Akash and Animals

I was going to write something very profound and educational about sound and music today- specifically about akash, which is the purest and most subtle of the five elements in Vedanta. It is the energy that is left after sound fades. All sounds produce akash. More on that at another time as something else grabbed my attention when I sat down to write!

This video just came across my radar. You've probably already seen it. If you haven't it is really fun and also quite fascinating. It made me think about how animals relate to sound and the fact that they seem to (sometimes) love it and will even harmonize with it.  Pink Floyd did a song years ago, Seamus, on their album Meddle in which the dog howled along with the bluesy tune.

When I was in Florida I was playing Tibetan bowls for a meditation at a metaphysical church one Sunday. The organist was visually impaired so she had a service dog that was with her at all times. The whole time I played the dog was totally chilled out except for one bowl which clearly disturbed him. I couldn't play that bowl or he would immediately start getting agitated and I knew he would bark if I carried on with it at all- not conducive for a meditation so I didn't play that one!

Before I became a sound therapist I was a potter. During part of that time my pottery studio was in a barn behind our house in Jamestown, RI. The first floor of the barn was in good shape and that's where my studio was but the loft was not so great. The windows were all open and it was filled with barn swallows. They had nests all around the windows inside the barn. I always listened to music when I was doing pottery and one day I put on a tape by Mark Isham. I don't remember what it was but it was very rhythmic and within minutes the birds started singing. Not just singing- they always did that when I played music in the studio. No, they started singing in time to the music. It was the most amazing thing! From then on whenever I put that piece of music on they sang in time to it- a whole chorus of birds serenading from the hayloft. I experimented with other music but they never did it with anything else in that same way.

Sadness and Gratitude

Today was a very emotional day for me. Fortunately I woke up early and decided to start off "on the right note" by meditating to a recording by my beautiful nada yoga teacher, Sri Shyam Bhatnagar. Nada yoga is the yogic science and practice of sacred sound.  After my early morning practice of meditation and yoga I went about my day. About midday some personal issues arose which I was able to process through on the phone with a very dear friend and lots of tears.

When I was through with that I went online to check my email only to discover that my stepsister had died early this morning from a recurrence of breast cancer and lymphoma. She was a trooper and a believer in miracles with a vibrant spirit and after her first battle with it she had managed to keep it at bay for quite a few years.  She was a brilliant artist and although I didn't see her very often we had a deep affection for each other and had grown even closer over the last three or four years by being connected on Facebook and being able to Instant Message each other, which we often did late at night.

More tears... more cleansing...

By late afternoon I was feeling pretty sad and wrung out.
Nonetheless I was determined to write at least a short post. I wanted to share a little taste of Shyamji so I started searching on YouTube and came across the short sweet piece by him above. When I heard him sing even such a short chant, it instantly soothed my spirit.

Here is a picture of my stepsister Alejandra Vernon and, below it, one of my favorite pieces by her.
Loving you Alex, always... 

Finding Peace in the Moment

Wow... just had an amazing experience on the Somatron recliner! I have been going through major frustration having had a blocked ear for over two weeks now. The last few days it has periods where it starts to clear and then fills up again. Lying down usually helps and then when I get up in the morning after anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour it totally fills up again. Today it was worse then it had been for many days. After spending most of the day out doing errands I got home, built a fire and felt like the greatest relief would be if I could somehow hang upside down! I decided to go on the vibroacoustic recliner as at least I could put it back far enough to have my lower legs higher than my head.

I put an album on called "Qi Revolution" which Jamie Deva compiled for Jeff Primack's Supreme Science Qi Gong workshops. Just to add a little background here I will say that I attended one of these workshops and, at the risk of being very politically incorrect, was not at all impressed with the presentation. In fact I was totally turned off by it and couldn't get out of there fast enough. What I was turned on by however, was his excellent use of multimedia technology and in particular the use of music which is why I bought the CD. I had a feeling it would be great for my sound healing work. A lot of the music is by David Helpling and Jon Jenkins who are absolutely amazing and the very last track that I listened to was the one posted above by Marconi Union which is pretty incredible.



