Endurance, Gratitude, Music, Perspective, poetry, Quote of the Day

Rise

rise woman on beach
A free and powerful woman on the beach in Oregon who I couldn’t help but capture in action. -Angie Kopshy

In the US, I feel like 1920 was the original ‘Year of the Woman’ as we finally earned the right to vote. The Year of the Woman came up again in 1984, in 1992 and back in March of this year, Priyank Jain, a frequent speaker on the importance of girls’ and women’s empowerment globally, predicted that 2017 would be The Year of the Woman. Just three days ago, the African American Film Critics Association proclaimed 2017 The Year of the Woman. Thanks to Alyssa Milano‘s #metoo hashtag,  girls and women across the globe have been inspired to rise up and speak out. #Metoo turned into #wetoo and this issue, which has been festering just under the surface for so many women for so long, is suddenly front and center. And let us not forget to thank and acknowledge and listen to Tarana Burke for lighting this fire ten years ago.  If you haven’t had the chance, check out Democracy Now‘s work on this topic.

I’m borrowing the words from one of my band’s songs because I can’t seem to find a quote or poem that says what I want to say right now. Girls, boys, men and women all over the world, stay tuned for the next move and don’t let #metoo become history before we transform this fire into a new future and a stronger culture. There is an immense amount of collective energy that can taper down into an incredible metamorphosis if we continue to listen, support and act. Metamorphosis is literally the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages. Imagine that.

Rise

An ancient sage suddenly appeared at my feet. She placed her hand upon my heart and whispered, “This is your destiny.”

A woman in black with hair as gold as the sun took my hand. She said, “Close your eyes. Open your mind. Feel the power of this land.” She said, “Daughter of my daughter’s daughter; blood of mine. We’ve been waiting for all your life. It’s finally time to rise. It’s time to fight.”

A band of ancient shamans stopped me in my tracks. They placed their magic on me and said, “You can never go back.” They said, “Sister, on her hero’s journey, take our hands. We’ve been waiting for all our lives. Here we stand to rise.”

We can’t wait any longer. We can’t hide the fire that’s been burning ever stronger. We can’t deny. It’s time to rise. It’s time to fight.

It’s time to rise. It’s time to fight.

 Taper

Endurance, Gratitude, Music, Perspective, Quote of the Day

The Right Not to Remain Silent

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“The melodious song mesmerized me and cloaked my soul in a most liberating embrace I had never known. The emotion enveloped me, and smothered the emptiness.”
― J.D. StroubeCaged in Spirit

I just read theSkimm’s take on Weinstein. I don’t mean to come across as a man hater with this post. I’ve seen both men and women do horrible things to others because they had the power to do so. And although most of us don’t have as much power as a Hollywood exec like Weinstein, a yogi mogul like Bikram, or even an attorney who would do anything to destroy those around her, many of us actually hold power over someone. There are more and more conversations about the challenge of staying ‘good’ as your power grows.

In Jack Stern’s The Right Not to Remain Silent: Living Morally in a Complex World, he has a chapter on the use of power. At the end of the chapter, he shares his translation of the prayer, Aleinu. I am neither Jewish nor Spiritual in the traditional go-to-church-every-Sunday sort of way, but I am sincerely interested in living the best life I can and treating others with love and respect. These words touched my heart with their simple brilliance.

That on this earth we are all kings and queens and princes and princesses in the personal places of our power, whether we corrupt it or ennoble it or both…May God bless us with a true knowledge of our powers. May God give us the courage to ennoble and not to corrupt. May God give us the strength to stand before God and render an account of our powerful and powerless selves on this day and all the days of our lives. Amen.

Yes, we live in a society where men are typically the ones with the most power and yes, it seems like the mistreated are feeling more and more empowered to stand up for themselves. That takes courage and I am grateful for anyone who has the courage to stand up and speak up for injustice. It also takes courage to remain vigilant of corruption within ourselves. I am grateful for so many friends, family members and strangers who put the extra effort into remaining good people. You are role models for a beautiful future and you give me hope.

 Cloaked

Music, Nature, Perspective, Quote of the Day, Uncategorized

September 19, 2013…today I am 38…

The secret to life can’t be found on an infomercial in the middle of the night

The secret to love won’t be awarded after jumping through every hoop just right.

If life was that simple, would there really be a point?

If life was that easy, we’d all be rolling a joint.

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You gotta live every day like it could be your last.

You gotta love wholeheartedly regardless of your past.

You gotta laugh with all your might.

You gotta cry, bleed and stand up for what’s right.

(someday soon Stoneface Honey will record the rest of this song)

Music, Quote of the Day

January 10, 2013

My passion is the key to my abundance.

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1/10/2007: The United States Postal Service releases a beautiful 39 cent stamp with Ella’s portrait.

The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Ella’s son, Ray Brown, Jr. spoke from the heart.

Endurance, Music, Perspective, Tolerance

January 2, 2013

Ok, I know I normally post quick affirmations or quotes that you can put in your pocket and read throughout the day, but I wanted to share a project I completed yesterday. This song helped me get through some of the crazy days of 2012..

Dedicated to everyone picking up the pieces after the tragedies of 2012.  While holding those lost in our hearts, may we make 2013 a beautiful year.

Music, Perspective, Quote of the Day

January 1, 2013: Happy New Year!

“…the fear of making a mistake can be the biggest mistake.”

– Ronald M. Borczon in Music Therapy: A Fieldwork Primer

May your year be full of mistakes & successes & learning opportunities & teaching moments!

...that must be a typo. They mean please get on the stage, right? - Kailua, Hawaii
…that must be a typo. They mean please get on the stage, right? – Kailua, Hawaii
Music, Quote of the Day

November 17, 2012

The Set List:

Stifled, Run, Karma, Breathing On My Own,

Moan, Love Me, Wait, How Long?, Never Be

Tonight!

Music, Perspective, Quote of the Day

November 16, 2012

You can’t always write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say,

so sometimes you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream.

Frank Zappa

Death, Music, Perspective, Quote of the Day

September 27, 2012

“Life is for the living.
Death is for the dead.
Let life be like music.
And death a note unsaid.”
― Langston Hughes, The Collected Poems

Music, Quote of the Day

September 22, 2012 (about music on behalf of our gig tonight)

A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. 

-Leopold Stokowski