded by old friends from highschool, and my other visits and years in Florida, but also by a familiar energy of love that is common in drum circles around the world. Something about being together in this way, transparent, real, and exposed to the circle around us creates a vortex of love and connectivity that even if we don't speak, we share.

All ages of people from 15 to 65 were there, dancing, grooving, drumming and relaxing together. I am so inspired and so touched to see this circle as well as the Sheppard Park circle in Stuart which I was one of the original members of in it's early years almost 15 years ago. To see the committment of some of these people who I know have been holding it down for all of these years, and their inner personal growth through the process only adds fuel to my inspiration to continue to do the work I am doing and feel passionate about with community music making!

n talking with some people last night, I feel to share more about what this is, and why I'm doing it!

The Evolution of the Drum Circle workshops are designed to be a combination of discussion and the application of skill sets to help existing communities improve their circles, build more solid and interesting rhythmical and musical foundations and ultimately bring the individuals in the group together more as a collective whole functioning as one instrument played by many hands!

The idea is that the more we communicate openly about what is working, and what could or might be able to work better in the circle, the more we share, reflect and talk in a safe space with no judgements, the more we grow and evolve as a community. By sharing in concepts and dialogue and learning together some basic practical skills and applications of working energy and cooperating in the circle, the more exciting, rewarding and fulfilling our community drum circles can be for us as individuals and as a community.

Please feel free to email me with any questions. My sincere intention is that the community leaders and those who frequent drum circles will come to share and grow together, for YOU are the ones that the rest of the community looks to as the model of what is expected, possible and acceptable even. What the drum circle offers us as a model for the new paradigm is tremendous in scope!


Seeing what is going on here in South Florida is an inspiration for me to continue to share and learn and grow with this beautiful community sharing!

I am so humbled to participate and so grateful for the opportunity.

Muse Power Feedback

"I have been reading your book each night, I am in awe, and you have created a new spark for me! It is funny how many of your philosophical insights into traditional rhythm and ceremony hold their place and are very important for cultural significance and the passing of history, lore, and tradition, etc., yet you also strongly emphasize the importance of creating music based on the unique energy of the group, the mesh of energy from a variety of individuals creating new music that is dynamic and based the combination of the individuals that are present. This is also what I believe. I know that often structure is important, but I have also heard and participated in some amazing circles that were grounded in no specific foundation; thus, Recreational Music Making, and allowing each individual to reveal their being, giving them the space to play, and honoring their effort, not judging their performance. The train must run away before it can find it's rhythm!"

Feedback from Mark Gibson, Western State College, Gunnison, CO

Muse Power Review in Conscious Dancer

"Craving something deeper?" asks Cheri Shanti. "Music heals us; music brings us together; music builds community; music is the universal language of all time, all space. This is your invitation!" In Cheri's eyes, each of us is capable of being a musician, and by doing so we can experience a greater sense of community, feeling of belonging,and the ability to overcome depression, anxiety and deep seated fears.

As shown throughout Shanti's own story and those shared in this book, the experiences of playing music, dancing, drumming and participatory music making can create mysterious openings and transformations in our lives. These opportunities allow us to explore our longing for human connection in ways that modern culture does not: Western society's usual space for tribal experience-the bar or nightclub-may capitalize on the vital human need to be together, but it capitalizes equally on disconnection, depression and anxiety. There is indeed a hunger for a deeper community sharing in a place more sacred than a bar.

Shanti offers insight into how to overcome our fears and "I can't do it" programming around the sacred and magical play of music-making so that we can bring it into our lives as a daily practice. No matter your experience level, "Muse Power" is likely to touch something in you and entice you to play, dance, sing and share.

Conscious Dancer, Volume 8, Fall Issue page 38

From Futureman & Ty Burhoe on Muse Power

Here's some feedback on Cheri's new book: Muse Power: How Recreational Music Making Heals us from Depression and the Symptoms of Modern Culture

"Cheri has created a rich and inisghtful book on the far reaching impact of music on today's society as well as it's importance to us as individuals. She has woven together, not only very provocative research and important facts about sound and psychology, but also her own moving experiences in one of the human race's most valuable resources: music."
Ty Burhoe, Professional Tabla Player, Student of Zacchir Hussein

"I have taught drums with Cheri on several occassions and this book is great as I feel that I can continue learning from Cheri. Cheri has such great energy and brings such a unique blend of feminine insight, power and passion to the art of drumming. Muse Power reminds us of the healing power of music as a way of building community and relationships. I love drumming, community and relationships and so does Cheri! Thanks Cheri, I love what you are doing! Bravo on creating this great educational journey."
Royel, "Futureman" Wooten of the Grammy Award Winning Band, The Flecktones

"Cheri definitly channels the powers of the muses when she performs as a singer, or leads the circles of ecstatic percussion. This book is yet another manifestation of her incredible and beautiful energy: a welcome contribution to the growing testimony to the healing magic of music."
Cameron Powers, "Musical Missions of Peace"

Buy your copy today at http://www.cherishanti.com/products and bring Cheri to your community to share the power of rhythm, music and community building!

