The Mysteries of Sound & Creation

The night before last I woke up at 3 a.m. I had gone to bed very early so I decided to stay up for a while and listen to some spiritual discourse. I played a short video- maybe Rupert Spira? I don’t even remember what it was because this video came up right after and stole my mind!

If you want to gain a deeper understanding of the mysteries of sacred sound, I suggest you listen to this over and over. I have read some of the writings on sacred sound by Hazrat Inayat Khan and been deeply moved by them, but this transmission, with the beautiful sacred music in the background, is even more captivating and has the power to open the mind to an expanded awareness. It does exactly what the Sufis are masters at, entraining and elevating the consciousness through sound and breath. There is no need to understand the message intellectually- the fullness of the experience is embodied in the music, the sound of the voice and the words of the Master.

The Kindness of Friends (You Gotta Have 'Em!)

At this moment I am sitting in my chiropractor’s office in Murphy, North Carolina, feeling grateful for kind friends. Last fall I came in here one day with my back talking to me in a not very happy tone. As my chiropractor was questioning as to what might be aggravating it, I told her that I had been spending lots of hours sitting at my computer. It takes me a really long time to get things done on it at home because we have an insanely slow signal. She then offered, out of the blue, to let me come in and work out of her back office where they have high speed internet. Kind people- I have always enjoyed and appreciated coming here but I really feel like now they have become my friends.

Hmmm…I had no idea where this was going to go when I started writing a few minutes ago… but ah, yes… friends! Kindness… understanding… empathy… a listening heart… a hand to hold… someone to share a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, a good book… and laughter… always laughter…

Here are a few of my favorite songs about friendship. I remember the first time I heard Bette Midler’s song, “Friends”. I was at my brother Tim’s house in Vermont, probably about 14, maybe 15 years old, and some young hippie girl- no idea who she was- came in the house, sat down at the piano and launched into that song. I didn’t know who had written it or where it came from but it was wonderful and exquisite and exuberant and brought tears to my eyes… tears of joy- I think mixed with some longing for that wonderful energy of close friends. It wasn’t for a few months after that before I heard the actual album “The Divine Miss M” and was blown away by it and so happy to be able to listen to that wonderful song again, and again and again!

And of course, I have so many wonderful memories of Carole King’s song “You’ve Got a Friend” which was practically an anthem for my good friends and me as teeenagers in boarding school. It never gets old.

Enjoy!!!

Sonic Tonic

Oh dear, 4 months have gone by… but/and I have been busier in the past 3 months than in the past 3 years! Very grateful that people want to come together and learn in person again.

Why “Sonic Tonic”? The phrase came out of a workshop I was teaching in Tallahassee in June. I was talking about tuning forks, specifically the Biosonics Body Tuners, C-256 and G-384. I was explaining how they are essentially a tonic for the central nervous system and there it was- a sonic tonic!

To read more about how I discovered the power of these tuning forks click here.

Update: I was just scrolling through my archives and found another update on how the tuning forks helped my mother. Click on this link to read it: Tuning Mom.

Swells in the Ocean of Emotion

It’s one of those days… a beautiful sunny Sunday, warm in my house, sun pouring through the window into my living room. It’s a day for lighting candles, smudging, burning incense, taking in the purifying scent of Agua de Florida and palo santo- a day for cleansing and purifying. I am feeling quiet and vulnerable- in a good way. I had a dream about my brother Tim last night, and two nights before that as well. Somewhat randomly yesterday I came across a series of emails that we had shared during the period of time when our mother passed almost ten years ago on various topics.

I am feeling him close by today, as well as the presence of other dear ones who also passed in recent years- my beloved Henry, my eldest sister Jenny who died just two days after him, dear friends Shin Ae and Amber who both were gone way too soon- two young, powerful, brave, extraordinary women- both of whom had a huge impact on my life. And of course my parents- my mother, and my father who passed 40 years ago this May.

I cam across this beautiful poem when I opened Facebook today- written by my friend Peter Blum in memory of some of his own tribe. It spoke to me through my tears- good tears, memories of sweetness and love- and I share it with you.