Listening to it simply as an audio experience is no doubt very nice indeed. Obviously I liked it enough when I first heard it to buy it, but now I just use it for balancing and healing- which means either I or someone else is lying on the sound table or recliner and experiencing the vibrations of the music through the entire body. So that's what I did. I put the recliner as far back as it could go, put the volume up high enough that there was a pretty strong vibrotactile response and let go for the ride.

The first thing that happened was that my ear cleared within about a minute. After that my whole body/being sort of "dropped in". By that I mean I quickly became deeply relaxed and soon all physical awareness was gone except the lower frequencies moving through me like waves. I could feel the different frequencies, especially the higher ones, sort of "pulling" at my brain, and the various rhythms and repetitive melodies short-circuiting my thinking mind, entraining my brainwaves and inducing a series of dreamlike imagery, both visual and auditory. The process seemed to quiet my conscious mind and allow my subconscious to come forth. And, although I was most definitely not asleep, as images morphed from one to the next I forgot what the one before it had been- an experience of being totally present and effortlessly letting go of each moment as it slipped away.

When I felt complete I turned it off feeling clear, cleansed, peaceful and open- wide open. Expansive...

The one thought I remember was very early on. I realized that my ear had cleared and had the awareness that the real issue was not physical. It was whether I could still be at peace if it filled up again. The ear is still open in this moment and so am I.

Stay tuned... (That's what I am trying to do!)

You Are Music

My turn- another day, another blog post! Musical inspiration- experiencing, teaching and healing- that is my life- being inspired and hopefully passing on some of the excitement I feel. Today the two words on my lips are "Tom Ze". Since I committed, about ten days ago, to blogging every day (for a week but now I don't want to stop) I have been each day looking for that spark of inspiration that makes me want to keep singing, keep dancing, keep teaching, keep writing and keep healing. Today it came from Tom Ze who I have been listening to a lot lately- particularly his most recent album "Vira Lata la Via Lactea". (Click on the title to download his album- it's fabulous!)

This afternoon I watched the film "Fabricando Tom Ze"- wonderful!- about a brilliant radical sensitive experimental musician from Brazil who has pushed the musical envelope for over 40 years, a man who almost faded into obscurity until David Byrne discovered one of his albums in a store in Rio de Janeiro in 1986. Here is an excerpt of an interview with David Byrne and Tom Ze.

Where would my life be, where would I be, who would I be without music? Music is as natural to us as breathing. Some people say they are not musical. Wrong- you ARE music! You are vibrating, you are pulsing, resonating, humming, buzzing, swooshing... waves are moving through your body in the form of raw energy, blood, lymph and all manner of bodily fluids. All the sounds you hear around you are within you. You are a solo symphony of sound and vibration, resonating with everything and everyone around you. Some you are in harmony with, some less so. With some you may feel a level of dischord- not just with people- it may be the "wrong" environment, the wrong food for you. It may be that some past trauma has caused some dischord within your vibratory being (physical, mental or emotional body) that causes you to feel like you are being "rubbed the wrong way" by a particular person, place or thing. The key is finding out how to get back in tune- whether the challenge is a flu, a thought, or a pain or any other manner of irritation in your physical or emotional body. It may not mean "curing"- it may simply be finding a way to become comfortable with that discomfort or dis-ease. Whatever is going on around you, it is always within you where you feel the discomfort and ultimately that is always the place where we must make the shift.

Tuning into our musical essence can be one of the fastest ways to restore peace. This can be as simple as listening deeply to your musical breath, the sweet steady rhythm of life. It may be playing or listening to your favorite piece of music or a simple sound like a Tibetan bowl, a flute or a gong. What is it that resonates with who you are and where you are today, now, in this moment?

At Home

Beautiful snow day today. The howling wind of the night had died down, the snow was deep and the whiteness of the landscape gentle on the eyes and mind. First thing when I got downstairs went on the sound table in my living room, bathing in vibroacoustic sound- very peaceful entrainment with the soothing music of Jean Philippe Rykiel and Lama Gyurme gently and deeply vibrating all of my cells.

