Celebrate the New Year with music and laughter…

 

“Life is a jest of the gods, Merlin liked to claim, and there is no justice. You must learn to laugh, he once told me, or else you’ll just weep yourself to death.” – Spoken by a young King Arthur  in The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell

Recently, I was at the home of a relative, and as she was loading the dishwasher after an excellent holiday meal she had prepared, we were all standing about telling jokes. Obviously, the banter was lost on her, as she admitted, “I don’t remember the last time I laughed. I think I’ve forgotten how to.”

I felt truly sad for this person I love. It has been a difficult year for her, struggling with family issues and an ailing parent.  If I could have made her gaffaw and cackle at that moment, it would have indeed been a wonderful and welcome gift.

Laughter, while often not easy to come by, is the equivalent of grabbing a breath of air after being plunged underwater.  The rich, deep breath encouraged by laughter whisks oxygen enriched blood and nutrients throughout the body.

“Laughter can be a great workout for your diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles. It massages abdominal organs, tones intestinal functioning, and strengthens the muscles that hold the abdominal organs in place.” says helpguide.org. ” Not only does laughter give your midsection a workout, it can benefit digestion and absorption functioning as well. It is estimated that hearty laughter can burn calories equivalent to several minutes on the rowing machine or the exercise bike. “

There’s been alot of stuff to deal with this year. The gas crisis, the mucky economy, the dishonesty of public officials, job losses, rising prices and plunging home values are just a few of the seemingly endless parade of bad news items making headlines.

Instead of indulging in another bout of CNN, try substituting a silly sitcom. Belive me, the news will be repeated in full with enhanced boxes and more information that we need to know in the next 30 minutes.  Take a break from news and information today and let your mind and body be massaged by the sweet gift of laughter.

the brush and the canvas…

 

“Life is a masterpiece but you must be the one who allows the brush to touch the canvas.”- Tony Sinclair

It’s a time for reflection as a new year approaches and an old one closes its doors. The frenzy of holiday rushing is winding down, leaving us much needed space to breath and look with anticipation to a new, clean slate of possibilities.  There’s always the process of looking back as well, remembering what went well and trying to forget the bad.

As I look back, I realize how little time I allowed “the brush to touch the canvas”- how little time I devoted to self cultivation, self realization and self knowledge.  My passion is building an audience and a buzz for the bands and artists I work with.  But that passion is also a business, my main source of income.  Privately, I haven’t allowed time for so many thing that I personally love to do.

As a new year approaches, I encourage all of you to be kinder to yourself.  As musicians and music business people, we are so caught up in achievement and goals. We work on our art, our music, our stage presentation, recording and touring. Sometimes all this effort blinds us to the glories of life; the small details we tend to overlook and not have time for.

Learn to allow the brush to touch the canvas by seeking calm and quiet.  In solitude and aloneness, many treasures are discovered.  Permit yourself an exit from the rat race of the music life, if only for an hour or two.  Make a little time to enjoy the little things.

The gift and the work..

“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.”  Emile Zola (1840-1902

Metaphysical reasoning states we should not worry so much about outcome, but concern ourselves instead with process.  Work should be about achieving the flow, the sublime state of creating, instead of the actual creation. This concept makes much sense, but it’s also one of the most cumbersome natural laws I struggle with.  I work very hard. Shouldn’t  that mean I have phenomenal success in every facet of life? Shouldn’t I be living on a private island surrounded by palm trees and beaches by now?  What am I doing wrong? When am I going to “get there”? Where is “there”? Is there a “there” out there?

Artists are blessed with innate and incomparable gifts. Each of us has something unique and special about us. The trick here is to just do it. Whatever it is that makes your heart sing, that makes your mind race with ideas and inspiration, that makes you smile- do it.  If you love to write or sing or act or garden-do it.  We don’t have to create a best selling novel, a chart topping hit, a box office smash.  We have to create what is in our heart and use that creation to make ourselves happy and make others happy.

Find your pupose – your passion, the thing that gives you a sense of direction and makes you smile all over, and don’t let it go. In our hot pursuit to be the best, we often forget to just BE. In two days, a new year will be upon us. Make it a year of following your passion, whatever it may be.

Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man. … Francis Cardinal Spellman US cardinal 1946 (1889 – 1967) …

No Less than the trees and the stars….

 

When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you. -Lao-Tzu

I’ve spent this past year running from one project to another, devoting much time and attention to my clients and those who hire Moonstruck to publicize one or two events.  I am disbelieving the year is nearly over. It seems like one big blur.

