World In Changes... You Gotta Keep Dancing!

My brother Tim passed away on March 18, 2022 due to the seemingly ever-present virus that has been around for the past two-plus years. He was seven years older than me. Simply put, it sucks. His beautiful wife, two brave and brilliant daughters and four young grandchildren left behind. Plus four younger siblings… and a huge posse of people who loved his boundless energy and positivity.

The greatest connection that he and I shared was our love of music. Throughout my teen years I have a memory of being in our father’s house in Newport or at Horn Corner, the communal house Tim lived in up in Vermont- and I would hear his voice…. “Hey Rosie- come in here! You gotta hear this!” A new artist, a new song and he would point out the words or a harmony or a particular instrument or just some beautiful subtlety in the arrangement. He loved good harmonies- he loved the Beach Boys! I always remember the first time he played the Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” for me and telling me that it was The London Boys Choir- a choir of all young boys. He was so taken by those beautiful voices. In fact (I only just found out when I googled it) it turns out that it was actually The London Bach choir… but regardless. It was a moment in time and in history- both my personal history and the history of rock and roll.

”It should be known the London Bach Choir, the original choir hired by The Rolling Stones for "You Can't Always Get What You Want," was anyone (men and women) aged 18 and over, contrary to popular opinion (for years) that the voices of the choir was all young boys.” (Steve Hoffman Music Forum)

Over the past few weeks I have been compiling a playlist on Spotify of some of the music that Tim turned me onto, with some help from my siblings. On different days different tunes get stuck in my head. This one is in there a lot.

He also loved to dance. A few years ago we were talking and I said I hadn’t been dancing in ages and how much I missed it. He said, “Rosie! You gotta keep dancing! You have to dance at least a half hour every day! Put on some music and dance in your living room- I dance every day!”

Today I got an email from Chuck Prophet, a great musician, who is going through some health challenges. I thought about what I could do to send him some uplifting energy and decided that the best thing I could do was to put some of his music on and dance. I didn’t ever get to share this song with Tim but I have a feeling he would have loved it. For me, it is for sure on my top ten list of favorite songs ever recorded- and it’s great to dance to so turn your speakers up! From now on I will always think of my brother Tim when I dance- and I am making a point to dance a lot more.

Sound Images... Or Imaginings!

I just spent an hour trying to upload a bunch more images. I have thousands of digital photos of sound journeys. instruments, workshops and people receiving sound healing sessions. Unfortunately tonight my computer would not cooperate and these were all I could get for now. But if you click on the pictures at the top there is a carousel of at least a few you can enjoy- and imagine the sounds that come forth! Here is a short video of a sound spiral I created with Himalayan singing bowls.

Music, Tears and Gratitude

Mostly I am “okay”. Home and putting things away that Henry had saved for me. A three-week road trip which in many ways felt like an inner pilgrimage. Even though I was on the road I couldn’t really just leave everything indefinitely so instead I just tried to hold an open space for myself on the inside.

And like I said, mostly I am “okay.” And then there are those moments, which come further and further apart but still arrive… when I hear a piece of music like this and I am hit with a tidal wave of sadness and gut-wrenching tears. I am grateful that I can allow myself to feel and cry when I need to.

Grateful for the power music has to pick us up, carry us on a river of emotions and drop us on the other shore!

Drivin' Wheel

I have a lot to write about it but it’s past my bedtime and I might turn into a pumpkin so this will be a short one. I want to write about my Sanskrit workshop, I want to write about time spent in Paul Dobbe’s recording studio this past week…

But first… I want to share another one of my top ten favorite songs! And I have to share it now because I went to see Tom Rush tonight and he closed with it and it is hanging out in my consciousness. It is timeless. I remember when I first heard it- I was 15- up at my brother’s house in Vermont. It blew me away the first time. The whole album was one of the great albums of the era, to my mind- definitely on my lifetime list of top ten favorite albums. He covered a number of other people’s tunes on the album doing his own unforgettable renditions of each of them. Every song on the album is exquisite but there’s something about the heart and the intensity of this one that makes it even more special. It has never failed to bring tears to my eyes. Tonight was no different.

And again, it speaks of the power of music to bring us straight into our heart, letting all the other crap drop away for a while. It’s a cleansing. On one of the steps going up into concert venue tonight was emblazoned “Music is Truth.”

Everybody's Coming to My House!!!

WOW!!!