The Power of the WItness in Music Making

Moving in perfect stillness as my feet are hitting the floor in perfect rhythm, I look out into the audience and my heart is spilled open once again by the presence of these dancing, free spirits moving to the groove of the band I'm playing with, Onda from Boulder. It's always intoxicating to me, always completely consumes me to stand witness to the experiences of others in their movement knowing that they too are seeing me and what we are exchanging is of such a unique and profound quality in today's world of computer screens and techno blah blah.

It is my inspiration. It is the food that feeds my ever growing heart of compassion and connection to others. It is the fabric of my existence somehow, this experience of the witness being witnessed, simutaneously holding others as I too am being seen in my truest essence. There is so much grace and power in what happens when we are grooving together, when eyes meet, and there is acknowledgement of one for the other. Be it in our pain, our glory, our passion, our sensuality, our frustration... somehow music makes us transparent, it brings us back fully into the shared experience of our humanness.

Drumming together, singing together, dancing together are all forms of music making. We are in the groove, our bodies and hearts and minds become synchronized on a whole different level when we are in that state. We can get past the mundane and for those moments we can see each other without judgement, without any dilution of the personality, without words. For me, this is total freedom, and I feel that those who know me best, know me thru the Muses. They've heard me play the passion of my soul, they've seen me cry in the middle of a song or fall on my knees on the ground and pray thru the grace of tears as the hardness of the world melts me, they've seen the truth of me which shines far brighter in the Muse. And, likewise, when I see someone in their groove, suddenly I get a true glimpse of the depth of their hearts, I feel and see their pain, their struggles, and their victories. It is as if the lens of music allows for a total removal of the filters our overactive minds try to work in too much of the time! We are free, we are whole, we are completely ourselves.

I am, as always, blessed to participate! What a joyous and amazing life journey it is to be a musical being who has chosen to participate.

Interview with Cheri Shanti on the Benefits of Musing and More

From March 2008 Interview with Jeremy Brieske

Click on the title of the post to hear the interview.

This is a little late in getting posted, but should provide good info for those of you wanting to know and understand more about the benefits of Music Making and the Muse works I offer for retreats and communities.

Gives a little insight on me too!

Dolphin Love

Had the most amazing opportunity while in Costa Rica, thanks to my good friend, Cameron Powers who made a connection happen, to play drums for dolphins! WOW.. so fun, so sweet and so beautiful to feel their hearts connecting to us. Thanks to Marta & Craig for making it possible for us to experience such joy and bliss on the sweet Pacific seas.

As a young girl growing up in Florida, I have had many dolphin experiences. My dad and I were always in the boat and there were always dolphins close by it seemed, a few times they even came down into the canal in our back yard which was super cool. I have memories of their love filling my heart that go back to those days, and the heart space they inspire has never changed or diminished. Last year I got to see them near Kauai and the Big Island, this year Costa Rica. It's fun to know they love to groove too!

Enjoy the video and pass it on!

PREFACE to Cheri's Book by Cameron Powers

Cheri Shanti’s musical path and mine have followed some very similar
trajectories. I was very honored when she requested that I write this
preface. My evolution as community musician has culminated in
the creation of a non-profit organization called Musical Missions
of Peace which raises funds to carry community music-making into
international arenas. My non-profit organization has recently helped
fund an American woman to travel through Iran, sowing the seeds of
connection and friendship by joining in village festivals across the
Persian countryside.

Musical Missions of Peace also currently supports music lessons for
Iraqi refugee children which in Syria and in Jordan. These schools
provide employment for displaced professional Iraqi musicians and
help ensure that the valuable content of ancient Iraqi musical tradition
is not lost during these times of upheaval.
My community music engagements have ranged from Native
American festivals in Peru and Mexico, to Greece and finally, during
recent years, to Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon.
My years of study of the ancient micro-tonal music scales and the
music of the Arab world have enabled me to feel a sense of belonging
in many far-flung community settings in the Middle East. Ah, if only
the politicians could experience some of these same things!
Early in life I spent years in counter-cultural communes across the
Western states in the USA and I led many live music events when it
was time to celebrate.

I have had the great pleasure to join with Cheri in some of her Colorado-
based community “Muse” and “Fire Ceremony” celebrations and have
been delighted to feel the powerful energy and clarity of vision which
she brings to each occasion.