I’ve become aware this year of my ineptitude in the technology sector. I wasn’t born with a mouse in my hand and have only been what I consider actually computer literate for about 20 years.  I’m fifty, so less than half of my life has been spent in the use of computers and technology. Way before I wrote on computer, I wrote on paper, with a pen. I mailed demo cassettes by the actual United States Postal Service.  When I entered the music business there was no internet. Distribution was a physical endeavor.  One had to record in an actual recording studio in an actual building.

It’s been interesting and at times disheartening to witness the extreme changes in the music industry. “Where good men die like dogs and thieves and pimps run free….” as Hunter S. Thompson so brutally put it.  But I’ve discovered a heartening occurence as well. Dedicated work and a steady purpose have their own sort of tranquility and contentment.

When we find our own particular peace and let go of competition and comparing, a wonderful calm settles in over one’s career.  We find ourselves in competition with only ourselves, to be better, to be more flexible to change, to be aware of spreading hope and joy to others.

We should all aspire to calm contentment in our music careers. There will always be those greater than yourself. There will always be those in this business who are more talented, more secure, more ambitious, richer, prettier, and luckier.  There will always be those who aspire to be where you are right now. There are those that struggle with talent, confidence, ability, dreams and reality.

“If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain and bitter….”  Make a promise to yourself to give comparison and competition a well deserved grave.  Be content within yourself. Show respect and garner respect. “You are a child of the universe. No less than the trees and the stars…you have a right to be here. “

learning to be the light….

 

“People will tend to be TO US what we have decided to be TO THEM.” – Marianne Williamson

Fifteen simple words.  As a psychologist and best selling author and teacher, Marianne Williamson could not have spoken more eloquently. People in our circle and strangers often reflect the very same qualities back to us that we show to them.  If we appear hostil and rude to a store clerk, guess what? He’ll be hostile and rude right back. If we are sure our boyfriend or girlfriend will disappoint us in some way, they most certainly will.  If we enter a performance situation as a disgruntled participant, we can almost certainly count on unsuccessful and contentious encounters.

If we begin to think of ourselves as mirrors, able to project and reflect images, we become careful of the image we carry.  How we see ourselves is basically how others see us. If we see ourselves as small and insignificant, that image is reflected back to us in the attitudes of others. If we project respect and love for ourselves, it is much easier to see those attributes in those we come in contact with.

It’s said there are two ways to project light into the world. Be the light or be the mirror that reflects it.  Why not be both?  Change the way you perceive yourself and others and watch the world change before your very eyes.

Boxing Day

Practicing the Law of Giving is actually very simple. If you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, learn to give love; if you want attention and appreciation, learn to give attention and appreciation. ~ Deepak Chopra

The celebration of Boxing Day has a long, rich and varied history. As a common point, the day involved the gift of a bonus of some sort to employees. In an English manor house, servants worked on Christmas Day, but were permitted to “box” up the leftovers from Christmas and carry them home to their families. No doubt this fine food was a welcome bonus to the mundane meals to which  the servant class was accustomed. Boxing also refers to servants  bringing a box to work the day after Christmas to be filled by the employer with coins and gifts.

For laborers and apprenticies of artisan shops, the day meant the smashing of the Christmas Box, a clay vessel in which coins had been deposited over a period of time by visitors, customers and the master of the shop. The Christmas Box was broken and the coins divided among the shop workers. This was considered a year end bonus and kept the master of the shop from the prickly chore of doling out performance based bonuses.

In feudal times, the serfs would gather in the manor house the day after Christmas and the manor lord would distribute boxes of useful goods to them.  The lord was obliged to gift the people who worked his land a bonus of cloth, grain and tools.  Churches also took part in Boxing Day, opening their alms box and distributing the contents to the poor.

A bonus is a wonderful thing. It’s a way to express appreciation, warmth and well wishes during the last week of the year.  But bonuses are not confined to monetary gifts or presents.  A bonus carries meaning beyond symbols.  Dole out bonuses liberally between now and the new year.  A bonus can mean a plate of cookies for your neighbor, a note card telling your agent how much you appreciate their hard work and effort or the offer to give the kid next door who got his first guitar a free lesson or two.  A bonus can make someone’s year complete. Remember: to receive joy- spread joy. To acquire appreciation – show it. To garner the best- give it.

Yes, Virginia…..

 

“Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.”- 1897 THE SUN NEWS in Chicago

Love, generosity and devotion are powerful gifts to give and receive. As performers, we are indeed blessed by this mighty triumvirate. By giving love in the form of music, we are blessed mightily by those who enjoy it. By generously giving of ourselves, our thoughts, our talents, our gift, we receive the warmth and gratitude of those who attend shows and buy our cds and tee shirts. By being devoted to and paying attention to our innate gifts of spirit, we create communities of fans, friends and family, all happily involved in our quest to spread the joy of music and performance.

