Sunday, December 27, 2009

avatar...the movie for a new paradigm






















Just saw avatar… I know I will see it again, soon, and maybe a few times, in the theater. This movie had the same impact on me that The Matrix did, in that it was/is a 'game changer' for films on many levels, as well as a statement, and possibly (hopefully) a paradigm shifter. This movie is an example of how positive messages can be sent through the visual medium of films...Not that the story line is new, dominance vs. the peaceful, or that we haven't already seen this in history before...greed, colonization, imperialism, domination...it is a sad, yet realistic quality of human nature. And yet, the story of Avatar shows, through the eyes of 'jake sully', the marine, who could be someone like you or me, that many of us have been conditioned by the group mind of deceit, power and greed. We have forgotten our connection to the earth, to all beings, and when Sully begins to have a relationship with the Navi people, they initiate him, and he begins to have his own understanding of his relationship to ALL things, to life, to the earth, to the cosmos. Not only were the special effects incredible, i was brought 'into' the film, particularly through the use of 3D, and into the world of pandora, and the navi. Of course, the beauty and imagination of the creators and animators...James Cameron and his team are powerfully creative!!

This movie is about so many emotions, ideas, imagination...and mostly, for me, it is about our relationship with life, the earth and all its inhabitants, and how greed and the selfish ego can destroy this connection and cause us to forget who we are if we are seduced by that which is not in alignment with the balance of ALL THINGS.

this is a great movie to bring in the new year, the new decade and a reminder of what our ancestors have always known...that we are the children of the earth, here to be stewards of the land and to honor our relationship with all beings, including ourselves, cohabiting together...not overpowering in the name of greed or ego, but to be living in harmony.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

this just in...now dogs are to blame for the environment!!





i awoke this morning sleepy, after a week or more of seasonal gatherings, parties, dinners, festivities, music performances and overall holiday cheer. the sun was shining, teasing me out of bed as i felt the warm, december ocean breeze caress my face and welcome in the new day. i made some tea and decided to take my furry, four-legged friend on a walk down by the ocean. on my way out the door, i decided to read a few headlines before leaving the house. and this is the first thing i read this morning!!


man's best friend could be one of the environment's worst enemies, according to a new study which says the carbon "pawprint" of a pet dog is more than double that of a gas-guzzling sports utility vehicle...

my eyes, barely open from my sleepy haze, went from half mast to fully round in seconds...

dogs are the reason for the destruction of the environment???come on!!!

while the article does briefly mention the benefits of four-leggeds as being stress-relieving and anti-depressants for the elderly(one-sentence), i wonder...how is it that the carbon foot-print, of which they speak, is causing more harm than other mis-uses of the gifts of this planet. the article claims that dog food is causing the destruction of the rainforest...they go on to say:
Combine the land required to generate its food and a "medium" sized dog has an annual footprint of 0.84 hectares (2.07 acres) -- around twice the 0.41 hectares required by a 4x4 driving 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles) a year, including energy to build the car.

i have a dog...and i happen to know that the meat that dogs eat is made of parts of the animals that humans do not consume!!

what about the industrial revolution? or war? or those of us living in countries that are out-gassing and contributing to the world wide state of environmental decay??

i grabbed my dog's leash, and went out for a beautiful morning walk...as i reached the beach, the wind blew my hair, my dog's tail wagging feverishly as we started our walk along the dramatic southern california coast. i always notice how sweetums brings joy to so many people passing by...including other furry four-legged's...and i wondered...how is it that dogs are being targeted for choices that have been made by humans all these years. i recalled, in the 80's, how cash crops/cattle, logging, over-population, tourism and mining were being targeted for the loss of the rain forest...go here for more details.

over-consumption and over-population, to name a few, on a global level, is what is depleting our resources, and instead of taking responsibility for our actions...we are blaming animals...such as cattle and now DOGS!!! for our own actions and extremism.

