Holy Ground/This Pretty Planet

“Where this Child shall go is holy ground.”

That is a line from Lesson 182 in A Course In Miracles. The lesson is “I will be still an instant and go home.” You can find it here if you want to read the entire lesson.

A few days ago I gave a friend a sound healing session. At one point I was sitting at her head doing some craniosacral work while the music was playing. I had my eyes closed and was in a fairly deep meditative state. At some point I opened my eyes and looked around the room, which is filled with sacred art, objects and instruments, and thought to myself, “This whole room is an altar.” I felt deep appreciation in the moment. The thought, or perhaps realization is a better word, that followed was “This whole earth is an altar.” It hit me as a truth, that everywhere we walk, every step we take, we are walking on holy ground. We only need to remember it. Whatever has been desecrated, in all the many ways that humanity is capable of, we have the capacity to consecrate it just as well- not necessarily even through a deed or an action- simply through our vision. We only need to remember it. We only need to see it. It is how we look at the earth that we walk upon that makes it sacred and holy.

I have read that lesson more times than I know and I never got it. It was something I hoped to experience but had never reached that place. This awareness has changed the way that I see the world around me- knowing that no matter where I am or what is gong on, that I am standing on holy ground. I am filled with awe and reverence and gratitude.

Be All That You Can Be!

Nothing more beautiful than those people who allow themselves to be the fullest manifestation of who they truly are. That is why great teachers and masters appear so beautiful to us- because they are fully expressing themselves in every moment. It can be the subtlest movement, the hint of a smile, the slightest gesture- and in that gesture we see their totality flowing forth. No holding back, no posturing, no hiding… fully alive, fully awake.

Change Your Brain (or, Breathe and Smile)

This is an excerpt from a newsletter I sent out earlier today. I felt that it was worth sharing here as well.

One of the things I am always so grateful for is that I can walk through my house any time of day and pick up a flute, play a gong, a singing bowl or whatever other instrument calls to me in the moment. I always feel like, when a particular instrument catches my eye, it is sending me a message to pick it up and play. (In fact, that's basically how I move through my sound journeys- the instruments tell me which ones to play. They either catch my eye or I hear the sound before I actually begin to play it.)

It only takes a moment to change your state- sometimes just a single note or an extended tone is enough. Maybe you want to think about how you can enhance your sonic environment. Hang a bell on a door or a chime outside your window. You might already have instruments that you have never thought about as "healing"- but, as my former partner Henry said years ago, "Making any sound with a loving intention will produce a healing effect." Perhaps you have an instrument that you have forgotten about or take for granted- it has become a fixture in the corner or on the wall. Pick up that guitar or the old saxophone collecting dust in the closet! And when you pick it up, play it nice and slow. Play a long tone. And listen... listen... listen... And then play another long slow tone... Listen... Breathe... Repeat...

Or HUM!!! Yes. HUM!!! Vibrate your cells from the inside out. Science has shown how the simple act of humming can help with stress levels, sleep and blood pressure as well increasing lymphatic circulation and melatonin production- just to name a few of the benefits- and if you have a voice, you can HUMMMM!

I was actually just reading yesterday that singing is one of the only activities that activates both hemispheres of the brain at the same time. It releases endorphins and oxytocin and can influence memory and brain function. In short- it's good for you!!! Music is brain food, and like all food, it is individual. Not everyone likes the same thing. Notice what sounds excite you, calm you, ground you, make you smile. Take five minutes out of your busy day to listen- just listen. If a sound is irritating you, see what happens when you breathe into it- or hum along with it. Play with it. Become curious about it. What happens if you let go of your resistance and breathe? As my dear friend LeRoy White used to sing, "Breathe and smile."

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.