Our highest joy and beauty, our most wonderful gifts are not confined to boxes with bows. Our most precious possessions are not things. Love, joy, beauty, friendship, camaraderie, passion, and creativity are the musician’s true and perfect treasures. Allow Christmas, with all its sweetness, to be part of your daily life. Believe in the magic of Christmas every day of the year.

Entertaining Angels…

 

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” -Hebrews 13.2

Those who carry the blessing of music find themselves entertaining strangers on a daily basis.  We travel to perform in other cities, states, countries. We perform for strangers, people we have never met or may never meet again. We entertain strangers when they listen to our music on myspace.com or watch us on youtube.com. We bare our hearts and inner most feelings to strangers through our music.

In many ways, we spread our blessings in etherial ways. We have the ability to touch hearts and souls by the simple construction of vibrations and words.  I’ve asked fans what attracted them to one band or another.  Many times they reply with one word, “Vibe…” and that pretty much says it all.

As performers, we never know exactly who is standing in that crowd, who is parked at the bar or who is sitting at that table right up front.  If you don’t recognize a face, but there’s something familiar about the being wearing it, you may have encountered an angel.  If you’ve experienced writers block and suddenly are deluged with ideas, an angel just may be whispering in your ear.  If you’ve lost touch with yourself, your family or your loved one while persuing your music dreams, and then experienced a sweet homecoming, angels may have kept those home fires burning.

The angel Gabriel announced the good news to Elizabeth and Mary of the birth of their sons. Some have theorized Gabriel communicated the specifics of the ark to Noah and was the voice of the burning bush in the Old Testament. Gabriel is a prime messenger and a patron of those who communicate.  Be aware of the angelic realm as you create and perform.

The little glitches…

Each day we face challenges, problems, conflicts and discord. Life is full of little glitches. What if, instead of seeing these glitches as problems, we looked at each problem as an opportunity for growth and understanding? What if we met each day not with despair over obstacles but by welcoming challenges as opportunities to create miracles?

Kabbalistic teaching enumerates seven middot or basic character traits–love, restraint, harmony, ambition, devotion, bonding and receptiveness.  We should work to cultivate these basic traits in daily life.  Love the whole world and the world loves you back. Practice harmony and you’ll be able to nullify discord. Ambition is an important trait, as its practice keeps us constantly moving in a positive direction. Devotion to our craft, our friends, family and our spirit practice allows us to be grounded and calm. Bonding is the feeling of sharing and building bridges of understanding between ourselves and our audiences. Receptiveness keeps us on track with new ideas, new faces, new places and an open, understanding heart.

Only you can perceive miracles. Live each day as if it is a miracle. Marvel in the wonder of creating music. Within a thought or an idea, the musician creates lyrics, music and melody.  Your art is indeed an expression of self combined with spirit.  You and your creations are miracles.

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A fair and glorious gift….

Music is a fair and glorious gift of God proclaims Ecclesiastes and no other time holds the gift of music as Christmas. Carols, choirs, children’s voices all remind us we as musical people are blessed with a true and innate gift of spirit. As we fully enter the holiday season, it’s important to recognize and respect how different cultures celebrate the closing of the year.

This season is built around ancient celebrations of the winter solstice which falls on or about December 21. Before the birth of Christ, the Roman Empire already celebrated December 25 as the birthday of various pagan gods. Most of our symbols of Christmas are of pagan origin. And pagans, of course, are closely tied to the earth, our primary source, our first father and mother and teacher.

Nature makes its way indoors at Christmas as we bring Christmas trees, poinsettas, and holly into our homes. We light fires and burn Yule logs, which is a traditional Scandanavian ritual. In ancient times,  after 5 weeks of darkness, scouts were sent to the mountaintop to look for sunlight. When the light was discovered peeking over the mountain, the scouts would return to their homes to burn a Yule log and spread the joyous news that light had returned to the earth.

The birth of Christ, the enlightenment of Buddha, the numerous sun celebrations of ancient Rome and Ireland, Judas Maccabee’s miracle of eight days of continuous fire without enough oil to sustain the lamp, all symbolize the entrance of light and hope into the world after a time of darkness.

Create your own light this holiday season. Mark the month with your gift of music to others. Sing in the choir, offer your services as a musician to a church or synagogue or non profit organization. Learn a few carols and play at a school for children. Be aware of spreading good cheer as you entertain at holiday parties and functions. Try to remove yourself from the commercial concept of Christmas and focus on bringing the light, love energy and joy of your musical gifts to a weary world. “Look at the faces in the dancehall at the moment the music strikes up,” says Herman Hesse in Steppenwolf, “how eyes sparkle and faces begin to laugh. That is why one makes music.”