the article goes on to say...have an animal that serves as a dual purpose...utilitarian, such as a hen or a rabbit, where they can serve as food as well as a pet. i believe this article is ludicrous!! does everything we do on this planet need to be utilitarian? this argument would mean that we would need to, for example: wipe out the 100,000 caribou that wander the plains in the tundra in canada because all they are doing (tongue in cheek) is eating and belching CO2. when in reality, their survival, and their natural habitat, is being threatened by both oil companies... go here to see this incredible feature-length documentary,

is everything only beneficial if it is convenient for our survival??? when did convenience become our god? or has it been that convenience is the silent killer?

how is it that we have come to blame everyone and everything else for our actions? we created plastic and now the big plastic soup in the middle of the ocean, is our largest trash "ocean fill" because of all of our combined actions and lack of responsibility to clean up...now the ocean and its inhabitants are suffering. we create oil spills, and the animals and earth suffers, we create wars, and the animals and earth suffers, we colonize, we categorize, we alienate and we dominate, we violate and segregate, we disintegrate and depopulate...and then...we overpopulate and blame those who do not have a voice, the animals, the land, the poor, the weak, for our violent and uncontrolled actions...we rape the earth...and her bounty...then we blame her offspring for our actions!! this is infuriating!!

Human nature being what it is, it appears that many people prefer to blame others or situations when things go wrong – a sort of convenient scapegoating – instead of taking the blame on the chin just like real men and women do.

i know...it is the holiday season...it is a time of giving, loving, sharing and good cheer...and i am all for this, in fact, i participate in the joyous celebration with friends and loved ones...and, this morning, i could not help but see this article as a wake up call for me, and all of us who are able to recognize that while giving gifts is a beautiful tradition...it is also important to give the gift of our awakening...to the greater good, the collective...to take responsibilities of our actions, in our hearts, in our relationships, in our communities and in our work place...so that we are not contributing to the destruction of this planet, and its inhabitants, but that we, as a part of the whole, are giving the best of who we are, so that this planet grows, prospers in her natural state, and all beings benefit from the beauty of our awareness and love.


LOKAH SAMASTA SUKHINO BHAVANTU

May all beings everywhere be happy and free

and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life

contribute in some way to that happiness

and to that freedom for all.



Wednesday, December 16, 2009

singing tomorrow night, December 17th at Euphoria Loves Rawvolution on Main Street in Santa Monica...hope to see you there!

LIVE MUSIC AT ELR CAFE (Euphoria Loves Rawvolution)

Thursday Dec 17th 6:30 - 9:30 The beautiful music of Ena Vie

If you have not come to our Thursday evening gathering, it is a really wonderful, heart opening community event.


Ena Vie's songs are written from the soul and sung from the heart, inspiring those who hear her to connect with her lyrics in a way that touches them uniquely yet collectively. not just a singer/songwriter, ena is also a poet, who brings a message to live authentically while celebrating who we are.


with special guests Christo Pellani (percussion) Deepak Ramapriyan (vocals, violin, bass) and Howard Lipp (keys)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

reminder...tomorrow night - December 11th...NetteRadio Holiday Party Benefits Toys For Tots!



NetteRadio Holiday Party Benefits Toys For Tots!
Fri Dec 11 at The Talking Stick
For every new unwrapped toy you bring we'll give you an 'opportunity
drawing' ticket for one of our great prizes! (from Daisy Rock, NetteRadio
Artists and more!)
w/ The Conlons, Ena Vie, Seeing Thingz, and Kelly's Lot!
7-10pm FREE! All Ages!
1411 C Lincoln, Venice, CA

www.netteradio.com


see you there ♥

Friday, December 4, 2009

this weekend...2 great events...see you there ~




this saturday...December 5th

10am-1pm...come join us @ Modern OM...

This Saturday is our 2nd annual Yoga Mala for the Tree of Life Yoga School. Last year, we raised $2,000. This year my goal is to raise $3,000. Please come and join us, if you want to participate in the mala or just to come show your support and give your energy. Our good friends Cyrus, Zat, Ena Vie and Momo will be doing kirtan to keep the energy up. So even if you just come to support, you can join in the chanting.

