Meditation, Inspiration, Restoration

It’s Sunday. Supposed to be a day of rest- which it was. But it also was a day of creative ideas and the inspiration to start something new. It’s easy to mark the time when I begin anew on a Sunday. I received the inspiration in my meditation yesterday to begin a self-guided restorative retreat today. Minimum 28 days but may go to 40 days. What I’m getting is that the retreat itself will be 28 days but I am going to do a 40-day yoga practice. I have been around people almost constantly for the past 3 months and have hardly been at home at all. In the past few days I am beginning to get reacclimated to being in my own space… by myself. The first two days I was totally exhausted from all I have been doing over the past 3 months and didn’t feel like doing anything, plus there was some personal family stuff going on that was taking quite a bit of my time and attention.

I made some good soups a couple of days ago because I had been traveling and there are so many cases of breakthrough Covid. I wanted to be ready in case I got it so I bought some chicken and made a beautiful batch of bone broth yesterday as well as some delicious cauliflower vichyssoise.

And now it’s Monday… I am looking back at yesterday- my inspiration and activity. It felt like I did so much stuff on Day One of my Restorative Retreat! Here are some of the things that are to be included in my retreat and the forms they have taken thus far. A creative activity- yesterday it was painting. Plus playing guitar, piano and drumming- all of which also fall into the soundwork category which is to be included each day. Healthy food, cleanse, diet plan… am presently preparing to do a liver flush in a few days so eating lightly- although meals are always a creative endeavor for me to some degree- and drinking a quart of organic apple juice each day for a minimum of 6 days to prepare for flush. (I will probably do 9 days.) I also made two short videos- one of me playing the piano which was just for my brother who gave me his old keyboard and a two minute video of me playing the Himalayan singing bowls just before bed- a little kiss goodnight to my friends.

I spent hours looking at some old videos from the Sound Body Center last night and posted one on YouTube, which isn’t really ready for viewing til I put the follow-up ones on there- they’re basically a sort of triptych. They’ll go together in 3 parts. I did about 45 minutes of kundalini yoga and some meditation and photographed butterflies. One of my sons gave me a beautiful digital Nikon camera a few years ago and I have had major trouble getting the settings right. I gave up on it for a long time but I’m back, slowly figuring out how to get the best out of it- another project which I am determined to succeed at.

Today I created a designated workspace for myself, did some more photography, am in the midst of uploading another video to YouTube, played the piano and have been writing. I intend by the end of the day to also have done my yoga practice and worked on my painting.

I also received the inspiration of a body prayer yesterday- combining sound and movement. Once I have completed the video of it I will share it here. It is called The Embodiment of Sound.

Meanwhile, while I have been sitting here writing I have uploaded the other two videos I mentioned from the days of the Sound Body Center. As I said before there are 3 parts to it. I didn’t post the very first one but you can find it on my YouTube channel- the caveat is that the first three minutes are a lot of talk and not much drumming so you may want to skip over some of it! I find it entertaining but you might not! The first one posted here has some great drumming with Fred Johnson and Jay Klein and the second one is Fred and I jamming together. They’re fun. So nice to revisit the sonic space of love and connection that was created there!

Gradient Expansion

Last week I received a shipment of 200 CD’s- mine! My son, graphic designer Joshua Hardisty of The Midwest Visual Agency suggested a collaboration after hearing some sound journeys I had recently recorded in a couple of different studios. We both carry a procrastinator gene but somehow working together worked well for both of us. We were excited and inspired and, once we decided which tracks to use, we pulled it all together in a matter of 2-3 weeks. I did the music. He did the cover design.

It’s on this website if you go to “Shop” and soon there will be more in there! Like the really cool tote bags that Joshua also designed (the purple ones were my idea) which right now you can see on his webpage. He wrote a really great article about the design process HERE. I love that I got to collaborate with my son! In fact that may have been more exciting than creating the CD in the end.

But this is not the end- there is definitely more to come!

Team Entrainment

It's bedtime- past my bedtime in fact. I was so tired two hours ago and happy that I would be getting to bed early... not! Too much to do, too little time!

It's also a full moon, the Strawberry Moon. I didn't know that until tonight but it so happens that I found a patch of strawberries in my woods a few days ago that look like cultivated strawberries as opposed tot he wild ones. It looks very much like at one time someone had planted a strawberry patch there which is now quite overgrown. This afternoon I went out and dug up a few of the plants and transplanted them into my garden. I hope they do well- the leaves are huge!

