Welcome to our fifth webisode of Between the Notes. In the preceding videos and blogs I have demonstrated and explained some of the underlying principles of Musical Alchemy. I hope you have found ways to use this knowledge in your own life. Now in this blog we’ll look at an amazing example of the power of music on a grand scale. This is the story Singing Revolution, and it really happened!

The Baltic nation of Estonia has a population of about 1.3 million. It’s a small country just north of Poland and Latvia and south of Finland, with beautiful rolling farm country, a high standard of living, and a proudly independent and warm people. This summer while on tour I was there for ten days and was told about their difficult history of occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union, and their eventual liberation. From 1944 when the Soviet army drove out the German army, which had been occupying Estonia during WWII, Estonia became annexed as a Soviet state and became an important military base for the Soviet Army and Navy. Over 200,000 Estonians were then deported, murdered or sent to labor camps. Thousands more fled to Finland, Sweden or elsewhere as it became clear that the Soviets would not support their sovereignty.

This repressive regime continued for 47 years. Most coastal areas were off limits to normal citizens, military service was compulsory and travel outside Estonia was nearly impossible. One of our hosts told us how she had learned yoga as a teenager in secret classes held in a room underneath the railroad station. All such activities were strictly forbidden, as was rock n’ roll music and western fashion styles or books. Some Estonians became expert at modifying radios and short wave receivers to pick up “outside” news from neighboring Finland or Sweden.

In the mid 1980s, Gorbachev introduced the “glasnost” policy, hoping to stimulate the failing Russian economy and encourage liberalization of co-operative businesses. Dissent, grievances and nationalist sentiments began to be aired more publicly. With this new openness, in 1987 a series of mass demonstrations began with spontaneous singing of anthems and hymns that were not allowed by the Soviet authorities. The movement quickly gained momentum, culminating in a massive expression of national unity on Sept. 11, 1988. At the “Song of Estonia” festival in the capitol city, Tallin, 300,000 people, nearly a third of the population, joined hands together and began singing! (See more of this amazing festival: http://tinyurl.com/singingrevolutionestonia)

At this event, political and cultural leaders were actively participating for the first time and calling for the restoration of Estonian independence. In harmony there was also a cooperative effort with the neighboring Baltic states of Latvia and Lithuania, who were in similar struggles for freedom. On Aug. 23, 1989, over 3 million people joined hands across the three countries in a sonic, living chain of peaceful singing demonstrations. (This brought global attention to the powerful movement taking place, and soon after Lithuania became the first of the Republics of the Soviet Union to declare independence.)

Imagine the vibratory power and resonance of all those voices and united intentions electrifying and transforming the dense frequencies of oppression and despair into hope, joy and solidarity! Musical Alchemy indeed!

The Singing Revolution lasted over four years and in August 1991, Estonia formally declared independence and peacefully resisted the brief Soviet effort to regain control of media and resume governance. Not one life was lost and no blood was shed in this truly revolutionary revolution!

We are experiencing now in the United States a powerful momentum for justice, compassion and equality. We are painfully aware of the discordant system of greed, governmental corruption and financial inequity, which must be transformed. The Occupy Wall Street and other Occupy city movements around the nation have galvanized millions of people across a much larger territory than Estonia. Our voices are growing louder and more persistent! We know it’s time for a fundamental change. Let’s start our Singing Revolution!

Greetings and welcome to our third webisode of “Between the Notes!”

As we roll into the autumn months, we feel the changes in the weather and in our bodies and need to harmonize ourselves with this seasonal change, inwardly and outwardly. This month’s video topic is authenticity, an essential characteristic for creating trust, harmony and well-being. When we are authentic, true to our deepest nature, we vibrate powerfully and uniquely. Other people around us can feel and resonate with us more clearly.

We can all sense when someone is being authentic because we can trust them, feel their vibration, and gauge how we want to relate. In the path of self-awareness authenticity often requires some inner reflection. Since we all have varying and sometimes contradictory impulses and thoughts at different times, it’s necessary to ask ourselves:

• What are my true feelings?
• What is my deepest knowing?
• Am I truly expressing myself?

Sifting through the internal static via meditation, movement or self-inquiry, we can attune to the clear channel of our soul, sometimes called “the still small voice” within us. From this place of origin, of essence, we naturally emanate authenticity.

Enjoy the video interview and your comments and questions are always authentically welcome!

Manose, a bansuri flute maestro, left, joins Deva Premal & Miten in concert.

Deva Premal & Miten, world-renowned singers of sacred, contemporary music , will visit the Twin Cities for the first time as part of a 25-city U.S. tour in support of their new album, Password, which marks a new direction in their unique blending of East and West, embedding the energy carried by ancient mantras into a rich fusion of sound and silence.

“An Evening with Deva Premal & Miten with Manose” will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, at The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis. The local concert is presented by Raising the Consciousness, the radio show for conscious living, which also produces music and wellness events. Tickets are available at www.raisingtheconsciousness.com and at the door. Tickets are $35, and VIP seating (the first four rows) are $55.

Deva Premal & Miten began their journey into love and music in 1990 when they met at an ashram in India. They have spent the last 21 years introducing millions of Westerners to the beauty and power of Sanskrit mantras. As Deva expresses it, “Mantras are passwords that transform the mundane into the sacred.” Thus, the artists have named their newest mantra album Password.

Deva and Miten created the mantra genre with the release of their album The Essence in 1998. Since then they have released ten albums, all of which topped New Age and Amazon.com charts worldwide. Password represents a shift in direction for the duo, with the introduction of Danish producer, RajRishi, who brought the cream of Copenhagen’s jazz players into the mix. The result is a substantial, musically refined album with sublime arrangements of ancient mantras, complimenting Deva’s soulful vocals. The album also features Manose, the ever-present bansuri flute maestro from Nepal.

Deva and Miten’s mission is the creation of the sacred; music born out of meditation with a deep longing to nourish and enhance the experience of the silent, peaceful, blissful space within us all. They look on their music as a spiritual practice; hence, the music transcends the concept of “entertainment,” inviting the listener into realms beyond the stress and concerns of daily life into a deep sense of inner peace.