Baghdad, Iraq: Unified by a favorite old Iraqi song we stand and
move our bodies together while the high-rise buildings burn and
the invading army tanks drive by. Musical reality is more cohesive
than military reality. This is what I have discovered. When will the
soldiers lay down their guns and pick up the flutes and the lutes and
the tambourines? The ancient wisdom tells us that this option does
exist! It works for us here on the streets of Baghdad: we are American citizens singing with Iraqis here in the ancient Iraqi capitol even as we
all mourn the destruction.

In this book, Cheri reveals her experiences drumming with women
in India and we discover that there are indeed other tools for cross-
cultural commuication which, unfortunately, are generally omitted
from US foreign policy around the globe. Connecting through the
universal language of music offers us familiar and respectful ways to
bridge worlds.

Sina, Peru: Tucked into a village in a valley high on the slopes of the
Andes above the Amazon jungle the Inca-speaking families are into
the third night of the celebration. Clapping their hands for rhythm in
their dance they sing of the loneliness of the vast mountain landscapes.
They sing of the pain of lost loves and of the hopes for new romance.
Eusevio Qispi has planted the cornerstone for his new house! Tears
come as he sings in anticipation of the arrival of his new bride! No one
mentions the one awkward detail: he has yet to succeed with romance
and the bride is entirely imaginary. But never mind! Four days and
nights of singing and clapping the village rhythms will surely help to
conjure her up!

Cheri’s elucidations of the roles music plays in tribal societies around
the world make it clear that brides can indeed miraculously appear
when the right music is played long and sincerely enough!

West Bank of the Nile, Egypt: The piercing wails of three ancient oboes
ride atop the skilled drum-strokes on the skin of the big bass drum.
Dressed in their white robes the village men whirl at opposite ends of
their ceremonial dancing sticks. The flavor of a martial art stylizes the
dance. There are no gaps in the music between midnight and dawn.
Once again all turmoils and struggles have been laid to rest for an
entire night. From time to time a woman dances solo in the center of
the courtyard beneath the appreciative gaze of the assembled men. All
is just as it should be. The atmosphere is absolutely Egyptian! Eight
thousand years of ancestral rhythmic tradition manifests once again
and carries our energy up into the sky!

In this book we discover that Cheri has been laying the same foundations
for rhythmic tradition right here in the USA! Her work offers a place
for us here in the US to find this kind of experience, a place to lay down the struggles and turmoils of the world and be together, in spite
of our differences, and celebrate life in community.

Naxos, Greece: Tonight the island drummers and musicians have
congregated in a small town near the northernmost Mediterranean
beach. While the lines of dancers revolve under the moon a wave of
energy carries the energy to new highs: the rhythm has suddenly shifted
from seven-beat phrases to eight-beat phrases! Without a single break
the band plays until past dawn. Dancing all night is something taken
for granted as a natural human right!

Cheri’s clear statements about the strangeness of some of the still
existing rules about MUSIC “disturbing the peace” here in our
homeland can help us bring about changes in values. There are few
cultures in the world where music making on a community level are
so restricted, repressed and devalued as it is in the US. The freedom
to gather and play music, anytime, anywhere is not something we are
familiar with in the US.

Sinaloa, Mexico: It’s now four o’clock in the morning in a small
mountain town. A group of fifteen guitar players serenade the
crowd from the front porches of randomly chosen homes along the
neighborhood streets. The highly amplified dance band in the central
plaza has finished for the night. Now there is acoustic space for random
improvisation! This village has truly come alive!
Here, as in most of the indigenously intact cultures in the more
tropical parts of the world, the music is “by, for and of” all the age
groups in the community: the children, the teenagers, the adults and
the grandparents.

In this book you will find beautiful descriptions
which hint at the beauty of this reality, although, as one of her quoted
contributors mentions, you really had to be there!

Deep in the Grand Canyon: The rhythm fever is upon us! Anything
will do: we extract whatever pots and pans and jars and cans we can
find from the cooking gear on our tethered rafts. Spoons make great
drum sticks! Which parts of our primal identities will emerge during
the next few hours of frenzied playing? High moonlit rocky crags stand
sentinel for the duration of the night. Musical moments are punctuated
with the sights and sounds of ecstatic human bodies diving into the
fast-moving river waters of the Colorado. Everyone swims back more. The next day there is a special satisfaction in the air.

In her chapter on the glamorization of popular music, Cheri gives
our young folks some encouragement for personal participation in
the communal creation of rhythm and music even as we observe the
trends toward electronica.