Full of appreciation. Able to be in my house with my youngest son Nic and my grandson while the wind blew and the snow fell. After breakfast we all went outside and tromped around the house.

I am happy, grateful and in my element in every way.

Coming Together- Sound & Synchronicity

About 8 years ago I wandered into Bookman's Entertainment Center in Tucson, AZ which has a huge selection of used books. I went over to the DVD's and my eyes immediately landed on one called The Festival in the Desert. Turned out it was about a music festival in Mali that I had never heard of. I barely looked at. I just grabbed it and went and paid the $4 or whatever it was. I love African music and I knew in a heartbeat that it was going to be a great movie to show at my sound healing center. Every month we had a movie night and showed a different movie testifying in some way to the power of sound and music to connect, to create community and to heal.

This movie turned out to be about the power of music to bring people together in a war-torn country and celebrate their life and culture. The festival has been held every year in Timbuktu since 2002- up until 2012 when separatist rebels and Islamic militants seized control of Northern Mali.

I have not heard much in the mainstream about this festival. Two years ago Stephen Colbert had the band Tinariwen on his show who had been one of the organizers of the festival- that is as much as I have heard of them other than having one of their CD's (amazing!) and this wonderful DVD that I love.

Then about two weeks ago I was on an old friend's Facebook page checking out her movie picks (all of which looked like stuff I would love) and there was one called The Last Song Before the War. I clicked on it and lo and behold, it was about the most recent festival which has been moved to the southern city of Segou which has never been occupied by jihadists. I still have to order the DVD or the download so I haven't watched it yet but I was so excited to see it come across my screen and have now watched the trailer a couple of times, greatly anticipating seeing the film in the next couple of weeks.

Last week as some of you may know I participated in the Your Turn Challenge and was so excited by the energy that was created through blogging every day and connecting with a whole new community that was created in this period of 7 days. Through the process I felt a new energy and excitement and I knew that I wanted to keep up the momentum even though the "challenge" ended yesterday. A group of us have formed a Facebook page to stay connected with this community and I knew when I woke up today that I would at some point sit down and write. What was I going to write? I wanted to write about music, about community and about not allowing obstacles to stand in our way.

We have a huge blizzard bearing down on us and I had some things to complete and prepare in my home before I could get down to work. My son and grandson are both at my house so we can all be snowed in together, so I prepared food, stocked up the woodpile on the porch, various other things that needed to be done so we can be cozy and comfortable.

And THEN...  I was preparing to build a fire in my wood stove, crumbling up the New York Times from last Sunday and I opened a page and staring me in the face was a full page article about the upcoming Festival on the Niger! I thought what an incredible thing- these people whose lives and limbs literally are threatened, their instruments and music studios set on fire and yet they do not allow this to stop them from doing what they love, what sustains them, feeds them emotionally and spiritually- a total expression of joy and unity. This is good. Music is life.

The Greater Whole

So last week I took on Your Turn Challenge, a challenge put forth by Winnie Kao to blog every day 7 days. Today was the last day. This is the last post I submitted. There were over 4000 entries a day! It was really a fun challenge- and surprisingly challenging. Your Turn Challenge has come to and end but it is definitely not the last you have heard from me!

Day 7- the last day of #YourTurnChallenge. Here we are and I am really glad to be here. I have been looking forward all day to sitting down and writing. And I am a bit sad that this is the last day. Honestly I don’t know if anyone has read my posts. I do know that I have read some wonderful, thought-provoking, sensitive, honest, inspiring posts by others. One person said they felt it was a failure. How sad… And I so disagree. No, that’s not the right way of saying it. Let me say that for me it has not been a failure. It has been a great success on many levels.