So… after I posted my last post- the one with one of my all-time favorite songs by Bruce Cockburn- I thought it would be really fun to post some of my other favorites, songs that made me stop in my tracks the first time I heard them. I was going to list them but I think it will be more fun to surprise you with a new one each day. I don’t know if I could just do my “Top Ten” (I’ve already gotten to eleven and I’ve only just begun).

Anyway, when I got to choosing a song by the Talking Heads I couldn’t decide on just one because everything they ever did was brilliant… so I went to YouTube and put in David Byrne and came up with this, a new song, something I had never heard before. I can’t say it’s my number one favorite song by him (because like I said, they all rank #1 with me) but it’s a brilliant performance in every way and I was instantly blissed out as I began to watch. I can definitely say it’s one of my favorite performances. Turn on your speakers or your Bluetooth and turn them up loud- and let me know if you love it even half as much as I do!!!

Afterthought: Thinking about healing with music- anything that brings you joy is healing. Joy makes your cells sing and come alive!

Last Night (An Evening With Patti Smith)

I feel like last night was an historic event.

Well, it was. For me.

What is that, when the pure unabashed humanity of another person allows you to tap into that deepest part of yourself? Not your soul. Nothing so lofty as that. Your raw wounded compassionate loving funny poignant beautiful authentic self just the way you show up in this world- flaws, foibles, warts and all.

That was An Evening With Patti Smith. Her black jeans, scrappy t-shirt peeking out from under her black vest and man's suit jacket, slightly over-sized. Unafraid of her age, nothing to hide, censoring nothing as far as I could tell...

She read, mostly from Just Kids, some from her new "little book" Devotion (which is small) (and which she said could possibly be read in one sitting on a bad day in the bathroom) and she sang a few "little songs". Right. Earth-shaking, from the core of her being, reaching into mine and most of the other 1200 people's in the audience as well, I am sure. Maybe there were a few who didn't get it, didn't get her- who knows. She is a simple powerful force- kind of like a tsunami. Her writing had already struck me that way. Her music too. But there was something even greater in her presence that kept my attention glued to her, all the while with a huge smile on my face and tears streaming down my cheeks much of the time. I couldn't take a picture or record a song because I did not want to break the trance for a second. I actually thought to myself that if I died last night I would be totally satisfied. That is how powerful it was for me.

I was with four friends. I was speechless afterwards. I pretended I could talk. But I felt like I was in another universe. It wasn't anything. It wasn't because I am somehow starstruck. More like awestruck- by the impact of total presence.

There is a line in M Train that made me feel like if I only read that one line I could be totally satisfied by the experience of reading something extraordinary. She is describing having fallen asleep for a while on her bed in a hotel room in the early evening in Mexico City. She is awakened by someone speaking through a distorted megaphone. "Disembodied words carried by the wind and landing on my windowsill like a deranged homing pigeon."

That may be my favorite line ever. Whose mind thinks this way? It's genius.

Here's a little clip from her show last night- I am so happy that someone has already put this up on YouTube.

My Beautiful Life

I woke up this morning to a clear, windy, bitterly cold, snow-covered world. It is beautiful and fortunately I don't need to go any further than my house today. I have a warm fire and a couple of apples filled with rice, pecans and currants baking in the oven as I write this! It doesn't get a whole lot better- unless, like me, you have some fabulous sound healing technology in your living room! I decided to have my coffee in the Somatron recliner this morning (which is located about 6 feet from the woodstove).

It was an interesting excursion. I decided to put on a CD I had never heard before. Apparently it was a sample White Swan Music sent me a few years ago that I'd never listened to. The CD was by Philippo Franchini, called Magic and Grace. Initially, I didn't love it. It sounded too pretty and melodic and New Agey for my tastes and a little too weak for a deep therapeutic experience on the Somatron. I decided to give it a few minutes though and at some point some nice low rumbling tones came in and I began to feel more of the vibrotactile effect, the resonance of the frequencies coming through and massaging my cells. The second track had more of this and some nice deep percussion. I was still thinking about getting up out of the chair and putting something else on but the vibrotactile effect was beginning to have a hold on me.

Before I knew it I was sitting there filled with a profound sense of gratitude, tears streaming down my face- grateful for my beautiful life, grateful for the work I am blessed to do and blown away by the power of sound and music- and specifically this amazing technology which enters through the body and touches the soul.

This Sweet Old World

Knocked out tonight by the richness of this life- brought to mind this beautiful, sweet, sad song by Lucinda Williams. On the edge of weeping...