Amman, Jordan: Thirty Iraqi refugees gather in a friend’s apartment.
Dinner is shared but then the drums and instruments come out of their
cases. As the rhythms bubble out of their fingers onto their drums,
the refugees burning questions around basic survival gradually recede
from the forefront of consiousness. Someone has begun to sing. An
ancient stringed instrument, the Arabic lute, is in the hands of a skilled
player. Drums begin the accompaniment. A violin appears. Five hours
later the dancing and singing are still in full swing. Spoken words and
conversation will have to wait for another time. Now we are in a space
made sacred by the rhythms of the ancient muses of the Mesopotamian
Tigris and Euphrates river people!

What are the glues and fabrics of cultural identity which can hold
people together even in extreme times of disruption and catastrophe?
Cheri examines the trends in music teaching in American schools and
makes some clear-cut suggestions.

Boulder, Colorado: Seventy-five dancers reach the stage of screaming
and singing out their ecstasy. Four percussionists are here in the
ballroom well into the second hour of rhythmic ebb and flow. The
sound is live and no amplification is needed. The drummers and the
dancers adjust the tempo and no electronic tracks are included. A
wave of refreshment rolls through our consciousness as we celebrate
our freedom from the usual electronica. Cheri Shanti is one of the
drummers.

What do all these scenes have in common? Music is flowing. Love is
flowing. Bonding is happening. No one is divided. No one is separate
or left out! No one has reason for plotting or trickery. We are all
one. Even aging bodies feel pain-free and young again! The elixir of
communal music is being served by these drummers and musicians
who have evolved to become the local shamans and priestesses. The
ancestors are having their say and harmony has been achieved. What
a magnificent model for the rest of life!

Honoring the Stillness

Last night's muse was so symbolically sweet! As one of the last nights of winter, as the sweetness of spring is approaching, the energy was still, quiet, deep, contemplative and reflective. The sharings of stillness were profound! Just hearing each other breathe, sigh and relaxing deeply without any need to do anything was a soothing reminder of our connection, and an honoring of winter's teachings!

Grace in these shared moments permeates the room, and every person present. It was as if the exhaustion of winter was running thru us, and we were willing to be spent together in that space, willing to succomb to death in the moments just before rebirth!

Thank you to those present for honoring the stillness in yourself, and together as a community.

Sweetness!

Excerpt from Chapter 4: The Glamorization of Music & Decline of Music Making in Western Culture

“What is happening to raw music? Some people would rather listen to techno than create raw music. The very magic of synchronizing group music and dance is going away. A lot of tribal dance was dancing the same steps to create togetherness with the raw backbeat and magic that only drums, flutes, bells, stings, and singing can create. Dancing to a computer can never be the same to me. “
Johnny, Denver, CO

Making music together has shifted from a community sharing to a profession that has alienated the larger community from a very real and basic human experience. It has become a lost art form, something “scary” for non-musicians or “ordinary” people, and unfamiliar even to trained musicians in any out of context way. Many trained musicians can’t improvise, don’t know how to play from the moment or their heart. In this shift, we have lost something very valuable and indescribable. We’ve lost an inclusiveness, an openness and a willingness to “play” with each other, and in that, there has been a loss of intimacy and connection. The musical experience is more and more now dictated by the performer or DJ, more or less, and the opportunity to experience true group expression thru chanting, music making and story telling is more or less non-existant in the vast majority of bars, nightclubs or music venues. Music has become far more of a spectator sport and a commercial venture than a simple sharing of the human spirit. In my perspective, the commercialization of music is a major contributor to an overall feeling of dis-empowerment in ordinary, everyday people in relation to their own connection with music. For many adults, music was maybe in their lives as children, but for one reason or another they gave it up before they left highschool and never touched an instrument after that. Perhaps they quit because they didn’t think they were “good enough,” or “serious enough” or maybe because there is this illusion that everything we do has to be for profit, and playing music “just for fun” isn’t enough of a good reason to do it when there are bills to pay and mouths to feed.

As a society, we are taught that we “Go and see” music, that there is an “appropriate” place to “go and see” music (bars, nightclubs, etc.), and that we have to “Pay” to see people “Perform” or “Pay” to have lessons for the priveledge of learning. The free sharing of information that happens in more traditional cultures with music, the passing on, generation to generation of rhythms, songs, dances and musical etiquette, just isn’t always prevalent in the western culture. It has been a progression over time of commercial interests, again need and greed on the part of artists, and corporations, and the seemingly always present concept of the western mindset that everything has a price and can be bought and/or sold. Music and the arts have suffered tremendously from this way of being as it has shifted the consciousness of creativity from one of a playful exploratory child to a business man making deals that please the audience.