For more information, visit www.RaisingtheConsciousness.com or call Keith at 612.741.4982.

“The Poetics of Receptivity: The Power of the Anima and its Movement in Our World,” a profound, soul-pounding commentary on feminine power and receptive wisdom, will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14 at the Carondelet Center in St. Paul, featuring author and spiritual teacher Dr. Christina Donnell, accompanied by cellist, Dr. Anna Vazquez. The event will take place in Room G-1, and the suggested donation is $10.

The stirring combination of Christina Donnell’s lyrical prose style and her transmission of the unseen, with the authentic virtuosity of cellist Anna Vazquez, promise to carry the audience to an imaginary plane seldom experienced in our culture. “This will be an evening to remember,” promises the sponsoring Winds of Change Association.

Christina Donnell, Ph.D., is the author of the five time award-winning book, Transcendent Dreaming. She spent more than two decades studying Eastern traditions and the shamanic energy practices of the Q’ero Indians of Peru, which helped her to awaken a form of dreaming that expands consciousness and allows the dreamer to identify with the intelligence that animates the universe. Larry Dossey, M.D., wrote in the foreword to her book, “Has the universe birthed Christina Donnell because of an urgent need in a desperate time? One is tempted to think so.” Because of her lyrical prose style, she has been compared to a modern-day Rumi.

Anna Vazquez, D.MA, is a classically trained cellist who has explored where music, spirituality and healing overlap, whether it is through classical music, devotional chanting, improvisation or a fusion of world music, folk and jazz. Anna’s cello music resonates through body and mind, evoking awareness of being. She has a Doctorate of Music from the University of Minnesota.

For more information, visit www.carondeletcenter.org or www.christinadonnell.com.

Welcome to Blog No. 2 of Between the Notes.

Now that we all know we are vibrational beings, let’s explore one of the main qualities associated with vibration: Resonance.

When we talk about resonance, we are talking about the way waves or vibrations affect each other and the way they interact. We use this concept in our common speech to describe feelings of alignment, sympathy, attunement or common ideas (i.e., “That idea resonates with me.”) Or it can be used conversely to describe a lack of harmony or disagreement. When we hear music we love we might say, “It strikes a chord in me.” The same can be said about a particularly eloquent speaker or an evocative poem. In each case: an intrinsic frequency within us is being moved; we are stimulated by a similar frequency coming into our field of senses; and we are connected to our emotions. People who make musical instruments also use the principle of resonance when crafting a fine sounding guitar, violin or piano.

As I demonstrate in this video, a string held in the fingers and plucked won’t make a great-sounding tone. But, if you stretch that same string over a wooden box, the wood will resonate with the vibrations created when you pluck it. Violá! You’ve created a primitive instrument, complete with amplification!

We have the ability to receive all kinds of vibrations and influences, some of which will enhance our well-being while others will weaken or even damage us. We’ve all had the experience of being around a particularly negative person and feeling exhausted or negative as a result of the experience. This is because we begin to resonate with them, either out of sympathy, a desire to connect, or plain old unconsciousness. And at the same time, there are people in our lives we love to be around because their energy produces an uplifting or inspiring effect on us.

By being sensitive to our feelings and paying attention to our intuition, we can attune ourselves and resonate with situations, people, and places that amplify our inherent spiritual integrity. For example, being in natural environments is particularly restorative to our balance and peace.

The fundamental note is this: Choose your music, work, and friends wisely, because in time we become that which we resonate with!

On that note, I’d love to hear about what you resonate with. In the comment section below, post the kind of music, poetry, spiritual teachers, food, colors, etc. that amplify your vibration.

Enjoy the new webisode. I hope it strikes a chord!

I believe that every major shift in social consciousness has been accompanied by a change in music — and this is happening again now! Music from all parts of the world has been blending together powerfully for over two decades. On any radio dial or online music source, one can hear African, South American, Asian, Arabic, Native American music, and more. Our current pop music is being infused with many elements borrowed from a variety of other cultures. And now that social media has exploded all over the globe, our choices — along with our newfound connection to each other — will allow for a more profound global impact.

One of the new currents of music sweeping the globe is a yogic, meditative blend called “Kirtan.” Kirtan, originally from India, utilizes Sanskrit mantras and chants to heighten awareness and open the mind to meditative states, just as shamanic rituals from many ancient cultures do. And with these kind of creative rebirths, I see music reclaiming its original place not only as entertainment, but as a transformative and healing force that can help to balance us, nourish our spirits and communities, and serve as a unique doorway into sublime realms!

We are all vibrational beings, and we live in a vibrational Universe (or Uni-verse, if you will). We are all literally “composed” of multidimensional vibratory patterns, meaning our breathing, circulation, brainwaves and internal organs all have rhythms, pulses, and tones! Our thoughts and emotions can also be understood as frequencies. And the more self-aware we become, the more we have the ability to regulate and tune our individual frequencies to enjoy the kinds of experiences we choose — and we can do this by using sonic self-attunement and choosing music that nurtures and supports our most-essential vibrational make up. I like to call this process “Musical Alchemy.”

Please join me, Philippo, the Musical Alchemist, once a month, for the lighter side of enlightenment as we romp around the mystical space I’ve come to call “Between the Notes.” I am a composer, musician, and yogi, which means I study, investigate, and apply the natural laws of vibration to integrate and transform discordant, heavy vibrations into more harmonious and joyful ones.

I will be introducing you to some of the amazing properties of sound and cosmic vibration, including the ancient wisdom of Nada Yoga, as well as some intriguing, recent scientific research. Did you know that we can actually use music and sound every day to change our moods, give us energy, calm us down, or tune out things we don’t like? In this blog and the accompanying videos, I’ll explain how to do this more creatively and with a better understanding of the natural laws involved.

This will be our own mystical journey, so please tune in every month here on The Edge for “Between the Notes.”

Northside Arts Collective and Eye of Horus present Wendy Rule from Australia and Kari Tauring with Huldre for a mystical night at the recently renovated Historic Capri Theater at 2027 W. Broadway in North Minneapolis. This is the first of the 12-part “Great Streets Concert Series” at the Capri, sponsored through a Great Streets grant from the City of Minneapolis’ Department of Community Planning and Economic Development.