Proceeds go towards "Healing the Mother". A women's education project. Helping the women in the city of Vizag to achieve their dreams through education, yoga and job skills, allowing them to create a foundation for self fulfillment and self reliance and to become empowered members of their community. By helping empower the women, we empower the children and families they help support. Tree of Life Yoga School & Community is a 501(c)3 corp.

I will be leaving on Dec 25th for India, you are all invited to come join the service project "Healing the Mother" to open Sri Lalita School for Women's Empowerment at Devipuram Ashram Feb 10-22, 2010.

Modern Om is located at 13452 Washington Blvd (just east of Lincoln) Venice, CA 90291
Modernom.com

Thank you for your support,

Psalm Isadora



Experience a rare opportunity to say 'yes' to this voice within, to return to our natural state of reverence for all things. Allow yourself to be overcome with awefor all of life's expressions... a feeling akin to falling in love or feeling like a child again.

From this space we
overflow with reverence and express it by cherishing every moment, every breath, every interaction. Everyone in the room becomes a mirror of you, and suddenly 'namaste' is no longer just a word. It is an experience. The essence within you is honored by each man and woman, and it fuels your genuine acknowledgment of the essence of them.

We will draw from the 112 Meditations from theVighyan Bhirav Tantra which use breath, movement, sound, visualization, and simple partner exercises.

This is an
opportunity to explore reality, awaken to the present and be deeply nourished by life. The ritual is an offering, a shedding of our limiting beliefs... making way for a simple delight rarely experienced in our modern times.

Monday, November 30, 2009

ena vie's radio interview in the UK!!!


if you missed this event...
you can listen to it here:

(this is a big file!!)

In a Special Pre Recorded Interview, Join DJ Yorkie and Ena Vie Friday 27th November 2pm EST, 7pm UK time. Featuring tracks from her wonderful Album "From Within"

Singer/songwriter, poet, guitarist, artist and nomad, ena’s message and presence is powerfully evocative. born and raised in laguna beach, california, ena was infused with a deep connection to the elements which she seamlessly weaves throughout her music, art and life.

finding inspiration in cultures, traditions, poetry, music, ceremony, the landscape of this planet along with the wisdom of the elders and their medicine, ena dances through life with her feet on the ground and her face to the sun, moon and stars.

A mystical storyteller, ena’s lyrics are introspective and experiential while simultaneously reflecting the freedom, joy and love in all of us. ena’s music and presence exudes this as well. traveling and living in many countries, ena has performed in a variety of bands and genres. her music expresses this mosaic of influences ranging from rock, blues, pop and folk to indigenous beats and traditional chants.

On Friday 27th DJ Yorkie and Ena will be exploring the life of this facsinating and wonderful Singer/Songwriter and on the week leading upto the broadcast of this interview, DJ Yorkie will be playing excerpts from her fantastic Album.

kissed...by the burden of bliss



kissed...

a song i wrote about what it feels like when nothing else can compare to being fully enraptured by the state of being in bliss...
touching these states of joy and beauty and ecstasy is beyond words, and the mystics talk about it often, saying that once they taste the nectar of divine, there is nothing that can satisfy. the divine bliss pushes everything else to the side, so that who we really are, shines through...and the challenge is then to live life in the balance of the tension between the earth and the sky.

you can hear my song kissed here:


or go to itunes
and download a copy today!!

love...
ena

kissed

i’ve been kissed

by the burden of bliss

it's pressing down upon my soul

and pushing out remaining ego

i am bound to it

unwound by it

and following through

with a love-glow hue

i cannot resist

its burning grist

no man

no hand

or knock off will do

i’ve been kissed

by the burden of bliss

it's pressing down upon my soul

and pushing out remaining ego

bound for another

instrumental other

soul defying shiver

monumental quiver

bringing me home

to the great, great one

it’s beyond ideas

of right and wrong

i’ve been kissed

by the burden of bliss

it's pressing down upon my soul

and pushing out remaining ego

you apprehend me

in a way i cannot resist

your siren song

callin’ me out of the mist

you funk me like no other

burning me out of a twist

i am made whole

the deeper you go

i’ve been kissed

by the burden of bliss

it's pressing down upon my soul

and pushing out remaining ego

give it to me

give it to me…

give me that kiss

that burden of bliss


Wednesday, November 25, 2009

gratitude for life...