It is difficult to really imagine, now for many of us, that there was a time when music wasn’t a commodity, a specialized “skill” or a game of money. There was a time, and it still exists in some tribal communities, that music was simply for the sake of music, a way of life and a part of life. It wasn’t relative if you had a “look” or not, or how much you could turn on the opposite sex, it didn’t matter what kind of clothes you wore or who you “knew,” and you didn’t need to know every mode, scale or methodology to be an active participant, whatever piece you felt to contribute, dance, story, song, drumming, was equally valued and appreciated as a part of the whole.

“Serious music, which sticks to the strict, life inhibiting rules of harmonics and the twelvetone system is not capable of creating a new culture." (Grandpierre) Both classical and contemporary music "expect the audience's pregiven consent and forebearance. There are no participants here, just performers and listeners. Fake 'folk music', beyond its commercial uses is only good for damaging the word 'folk' and for frightening as many people as possible away from true 'folk music' Let's add to this the sleep inducing hits of light/pop music and we can say that the overwhelming part of today's music is quite simply only good for exposing man to his own misery and for manipulating him so that he can be even more manipulated. The music that used to be so vigorous and alive that neither man nor animal could free himself from its magical power is now a disemboweled mammoth on tip-toes." (14, p. 24)
Grandpierre, Hungary


In general, in the 20th century, the mainstream culture in the west has gone deeply into the capitalism of music and away from the concept of music for the people, by the people thru this process of “glamorization” of music, the artists and the whole lifestyle around it. “The history of the American Music Industry is a disheartening one, which largely details the exploitation of artists and musicians by opportunists and those without the musician's best interests at heart.” (16) Rock, pop and hip hop in particular have created an idolization of a lifestyle that is for the most part (there are exceptions of course) a relatively unhealthy one that is overly glamorized and filled with drugs, alcohol, sex, guns, and vanity. Just watch a few minutes of MTV or VH1, or look in a pop magazine and see what is being portrayed to our youth and the entire population as “Cool,” and you can easily get a concept of what is being “sold” en masse to mainstream society and in particular to our youth.

I do recognize that there are artists who break this stereotype, I know several personally and greatly admire their inner resolve to set a good example in an industry that sets a lot of poor examples of integrity, community and self respect. The reality is those artists, overall, get a lot less media attention, and a lot less exposure to the people who really need to hear their messages and see their examples. Many of them are preaching to the choir really, performing for people who are already somewhat aware of their messages and in support of them. In the past few years, it seems there are more and more up and coming artists who are realizing the power they hold to influence their listeners and are making wonderful contributions to the world thru their arts. I look forward to the emergence of more of those beings. I also appreciate those elder artists, such as Bono, of U2 who are setting positive examples by using their influence, money and success to launch humanitarian projects and serve the world.

Possibilities for Transformation

Tonite I recieved great blessings in the sharings of many hearts all tuned to the chords of community.

I am inspired and touched to my core and somehow I am even more committed to this great work: the Alchemy of the Soul, and the Personality, and even more so the Great Alchemy of Global consciousness.

Each of us is such a vital piece of the whole. The transformation of consciousness that is emerging is doing it's dance in every person it seems. Some are more resistant than others, but still I see this magic working it's way into the heart and mind of each person. Something wonderful, magical and revolutionary is brewing up in the cosmic soup of consciousness, and we have a responsibility to step up, step in and do our part, to whatever extent it is possible. Not just for us, but for our children, and their children.

To invite, support and encourage those who have skills, resources and wisdom to connect, collaborate, and support each other whole heartedly is a crucial piece that we can all take part in. Encourage dialogue, encourage mutually beneficial relationships, talk to those people who you think are so "different" than you, and give an opportunity to find the common ground, give what you have and know that IT IS ENOUGH to make a difference.

We are in such desperate need of GOOD leadership on all fronts. We need more solid able minded beings who know how to move between the worlds and people who can help assist in the in between spaces. We are in need of more liasons between corporate consciousness and New Paradigm consciousness, we are in need of more sharing, more relating as humans, as friends on Planet Earth. We don't have to always agree with each other, or try to change each other, we can't get rid of "one" for the "other" but we can learn to honor, respect and find creative ways to let all voices be heard and respected!

The time now is for integration and exploring how we can dance together. Trying to fight the inevitable is just a waste of time and resources, but learning to utilize what's already in action and move within the matrix to shift energy is an invaluable skill in today's world, and will be increasingly so in the future! We all know, there is no "going back." There is only learning from the past and using that wisdom to guide us into new possibilities and openings. From here, we have to move much more consciously, with much more respect and contemplation into tomorrow's playground of possibility!