Wendy Rule, left, and Kari Tauring

Australian visionary songstress Wendy Rule will bring her stirring and sensual dark cabaret to Minneapolis for one night only on Thursday, Sept. 17. Renowned for years amongst the world’s alternative spiritual communities, Wendy is now deservedly gaining a much broader following. This will be a rare opportunity to experience one of Australia’s most enigmatic and prolific artists. The Wolf Sky, Wendy’s fifth studio album, firmly established her as one of Australia’s most uniquely gifted and prolific artists. A passionate union of her incredible voice – moving from soaring heights to intimate whispers – and her beautifully dark and visionary lyrics, the album is strong, earthy and shamanic. More so than any of her previous studio offerings, it celebrates and reflects her unique live performances – a combination of music, ritual and story that continues to entice an ever-growing audience into her otherworldy realm.

Opening the evening will be Kari Tauring and Huldre, a duo with Drew Miller of Boiled In Lead. Kari sings and tells stories from our deep Scandinavian tap root. Waving her antler feather fan, she conjures ancient spirits that hover and dance around her classically trained voice. The bone beads of her Bronze Age string skirt punctuate rune songs danced to the pulse of staff and melodic dulcimer.

Author of The Runes: A Human Journey (2007), Tauring’s performances draw on 20 years of research and experience. Her EP Völva Songs (2008) includes songs in Votic, Old Norse, Norwegian and English – in performance, her music is both sweet as a lullaby and frightening as a Valkyrie, both intensely emotional and thoroughly researched. She wakes something from deep in our bones, something simultaneously ephemeral and elemental.

Tickets are $15 available online at thecapritheater.org, by calling 1.866.811.4111, and in-store at Eye of Horus, 2717 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis. For further information contact: Eye of Horus Metaphysical, EyeofHorus.biz, 612.872.1292, or Northside Arts Collective, info@nacarts.org, 612.767.2141.

The following are personal perspectives on the creation of new books and music in the Twin Cities:

Matt Karayan
The Way Home – Stories from the Master” – available at www.karayanpublishing.com
“The single greatest lesson for awakening is that I had to go through all kinds of so-called tasks, battles, trials, and conflicts, until I saw each and every one of them as opportunities for peace of mind when I was ready to see them that way. When I was ready, the lesson / opportunity appeared as a question that asked from within, ‘Are you ready?’ My response without thinking was, ‘Yes.’ This overwhelming experience of peace has been a one-minded focus that has inspired me to journal, write books, be involved in facilitating individual, couples, group counseling and speaking engagements.”

Michelle Glaser

Troy Parkinson

Cyndi Dale

Michael Monroe…Live At The Cedar was an ambitious undertaking for me. I challenged myself to get everything right the first time, from performing all of the songs the way I wanted them to sound, to having a glitch-free night with a responsive crowd. I was pleased that I played with energy and enthusiasm and had lots of help with the rest! The crowd was awesome, Eric the sound man did a great job, Scott Malchow ran the recording gear flawlessly and contributed microphones and lots of other needed gear, Noah Hoen brought the extra special touch as guest artist on harmonica, and Deb Mueller, my partner in life made the whole event happen…along with all the fab volunteers and staff at the Cedar Cultural Center! I love creating in my North Shore studio where I can experiment and choose my best takes for a finished recording, but there is an alchemy that happens with the music and an audience in live performance that is challenging to capture on a CD. To my ears, Live At The Cedar does it! This recording shows off the beautiful sound of my Seaton Guitars, the effectiveness of my live looping technique, and the maturity and depth of my ten-album voice…even if I do say so myself!”

– Michael Monroe, singer/songwriter/musician, www.michaelmonroe.info

NEW BOOK – FOOD ENERGETICS: The Spiritual, Emotional, and Nutritional Power of What We Eat, by Steve Gagne (Inner Traditions Intl), $24.95, 562 pages, www.innertraditions.com

In Food Energetics, Steve Gagne shows how to revitalize our connection to food and remedy our physical and psychic imbalances with the wisdom of food energetics. He provides a comprehensive catalog of foods and their corresponding energetic properties and explains how each food affects us at the deepest spiritual level. By demonstrating how to plan meals that incorporate both dominant and compliant foods, he shows how to provide truly healthy cuisine that nourishes the body and the soul. This book explains how food imparts a living wisdom that is separate from the science of nutrient values.

NEW E-BOOK – THE CIRCULARITY OF LIFE: AN ESSENTIAL SHIFT FOR SUSTAINABILITY, by Jane Cull (Life’s Natural Solutions), $25 Australian, www.lifesnaturalsolutions.com.au

Jane Cull, founder and lead consultant of Life’s Natural Solutions, an educational consultancy in Sydney, Australia, applies the theories of living systems to describe the shift in worldview now taking place that is key to our future survival. In her new digital book, The Circularity of Life: An Essential Shift for Sustainability, Cull describes the destructive effects of human activity on the viability of life on earth and how understanding our place within the web of life will move us toward a sustainable future. "The human race is at the threshold of the next phase in its evolution," notes Cull. "To survive, we need to shift our worldview to a perception of life in which we humans see ourselves interconnected in a vast circular system."

NEW SOUND – HEARTBEAT SOULDREAM, by Art Lindemanis (Artful Touch Music), $13.99, www.artfultouchmusic.com and available on iTunes

Heartbeat Souldream is a mid-tempo, world percussion sound layered with guitars, piano and keyboards. The CD concludes with eleven minutes of meditation music. Artful Touch Music is made for, and inspired by, the healing arts. These songs are effective as music therapy for all ages. This music encourages relaxation, a resting heart rate, deeper breathing, a calm and centered mind and a general sense of well-being. The versatility of Artful Touch Music make it an ideal choice for massage therapy, yoga practice, health spas, doctor’s offices, classrooms, meditation and more.