I saw my post about my inspiration experiment that I embarked upon after reading Patti Smith's book M Train. How long did it take me to forget all about it? The intention was to do one thing each day that inspires me. What did I do today? I gardened. I transplanted strawberries.  I also accidentally turned on a piece of music on my phone when I had my earbuds in. Team by Bon Iver. My immediate reaction was to turn it off- unlike 40 years ago, I have no interest in listening to music with headphones or earbuds any more. But it came on... and before I could turn it off it grabbed me. And I was moving to the music within seconds. This is it. A lesson in rhythmic entrainment. It seems a little abrasive to me listening to it this way- it was great with earbuds!

Riding the Wave

One of the many blessings in being human is that we experience inspiration. Yesterday, for me, it was the millions of men and women- and children!- around the world who joined together to drown out Donald Trump's boorish and self-centered voice in one united voice speaking out for the rights of ALL people- all races, all religions and all genders. We ALL have a right to be heard and to be treated with equality, kindness, respect and dignity, and a responsibility to treat others in the same manner. I cruised on that energy all day yesterday and today. It is a phenomenon. It is a movement, a joining of minds, hearts and wills, that we haven't seen since the sixties.

I am also very much aware that Donald Trump's energy is so huge and so frightening to so many people, myself included, that he has brought people out of the woodwork to speak out, to shout back, to say that we will not quietly lay down and disappear or go to sleep. I think he has awakened a giant. I wonder if he knows what he is in for!

And then, just a little while ago, I received a totally different sort of inspiration from a simple video that showed up when I logged into my Squarespace page. John Malkovich- a simple 3-minute video that feels timeless. It is exquisitely filmed and he is such an enigmatic person that it was captivating. There is also a short excerpt from a song that was so beautiful I had to track it down. I am posting both of those videos on this page.

In the end, what I am left with is a feeling of such deep gratitude for the range of emotions that we get to experience in this amazing journey that we call life and this incredible inspiration that has been driving force me over the last two days. Of course it is there for me a lot in varying degrees, but today it feels like I am riding a wave.

Enjoy the videos!

God I AM

This morning I saw a post from my friend, sound healer and yogini Alessandra Montana, which spoke of the power of mantra and read "I am Divine Love." I was reminded of a dream/vision I had some years ago when I was reading Gary Renard's book The Disappearance of the Universe. I was told at the time, in these exact words "Remember only this: God I AM Divine Love."

There are times it is easy to remember- and there are times it is easy to forget. Lately I have been forgetting a lot. I had a series of pretty major day-to-day issues in the beginning of this month that I needed to deal with and resolve which threw me a bit- all of which had a specific deadline which happened to be the same day for each. I don't tend to be an anxious person but I literally found myself having frequent heart palpitations and taking a lot of Rescue Remedy!

And now we have the upcoming election- sounds ridiculous, right? When we are talking about Truth and Divinity... but on the mundane level these things (and this one in particular) become so big and so highly charged and I have found myself so distracted and reactive- and not liking the way I feel at all. On top of it, I have actually gone on the computer to write in this blog several times in the last few weeks and suddenly found myself totally derailed by the emotional environment surrounding the current issues.

So I was very grateful for this morning's reminder. I have been working on sort of an experiment lately which relates to all of this, but having minimal success with my commitment. It began after reading Patti Smith's book M Train which blew me away. I felt, after reading her book, that she is someone who lives and is guided by her inspiration. She simply does the things that inspire her, whether it's buying a ramshackle cottage on the beach in Rockaway or sweeping and planting flowers at the grave of Haruki Murakami or one of her other beloved authors, philosophers, musicians or daydreamers. I loved that this is how she lives and was so touched by it that I decided to begin my own Inspiration Experiment and do at least one thing every day that inspires me. (Inspire (v.) in Middle English also was used to mean "breath or put life or spirit into the human body; impart reason to a human soul." ~Etymology Online~)

The truth is that this is how I try to live my life. I do work that I love and I have a radical gratitude practice but even with that... I forget. I just plain forget and I am off trumpeting against Trump, railing against divisiveness and inequality... but when I am railing AGAINST, what am I doing? Am I in gratitude? Am I in appreciation? Am I in remembrance and commitment to the truth? No. Really, no. I am in just plain old forgetfulness. So I will thank Trump and the Trumpeteers for reminding me to remember- that all the attack I perceive around me comes from MY MIND and when I remember to change my mind the world around me changes.