There is nothing "too hard" or "too much" for us! Humans have proven that over and over again, we can create ANYTHING we want! What do we want? Really, what do we want? If it's only money, or only stuff, we've missed the essence of life. I think for most people, it's more than that. In the depths of the heart's longing there is a call to help, to serve humanity, to do something that matters in the world, in whatever small or grande way, whether it be feeding our children, or feeding a hungry nation of children. We all have something to offer.

Remembering the grace and the sweetness of community, of family, of sharing the simple pleasures of life, good food, good conversation, fire, starlight, dancing and singing together. For me, that's the essence of life... the essence of love is sharing!

Great gratitude for this night, and this open inspired heart.

Excerpt from Chapter 9: Moving thru Chaos: Professional In Service to Community

Moving thru Chaos &
Professionals In service to the Community Spirit

It seems that there is a missing Link in the Community Music arena that I feel called to mention, and that is the integration of all levels, meaning in particular, those who have dedicated their lives to studying the intriciacies and subtleties of music, those who we call “Professional Musicians.” I personally know of many people who have had all or some part of their original inspiration come from drum circles and/or open community music jams. Some part of the experience opened them up to a part of themselves, or to their own potential, or maybe it exposed them to the magic of rhythm in community and how it feels to create an ecstatic experience with and for others. It was from that place that they got to where they are now being paid to perform, traveling all over the world performing with famous or semi-famous bands or as solo artists, with their own bands, etc. I can speak for myself in that drumming opened me up to discovering I could sing, and improv and make songs, etc. I now have recorded 4 CD’s, have my own band, and have performed all over the country as a solo artist: all of it was inspired by what I experienced in these raw, spontaneous sessions in different communities drumming, dancing and creating together.


A lot of my friends and colleagues who have left the Community Music scene to go into professional music talk about Chaos as a part of what pushed them out and away from wanting to participate in community music making. I can understand, as I am often challenged by it in my work and every time it comes up I have to find a creative way to accept it, honor it and move thru it. Chaos is a real part of the human experience, and how we deal with it or run from it is also worthy of examination. If we all just run from the chaos instead of working to bring order and harmony back from the edge of insanity, then the finer teachings that music has to offer will never be fully transmitted. If all those who master elements of Music (in any form) continue to abandon the chaos out of frustration, fear or not knowing how to move thru it, then how can this movement continue to evolve? And, how does that foster strength in community, or teach anyone anything? It may be a bit of a stretch here to say this, but it bears some metaphorical resemblance to ditching out on a child because they are too difficult to discipline. The wild, free abandonment that happens sometimes in Music Making is like the mentality of an undisciplined child who is just so lost in themselves and the experience of life that they can’t see past themselves!

I feel that those who have attained higher levels of proficiency and skill could greatly serve their communities by participating and helping to create solutions, modeling different aspects of musicality, and sharing what they’ve learned instead of just ditching their roots completely.

or running away because it’s too hard. This is not in any way to say that they shouldn’t step out into their professional callings and become the best they can be in their chosen expression! I just feel called to offer the possibility that by occasionally showing up and holding space in their communities on a more roots level, they can provide a source of deep inspiration, and set an example for what’s possible!

In my research, I found an example of this kind of thing in Hungary in the táncház movement. “This model involved strong cooperation between musicology experts and enthusiastic amateurs, resulting in a strong vocational foundation and a very high professional level. The involvement of experts meant an effort to understand and revive folk traditions in their full complexity. The movement revived broader folk traditions. Started in the 1970s, tanchaz soon became a massive movement creating an alternative leisure activity for youths apart from discos and music clubs—or one could say that it created a new kind of music club. The tanchaz movement spread to ethnic Hungarian communities around the world.” (Rolk hungary)

Inspiring a movement is a pretty exciting concept to me personally! I’m in! Imagine what could be inspired if the Professionals of Music actually returned to their roots on occasion and offered themselves in service to the community in a way that wasn’t about “Watch me perform” but was instead about, “Come on, let’s do this together!” The entire group would benefit, and that musician would receive so much love and gratitude for their sharing, and so much respect from their community of Music Making Lovers. I have a strong network of “Professional Musicians” whom I invite regularly to my community sessions in Boulder. Very few of them have ever come, not yet. I will continue to hold this vision in my heart that one day they’ll show up and together we can inspire and show possibilities that have yet to be fully experienced for many people, and maybe even start off a Revolution of music that I’ve been dreaming about for years, that is truly “For the people, By the people,” where everyone is empowered to express and to participate equally, where there are strong models of cooperation, listening, communication, dialogue, dynamics, play and mutual respect interwoven into the fabric of the Groove!

Raining the Tears of the World

God is dumping the seas upon our heads
Days and days of rain
Relentless
Like a flood pouring from the skies.