NEW PRODUCT – PEACE SILK ORGANIC BLANKETS, by Robbie Adrian, $44-$270, www.robbieadrian.com

Robbie Adrian™, designers of luxury organic blankets now offer their customers even more earth-friendly options. The company furthers its commitment to the environment by incorporating piping made of Peace Silk into its line of luxurious fleece blankets. The blankets are available in both crib and adult sizes. Robbie Adrian’s Peace Silk organic baby and adult throw blankets are now available online, exclusively. Robbie Adrian blankets are made in the U.S., with 100 percent certified organic cotton fleece and velour and trimmed with natural silk. Peace Silk is silk made from cocoons where the caterpillar is allowed to naturally complete its life cycle. Robbie Adrian’s latest offering demonstrates their ongoing commitment to providing earth-friendly, sustainable products to their customers. Since the company’s launch in 2007, the blankets have become a favorite among eco-conscious celebrities including Nicole Richie, Jessica Alba and Matthew McConaughey.

Submit new books, recordings, gifts and spiritual products for What’s New at Edge Life, P.O. Box 25543, Woodbury, MN 55125. Call 763.433.9321 to learn about advertising opportunities with Edge Life magazine, expos and events.

When I was a child I was feeling the Music as something higher and softer that, at the same time, could be part of my daily life and it could be with me in the ordinary activities, something accessible in every moment.

I started my path of listening, studying and experimenting, passing through the channels that were available for me in that moment – in a friend’s garage, a guitar teacher from the parish church, and local concerts.

During this growth I realized that the "Musical World" was polluted from a twisted thought of the society that influences a big part of the music business. I come away from it and I spent a period of loneliness venturing to the meditation, not knowing that the meditation itself would bring me back the Music and the Life. Now, I simply do the same things as ever, but with a different quality. I cannot find any better words than saying that my vision has been cleaned up: the mirror is the same, but the dust and the smudges that were darkening the image are gone away.

I use the Music to dance and reconnect to myself and to the earth. I let myself go in the listening and I flow in the vast spaces that the Music brings to me. I spend many moments even listening to the Nature, which gives me the Infinity. And when I play and sing, my notes are like rays pursuing that Infinity.

NEW BOOKS

WHY WALK WHEN YOU CAN FLY? Soar Beyond Your Fears and Love Yourself & Others Unconditionally, by Isha (New World Library), 149 pages, $14.95 – Why Walk When You Can Fly? is a simple "how to" guide for the expansion of consciousness that teaches the reader how to love themselves unconditionally, says Isha, author and keynote speaker at Edge Life Expo 2008 [1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, Minneapolis Convention Center, $15 advance]. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to the Isha System, which is built around four "facets" – simple, powerful statements of truth that expand consciousness.

ILLUMINATING THE AFTERLIFE: Your Soul’s Journey Through the Worlds Beyond, by Cyndi Dale (Sounds True), 313 pages, $21.95 – This renowned author presents a compelling investigation of the soul’s journey – an evolutionary cycle of birth, death and rebirth that we travel as we ascend through the spiritual "Planes of Light." Consider: Is there a Heaven or Hell? What 12 Planes of Light mark each step in the soul’s evolution? How do your body’s 12 chakras connect you in this lifetime to each Plane of Light? Understand entities such as angels, spirit guides, ghosts and demons. "I have learned that we have nothing to fear from death," the author says.

LOOK FOR THE GOOD AND YOU’ll FIND GOD: The Spiritual Journey of a Leading Psychic and Healer, by Echo Bodine (New World Library), 192 pages, $14.95 – For the first time in her 30 years as a psychic, healer and ghostbuster, Echo Bodine shares her personal story. She reflects on experiences along her journey and details how, along the way, she continued to deepen her relationship with and trust in God. Each chapter also includes exercises and suggestions for readers to build their own psychic awareness and spiritual connection. Look for the Good and You’ll Find God offers an uplifting and heartwarming example of just how miraculous life can be when we learn to trust our inner wisdom and let God lead.

CONTACT: INTERSTELLAR DIALOGUES, by Judy & Peter Dix (interstellardialogues.com), 237 pages, $15.99 – For six years, Judy and Peter Dix received more than 600 channeled messages on tape. They never expected to ever write a book. Judy, a retired elementary school teacher, and Peter, a retired wildlife biologist, shared a curiosity about metaphysics, and it led them to present information from a higher plane, from the "Unseen Ones." Contact compiles a selection of their channeling sessions with a variety of spiritual leaders: Native American holy men; Jesus (Yeshua); beings from the Pleiades; and Shamus the fairy and his band of Little People.

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW: The Autobiography of a Chinese Buddhist Monk (Doubleday), by Shen-Yen, 210 pages, $24.95 – Born in 1930 near Shanghai, Buddhist Master Sheng-Yen’s life story parallels many of the important events of Chinese history from the past century and culminates with the growing influence of Buddhism in the U.S. Having fewer attachments, maintaining a positive world view and understanding the basic goodness (and ignorance) of humanity are just a handful of the simple, yet profound teachings included in this book, which is abundant with lessons for a life well lived.

NEW MUSIC

EARTH GIFT, by Kevin Locke Tokaheya Inajin (Ixtlan Recording Consortium), $22.99, info at www.kevinlocke.com – Earth Gift, a blend of traditional Native American flute by Kevin Locke and a menagerie of forgotten Americana by producer and soundsmith Tom Wasinger, might answer the question for some: What if the film Oh Brother Where Art Thou included Native American sounds? Little-known, evocative instruments like the marxophone (a hammered zither) and nail violin team up with the buffalo and muskrat of Lakota folklore, sparking a new way of hearing Native American music and a new way of understanding North America’s contribution to world culture.

NEW PRODUCTS

THE COMPLETE VISION BOARD KIT™: Using the Power of Intention and Visualization to Achieve Your Dreams, by John Assaraf (Beyond Words), $24, www.beyondword.com – As featured in The Secret, John Assaraf’s Vision Board includes a 128-page book and 45-minute DVD to assist readers in giving direct instructions to the universe as to what they want. A vision board is your dreams in pictures. The vision board is a pictorial representation of what you would like to have, be or do in your life. Creating a vision board is a starting point to determine what your goals are – and those thoughts create action. "Get out of your comfort zone [and] change your life," Assaraf instructs. The question isn’t whether you have goals, he says, but what you are doing to achieve your biggest, most audacious ones.