"True learning is constant, and so vital in its power for change that a Son of God can recognize his power in one instant and change the world in the next. That is because, by changing his mind, he has changed the most powerful device that was ever given him for change." (A Course in Miracles, Text, Chapter 7, Paragraph 7)

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Inspired by Flames and Frequencies

Funny that I was thinking about glass instruments tonight. A beautiful glass chime made by Josh Poll from Zen Glass in St. Petersburg, FL broke tonight in a very strong wind. I've had it for years. It has actually withstood hurricanes, but for whatever reason, it couldn't stand up to Hermine.

A friend of mine who I haven't heard from in a couple of years sent me this amazing video today. It is totally brilliant- and has definitely given me some great inspiration! Enjoy
 

Magic, Mystery and the Removal of Obstacles

Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles

Yesterday my car broke down outside a repair shop. It looked like I needed a new transmission. The long shot was that they would change the transmission fluid and the filter and hope that would do the trick. Today the mechanic called and confirmed that yes, I did need a transmission and he was trying to find a used one for me. Eventually he found one but it would take 5-7 days to get it. It would also cost me around $1300 plus another $400 or so for labor. Definitely changed my plans.

Soooo.... I called my friend on The Farm and discussed my situation with her. She was able to change the two scheduled Sound Journeys and postpone them til the weekend so I decided I would rent a car and go there a few days later than I had planned. (I use the word "plan" loosely- this whole opportunity only came up a little over a week ago!) I figured the money I made there would at least offset some of the cost of the repairs.

My car was dead, for all intents and purposes, and would hang out at the repair shop until the transmission came in, which was being shipped from who knows where.

Then, at 6 pm tonight, Preston the mechanic called and said my car seemed to be running fine and I should come down there and pick it up and drive it around for a bit and make sure it was okay. He said he was trying to move it from inside the garage to the parking lot where it would sit until next week. He got in the car to start it up and had a couple of guys in front of the car pushing it while he put it in reverse. At first the car didn't want to move and so he hit the accelerator hard and suddenly it sputtered or something and went into reverse! He ended up driving it into town to check it out and whatever the problem was seemed to have cleared up. The only thing he could think of was that there must have been some kind of gunk that had gotten caught up in the transmission. The filter had a big hole in it, so maybe it was actually the missing piece of the filter. Whatever it was, it's now gone. Maybe Ganesha, the Remover of Obstacles, was having a little fun with me!

I got two extra days of R&R with Mahesh and Mukta and Thursday I leave for The Farm! Mahesh and Mukta are both longtime yogis and Mukta is an incredible painter so I get great inspiration while I am here.

Here are some of Mukta's beautiful paintings...

Mum, John McDowell and Couch to 5K

Two years ago, about this time of year I started Couch to 5K. I only had six workouts to go when my beautiful mama got so sick that I just wanted to spend every minute I could with her and I stopped running. She passed away at the end of that summer. Winter came and then I severely injured my left foot, so last summer I never got back to my jogging routine.

Today I went out for my first Couch to 5K workout- Week 1, Day 1! I am so happy to get back to it. I wake up thinking about it almost every morning but today was the first day I actually rallied and got my butt out the door. I listened to the marvelous and inspirational John McDowell (appropriately titled "Speaking the Mamma Tongue") while doing my walk/jog/walk routine. It was a joy and I feel like I started my day off on the right note!

Integrating Inspiration

I have had a long and fruitful day today which started off with a 3 1/2 hour meeting today with Lisel Woods, enterpreneur and small business consultant, discussing marketing strategies for my business. Nice that she is a devotee of Seth Godin! It has been so enjoyable meeting with her and getting some fresh perspectives and inspiration in thinking about ways to move forward. One of the ideas that came to me today was to offer 3-day sound immersion workshops for practitioners. They would be very small groups, a true intensive, for no more than 6 people at one time.

I am feeling very inspired but also very tired so tomorrow I will unravel some more of the inspiration that came to me today. I think I need to sleep on it-I feel like I will be able to integrate more of it with eyes closed!

Me resting on the Athena Table- a sound table with speakers built into it made by the Somatron Corporation- I am actually lying here listening to some great music (Tulku by Jim Wilson), feeling the vibrations through my whole body!