What am I taking away from this challenge? On a personal level I feel a certain sense of empowerment- the awareness that yes, I can commit to something and I can fulfill, I can complete on my commitment. I remember the day that I first started seriously contemplating it. I read about the challenge in an email and the first thing I did was forward it to my son Namdev who first turned me on to Seth Godin and said, “Have you seen this? I am thinking about it. You should do this!” Then I put it aside for a few days- but for whatever reason it stayed with me. I kept thinking about it and I went back to it a couple of times. I watched Winnie’s video and I really wanted to do it. There was something very compelling about it- maybe partly just the fact that I have a blog and I knew that I was not working it the way I really wanted to. This seemed like such a great way to get back into it and revitalize it and to move forward with the changes I have made in my life in the last 3 years.

But the truth is, I WAS SCARED. I kept not hitting that final link that said, “Yes, I’m in!” I was afraid I would fail. Bad enough to let myself down but to have to admit to others that I had failed, I wasn’t ready for that. At the same time there was a gnawing inside of me that said, “This is really important for me. I have to do this.” That grew into an awareness that the discomfort I would feel by NOT attempting it was going to be far greater than any discomfort I might feel by actually failing at it- and of course there was the possibility that I would succeed and that was kind of an exciting possibility. Maybe that sounds overly dramatic but the simple truth is that it felt somewhat daunting to me and I do not like not seeing things through to completion. I have done it too many times in the past, letting down myself and others and it is a big trigger for me.

So, finally, the day before it started I jumped in. I made the commitment, I hit the link and I was in. And it is Day 7. And I am here!

Beyond all of that personal drama, and most importantly, I feel like in the course of a week I have connected with a powerful community and I am loving that! It’s as though a new tapestry has been created and there is a thread, or many threads that run through and connect us all. It is interesting because it’s on somewhat of a nonphysical level. It’s not like a piece of visual art or a film where we have all created something and you can actually look at the whole picture and see the fullness of the creation and all of the different contributions. There are simply too many entries. (I am curious in fact how many there actually are, or will be by the end of this evening.) (And wouldn’t it be cool if they were made into a book so that we could actually hang out and read the entries over time and begin to get to know each other a little bit?!)

It is so interesting because I haven’t really read very many posts- a few each day- but I have been amazed by them- some people who are really excellent writers, others who are just writing from their heart in a very open and real way, but what I feel is that we are all in this together and a meaningful connection has made on a level that is very powerful. We all took this challenge and we each made a specific commitment and intention, that we would take this on not just whenever we were ready but on a specific series of days. We started together and have gone on together step by step, day by day.

Intention is so powerful and it occurs to me in this moment that when my commitment began to waver perhaps it was then your commitment, our commitment as a group, that gave me the surge of energy- that reminded me, out of the blue last night, when I was into the last half hour of “Kill Bill” (yes I really was!) that I suddenly said, Oh my god- I haven’t blogged today! I have to pause this right now and do it! Maybe that was what carried me. I don’t know.

I have such a strong sense that the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts. We all did this together.  We all contributed whatever we contributed and we all got whatever we got. I can’t shake the feeling of this energetic thread that is running through it/us all that has connected us, that has created a community that I am excited to be a part of. I understand the feeling of connection to those people whose posts I have read or who somehow I have connected with on Twitter through the Your Turn Challenge but what I am really surprised by is my sense of connection to everyone who has participated in this challenge- that is what really blows my mind. The truth is that I have gotten far more out of this than I could have imagined. Thank you Winnie Kao!

Surprise, Surprise!

So, today's nudge on #yourturnchallenge- "tell us about a time when you surprised yourself." Today, right now, sitting down to write this blog and get it posted by midnight!!! I have barely a half hour to get it in under the wire. Internet was down for two days and I had to do yesterday's post on my iPhone. As I discussed yesterday, consistency is not my best friend. I am trying really hard to befriend it though!

Day #6 of Your Turn Challenge. It slipped my mind completely until 15 minutes ago- this is so good for me!