NEW FILM

ALL IS MADE BEAUTIFUL: Native American Traditions with Warrior Woman Oh Shinnah Fast Wolf, by Bettina M. Gordon (Valley Entertainment), 65 minutes, $17.99 through Amazon.com - In this entertaining and educating DVD, Oh Shinnah, of Apache and Mohawk descent, demonstrates powerful and yet easy-to-follow practices such as smudging, feathering and food blessing in the ancient tradition of her people. These traditions can easily be practiced to: reduce stress and anxiety in your life; center yourself and connect to those around you; and take charge and protect this planet for many generations to come. All is Made Beautiful also features nuclear scientist and astrophysicist Dr. Elizabeth Rauscher, who validates multiple Native traditions from the scientific point of view. Oh Shinnah holds five graduate degrees and won the Helen Caldecott Humanitarian Award for Women.

Submit new items for What’s New: Edge Life, P.O. Box 25543, Woodbury, MN 55125. Call 763.433.9321.

NEW BOOKS

SPIRITUALITY FOR MOMMIES: Empowering Women at all Life Stages, by Paula M. Ezop (Lulu.com), 96 pages, $14.95, download $8.50, at lulu.com/content/3962989

Spirituality for Mommies helps women understand their own spirituality through development of personalized models. This book should appeal to readers who enjoy self-help books and spiritual literature. The work is intended as a guide for all women that focuses on feeling, thinking, and acting spiritually. We are reminded that we are more than the woman we see in our mirror. The author writes a weekly column on spirituality for Blue Ridge Today in South Carolina. Paula M. Ezop, of Bartlett, Ill., contributed to Chicken Soup for the Caregiver’s Soul.

CHILDREN OF THE CREATIVE FORCE, by Hugh K. Wolfe Jr., Ph.D. (RoseDog Books), 134 pages, $15, also available as PDF download, available at www. rosedogbooks.com/chofcrfo.html

In Children of the Creative Force, Dr. Wolfe effectively merges science, history and the readings of Edgar Cayce to provide a modern understanding of Christian scriptures and what they reveal about the origin of life, its purpose and how we can prevent our own destruction. Chapters cover such widely diverse subjects as the genesis of humanity, the fate of Atlantis, Egypt and the Pyramids, Super String theory and the coming of the New Age. Yet, despite their diversity, Wolfe weaves a fascinating thread that linksthem showing a clear path to God Consciousness. Blending ancient archaeological finds with the teachings of scripture, Dr. Wolfe staunchly believes the solutions lie within.

NEW SOUND

GREEN MEMORIES by Azam Ali, Shahrokh Yadegari and Keyavash Nourai (LilaSound), $13-$18, available at Amazon.com or CDUniverse.com

A trio of Iranian-American musicians – Shahrokh Yadegari (electronic musician/composer), Keyavash Nourai (violinist) and Azam Ali (vocalist and Six Degrees recording artist) – collaborated on this project to create an album based on the poem "I Pity the Garden (Green Memories)" by Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad. The poem has a message of impending environmental devastation and has sweeping implications for the way humans relate to each other and their world. The poem begins: "No one thinks of the flowers. / No one thinks of the fish. / No one wants to believe the garden is dying, / that its heart has swollen in the heat / of this sun, that its mind drains slowly / of its lush memories." Green Memories, a suite of structured improvisations, uses collaborative creative techniques and an instrument called Lila, an electronic program Yadegari invented that transforms the input of acoustic instruments to create a complex weave of melodies and textures. Through Lila, he forges a musical environment with Western and Persian classical violinist Keyavash Nourai and vocalist Azam Ali.

NEW CARDS

A NEW EARTH: AWAKENING TO YOUR LIFE’s PURPOSE, based on the Eckhart Tolle book (New World Library), $18.95, available at Amazon.com

These 52 inspirational cards offer another way to experience the teachings of Eckhart Tolle’s new book, an Oprah book club selection. Each of the statements on the full-color cards was selected by the author for daily contemplation and deeper meditation. Meditate on one card a day, one a week or one for an entire year, using the pop-up frame to display a single card on a desk, altar or special spot in your home. The quotations are designed to free readers from the confines of the ego and experience your true essence, as well as the true essence of the world.

WISDOM OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR, based on the Dan Millman book (New World Library), $17.95, available at Amazon.com

Dan Millman’s response to readers who asked for expanded commentary on the original teachings of Way of the Peaceful Warrior was the book Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior. That wisdom has been further refined into a beautiful card set that showcases these inspirational reminders for daily life. The set of 52 cards are written in the author’s clear, playful style. The aphorisms embody timeless spiritual wisdom that you can apply directly to your life. An example from the deck: "When a raindrop joins the sea, the sea also merges with the raindrop. Personal and collective awakening are one in the same." Featuring a variety of four breathtaking seascapes on one side and a playful aphorism on the other, the Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior deck comes in New World Library’s unique magnetic box, with the lidded top doubling as frame for inserting your favorite card for meditation or affirmation.

NEW FILM

RIPPLE EFFECT: One secret changes everything…, starring Forest Whitaker, Virginia Madsen and Minnie Driver, directed by Philippe Caland (Monterey Media), 83 minutes, $24.95, pre-order at www.montereymedia.com, release date October 7.

Ripple Effect tells the story of hip clothing designer, Amer Atrash, who is perpetually on the brink of success. Now, with time running out, he is undergoing a crisis in his business and in his marriage. Soul searching, he attributes his misfortune to bad karma from a wrongdoing committed 15 years ago and sets out to right this wrong, experiencing a spiritual awakening in the process. Ripple Effect received the Director’s Choice Best Feature Award at the Sedona International Film Festival.

Submit new items for What’s New: Edge Life, P.O. Box 25543, Woodbury, MN 55125. Call 763.433.9321.

