Tag Archives: Music

I Am Light

Words and Song by India Arie

You can listen to her sweet clear voice here:

“I Am Light
I am light, I am light, I am light

I am not the things my family did
I am not the voices in my head
I am not the pieces of the brokenness inside

I am light, I am light, I am light, I am light

I’m not the mistakes that I have made or any of the things that caused me pain
I am not the pieces of the dream I left behind

I am light, I am light, I am light, I am light

I am not the color of my eyes
I am not the skin on the outside
I am not my age, I am not my race, my soul inside is all light

All light, all light, all light, all light
I am light, I am light, I am light, I am light

I am divinity defined
I am the God on the inside
I am a star, a piece of it all
I am light”

Good Vibrations

“Each and every atom produces a particular sound on account of its movement, its rhythm or vibration. All these sounds and vibrations form a universal harmony.”
~ Pythagoras

vibration

“You can look at disease as a form of disharmony. And there’s no organ system in the body that’s not affected by sound and music and vibration.”
~Mitchell Gaynor

Sound, music and vibration are available to provide a healing balm, an encapsulating immersion, a communion and connection.

The more base our thoughts and vibration the more stuck in lowly muck we may stay.  As vibration moves to the higher realms, a lovely sweet level of universal harmony may be found.

So raise it up!  Vibrate in the higher qualities using nature, sound, and music to help in the elevating process.  The harmony of the universe is waiting.

“Get out into the sunlight — out where everything is — with a vibration that is so dominant that those who annoy you; those who don’t agree with you; those who make your life feel uncomfortable don’t come into your experience, because your vibration — through your practice — has become so clear, so pure, so clean, so in keeping with what you want, that the world that revolves around you just feels like that. That’s what you planned.”

-Abraham

“To enter into the initiation of sound, of vibration and mindfulness, is to take a giant step toward consciously knowing the soul. We need the courage to enter into ourselves with the great respect and mystery that combines the faith of a child, the abandon of a mystic, and the true wisdom of an old shaman.”

  -Don G. Campbell

Bryce, Sunrise, Canyons

Celebrating the Music of the People

Montana Folk Festival, Tower with U.S. Flag

The Montana Folk Festival’s three day gathering of musicians and singers under the big sky has just wound down and what a celebration it was!  A jubilant romp featuring diversity of culture, sound and life stories, it was a joyful noise raised up at 5600 feet in downtown Butte, Montana.  Six stages with music playing simultaneously presented the traditions of the people musically.

Montana Folk Festival, Stage, Butte

What diversity!  From Nakoa Heavy Runner, an Assiboine Blackfeet man, playing a hand drum and chant/singing about life and love to a ten women mariachi band playing everything from traditional Mexican folk (with superb fiddle playing, singing and horns) to Patsy Cline and the Orange Blossom Special – and yes, I said all women! – the only all woman mariachi in the United States.  Mariachi Reynas de Log Angeles are pictured below in their stunning traditional purple mariachi outfits.

Marachi Band, Montana Folk Festival

There was the glorious, soulful expression of gospel by Maggie Ingram & the Ingramettes. Speaking of service, family and love between songs, with the matriarch sitting on stage bearing witness to this testament of song, these women brought such love and passion to the stage.  What harmonies and voices!  What belief!

Swamp Dogg was a favorite with his rhythm & blues, soul sound, and witty, profound repartee about politics, wars, and being on the wrong side of things (and the cost of those stanches).  This man has experienced so much in the world and his music exhibits much of these years of trouble and promise.  He later shared the stage with musicians and singers from West African Highlife and The Dardanelles for a talk on how they each created their music called “Song Masters”.  Such diversity here, but still as one of the excellent singer/musicians said at the conclusion of the workshop: “we’re not that different after all.” (Matthew Byrne from Dardanelles, a traditional Newfoundland band made up of superb, young musicians.) *Swamp Dogg is pictured below in canary yellow – he wore it well!

Swamp Dog, Matthew Byrne, Song Makers

This festival is Free! and allows all ages to absorb themselves in Pamela & Scott, Montana Folk Festival, Main Stage, Backthe stories of myriad cultures told in song. The festival proved to be a beautiful coming together of music and people played against the backdrop of an old copper mining town, magnificent architecture and mountain views!  Sharing the experience with the closest of friends made it all the better!! Hope to go back some day….

Hodgens Ryan Mansion

Music is the Mediator & The Medicine

“Music is the mediator between the life of the senses and the life of the spirit.”

-Beethoven

“The medicine of the future will be music and sound.”

-Edgar Cayce

“If you look deep enough you will see music;  the heart of nature being everywhere music.”

-Thomas Carlyle

Water music below – definitely a healer…

Avalanche Water

Here Comes The Sun

Bright sun shining day!

In northwest Montana, Spring comes slowly – a gradual awakening, full of fits and starts.  Beautiful warmth in the daytime, back to freezing at night.  Comfortable transition.  Exciting anticipation.  The earth waking up, baby critters on the way, red buds on shrubs by the river, cottonwoods showing bright yellow…

Yes!  Here Comes The Sun, and I say, “It’s all right!”

 

 

To The Morning

What a lovely way to start the new morning – Dan Fogelberg……..

(the photography in the video accompanying the song is just stunning, click below to hear the song and/or just look at the photos – it’s such an inspiring collection of images)

“To The Morning” (Lyrics, Dan Fogelberg)

Watching the sun…watching it come
Watching it come up over the rooftops
Cloudy and warm…maybe a storm
You can never quite tell from the morning

(Chorus)
And it’s going to be a day
There is really no way to say no to the morning
Yes it’s going to be a day
There is really nothing left to say but come on morning

Waiting for mail
Maybe a tale from an old friend or even a lover
Sometimes there’s none
But we have fun thinking of all who might have written

(Chorus)

And maybe there are seasons
And maybe they change
And maybe to love is not so strange

The sounds of the day
Now they hurry away
Now they are gone until tomorrow
When day will break and you will wake
And you will rake your hands across your eyes and realize
That it’s going to be a day
There is really no way to say no to the morning
Yes it’s going to be a day
There is really nothing left to say but come on morning

And maybe there are seasons and maybe they change
And maybe to love is not so strange