December Dream
Around me the dead have risen
Look! Their parachutes of hope
open
in just the right places
Umbrellas, balloons, feathers, clouds
multitudes of curious transport
pull them through the night
with just the right traces
Resurrected memories of nameless
timeless ancestral entities
Chills of premonition.
My heart beats faster
I cannot quite make out
the faces.
-Peter Blum-

Henry’s warm smile…

At Mum’s 90th birthday with my two siblings, Jenny and Tim- November 2, 2011.

Mum, showing off the hat she had just decorated!

Radiant Shin Ae…

Listening To The Sound Of Silence

A few nights ago the temperature dropped down to the single digits- very unusual for this part of North Carolina. Part of the whole system of winter storms that were ravaging much of the country over the Christmas holidays. We had several power outages over the next three days- fortunately none that lasted more than a few hours at a time.

But here’s what really struck me. On this one particular evening the power went out somewhere around 9 pm. I was watching TV, my Christmas tree was lit up- and suddenly I was in total darkness. Fortunately I had already gotten a bunch of candles out planning for Christmas. I had a some beautiful silver tapers that I was saving just for the holidays and they were all laid out on my dining room table. I went through the house setting up candle holders and lighting candles and tealights. I enjoyed the ambience for a while and then decided to just go to bed early. The house hadn’t gotten too cold yet but I figured under the covers was the best place to be. So I cozied up under my quilt and an extra mohair blanket.

And then I noticed the silence.

I live on a dead end road with only a few houses on it- a cul-de-sac really but a longer one than you see in a suburban neighborhood. The houses are all quite far apart- each of them having large lots and some with at least a couple of acres of land around them. It’s very “quiet”, as a rule. Sometimes I hear chickens or cows off in the distance and occasionally a neighbor’s voice will carry this way in the wind when I am outside. There is virtually no road traffic. We’re not on a flight path so there are no planes flying overhead- except for the occasional fighter jets, once every 2-3 months- that go thundering across the sky from one of the Air Force bases. It’s almost always pretty quiet unless someone has some kind of machinery going- a lawnmower, a chainsaw, a tractor…but there is always some sound. Right now I can hear my dishwasher. The neighbor’s dog has been barking for close to an hour almost nonstop. I hear the intermittent low level hum of my refrigerator and occasionally the louder sound of it making some more ice. The sound of the fan blowing warm air when the heat kicks on. The clicking of the keys as I tap the keyboard. And underneath it all, I hear my own inner sound, a subtle constant movement of energy I can only liken to a very refined “white noise”. Even with the gross sounds around me right now, I can hear that inner sound.

But that night, when I got into my bed, I realized it might have been the closest thing to pure silence that I have ever heard. It was 3 degrees outside. There were no animals, no birds, no insects, no electrical hum in the house because there was no electricity! And I don’t have a fireplace- so that one possibility of the familiar sound of flames crackling and snapping was not to be.

I have been without power before, many times. But I don’t remember, ever, the sense of such utter stillness. I have listened to falling snow when there was no wind. It has a distinct sound- one of my favorite sounds in fact. In both summer and winter, during or after a storm or a hurricane, I have been without power- sometimes for days. But in the summer there are insects and birds, or wind, or rain. Day or night there is pretty much always the constant sound of nature if one does not live in an urban setting. (And if you do, of course there is all manner of sound- motor vehicles, doors closing, kids playing, etc., etc.)

This was disorienting and slightly unnerving. I realized that when we lose power in this area in the summer there is almost a relief- a comfort- because suddenly you hear all the sounds of nature. It is warm and inviting. You might even want to go sit outside and just enjoy it. But this was a different experience. I didn’t want to leave the candles lit when I went to bed so I walked through the house to my bedroom blowing out all the candles on my way. I just left one in the bathroom and I had a flashlight in case I needed it.

But once I got into bed, it was pitch black. And silent. The awareness of it woke something up inside of me and all I could do was lie in bed and listen to it.