Mighty Rearranger, by Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation [www.robertplant.com]
Once the mighty voice of rock legend Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant continues to make vital music. From the late ’60s to the beginning of the 21st century, Plant has always been a somewhat elusive, beguiling and mystical figure, who has maintained his unique voice, literally and creatively, to represent his eclectic musical vision. On his new CD, Mighty Rearranger, Plant packs some the sonic muscle of old, along with Middle Eastern textures that have captivated his attention for so many years. The feeling of otherworldliness that slithers through this recording is a perfect counterpoint to the exuberant raw power that his talented new band, the Strange Sensation, radiates. Songs such as “All the King’s Horses,” “The Enchanter” and the brilliant “Shine it All Around” are intriguing, lyrically engaging and well produced. Aging gracefully at age 56, Plant is showing the younglings of the world how it’s done. Mighty Rearranger is a latter day career peak for Plant. On “Shine It All Around,” he sings, “These are the days of my life/ Bright, strong and golden.” It will be exciting to see and hear how much further he can climb. Highly recommended.

Guitar Meditations Vol. II, by Soulfood, featuring Billy McLaughlin [www.soulfoodmusic.com]
Guitar Meditations Vol. II follows the acclaimed musical formula and successful footsteps of its best-selling predecessor, Guitar Meditations. Yet, on this engaging outing, the sound is more expansive and fully realized. Joining the original team of guitarist extraordinaire Billy McLaughlin and Soulfood are mastermind DJ Free, keyboardist Peter Schimke and guitarists Dan Schwartz and Ron Cohen (Emmy® Winning composer of Ra Music fame), who collectively create a very special recording. Brimming with tranquil and meditative songs such as “Into the Light,” “Endless World” and “Looking for the Good,” Guitar Meditations Vol.II supplies the welcomed and peaceful soundscape your ears desire.

In the P.M., by Peter Martin [www.maxjazz.com]
Respected Jazz label Maxx Jazz has high musical standards that are reflected in its continual release of superior product, showcasing today’s hottest jazz talent. Peter Martin is a gifted musician whose well-developed piano skills are amply displayed on his welcomed second release for MaxJazz, In the P.M. His fellow musicians are a wonder to behold, with Ruben Rogers’ impassioned bass playing supple and pure, and drummer Greg Hutchison’s prestigious talent and authoritative presence is evident throughout, especially on the enticing opening track “Never Let Me Go.” Highlights include creative interpretations of Stevie Wonder’s classic “If It’s Magic,” Cole Porter’s “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” (complemented with a stylish guest vocal by Erin Bode), and Peter Martin’s own well-crafted composition “The Answer.” There is a driving force that propels the music of this impressive recording ever forward, and its sonic propulsion is gratefully never ambling or hurried. That force is Peter Martin, and his remarkable CD In the P.M. is perfect anytime.

Once you’ve heard a didgeridoo, you never forget its vibrating, stimulating sound. A drone instrument of the ancients, purportedly originating in Arnhem Land (Australia) about 50,000 years ago, the didgeridoo is created from the limbs of the eucalyptus and gum trees that are naturally hollowed out by white ants and termites. No two sound the same. The instrument, which traditionally was only played by males, was used during ceremony and to communicating with different aboriginal clans. It is said that it can be heard from a distance of 500 miles.

Because of its innate healing qualities, when listened to or played, the didgeridoo has been heard more and more in recent years on recordings that stimulate healing, personal growth and transformation. One such musician who has adopted the didgeridoo for such purposes is Phil Jones, a native of New South Wales, Australia.

Jones, formerly a blues, jazz and rock musician, led a spiritual rock band called Quintessence during his heyday in the ’70s throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. A student of the Hindu master Swami Ambikananda in London, Jones incorporated chanting and Eastern philosophy and influences in the band’s sound. Quintessence recorded five albums and also performed two solo concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

After moving back to Australia for quite some time, Jones connected with the native instrument of his homeland. The musician re-emerged a new man, intent upon sharing the transformative, healing power of the didgeridoo with those who want that experience. Aside from recording numerous dideridoo albums, he and his wife, Jennifer, continue to crisscross America, where they present workshops and leave no one the same in their wake.

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Didgeridoo Transformational Workshop: Australian sound therapist Phil Jones will be using the unusual sounds of this ancient Aboriginal instrument to heal body and soul during his workshop and private sessions while in Kansas City in August. His workshop will be from 7-9:30 p.m. Friday, August 2, at Buffalo Lodge in Kansas City, Mo., (816) 942-5418. A limited number of individual private healing sessions are available. The sessions are scheduled for the following day after the workshops. Workshop prices are $25 and private sessions are $95. Authentic Australian didgeridoos, handcrafted by the Aboriginal people, will be available for purchase.

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Phil Jones spoke with The EDGE from the road, somewhere near St. Louis.

How long have you been on the road in this way?
Phil Jones:We got back here about seven years ago. Things kicked off shortly after that with our connection with Deepak Chopra. I just called him up and said I think I’ve got something you should see and hear. I played for him and came into his healing center as a visiting speaker and sound therapist. That started the ball rolling. So for the last seven years, it has been grassroots, word of mouth and networking extensively throughout the country through references and people who come to see us and say, “Come to our place next time.”

Your musical background began with the blues, followed by some jazz and rock, and then you blended Eastern philosophy and influences into your music. At what point did you then move into the didgeridoo?
Jones:I’d say about 13 years ago. Jennifer, my wife, and I went back to Australia to see my folks, thinking we’d stay about six weeks. We stayed six years. During that time, we connected with the instrument, and I sought out an aboriginal teacher. He taught me an intuitive style of playing. Once I connected with the instrument, I realized that there were very strong common bonds between yogic procedures and aboriginal traditions, especially with regard to breath work and heightened levels of willpower and consciousness. I realized I could use this in my meditation, in my personal development and then share it with other people.

Was it difficult finding a teacher of the didgeridoo? What’s the reaction among aboriginal people toward people wanting to learn the didgeridoo?
Jones:They are very open and very sharing about this instrument.

The way it appears to me is that it was released to the West as a musical instrument about 10-12 years ago. It became really popular. Over that period of time, people have wanted to go further with it and were more interested in personal development as another side of it, not to diminish it as a musical instrument. It’s fun and great to play, but it also is a powerful echoer and accelerator into deep, clear and focused states of consciousness. From my personal view, I think that’s the primary use of this instrument. But of course, I’m just one other white guy from Australia!