Thoughts on Healing (One Anyway)

Yeah, I don't have that many- but I do have one. An observation that came as I was working with someone on the Soundweaver recently. Holding a sort of witness consciousness, watching as my hands slowly came into their energy field, gently resting on either side of their head and after some minutes very slowly, almost imperceptibly releasing, hands moving away in slow motion. Moving to the next place on the body I was called to. Could have been the heart, the solar plexus, the knees, the feet, one shoulder or the other- or both. Listening, observing, waiting, letting go, moving on. What is happening in these subtle delicate moments- these listening moments which are full of power, intention and awareness?

At some point during the session I wrote this note: "The trick is to match the client's energy and hang out with it til a total synergy is apparent- then LEAN INTO IT- gently- enough to allow their energy/physiology to shift."

In other words, you hang out until you become ONE with their energy. No pushing, no forcing, being fully present- WITH INTENTION. Using a sound analogy, it is the difference between crashing a mallet against a gong so that the volume is almost unbearable and a shock to the system, or playing the gong so that the sound slowly builds, as if you are coaxing the sound forth and allowing the waves to wash over the listeners and then to recede like waves on the shore.

I used Estas Tonne today for my inspiration and therapy while I was doing some stuff in the kitchen. I wanted to escape but there were things I needed to complete on. Once I put this music on I was captivated and happy to be right where I was.

Weightless

My friend Walter sent me an article a while back about music therapy. In it neuroscientists said that listening to this song by Marconi Union results in up to a 65% decrease in overall anxiety and 35% decrease in the usual physiological resting rates. After reading the article I decided to test the theory and play it for myself at bedtime. It worked like a dream! I was asleep a few short minutes into the song and slept soundly. 

Not only a great song but a very cool and beautiful video- and for sure the best use of drones! It also reminded me that I need to get some of their music for VibroAcoustic Therapy. I have one compilation CD with a track by them that I use on the Soundweaver, "These European Cities", very effective for deep relaxation and transporting one quickly to an altogether different realm of consciousness. It's one of my favorite pieces for the Soundweaver.

If you missed the link above click here to see full article: Neuroscience Says Listening to This Song

Soundweaver VibroAcoustic Environment. Client is lying on a Somatron Body Mat with 4 speakers built into it, overhead speakers and a subwoofer underneath the table as well for extra clarity and surround sound experience. She is literally receiving a cellular musical massage through the vibrotactile effect of the speakers in the mat. VibroAcoustic Sound Therapy is not only deeply relaxing and enjoyable on the physical level, but can also be life-changing.

Contact Wholistic Sound for more information or to book a private session or weekend sound healing retreat.

Late Night Groove

Have not yet un-jetlagged from 12 days in Hawaii. Staying up late at night and shaking myself loose in the morning. Tonight spent a couple of hours integrating ukulele chords and tunes into my nervous system, then fell into the deep soundscape of Himalayan singing bowls as I was organizing and packing them for my upcoming road trip. Next up, decided to write a short post on my blog. Opened up computer, caught a glimpse of Facebook and a few words about the devil-in-chief which set my heart a-pounding! This song suddenly came into my mind which I haven't thought about in years. At one time- more than 40 years ago?- yikes!- one of my very favorite songs by Fairport Convention.

"Just a roll, just a roll
Just a roll on your drum
Just a roll, just a roll
And the war has begun."

It's not really my thing to be a negative Nellie, but I pray DT doesn't get us in too deep before we can get him out.

Meanwhile, turn your speakers up loud. It's a great song. It's serious sound therapy!

The Musical Brain

“Anatomists today would be hard put to identify the brain of a visual artist, a writer or a mathematician - but they would recognize the brain of a professional musician without moment’s hesitation. ”

— Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia

There is so much being learned about our connections to music, musical memory and how music affects the brain. Neuroplasticity refers to the brains ability to adapt and to change as a result of training and experience throughout a person's lifetime. Active engagement with sound and music enhances neuroplasticity which also has the effect of enhancing learning. I found for myself that when I was actively studying Sanskrit it clearly had a positive impact on my memory and cognitive skills. My sense was that it was not so much through the actual memorization but through repetition of specific frequencies and seed sounds.

The documentary "Alive Inside" is the joyful story of a man who brought new life into homes for patients with Alzheimer's and dementia, reawakening their minds and hearts by playing for them the music of their youth.

For some great articles and information on music and the neuroplasticity of the brain click on these links:
The Sync Project
Neuroscience News