This island is drenched
Saturated
Soaked
Like I would be
Were it not for this screened
Roofed sanctuary

The rain comes thru
In little spatters
Spits on me and this screen

Sweet sounds
Water makes
Smacking big green tropical leaves
Thumping a constant drone
Like the raging seas
Smacking again and again
Into black, volcanic rock

It is night again
The Cokee’s sing still
With sheets of water pouring upon them
Still they sing
Finding each other
Thru the eternal watering

Rhythm songs
Frogs are masters
Echoeing above it all
They pierce the night
Melodies divine
Rhythm rhapsody ride

I love to listen
All night long
Sometimes it’s hard to sleep
I want to hear it all
To absorb it
To make it part of me

This place
Pure, Free, Abundant in Life
I want to merge with it
So I stay present thru the night
Listening in my dreams

The rain always comes again here
Breathing moments before it falls again
All night long
All day long
The rain is my solid companion

Barely above the wind and rain
The ocean roars
Loud in my ears, I breathe to it
In and out with the surf
Rhythmical
Always present
Always powerful
Wild, white water
Cascading against black rocks
I see it in here
From my bed
I see it
As part of me now

God is weeping the tears for a million lives lived
For those whose lands are filled with terror
Whose eyes may never see
The beauty that I know
In every moment
In every day

Even here
With the rain falling
Hard, fast and constant

Still
There is beauty beyond beauty

Excerpt from Chapter 1: The Lost Connection

Symptoms of a Lost Connection


“Outside of our skin
We can begin again
To Merge
To Touch
To Know Another as we can Know Self…
Reaching Out
Reaching In
I Begin Again….”
Cheri Shanti, 2002m

One of the truths of our time is this hunger, deep in people all over the planet for coming together into relationship with each other.”
-Mary Caroline Richards


It seems more and more when I share with my friends and family, there is this underlying feeling of being “overwhelmed” in life. Life is “crazy” or “too much,” or “I can’t keep up,” just seem to be normal every day phrases I hear everywhere I go. In the grocery store, on the phone with people I know, walking by someone on the streets, or in the café, I hear it everywhere. Life is moving fast, technology has us frying our brains with cell phones, computers, TV screens and constant bombardment from wireless frequencies in every café, home and public building, and the demands on our wallets are increasing faster by far than the wage increases. The media is filling us with images of death, destruction and global devastation and rarely reports anything positive that inspires us. Our world is at war, the future for our children is intense and scary, global warming is imminent and many of us seriously wonder if our government is indeed a democracy “By the people for the people.” The people are, for the most part, so overwhelmed by trying to survive that few notice or have the energy left to care, much less be active in trying to change things. Plenty of people feel and live in the reality of “Me against the world” in their minds and feel the effects of isolation and “individualism” to it’s extreme.

Depression, anxiety, and what I personally have begun to call “Overwhelm Syndrome” are increasingly common in all ages of people today and create an increased feeling of “aloneness” in those who suffer from it. The World Health Organization says that depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide, an estimated 5.8% of men and 9.5% of women world-wide will experience a depressive episode in any given year, and an estimated 121 million people world-wide currently suffer from depression. It is estimated that between 10-25% of children suffer from one or more mental illness today. Approximately 18.8 million American adults have depression and more than 19 million American adults have an anxiety disorder according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. One of the most commonly shared experiences in those suffering from depression, anxiety and overwhelm is the feeling of being “lonely,” or isolated, or the feeling of not fitting in with the way the “world is.” Breathing Space of Scotland says, “This comes with living in a world where certain "ways of being" have come to be expected. You might feel isolated if you cannot celebrate or show part of your identity.” In addition, a lack of opportunities to "get involved or “participate” contributes greatly to a sense of worthlessness, aloneness and isolation.

"All the lonely people, where do they all come from?" I just had to quote a well-known Beatles song. I share this feeling of being perplexed at the sheer volume of people who are dealing with feelings of intense loneliness and depression in America. I personally know dozens of people, with seemingly normal and fulfilling lives, who are taking medication for depression. These are only people I know PERSONALLY. I can only imagine what the statistics are for this country as a whole.