Did they share very much about their uses for the instrument?
Jones:It depends on what level you connect with them. As you go deeper into your intuitive self, a lot of information is shared on that level. A great insight was given to me by my spiritual master regarding intuitiveness. He said, “Intuitiveness is the enhanced movement of conscious energy, minus the intellect.” So once you go into those realms of egoless consciousness, information is transferred on a different level than word of mouth. These people are extremely intuitive, from my observation.

For an hour or two, you can say nothing and find yourself receiving all kinds of information as long as you relax into that state. If you get antsy about it, you lose the plot, you know? Some people are uncomfortable with silence. But I always stress that I know I speak for the native people of my country.

People say, “What is a white guy doing running around pretending to be one of them?” But what we do is support the foundations to work with the reconciliation process about the atrocities that were perpetrated upon them by the European settlers. There is still a lot of pain to be worked through. We work to support their culture so it is not absorbed into Western society. My little piece in that is that we have helped create an industry for them with the didgeridoo and we export them all around the world. That way the Aboriginal people are off of welfare, and it gives them an opportunity to be their own boss.

Is there a particular clan of Aboriginals who create didgeridoos for you?
Jones:We work with several different regions. We go from northwestern New South Wales, which is where I am from, to northern Queensland to the central desert region. There are some wonderful instruments out of there, on up into the Northern Territory. There are clans all over the place and they all have different dialects, but they are joined together by the song lines and their traditions.

Is there a difference in the didgeridos produced by different clans?
Jones:One of the main differences would be the art work and the symbology. There are two primary different styles of art work and then degrees in between and variations of that. Some put more of a modern spin on it, their own flavor into it.

The first of the two primary styles is dot art — millions of dots — and we call it molecular art because it creates an energy that is like looking into a molecular field. And it is topographical, as well. It’s as if the artists are outside of their bodies looking down onto the scene. There is a lot of symbology in that, depending on how much detail is put into it.

The other kind of art work is called raarkk or cross hatch, and that will have a lot of totems and tribal symbology. It’s also expressed in other areas as X-ray art, where the artists actually look through the body of the individual they are painting, almost like a psychic surgeon. It’s cross-hatching art with thin lines going in different directions.

What is it about the didgeridoo that stirs something inside of everyone who hears it?
Jones:I guess if you’re not actually playing it and playing it with spiritual intent and just hear it, it is probably the connection with the primordial sound of the instrument, which from my perspective parallels the sound of OM. It’s like listening to the Tibetan monks chant OM. It stirs that same thing within you. It triggers a cellular memory or ancient memory of spiritual connection. People say, “Oh, that’s mysterious, I’ve heard that before.”

Once you actually pick the thing up and start doing the breathwork combined with the sound, that’s when it becomes a powerful accelerator. It’s the imbibing of spirit combined with primorial sound. As you play it, the self clears the cellular memory. And the breathwork expands your consciousness.

When you talk about clearing cellular memory, what is clearing out?
Jones:Let’s say that when you connect with this thing, it begins to play you. So let’s look at it as though the instrument were a musician. Let’s say the didgeridoo is the singer. It’s singing into the microphone, which is the mouth, and the microphone is connected to an amplifier, which is the body, and the amplifier is connected to speakers, which vibrate and push the sound out. The speakers here are the cells of my body. As the sound begins to move through me, it vibrates the walls of the cells and pushes the sound out into my harmonic auric field on a subtle level, reorienting and clearing my auric field. When it vibrates the walls of my cells, it begins to shake loose the cellular memory, binding with the sound of OM.

That must be a pretty powerful process over a period of time. It would create innumerable changes within you.
Jones:It sure does. I call it a profound tool for self-empowerment.

Describe how it has changed you since you began playing the didgeridoo?
Jones:It’s given me more clarity and focus on an emotional level, more objectivity. On a physical level, it enhances the lymph system and cleanses the blood. The AMA has now proven that breathwork will do that. When drug therapy no longer works and diet or exercise doesn’t work, they are now recommending deep breathing and guarantee that it will lower your blood pressure. They have a little tone box you can buy, and it’s prescribed to you for $500 bucks. They want you to do deep breathing along with this tone. It lowers the blood pressure. While playing the digeridoo, the vibrating lips also help regulate the pituitary gland, the central processing unit within the head, and pineal gland, balancing the hormones. Some people say it is the doorway to the soul.

Spiritually, for me what it has done is clean out the physical and emotional body, helping to open gateways to deeper spiritual communication.

To be making a living with something as obscure and esoteric and as simple as playing one note is something I would never have expected. I often use this little story: At the height of my musical career, I had just finished a solo concert at the Royal Albert Hall, which I did, and it was a sellout. If someone had come back stage that night and said, “Phil, I am a psychic and I see in 20 years’ time, you will be playing one note, people will love it, and you will be making a living,” I would have said, “Get this guy out of here!” But the didgeridoo is only one note.

I often say at the beginning of the workshop: “Listen, ladies and gentlemen! This is only one note tonight. If you cannot play one note, may I suggest you do not quit your day job!”

Is it a difficult instrument to play?
Jones:That’s what’s great about it. It really is only one note. It’s interesting when you pick this thing up and we go into it to see the levels and degrees of tension and uptightness of people. Some people can relax instantly, while others take a little bit longer to let go. Playing the didgidoo is about playing one note. All you have to do is put it to your mouth and blow and start to feel what it is doing for you.

What are the steps involved in learning how to play it?
Jones:There are four steps in how I teach it. The meditation comes first. That involves very simple breath work, simple pranayama and yogic breathing, using the space between the breaths to slow down and regulate the breath. The breath is directly connected to the thought patterns. As we begin to slow down and regulate the thoughts, it gives you a stronger handle on self-analysis and how to appropriately integrate the personality.

I always do this little thing on the blackboard when I’m at the workshops. I write these two phrases: Put one or two hands up if you’ve ever suffered from either one of these symptoms: Monkey chatter, mind clutter. Most people, the honest ones anyway, put up two hands. I say, “The didgeridoo is the duster that wipes the blackboard of the mind clear.”