There are a few things, a very few things that I have done from start to finish. My two biggest accomplishments- going to 12-Step meetings every day for two years about 25 years ago which changed my life. A year after I got into recovery I began reading A Course in Miracles- a text of over 600 pages, a workbook with 365 lessons- each to be done daily for a year, and a third volume- a manual for teachers. I never thought when I picked up that book that I could possibly reach the end. I did. NA/AA changed my life. A Course in Miracles changed my mind. And as the Course says, "... by changing his mind, he has changed the most powerful device that was ever given him for change."

So I have actually surprised myself by my ability to follow through and accomplish some pretty big things in my life. I could actually go on from there but the clock is ticking! I do find it sort of funny though as I look at these fairly big challenges I faced in my life- like getting clean and sober- that I was apprehensive about whether I really had it in me to blog consistently 7 days in a row. Well, here it is Day 6 and I have surprised myself! Thank you for the challenge to show up for myself.

Moving Forward! (Shift Happens)

By Rosie Warburton

Okay, this is a really interesting challenge today- my internet is down and I am writing on my iPhone! Editing will be sparse. That being said, stuck in the quagmire of a nonfunctional internet server, how to get unstuck and move forward? Work with what you've got, right?

The truth is that there was no way I was going to allow this little glitch to cause me to fail today. To some people blogging every day may be a no-brainer. I am not one of those people to whom discipline and consistency come naturally. So, maybe the easiest way to become unstuck is not to allow yourself to get stuck in the first place. Does that statement sound like a cop-out? Not sure. It could be but that's kind of where I'm at right now. If I don't get stuck I don't need to dig myself out.

Then there is the consideration, if one is really and truly feeling stuck, of changing one's perception. Am I really stuck or am I just beating myself up and not looking at the positive actions- the small things- that I am in fact doing that are benefitting myself, others, my work, my health, whatever.

And then there is the third possibility. I'm stuck. No matter what I do it seems there are just too many obstacles, challenges, barriers, dead air, dead weight. What now? Stop. Ask yourself, why am I doing this? What is it for? Is there a message here? Is it really me who is stuck or is there something going on energetically that maybe has nothing to do with me? If it is me- I am in a rut- well, how can I change what I am doing? Is there ONE thing I could change, one simple thing I could do differently.

Sometimes just exploring the questions is enough to create a shift. There always the question as to whether the obstacles are internal or external and these are very important questions. Is it something I have any control over? Does being stuck mean I wait it out til the energy shifts, or is the waiting a symptom of being stuck?

Making lists can be hugely helpful. For example, what are ten things I could be doing to help promote my business? What are ten things I could be doing to make myself feel better? What are ten things I could be doing to help someone else? What are ten ways this project could be beneficial to others? What are the obstacles to getting this project off the ground? What are all the positive things I am already doing?

When you're stuck you need to ask the right questions. I have often found that when I begin asking the right questions and then writing down the answers, whether it's journaling, writing lists, whatever, that it short circuits the tape loops and frees up a lot of energy. It allows me to either see the positive steps I am taking or that I need to take to make a shift and then... Shift happens!

Doing What I Love

I am doing what I do best today. Loving music. Appreciating... because if I didn't it would be hard to get through this day. Feeling like I am underwater and a pain in my side... the dregs of a flu... tired of it. And so- I am listening to Tom Ze and I strongly encourage you to do it too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZLzWlU0mB0

One of the things I love doing most as a sound therapist is helping people to explore music, sound and frequency and discover what those sounds are that really turn you on. And to listen deeply, to notice where you feel those sounds and how they make you feel... Not just "good". Grounded? Expansive? Excited? Nostalgic?

Music has been a savior for me many different times in my life. Today is one of those times.

Start to Finish

Yesterday and the day before I woke up with #yourturnchallenge at the forefront of my mind. Today? Somewhere else! Didn’t even remember for probably a good half hour that I had made a commitment to blog every day for 7 days. I felt stumped. What can I write about? I made a little video of gonging and posted it on Facebook- that is another commitment I made to myself- to post frequent sound healing videos. Okay, truth is I said I would make and post one every day- but I missed the second day!

