Thursday, February 19, 2009

entheogenic art...

the artwork of alex grey has always intrigued and inspired me. his connection to the earth, the cosmos and how we are, as humans inter-related to all life forms, has expanded my vision and experience of life on so many levels. during my master's degree program at naropa university, he was a visiting artist at some of the "cosmic masses" that were installed in downtown oakland, ca. these events brought together art, vision, movement/dance, music, ritual and ceremony together to create transformational events. his work has influenced so many artists with his ability to bring art and spirit together in the visual realms, and open the hearts and minds of the observers. entheogenic art is a reflection of the divine in life as experienced through psychoactive substances used in, typically, shamanic ceremonies and contexts. it is rare to find an artist who captures the shamanic experiences in rituals and ceremonies so vividly...for more about his work go to:
alex grey

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

fear...in the eye of alchemy

what is fear?
something familiar?
a pattern we have chosen?
an emotion we have grown
accustomed to?

let's leave the familiar for a while...

let's allow our bodies and senses
lead us into creativity and freedom
and our thousand ways of being...
the unknown borders of countries
we have yet to discover.

let's drink from the cosmic jug
and watch our hearts expand-
why hold them captive in those prisons,
full of old wine?
when new wine has yet to be drunk!

let's wash the tarnished copper
off our hearts
and begin working with gold-
the alchemist's favored choice
and watch doubt wash away...

let's dance, as the divine one
creates from the formless
a form more beautiful
than what has been before
spinning us into dimensions
of a heart of love we have always known...

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

the wonder of being human...

life as an artist can be challenging. some days i feel so inspired to write...poetry, music...capture life through the lens, create artistic spaces where others feel prompted to create themselves, create ceremonial and ritual events where the medicine of life transforms and renews...and then there are days where i feel dried up inside, i can't seem to find the reason why i agreed to give my life over to the creative source...because i am not sure if what i am creating is really interesting, meaningful or "cutting edge" enough for others...even though it is to me on so many levels, there are also moments when i am not even sure what i am creating is "good enough" or not. and then, i remember...

"don't be afraid...don't be daunted...do your job...continue to show up...if my job is to write, make music, create ceremony and give this to others...then...write, make music, create ceremony and give this to others." it is only my job to show up and do what i love...and love what i do. the rest is not in my hands. this gives me such relief, because while i am taking responsibility for what i do...it is also not in my hands what happens with it once it is finished, and for that matter, most of what i create has come through an inspiration that is much bigger than me in the first place...so i am just bringing forth that which was given to me...

thanks to the author, elizabeth gilbert of "eat, pray, love" for her inspirational reminder to be who we are and not be identified by what we do, or identify others by what they do or have done...that each day is an opportunity to create and re-create ourselves with the big life creator as the basis of our inspiration...

to hear her beautiful talk on TED tv...go to:

TED-elizabeth gilbert

Sunday, February 15, 2009

credo

this is something that i read today, that resonates so deeply with my soul, i wanted to share it, and thank a "friend" who led me to this quote...

We may be seeing the beginnings of the reintegration of our culture, a new possibility of the unity of consciousness. If so, it will not be on the basis of any new orthodoxy, either religious or scientific. Such a new integration will be based on the rejection of all univocal understandings of reality, of all identifications of one conception of reality with reality itself. It will recognize the multiplicity of the human spirit, and the necessity to translate constantly between different scientific and imaginative vocabularies. It will recognize the human proclivity to fall comfortably into some single literal interpretation of the world and therefore the necessity to be continuously open to rebirth in a new heaven and a new earth. It will recognize that in both scientific and religious culture all we have finally are symbols, but that there is an enormous difference between the dead letter and the living word.

Robert Bellah

Thursday, February 12, 2009

contemplation...

explanation
radiation
over and under stimulation
right minded nation
infatuation -
with endless reels of information
burning question
on this occasion
how do we reform
capitalization?
punctuation
without hesitation
bringing action
in our globalization
conservation
observation
of how we create
representation
population
magnification
of destruction, depletion
feel the reverberation
dedication
for motion and action
while acceleration
brings inspiration
this evolution
of identification
brings a variation
on transformation

Monday, February 9, 2009

quest for meaning is paramount in life

different plant medicines are surfacing as the quest for meaning in life is increasing in significance as we are becoming more isolated in the virtual landscape nestled within the global community.
some altered states of consciousness, which are assisted by ancient plant formulas from the pharmacy of the amazon, can help a journeyer liberate themselves from the idea of being separated from the self, which can create a variety of neuroses.
in this journey, music is of utmost assistance, affecting neurological sensory systems, glandular systems, the autonomic nervous system, involuntary muscles as well as reflexes. music can create a place for the id, ego and super ego to relax, release emotions and reduce physical as well as emotional pain. what the ego defends... the medicine and the music brings to the surface, and in guided altered states, the journeyer is given the opportunity to release these states of suffering, and find freedom and meaning to life never before experienced.

to listen to an ancient shipibo icaro, "medicine song" you can go to :
youtube

Sunday, February 8, 2009

healing through sound

music has always been a form of healing for me, whether i am performing for many, a few or singing alone, singing and playing instruments has provided me an expression of joy, creativity and healing. 

over the years, i have had the opportunity to learn from medicine men and women who come from different cultures, both indigenous and modern, who have taught me lessons that have made a profound impact on my life. 

tito la rosa...a well known musician, medicine man and sociologist from peru, not only makes instruments from the incan and pre-incan cultures, he is a master at playing them as a way of bringing therapy through sound. he was raised a sikuri, which according to la rosa, is one who plays,
walking, we play going forward and backwards, sometimes we move better forward when going backwards. 
his healing music has had a major influence on many artists and students alike, in both south america as well in north america, including a very talented musician and sound healer, rene jenkins, whose powerful digeridu can be heard on my album "from within". 

it was through rene jenkins that i came to learn of the sikuri tradition, and in sound healing ceremonies with rene jenkins, i have been transported to ancient remembering and healing. all the instruments that are used are created from ancient instruments, and are and were used to awaken the wisdom within our bodies, as well as to bring healing to our soul's deepest wound. more and more we are diving into deeper realms of our psyche to discover healing from our past, present and even future patterns, conditioning and addictions. 

i am so grateful to those who have walked before me, who have created a path for me to walk into greater healing in my life, and i am grateful to have music as a way to express and share the insights that i have gained in sound healing ceremonies and other ceremonies. more about that to come! stay tuned... and thanks for reading.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

one to grow on...

the great religions are the ships
poets - the life boats.
every sane person i know has jumped
overboard.

~hafiz 
(translation by daniel ladinsky)

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

indigenous rights, president obama and the UN

it is time for all people to have the right of representation in politics, especially indigenous peoples. while president obama is merely human, and there are a lot of "messes" for him to clean up...let's help him by taking initiative for those who do not have a "voice" and yet have maintained a relationship with traditional wisdom that is beneficial for our survival as a species. 

there have been presidents in the past who have said they would sign the UN petition and did not. this petition would preserve the wisdom and knowledge of the indigenous and tribal peoples of this planet and give them a voice to guide us towards a greater understanding of our inter-connectedness with all living beings...may we take a stand and join the other countries who have chosen to support human rights and prohibit discrimination...!!  go here to read more about what the president of bolivia, evo morales, has to say about a non-violent indigenous movement for representation and recognition for human rights, land and self-determination.

here is the link to find out more about this UN document.