Gardening and Grooving

It’s been a very intense year so far. Every day i want to write and I have had some frustration with not being able to post new pictures on my computer. Long story- not interesting to anyone, I’m sure! So we’ll just glide right past that. Update- problem solved

So where am I right now? Here’s a quick update. I fell in love.*

And now it’s September and I fell out of love. Okay, back to what I was writing two months ago.

My son Moose and his wife Jenny had twins- Ruby and Wren- on December 26. They came home from the hospital at the end of January a couple of days before their official due date of 2.22.22.

I drove back and forth to Rhode Island and Maine 3 times between October and December… and then a 4th time in April for my brother Tim’s funeral after he died from Covid.

Tim on the far right, 1972, with our younger brother Peter at the helm (age 15 at the time and youngest crew member) during transatlantic to Kiel, Germany for Operation Sail, aboard the Black Pearl.

A week after Tim’s funeral I flew out to Minneapolis to meet my granddaughters, Ruby and Wren, in the sweet pink baby flesh! They were 3 months old and it was the perfect balm after losing my brother- not that it could make up for it, but it certainly softened things a lot and nurtured my soul.

Oh, did I mention I had an appendectomy? February 22, the same night my brother Tim was put on a ventilator. Ugh, not a good night. The night before I was probably the sickest and most scared I have ever been in my adult life, vomiting violently to the point I thought I was actually going to suffocate as I was unable at times to even get a breath. it was horrible. Anyway, I got through it and felt a thousand times better after the offending organ was removed! But an emotionally challenging time as Tim was also clearly not recovering from Covid the way it was anticipated.

Next? May rolled around and I went to Florida to do 3 Healing Sound Journeys- the first public events I had done since the start of the pandemic! I have LOTS more to say about that trip and the things I learned about my work, all (or most) of which I am saving for another post. I will post a groovy picture here though!

Instruments set up for a Healing Sound Journey at the Temple of The Living God in St. Petersburg, FL.

And then it was June- which is when I started this post! A trip to Haris Lender’s Yurtananda, her very groovy retreat in the hills of Virginia down the road from Swami Satchitananda’s ashram in Yogaville. She had just completed a beautiful outdoor music stage and invited me up to do a Healing Sound Journey outside in the woods with the birds and the bees and some trees- and a few people too! She was unquestionably the hostess with the mostess and it was a wonderful time!

For those of you who are on Facebook, here is a link to a short video that Haris took. Unfortunately there is no other access to it. To watch video click here.

And that’s all for now- almost! I got back home and was able to do a bit of gardening- put in a sweet little herb garden… planted 3 kinds of thyme, rosemary, lavender, parsley, echinacea, mint, catnip, lemon balm, lamb’s ears, kalanchoe and a gorgeous orange canna.

I also managed to find time for a bit of artistic expression (besides cooking, music, sound healing and gardening) and I did this collage on canvas which I think is my favorite to date. So, I’ve caught you up to June with many gaps but I’ll leave you with this image. More to come.

World In Changes... You Gotta Keep Dancing!

My brother Tim passed away on March 18, 2022 due to the seemingly ever-present virus that has been around for the past two-plus years. He was seven years older than me. Simply put, it sucks. His beautiful wife, two brave and brilliant daughters and four young grandchildren left behind. Plus four younger siblings… and a huge posse of people who loved his boundless energy and positivity.

The greatest connection that he and I shared was our love of music. Throughout my teen years I have a memory of being in our father’s house in Newport or at Horn Corner, the communal house Tim lived in up in Vermont- and I would hear his voice…. “Hey Rosie- come in here! You gotta hear this!” A new artist, a new song and he would point out the words or a harmony or a particular instrument or just some beautiful subtlety in the arrangement. He loved good harmonies- he loved the Beach Boys! I always remember the first time he played the Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” for me and telling me that it was The London Boys Choir- a choir of all young boys. He was so taken by those beautiful voices. In fact (I only just found out when I googled it) it turns out that it was actually The London Bach choir… but regardless. It was a moment in time and in history- both my personal history and the history of rock and roll.

