And Then There Was Paris

Life and times have been oh so full lately! I have sat down at this computer many times and just as quickly had to get up and attend to something else. So, since my last post I have been to Florida and back, done three Sound Journeys- including one house concert and one for oncology patients at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence- plus created and posted a new Sound Healing Workshop for February 2016.

Florida was intense, emotional and productive. Nice to be in the thick of emotional stuff and still be able to get done what needed to be accomplished. Basically I was there to go through books and others odd and ends that I had left at my old boyfriend's house where we lived together for many years. Funny to say "boyfriend"- it sounds so temporary but it was a definitely a long-term relationship and we had lived in that house together for close to 14 years. So there was stuff around that, and then going through boxes in the garage that had books and papers I hadn't looked at in over 15 years- I found some treasures from when my kids (now all grown men) were young and that was such a treat, like this poem written by my son Moose when he was about 14.

Some were funny, some were poignant- sadly having to throw out some of my favorite books from when I was a child because the covers had fallen apart and it was just too painful to hang on to them in that condition.

And then there was Paris.

What can I, or anyone, even say about that? Another violent tragedy. Like everyone I know I was affected deeply. My heart ached, my mind was confused by the violence. I didn't know about it until a few hours after it happened. I was in my car with a friend on the way to Sarasota when we found out- just another day in paradise. We chose not to look for several hours and when I got back to where I was staying I went online and began reading the news. I was afraid to watch the videos. I found myself having to avoid the commentary that followed the news posts because they were so hateful... more violence, more attacks... just on a different level... But where do you draw the line? What level of violence is acceptable? Angry hateful words? I think not. I cried a lot, checking in on the outside- the news- and then checking in on the inside. What do I do with this information, these feelings of deep sorrow? I was up very late, unable to sleep.

In the end I slept about 4 hours. I had a Sound Journey to perform the next day and that is not enough sleep for me. I woke up feeling somber and very internal. I moved through the day thinking about this latest event. No doubt there were many other acts of violence committed on that day, as there are every day, but this one was loud and in our face. I became grateful for the opportunity to create a space of healing with sound, to somehow change the energy for at least some of us.

Sound is a carrier wave for intention, as I have said before. The thought I carried with me throughout the day before the Sound Journey was that we had all felt the reverberations of the violence that had occurred in Paris. I knew that I was in a place of vulnerability and heightened sensitivity due to my lack of sleep and emotional state. I considered taking a nap during the day but didn't have a lot of time. My tendency is to think I need to be "on" and certainly well-rested to do my best work but in this case I decided to use my vulnerability as a catalyst for the healing session rather than as a hindrance.

Before the Sound Journey I spoke about my process and what I was feeling, including my fatigue which everyone shared. I said that, as we felt impact of the attacks, we had an opportunity to send out vibrations of an entirely different nature and made the request that we allow the free flow of healing to be carried forth to wherever it was most needed on the waves of sound. The thought I held was the 45th Principle of Miracles from A Course in Miracles:
     A miracle is never lost. It may touch many people you have not even met, and 
     produce undreamed of changes in situations of which you are not even aware.

I think that everyone in the group experienced deep rest and relief that evening. One of my close friends who was there had a significant physical healing which she shared at the end. It was a beautiful intimate evening and I felt deeply grateful that there was some small thing that I could "do", that I could offer, to bring some relief to perhaps a handful of people, perhaps more of whom I am unaware.

Before the Sound Journey, talking about Paris...

Music is Medicine (Science is Catching Up!)

This is what I'm talkin' about! Great article!
http://upliftconnect.com/health-benefits-of-music/

Research Shows the Health Benefits of Music

By Jacob Devaney on Friday November 6th, 2015

Scientists are now supporting the claim that Music is Medicine

There are many mindfulness practices to stimulate inner awareness, increase health, and elevate our mood. Now we can add to that list practices such as listening to Mozart with your full being while sipping tea, singing a pop-song out loud while you drive across town, or losing your body to ecstatic dancing. Scientific research now shows us the ways that music has a physiological effect on our bodies and can improve concentration, relieve stress, act as an antidepressant and more.

Music’s beneficial effects on mental health have been known for thousands of years. Ancient philosophers from Plato to Confucius and the kings of Israel sang the praises of music and used it to help soothe stress. Military bands use music to build confidence and courage. Sporting events provide music to rouse enthusiasm. Schoolchildren use music to memorize their ABCs. Shopping malls play music to entice consumers and keep them in the store. Dentists play music to help calm nervous patients.
– Mental Health, Naturally: The Family Guide to Holistic Care for a Healthy Mind and Body

Take a moment and listen to Billie Holiday’s Lady Sings the Blues and you will be transported to another time. Sing along with her and you may ooze with the feelings as if they are your own. Crank up Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and you will be filled with emotions you may have never known existed. This capacity to feel is core to having compassion, yet music also has a profound effect on cognitive processes and learning also.

Music has a profound effect on cognitive processes and learning

Auditory biology is not frozen in time. It’s a moving target. And music education really does seem to enhance communication by strengthening language skills.
– Nina Kraus, the Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences, Neurobiology & Physiology, and Otolaryngology at Northwestern University as well as the principal investigator at the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory

Musical entrainment

Musical entrainment creates connection both internally and externally which can be seen when watching a whole crowd dance to a live band, or the people around you sobbing at an opera. Science explains this as an aspect of mirror neurons, which are a form of mimicking that can happen emotionally and physically. Maybe a song will give you chills, make you cry, or spontaneously start jamming on an air guitar, or dancing uncontrollably. In the study, The Neuroscience of Music, published by the Department of Psychology at McGill University, Montreal, researchers found preliminary scientific evidence supporting claims that music influences health through neurochemical changes in four domains: reward, motivation and pleasure; stress and arousal; immunity; and social affiliation.

Listening to music has potentially therapeutic effects

The potential therapeutic effects of music listening have been largely attributed to its ability to reduce stress and modulate arousal levels. Listening to ‘relaxing music’ (generally considered to have slow tempo, low pitch, and no lyrics) has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety in healthy subjects, patients undergoing invasive medical procedures (e.g., surgery, colonoscopy, dental procedures, pediatric patients undergoing medical procedures, and patients with coronary heart disease.
– The Neurochemistry of Music

Human cultural universal

It is no surprise that music has been used in ritual and ceremony since the beginning of time. Women share playlists for the delivery room to welcome new life. You can even higher a hospice harpist to help the transition from a terminal disease. Music education has also been shown to help children’s developing brains. So it is only natural to place it in a category for mindfulness, meditation, and healing.

Music is a language of energy, a “vibe” of emotions and joy. It speaks to our core desires and feelings. It speaks to our core desires and feelings. It spans language barriers and political borders, making it a powerful means through which humans can connect.
– Patrick Groneman

Music is a powerful means through which humans can connect

Music is also a reflection of culture. In today’s world we are experiencing an unprecedented fusion of ideas through the internet and technology. We are re-mixing historical themes, embellishing forgotten ideas and combining belief systems across time and societies. For instance, electronic dance music has captured wide acclaim as DJs and producers improvise with musical tools that have the ability to drop samples, mix, change tempo and induce ecstatic states of consciousness. This music has become central to the emerging transformational, or visionary culture that is influencing our world view through integrating art, spirituality and technology.
As with everything else, it is our conscious intention or lack of it, that makes the difference in our experience.Try exploring new music when you want to get out of a rut. Just as you are what you eat, you should choose your music wisely because it is influencing the way you feel whether you notice it or not.

Love Is A Beautiful Thing

Today's music inspiration! Love Charles and Eddie!