So in my quandary I went to the daily questions: “Tell us about something that you think should be improved.” Looking out there in the world there is just too much stuff- and for the most part it’s really my perception of the world that could be vastly improved so I decided not to go there. The obvious answer for me today, in looking around at all the projects I have started and am partway through, is my ability to see things through from start to finish. 

At this moment I have a flyer that needs to be updated. I have a brochure that needs to be completed. I have a bookshelf half emptied that needs to be moved when I finish emptying it- I started about 3 weeks ago. I have relocated and need to set up a class and some sound healing events at a venue that is close by- the rent is so cheap that it’s basically a no-brainer. I am supposed to be practicing music every day- I don’t. Oh, and three days ago I said I would blog on a daily basis and already I almost forgot all about it!

This is a little more like true confessions than I can bear. The point is I get really excited about life, about new projects and possibilities, about practice, about learning, about teaching and healing but I am constantly distracted and moving from one thing to the next without completing the one I started.
I’m not sure what the key is here. What does it take to create discipline and consistency in one’s life, one’s work, one’s practice? Or beyond that, to achieve mastery? Dedication? That’s not enough- there is no question in my mind that I am dedicated to my work and to my spiritual path as well, and for that matter that I am good at what I do. But yes, there is so much room for improvement. There is a quote in A Course in Miracles that simply says, “Your good intentions are not enough.” Sad but apparently true.

So, what will happen if I choose one thing- blogging, for example (!)- and I do it every day? Taking one step. And seeing if one step leads to another… and another…

A Taste of My Own Medicine

I just spent about an hour on the Athena Table, a vibroacoustic table with speakers built into it made by the Somatron Corporation. Vibroacoustic basically means that you hear the music and you feel the vibrations of it throughout your body as well. I listened to some fairly quiet ambient music by a sound healer named Michael Brant DeMaria called "In the Flow". I had never heard it before. It must have been a demo that a distributor had sent to me. I hadn't been on the sound table for at least a couple of weeks... Why not? It is at my disposal!

Amazing the tools we have available to us that we totally forget to use. Forget? Are too lazy, too distracted? Too busy checking texts and emails? What? I don't know. I love music. I love to feel good. Hello? This is the therapy I offer to other people and have been offering since 1995- and I don't use it? Okay, that's not entirely true but I certainly don't avail myself of it to the extent that I could and probably should. So, I was surprised and pleased by how relaxed and clearheaded I felt when I got up. I shouldn't have been surprised- I know this works and I understand how it works.

I have some quiet thoughts ruminating about this whole process since I got up. The dominant one has to do with the Your Turn Challenge and how this might impact other areas of our lives- the idea that taking one necessary step in one area of our lives- in this case writing a little bit every day and putting it out there- might just lead to forward motion in other areas of our lives. I don't have a whole lot to say about that right now. I'm just kind of curious... I may have more as the week progresses.

Meanwhile here's a little bit more about this amazing technology. The Athena Table was donated to the Sound Body Wholistic Health Center in Florida when I opened it in 2005. It was the original prototype for the Somatron Body Mat. My friend Byron Eakin, owner and inventor of Somatron, told me that he would donate it to the center on the condition that I would never sell it. I readily agreed to his terms! This is what it looks like on the outside. If you lift up the panel in the middle there are two large flat speakers under there and also two small speakers on either side of the little pillow where your head goes. These pictures were taken at the center.

It is now in my living room- initially that was a little bit of a fiasco! When I originally moved in October my plan was to put it in one of the downstairs bedrooms and use it as a separate treatment room. Unfortunately the hallway was too narrow and the movers couldn't get it in there, so suddenly I had this huge thing in the middle of my living space and I did not see how it was going to work. The living/dining/kitchen area has an open floor plan so it sat in my dining area for about two weeks til a friend helped me figure it out and we saw a spot in the living room where it could go along with a vibroacoustic recliner. Now if two people feel like being antisocial one can now go on the chair and one on the table and just tune out the rest of the world for a while. It has turned out to be a pretty cool arrangement. Here it is in my living room under a bit of a disguise!