”It should be known the London Bach Choir, the original choir hired by The Rolling Stones for "You Can't Always Get What You Want," was anyone (men and women) aged 18 and over, contrary to popular opinion (for years) that the voices of the choir was all young boys.” (Steve Hoffman Music Forum)

Over the past few weeks I have been compiling a playlist on Spotify of some of the music that Tim turned me onto, with some help from my siblings. On different days different tunes get stuck in my head. This one is in there a lot.

He also loved to dance. A few years ago we were talking and I said I hadn’t been dancing in ages and how much I missed it. He said, “Rosie! You gotta keep dancing! You have to dance at least a half hour every day! Put on some music and dance in your living room- I dance every day!”

Today I got an email from Chuck Prophet, a great musician, who is going through some health challenges. I thought about what I could do to send him some uplifting energy and decided that the best thing I could do was to put some of his music on and dance. I didn’t ever get to share this song with Tim but I have a feeling he would have loved it. For me, it is for sure on my top ten list of favorite songs ever recorded- and it’s great to dance to so turn your speakers up! From now on I will always think of my brother Tim when I dance- and I am making a point to dance a lot more.

I AM

I gave myself a vibroacoustic sound treatment today, wanting to relieve my mind and emotional body a bit and continue the healing from my recent appendectomy using Richway’s BioAcoustic Mat together with the Amethyst BioMat, a therapeutic far-infrared heating pad. Mostly I was feeling sad and worried about my brother who is in critical condition with Covid and deeply concerned for his family. I turned up the sound and turned up the heat! I played the album “A Universe to Come” by Tulku, produced by the late great Jim Wilson. All of his work lends itself really well to vibroacoustic therapy.

i dropped in fast and deep. Images came and went before I had to a chance to grasp them. The only thing I distinctly remember was the sense at a certain point that the encumbrances of my physical body had dropped away and my energetic body felt fluid and expanded. it felt like it was dancing, but not like the physical body dancing- more like waves on the ocean, being pushed by the wind and the ocean currents- but in this case by the frequencies, by the rhythms and tones of the music.

When the music was over I lay there for a long time- maybe another half hour. My mind was very still. I got up feeling quiet inside. This is the last track on the CD. It is beautiful and profound.

Cloudless

I woke up this morning and this song was the first thing that came into my head. Kind of surprising, because in truth- at least truth with a small “t”- there have been quite a few clouds obscuring the blue sky lately. I had an attack of appendicitis last week and had an emergency appendectomy and there is the situation with a seriously ill family member we are all praying for. And of course there is the war in Ukraine

On the brighter side and balancing some of the harder stuff, my second to oldest son Moose and his wife had two identical baby girls on December 26 and I have a new love that has had me preoccupied in a wonderful way, at least prior to the health crisis of the past week. The twin girls were about 6 weeks early but they are home with their parents now, super healthy and growing fast!

In regard to this video, the music was used at the end of the movie Rabbit-Proof Fence- it is a powerful and triumphant ending to the long and painful story of three young Aboriginal girls who were taken from their home in the Australian outback and placed in a settlement 2400 km away. They escaped from the settlement and made their way back home by following a rabbit-proof fence which spans over 1000 miles. The film illustrates what was a common practice between 1905-1967 of removing Aboriginal children from their family homes who were the children of one white and one Aboriginal parent and sending them away. The idea was that once they were separated from their families of origin they would eventually marry whites and over generations their Aboriginal blood would “diminish”.

The clips in this particular video are all from Gregory Colbert’s beautiful film Ashes and Snow.

Namo'Valokiteshvaraya- Compassion, Calm and Clarity

Two days ago this chant came up spontaneously as I was l online. It was only recently published on YouTube a few days after the passing of the beloved Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh from the Plum Village Monastery in France.

I was feeling somewhat scattered that morning, going from one thing to the next feeling my way into the day. As this chant came on I was captivated. It held me in its exquisite beauty. The rest of the morning I felt centered, directed and focused.

Today as i watch and listen again I wonder if the quiet focus of the monk playing the bowl is “contagious” in some way. I notice that listening to this chant- and the watching of the performance as well- seems to clear the clutter and crud from my brain. It brings tears, and then quiet and clarity. What is the effect on you? (Please feel free to comment below.)