Why would you want to do that? Why would you want to clear your mind? What are you going to do when you are in that clear space? We talk about the various possibilities. Do you want to integrate your personality? Do you want more fulfillment? Do you want to be a great artist or a spiritually elevated being? The bottom line is clarity and focus — heightened levels of clarity and focus. As you think, so you become. You are enhancing your willpower and your ability to be the person you want to be.

So we go through the meditation. We talk about what it is doing for us, what it means, where is the breath taking us, how we feel. Playing the didgeridoo is like playing a tuba, opposite of playing a trumpet, which is tight-lipped. Loose, slapping lips. You put your mouth into the mouthpiece, and you always breathe through the nose and out the mouth. We are getting ready for the circular breathing. We talk about the kundalini energy, and how this process can awaken these energies in the body.

Circular breathing is continuous breath coming in your nose and out of your mouth, so you are breathing in and out at the same time. It’s just a technique you can learn, and it involves a little coordination. Once you learn the coordination and practice a little, you get it. I’ve developed an exercise that keeps it really simple, in line with the simplicity of the instrument. If you complicate and intellectualize it, it’s hard to learn. If you do the exercise that I teach, which is about as intuitive as you can get with an exercise, it doesn’t take long. Sometimes I have students who get it straight away. I’d say the average person who spends half an hour or an hour a day relaxing with the instrument will probably get it in about five days.

After the circular breathing, the third step is the twang. When you hear the instrument, it’s not just “woo,” it’s “woo-wa-ou,” almost a wavelength being shifted. That is the twang and it is the enhancement harmonics. I feel harmonics is an important part of the healing process of the instrument. In the workshop, we talk about harmonics and how to create them with the movement of the tongue within the mouth, and we have exercises around that.

Step four is the projection of the voice while playing the instrument. Some people make animal sounds, and we create new sounds. This process opens up the throat chakra, and as you use it, it begins to clear all the portals in the body that can receive energy.

Those are the four basic steps and how I teach it. Then, at the very end we usually have a sharing moment for people if they are inspired to share, about the purpose of their life, why are they here, what do they want to achieve, where do they want to go. The majority of people really have strong spiritual intentions. Admittedly, I attract that group. If people are fairly focused about what they want, it’s just a matter of how can they get it. How do they get there?

I look at this instrument as a wormhole through consciousness. It’s the shortest distance between A and B, rather than doing a dance around it or going in a circle and taking the long way, which is what I used to do. This is the shortest distance between two points.

Describe the healing work you do.
Jones:My healing sessions are intended to be self-empowering. I don’t come in and do everything for you. That part is done at the very end when I feel I have really made a connection on a self-empowering level.

The foundation of my healing work is based on forgiveness, and generally speaking, people are locked in the heart chakra due to some form of trauma or some kind of incident in their life that they haven’t been totally able to release, so we look at ways of releasing this — and the easiest way is through forgiveness. Not easy to do, but when you understand what forgiveness means and how it releases you and how it has nothing to do with the person who did the act, it is a really great medicine to free you and bring part of yourself back to the here and now that may have been stuck 10 years ago.

Forgiveness is the foundation of my work. So then we go on an intuitive journey through one’s life, if that’s where you want to go, and we look at ways of integrating these things back into place. We set up exercises that people can do on a daily level, and if they combine it with the breath work and the sound, then all these exercises and affirmations bring clarity and focus, which you can multiply by the power of ten.

What I like about the instrument, the didgeridoo, is that it has no denomination, no religion, no sticker, no tag on it, so it can be applied to any form of practice that you do, whether it’s religion or art, in my case promoting clarity and focus. It is an enhancer of consciousness.

The forgiveness thing is a really poigniant issue in the work. We look at examples throughout history, especially Jesus the Christ who forgave people for something and in my opinion he pointed out to his followers that this is not about payback, this is about learning how to free yourself from the shackles of human karma. If you forgive them, you are free. If you pay them back, you’ll be caught on the merry-go-round of karma and human payback. What do you want to do?

We imprison ourselves.
Jones:Exactly. So that’s where I go in the healing sessions. And at the very end, I use the didgeridoo to align and tune up the auric field. If I feel there is a block in the throat, I’ll move it to the throat. I work mainly in the heart chakra, the throat, the crown, the spine and the portals in the back of the hand. I only do these alignments if I feel it is appropriate.

Do you stay in one place for a while or are you constantly traveling to do workshops?
Jones:We are constantly traveling. The only place we get to spend more than a week is Taos, N.M., and at the end of the three- or four-month tour, we will go back there. Our intention then is to relax and do nothing, but we always find ourselves taking care of and running around doing stuff!

We have a motor home and a car and we drive separately for logistic reasons. My wife drives the station wagon and I follow her, and we’re connected with the walkie-talkies, and we’re talking as we go down the highway. She’s the navigator and I just follow her.

Any end in sight? Any plans on doing something different in the near future?
Jones:No, not other than expanding on what I’m doing. I’m just following the intuitive guidance as to where we’re to go for now. It’s like Forrest Gump. He just kept running until one day he stopped! If I feel it’s time to stop, I’ll just stop! “No reason, we just stopped!”

But I still make music, and up until recently, the music has been didgeridoo music with either a shamanic or devotional or spiritual slant. I’ve just gone back into doing what I guess you’d say rock-based music — rock/new age/deeply spiritual and devotional music, which was what Quintessence used to do.

A guy sought me out in Zurich, Switzerland, and said, “I saw you in Zurich in 1972. I saw every English band come through. I’m a musician and a producer today. How would you feel if I started interpreting the songs you wrote for Quintessence with a modern spin on it?”

I said, “Yeah, go for it, knock yourself out, whatever!” So he spent a year on this project and put an album together of the songs I did for Quintessence, and that’s just finished. Now he’s starting on a second generation of the music. This guy is full on. I’ve got this album now, and we’re looking for a deal on it, and I like it. It’s songs, it’s music, it’s got some really good dance stuff, definitely bombarding you with strong spiritual concepts.

For more information on Phil Jones and the didgeridoo, go towww.philjonesmusic.comor cal (505) 776-2034.