Input vs Output (Too Much Information!)

Oh dear- where have I been? Clearly not here. Not for lack of wanting to be here and post- literally every day I think of it and of all the things I want to share… But lord how fast the day gets away from me! Something hit me between last night and this morning having to do with the awareness of what happens when I get on the computer even with the best of intentions. I plan to write- a blog post, an email, a letter, a class description, whatever- but I get so quickly distracted by all the information coming at me that I lose focus almost immediately. And what I am realizing is that currently the information I am taking in is totally overwhelming that which I am putting out. I am drowning in information! I don’t think it is very different than the concept of “calories in, calories out.” If you want to lose weight you need to expend at least as many calories as you are taking in. If I want to be productive I have to limit the amount of information I am taking in and balance it with an output of energy and creativity.

There are other things I want to do with my day as well in terms of creativity- writing, painting, making jewelry- and always the everpresent sound work. I have instruments I love to play and practice including (but not limited to!) harmonium, banjo, guitar, and all of my sound journey instruments- Himalayan bowls, gongs, etc. I have also been in the midst of figuring out how to translate some of my work to Zoom which has been an interesting challenge that I think I have almost figured out. I just need to do a few more tests.

I have just become a member of a new holistic wellness group online that I am excited about and which looks like it can lead to some great possibilities for expanding my reach. I am still excited about the new opportunities and awarenesses that have come about due to Covid, for example teaching classes online- something I had never considered until very recently. It has led to a new level of creative thinking that I feel is a real gift among the challenges that have been put before us all in so many ways. I recently bought several mics, a mixer and two new sets of headphones- one wired and one wireless- which is a whole new level of working with technology for me. I am looking forward to seeing what comes out of all this!

I had the thought of The Police song “Too Much Information” from their album Ghost In The Machine in my mind but when I revisited it the original version it felt way too abrasive (maybe it’s just too early in the morning). Then I found this great live version which starts off with “Lazarus Heart” and then morphs into “Too Much Information”- well done!

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.

Shin Ae, Sound Evangelist

I have been trying to write this blog post dedicated to my beautiful and brilliant friend Shin Ae for almost two weeks now. This is as far as it's gotten so I am letting go of all the other things I wanted to express and publishing it.  What I really want to share here is my love for the beautiful strong radiant and joyful being that she was and gratitude for our deep connection.

Shin Ae, August 2015- Oncology Retreat, Exeter, RI

Last night [May 8 at the time of this writing] my friend Lynn and I celebrated the life and memory of our very dear friend Shin Ae who passed away on April 22, after a 2 1/2 year struggle with metastatic breast cancer. We both met her as a patient and quickly came to know her as a dear friend. She did not take her diagnosis lying down. She was a ninja warrior and activist to the very end. This picture was taken almost a year after her diagnosis, at which time she had been given 9 months which she enthusiastically refused to accept- which I'm sure has a great deal to do with why she was able to stay with us for as long as she did.

In February I came to her house to have a visit with her and give her a sound healing treatment. She was a metal worker, a welder, and she loved instruments made of metal- Himalayan singing bowls, gongs and tuning forks- so I brought them all. I set up the gong in her living room, laid bowls on her spine and played them which always gave her great relief and played the tuning forks for her to help re-balance her nervous system.

She was getting ready to head out to California for the Wisdom Conference and told me that she was hoping to get me out there to do a Sound Journey. She had just come back from walking the fashion runway in New York for NY Fashion Week and although she was not feeling well and was fairly weak she powered through it with her indomitable spirit. She told me that day that she was a "sound healing evangelist" because the sound healing had helped her so much in her process for relieving pain and restoring peace when it was most needed. Although I do what I do because I know it is effective it is always another miracle to me when I actually witness the relief that people get from this modality.

I always felt honored and grateful both to work with Shin Ae as a patient and also to connect with her on such a deep level. And I know that's not about me- it was a gift that Shin Ae had, to be able to enter into the space where another human being was coming from, no matter their background, their source point or their operating procedure. She could step in and connect in a way that superceded the mundane and went straight to the heart of things. That was Shin Ae, no bullshit, all heart and a brilliant mind and a gift to all who knew her.

Creating Clarity

Demo with tuning fork after a sound journey at Women & Infants Hospital

Besides giving treatments at Integrative Care and doing Sound Journeys at the hospital I have been crazy busy getting ready for trip to FL- compiling instruments, going through paperwork, feeling inspired and full of new tools and ideas to bring to the workshops.

I also want to include here the link for the Providence Journal article which finally ran in last Sunday's paper and again, the link to the video.

http://www.providencejournal.com/special/20160124/in-ri-hospitals-program-tuning-forks-and-didgeridoos-help-you-heal

http://videos.providencejournal.com/providencejournal/vljjcu?v=default&e=default&opn=below_article_ticker

I have also gotten another shipment of amazing singing bowls and a 30" gong which is quite extraordinary. Unfortunately I haven't uploaded the pictures onto my computer yet but I will soon. Have been doing lots of reorganizing, opening space in my healing room as well as the rest of my house. Feel like I'm shifting some energy for greater clarity and openness as I step into this new year.