everyday is a gift...
our breath
bodies
hearts
passion
gifts
challenges
victories
each moment
arriving in our presence-
gracing us with life
another opportunity to be...
in all its forms.

noticing
is essential
to remembering
who we are in the cosmos
an integral part
in the collective
embodying this knowing
is wisdom
each cell alive to source
and living this understanding,
through action,
is being awake!

namaste-
i bow to the divine
in you and me
and all of life...

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them...JFK


Monday, November 16, 2009

ena vie's music...




hello to my friends and fans...

some news from the indie music train...we are moving forward, step by step...and this movement is taking us out onto the radio airwaves...via internet, AM and now FM radio!!!

we can be heard in Canada, US and Europe!

this is exciting news, and i am happy to share with you that this music with a vision, with a message of love and intention, with some great rockin' grooves is comin' your way, slowly but surely...

wanted to put a shout out to all of you who are listening, sharing and enjoying the music...thank you!!!

keep sharing and listening so that this music can reach the hearts of all those who want to be inspired and uplifted by passionate and folky, funky music!

if you are already a fan...and you would like to share with me how my music has inspired you, please do so, and the person who writes me the most expressive letter...i will send you some music...free!!!

love and gratitude!!

ena vie

go here for more great music:






RIP Pablo Amaringo...



RIP Pablo Amaringo...

RIP Pablo Amaringo...master, teacher, healer, luminary, visionary, shaman, artist...thank you for your work in this world...and in all the worlds you travel...peace and blessings now and all ways!!!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

niagra moon falls...

painting by pablo amaringo



i bathe my soul
in the waters of the moon
standing in her presence
i bow to her wisdom
listening to the call
that is
beyond what i see around me-
the comfort
the ease
the walls
that surround this heart
have begun to disintegrate
now ripening...deepening
going further into the place
of pain and rebirth
liminal space
the place in between
what was- is no longer numinous
what will be- is left to mystery
break me open!
through what appears to be an ending
may my heart shine wide and broad
pure and strong
as the darkness of the unknown
beckons me into its caverns...
leading me into the streams
of compassion and healing
oh lord of the underworld
goddess of the night
reveal my wounds and betrayals...
that i might trust...
and thus become this truth!
illuminate my strength
through your children, the stars
as they shower upon me
crying out...
"let go
let go
let go
of all that you see outside you!"
now the sun of self rises...out of the ashes
blossoming in the profound waters
flowing deeply, yet subtly
taking root in the mud of the mother
the new moon of my shadow
revealing the death of the other...
the stars sing as they shine
around me...
"the sun is up...the sky is blue...
it's beautiful...and so are you..."




Friday, November 13, 2009

updates for ena vie's music and more!


hey there...
just wanted to drop you all a line about some cool updates for my music...and where you can hear me, listen to me and buy me...well, you can buy the music that is : )

indiemadmp3.com is doing a “New Artists / Songs broadcast, The “New Artists / Songs broadcast is played daily. so jump on over to the link below, and have a listen to 3 songs in row by 'ena vie' and other artists being featured this month.