So, it's in fact supercozy. I put a 3" futon on top of it to sleep there in November when I had a house full of family and it's so comfortable that I never took it off- AND the vibration of the music still comes through even with the futon which is awesome! The black recliner is also a Somatron- it is basically a zero gravity recliner with speakers built into- one in the low back and one in the leg rest and one on either side of the head. The sound technology in the chair is so good- it is really a wonderful experience. Wasn't there a (cheesy) song once- "Make the World Go Away"? This will do just that- all the while revealing your inner world! Very cool.

Okay, the truth is it's way more than cool and I do not wish to minimize it. It is powerful. Profound. What happens when you lie on one of these sound tables or recliners? You drop into a deep state of relaxation very quickly. The vibrations of the music are pulsing, vibrating, resonating through every cell in your body! All the stress, tension, pain and trauma throughout the mind-body spectrum begins to release and let go. You become one with the music and experience the flow of a stream of consciousness is. Healing happens. This can actually be a life changing experience. I have seen people have healings on every level- physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. It's no small thing.

Starting Off On The Right Note

When I had my sound healing center in St. Pete, FL I led a healing sound meditation every Monday evening so people could start their week off "on the right note". Having been in major transition for the last two years and finally settled in to my oh-so-very-cool log house where I can rev up my practice again it feels just right that this challenge begins on a Monday. Challenge, yes...Thank you Seth Godin and Winnie Kao, too for the challenge to blog for 7 days in a row! Just the kick in the pants that I needed. http://yourturnchallenge.tumblr.com/

Getting started has been the biggest challenge lately. Seems like transitions could just go on endlessly... Moved in October, including getting all my stuff (sound healing equipment, sound tables, instruments) out of storage where it had been for several years- so about 6 weeks of the initial house set-up, then November- kids visiting from MN for birthdays, the crazy holiday stretch where I was still finding beds, kitchen table, stuff that you are supposed to have in your house if you ever want other people to be able to be there (and since I am going to be hosting individual sound healing retreats that is pretty important stuff!), then the Christmas craziness where life gets put on hold again (okay, really? That's crazy! The best of life is those holiday times when everything ELSE gets put on hold and we get to hang out, celebrate, eat with our families, kids, friends) and finally my 60th birthday last week which I celebrated with my two sisters in Arizona and will probably continue to celebrate all year. Then of course I got sick- so here I am typing with a plugged up ear which is driving me slightly insane! So... were I not given this challenge I could have easily put off "getting started" with my new ideas, visions, and the practicality of sitting, writing, sharing, for at least another week!

In this moment I am thinking that the real challenge for me is starting this next phase of my life off "on the right note". Blogging consistently for seven days feels like a nice way of breaking down that challenge, that invitation. Just do it.

Put It To The Test

Tom Ze- Emere

Time to put the brain tuners to the test. I have been sick and my left ear has been blocked for almost a week now. Today I have had no focus whatsoever. I just walk around singing this wonderful tune by Tom Ze! I don't actually feel bad physically- just a relatively mild cough, no fever, aches etc. It's just my ear and the feeling that the whole left side of my head is in a weird kind of a bubble. I have tried everything- using tuning forks on the acupressure points, homeopathic drops, garlic infused sesame oil drops, essential oils and massage around the ear, flushing with saline solution and finally yesterday I broke down and got some Sudafed and so far that hasn't done anything either!

So now I am trying out the brain tuners- the fundamental (C256 hz) and the beta tuner for focus and clarity. If I can't actually clear my ear out at least maybe I can clear my head a little and stop walking around in circles forgetting what I'm doing and where I am putting things. The funny thing is, now, about a minute after I used them I actually feel like there is some movement happening within my ear canal- and I actually do feel a bit more focused. Let's see if I can actually get something done around here!

Sorry that there is no visual on the Tom Ze "video"- but it's well worth a listen- such a sweet tune, sort of sacred and funky at the same time.

Update on brain tuner results to follow... ;-)