Twenty years ago, I rarely heard of depression. Now it is an American pandemic. I believe this phenomenon is a product of our society and overall mindset. We are conditioned from childhood to be fiercely individualistic and self-centered in order to survive. We are taught that the basis of a meaningful life is personal achievement. In many other societies the welfare of the whole community is the focal point, and cooperation is the means to the end. In American society, the success of the individual is most important, and competition is the means to the end. Deep and meaningful relationships (love) with other people are second at best on the list of our priorities. They are often never wholeheartedly sought and or given the extraordinary amount of time and effort we expend towards personal achievement. If they are developed, many often fade from neglect.
Loneliness and feelings of isolation are widespread in our society for a reason: We ARE lonely and isolated, if not physcially then emotionally. Our hearts won't lie to us, they hurt for a reason. They are being deprived of the most meaningful thing in this life at the expense of the most meaningless.”
Neville Palmer

As Neville makes clear, we don’t need a psychologist or sociologist to tell us that the modern world’s way of life has taken a toll on the human experience. We can all find examples of it’s effects in our lives if we look around even a little, or maybe, if you’re like me, I only have to look in the mirror some days to see it. We have lost, for the most part, a sense of community and of “belonging” to something greater than ourselves in the rush for survival and independence.

The good news is that depression, anxiety, community deterioration, lack of social participation and all of the conditions of modern culture, are able to be transformed on all levels with attention and intention. In my experience, it is the human connection that heals beyond any pill, drug, or procedure. It is the human connection that we have lost and it is the human connection that must be re-connected to move us forward.

Excerpt from the Upcoming Book: #1

Vibrations within
Cells dance beneath this skin
Myriads of orgasmic pulses create me
I am Life, moving in Harmony
I am Unity.
Spirals of perfect light
Cascading within my inner sight
I am Rhythm
I am the Cosmic Pulse in form.

I feel the Dum Dum of my heart beating, sending fluid, red, vibrant and nutrient rich thru the tunnels of veins and arteries that give color and life to the cells as they dance and tumble thru my blood.

I hear the sounds of my own body just being and I am amazed at the quiet symphony that I am on the inside.
I am even more amazed that not only can all of this be going on inside, all the time, thru each breath, but I can also experience and even create a whole other rhythmical reality on the other side of my skin. I can experience layers upon layers upon layers of vibratory awareness from the inside, out.

Going deeper still, I can go into the spaces between those beats of my heart and connect there with a silence so deep and far reaching it returns again to the One source of Creation, the Void, the Nothingness from which all is birthed thru a tremor in the cosmos. There, at the Source, I can receive inspiration for creativity. There, in the stillness before the spark of creativity, the inside world and the outside world merge, and breathe together, sharing the awareness of each other’s gifts and possibilities in divine rapturous union. There, in the stillness, in the quiet sanctuary of my own being lies all the potential of the universe waiting to be birthed thru my own unique expression.

Vibrations within
Cells dance beneath this skin
Myriads of orgasmic pulses create me
I am Life, moving in Harmony.

Muse Reflections

Once again I am humbled by the omnipotence of grace and sweetness in my life... such constant reminders, when I allow myself to SEE and FEEL the TRUTH of what is....

This past Muse: Prayers for Peace... brought tears of grace and gratitude... deeply moved and deeply touched... I remain in the afterglow of grace....

Soft burning fire light
Dancing candles
Deep haunting voices of every human expression
Joy, Grief, Passion, Searching, Yearning, Knowing, Ancient Songs
My own hands on Skin pulsing rhythms I never knew I knew
My own voice met by the voices of others
Passion making the Spine Tingle
Moments of Silence & Hearing the Breath of Each other...
More Voices Emanating from the Ethers
A Man swaying back and forth, hands lifted,
His voice that of an ancient angel lifted into the room
A woman echoing my own song, playing joyfully with the shared spirit...
Acknowledging Reflection For both of us
Two Young Girls Sitting by the Altar... one with a feather, one with sage.. staring intently into the candles..
Carrying the Prayers of Peace for all of us
Learning this Sacred Way to Share with their own Generation....
A Generation who will need them to Carry the Torch

Deep Respect Emanating from every pair of eyes:
We are timeless and beyond words in our hearts...
Two Lovers in the corner, fingers touching, embracing softly for a moment...
They are wrapped in the Arms of Sonic Bliss created by 15 Beings United in Expressive Alchemy
Tears of Gratitude hitting the floor beneath me while my body is Bowed in Deep Honoring at the Altar of Our Intentions
Ancient Crystals & Stones Absorbing Our energy: charged by our hearts..

Profound Presence of the Grace Of NOW always present
Humbled to Offer SOMETHING beyond my SELF
Humbled to Participate and Witness...
Looking around the Circle at the Joyful Openings of Each being present

Somehow we know each other better
We are More than we were Alone...
We are Unified in Intent and in ACCEPTANCE and Willingness to HONOR each other fully thru Musical Expression
Thru Witnessing
Thru Being

The Truth of our Selves

I thank you... mystical musers... I thank you from the depths of my heart and soul for allowing your SELF to shine and for gracing me with the opportunity to serve and hold the space for you to reveal and shine your self.....