You can listen to our music on the INTERNET at Indie Mad MP3

also...

check out these internet/radio stations as they are playing my music as well...

come on and support internet radio and music as well as indie artists...cuz indie makes the world go round!

acousticfuelradio.com

womenofsubstanceradio.com


now for some beautiful events in the next few nights and week!

tonight!

i will be singing kirtan with joey lugassy at the bhakti yoga shala off santa monica and arizona...with some great musicians in the line-up! 9-10:30


then...saturday night, 6-8pm nianna bray and i are hosting:

An Evening of Yin
with Nianna Bray & Ena Vie

Dive into a deep and quiet Yin Yoga practice with Nianna Bray
accompanied by live sacred music with Ena Vie.
Tap into divine surrender as you open your body and mind in slow deep
holds, melting into sacred healing sound.
Experience a new level of relaxation and healing with the ultimate
practice of letting go.

Studio Surya
1501 Main St. Venice, CA 90291
studiosuryayoga.com
Saturday 6:00-8:00 pm
November 14th
$20 at the door
Please bring cash or check as we are not equipped for CC charges.
For more info or reservations (as space is limited) email
niannarose@gmail.com
check out Ena's music at www.myspace.com/enavie


then...i will be heading over to this great event posted at this link below:

FIESTA DE MILAGROS
Raising Awareness + Support for Mama Kia's medical expenses, her 31 adopted children and 2 soup-kitchens

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2009
6:00 - 10:00 pm
$50 Suggested Donation
(no one turned away)

YogaGlo
1800 Berkley St.
Santa Monica, CA 90404

http://www.fiestademilagros.com/



love and peace to all...see you in the flow...

~'~ ena

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

getting clear and inspired to share...






this last week i have been walking down the deep and spiraling road to the place of my heart. my path of music, and how i have come to sing, listen and share my passion became so clear to me...i am ready now to share it with all who choose to listen to the sounds that pour through this soul. i am so grateful for my life, for all the lessons and challenges that i have walked and have chosen to walk through...and...i am grateful for the music i have written, the music i have sung since i can remember, and for those who have supported me each step of the way. including all forms of sounds, songs, traditions and paths, which have helped shape the story of my life...and now, i share with you where i have been, because it helps me know where i stand as i continue to soar...thanks for being here with me. ~'~ ena


from the early age of 4, ena has been surrounded by the practice of devotion and devotional music. raised in a mega church that was created during the "jesus movement" in the '70's, ena was infused with the love of surrender to the divine in services that she attended 3 to 4 times a week. It was here that she was exposed to the "afterglow," a room that was created for those who wanted to sing and pray more after the main service and devotional practices were finished. it was in those darkened rooms, where the musicians with bare feet and long hair, played their instruments gently, quietly and softly, that ena began to feel the presence of the divine. it would be many years later that ena would return to this prayerful and healing music, but there was more traveling, harmonizing and discovering in store for her. after graduating from UCLA, ena not only left her native california, she left her church and religion to explore the planet and observe how others practice their relationship to divinity. her travels took her to many places on the globe, where she visited and lived in nearly 14 countries. on one of many soul searching journeys, to the Hawaiian islands, ena felt inspired to ground all that she had learned in her travels; she decided to obtain her master's degree from Naropa University in Indigenous Studies. it was there she gained the opportunity to study the ancient rituals and ceremonies with indigenous elders and traditional knowledge keepers from around the world. after spending years living in the hawaiian islands, buddhist ashrams, ancient cities in europe and the sacred city of jerusalem, this program became the catalyst for ena to weave together her many journeys for truth and connection with divinity through her experiences and the transmissions of these wise guides and teachers. her program led her to an indigenous elders conference in france, where she met a medicine man who introduced her to the lakota ceremonies and rituals. this would spark a 3 year journey walking the red road and assisting this medicine man while she also apprenticed and was initiated into these sacred, traditional ways. it was in france that she recorded her first album, "sounds of the sacred" a compilation of songs sung in the inipi ceremony, a purification and rebirthing ceremony using fire, water, steam and stones. these lodges, along with multiple vision quest ceremonies, became the foundation of her healing, and the songs carved through the armor of her heart and rested there as medicine to her soul. upon the completion of her apprenticeship, ena returned to santa monica, california to deepen her work in music and healing. she recorded and released her debut album, "from within," songs written about her life experiences. during this time of recording, releasing and promoting her album, ena also played in many yoga studios, events and gatherings around Los Angeles, where she brought her sounds of devotion to others who were sharing their practice of yoga as well. she noticed how powerful it was to sing her music of devotion while simultaneously others were either responding in their yoga practice or through their voices at kirtans. this was a very powerful and inspirational milieu in which she discovered a new way to interact with the "audience." along with her music, ena continued to follow her heart and listen to the ancestors of the earth, it was during this time that she was introduced to the medicine ways of the shipibo people from the amazon jungle in peru. in these ceremonies, ena began to literally see and hear the geometric patterns of sound through the plant medicine songs, and how sound becomes dimensional in its healing when done so from a trained master. The visionary painter and healer, Pablo Amaringo, says that “plants can help all of us know the art of healing and to discover our own creativity, because the beauty of nature moves people to show reverence, fascination, and respect for the extent to which the forests give shelter to our souls.”

with each step ena has taken, she has been led to heal personal, familial, generational and collective wounds and patterns. this healing has brought her to a place of deep gratitude for not only her own liberation, but also the liberation of all those who choose it. ena's journey has also brought her to find love, healing, rest and ease in the expression of her truest self, the essence of who she is. this essence is expressed most definitively in her music, as she channels her connection with the divine through each inspirational and devotional song. music and medicine have woven their way through the fabric of her life, and now she has devoted herself to the expression of this through her art. she looks forward to meeting you in song and in person.


Sunday, October 11, 2009

thanks...





thanks to life
thanks to love
thanks to those who rise above
thanks for food
thanks for air
thanks for friends standing with me in prayer


thanks for grooves
thanks for tunes
thanks to those who create by the moon
thanks for now
thanks for then
thanks for the difference i see within
thanks for earth
thanks for sky
thanks for stars shining in your eyes
thanks for mountains
thanks for bees
thanks to the roaring, calming sea
thanks for ice
thanks for rain
thanks for water washing away pain
thanks for arms
thanks for legs
thanks to the body that helps me create
thanks to dancing
thanks to song
thanks to writing all night long
thanks for time
thanks for space
thanks for the penchant to interrelate
thanks for meetings
thanks for the glance
thanks for the radiant, ceremonial trance
thanks for blocks
thanks for chains
thanks for the courage to break free again
thanks for miracles
thanks for dreams
thanks for nothing is what it seems
thanks for you
thanks for me
thanks for life with no guarantees...

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Several excuses are always less convincing than one. ~Aldous Huxley


i don't have enough money, i am too old, i'm not hip enough, i don't have the coolest clothes, i don't have the right representation, i don't have the hippest music video, i don't have a d cup, my lips are too small, i've waited too long, i'm not sexy enough, it'll take too long, i'm gonna be too exposed, it may be risky, i'm not as good as..., i'll never be as well known as..., there's too much to do, it is overwhelming, everyone else is doing it and i can't, it doesn't feel safe, i don't have the drive that it takes, i don't have enough time, i'm not wired for it, i can't figure it all out before i do it, they may not like it, you may not like this post! i may not be able to deliver, i can't be right all the time, i can't control the outcome, i am too tired, i don't have enough energy, i can't fix it, i can't live up to my own standards...and on and on and on...

then...i remember...it's all about the heart, the passion, the soul, the love...the music. this inspires me to keep going...inspite of and because of the excuses...i see that these excuses are here to call me out of my past, beyond my patterns and to get on with living...because life, love and music is bigger than me, is bigger than what i can or cannot do or foresee...life is not about focusing on the excuses, life is about what i do along with the excuses...will i step through them and follow my passion? or will i be swallowed up by them and believe all the FEAR?

a good friend shared this with me recently...fear is:

F alse E vidence A ppearing R eal

my life is my own...what i do or be with it, and all my excuses, is up to me, not up to what my fears say or what someone else says, does or sees about me...i am responsible for the quality of my life, the passion, the inspiration, the expression and the love...in this space, life really begins...

will you join me?