One of my FAVORITE quarterly gigs is providing drum circles for Camp R.O.B.I.N., of old Bridge, New Jersey. There is not a time that I present there were I don’t look forward to it, and there is not a time when I don’t feel incredibly uplifted after presenting. I simply love this organization and this group.
Read MoreCh-ch-ch-changes, Turn And Face The Strange
Life is chaotic, and it is harmonious. It is all things. Despite the flavor of life, it is unpredictable, and it cannot really be controlled. It doesn't matter what the intention is, the universe, earth, circumstance all have their own roles to play. It can come in any way, at any time, and ALL we as a people, as humans can do is roll with the punches and accept the changes and shifts as they reveal themselves to us. It could be an outdoor wedding blessed by sun and warmth, OR it can be rainy, wet mess.
Read More“New Jersey’s premier Garden State superhero is none other than The Toxic Avenger. We have a lot of angry, rushed, and hectic folks. It can make people really anxious, and eventually, if not dealt with, it can even turn people toxic. Lots of things can, but in my opinion, a lot of it stems from a lack of self care….”
Read More“Several years running I was asked to facilitate a drum circle for Salisbury Behavioral Health out of the Philadelphia area.
Over the years, I have become familiar with and friends with many of the participants, most of whom are adults with various developmental disabilities…”
Read MoreWhile working at Trenton psychiatric, I have met all manner of interesting people. Many of the people that reside at the facility, be it long term or short term, often have some incredible skills, expansive minds, and innate creativity, and it’s rather inspiring to spend time with them.
Ne such fella I met there I will dub, The Spiritualist. This man was SO deeply aware of spiritual practices, pagan theologies, and really, considerably high level spiritual practice understandings. He and I would talk at length about astrology, lunar cycles, the pros and cons of organized religion, and a lot about how Paganism fits into the modern world. He was always someone that I was excited to see at the Self Help Center.
Read MoreI Had been practicing Reiki For Years, I Just Didn’t Know It
In the midst of my double yoga certifications I also began attending Reiki shares, and finding myself in the company of many practitioners. I had been familiar with the word Reiki, but not so much the formal practice, sigils, or the history behind it all. Once I became aware of it all, I found myself intrigued to learn and to practice more.
In short form: Reiki is an energy healing practice where the life force of a person or thing is able to be healed, modified, or shifted to a place of greater love, functionality, and positivity. Reiki does not have to be a touch based practice (the laying of hands) but it also can be an effective way to deliver the healing. It’s origins are japanese, and though such healing practices are ancient, the actual establishment of Reiki as a noted healing modality is still fairly new in the Western World.
Read MoreAll Work And No Play Makes For A Dull Experience
Being in a band is fun, but it’s also work. A lot of work. So much work that it can turn into a job.. (shudders). There’s nothing wrong with that though. As long as you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life, as the saying goes, however with work there needs to be play. Balance is crucial because play inspires work very often, and they feed into each other.
“Come Out And Play…”
Encouraging play time with collaborators is a great way to detach from the brain, and also a wonderful way to grow together. Seeing each other in an environment where you are engaged in activities that have nothing to do with work, or even if it does, but in a more passive way, helps you not only get to know each other more, but it is a terrific stimulant for new and inspired creativity. With my collaborators, I like to go to concerts, do nature excursions, see movies, and even go to events and gatherings where we aren’t going to be so inclined to promote or network. It’s good to be removed from the grind of spreading the gospel of your project endeavors.
Read MoreLife is Too Short To Waste Time NOT Laughing
Let’s face it, the world is a hectic place; war, strife, pollution.. All those things that bring on panic and anxiety, especially when it is literally crammed down our throats every minute of every day on the news, on social media, in the newspapers, etc. It can be sickening, and we can let this kind of bombardment really drag us down. Or… it doesn’t have to.
Laughter.
The magick cure to even the most profoundly upsetting moments in this life. Laughter, unlike other medications, is FREE and it is INFINITELY available. So try a dose every time you are feeling down.
Read MoreAn Unexpected Journey..
It’s been just about 5 years that I’ve been working with various special needs communities. I didn’t set out to do this intentionally, it kind of just happened one day, and the fulfillment that it brought me was almost staggering. There were some experiences earlier in my career that would hint at things to come, but those experiences didn’t initially fully blossom, instead they took root, and slowly developed, and as I would realize later, they would set the stage in many ways for my future endeavors.
The Story Of Rick
One day I was walking through New Brunswick, New Jersey doing promotion for my band Amber Blues. While cutting across a Rutgers Campus field I stumbled upon a man sitting on the steps of a building playing a guitar.
Read MoreThe Importance Of Kindness
Kindness, as a practice, feeds all areas of one's' personal, creative, and professional life. Practicing kindness softens walls that are not always needed – not to diminish the importance of boundaries, not at all – but more so the ones that do not serve us. Envy, jealousy, self doubt, low self-esteem, over-caution, trauma, and other low vibration energies are some such energies. Exhibiting kindness towards one's self as well as towards others helps one to develop feelings and thoughts of authentic self-joy and compersion (the sense of joy for another's joy). Having a frigid demeanor, where the warmth of kindness falls to the wayside, is a fast track road to dismantling all good things in one's life environment. Kindness MUST be an element in the formula, because left out, there cannot be authentic joy in any capacity. To be unkind is to breed hurt, and pain, and to further perpetuate suffering.
Read More…One of the major changes that I decided to pursue was to become a certified yoga instructor. I didn’t choose to do this as a way to become a full-time yoga teacher, nor did I do it with the intention of opening my own studio; I wanted to be able to apply yogic principles and practices to everything I did in life, and primarily, with my services and offerings as a music teacher. Systematic breathing, body awareness, mind-body-spirit balancing practices; . . . all of these appealed to me as a teacher of music, so I made the choice to take the plunge. Teacher training isn’t exactly cheap, and it’s a huge time commitment, and so I didn’t take it lightly.
Read MoreThe next day after I was settled in, I had my classes and this is where the magick of this story comes in. I was delivering sound healings using the crystal bowls, tuning forks, and mostly, my didgeridoo. I fell into a trance-like groove while working with the bodies and the sounds. I was scanning people’s bodies, using the didj essentially as a dowsing rod for injuries and areas in need of healing. To my surprise, I was discovering all kinds of energetics intuitively, and with my tools.
I recall scanning someone's body, and stopping at their shoulder and asking, “What’s going on here in your body?”, and I was blown away when I was told that there had recently been a surgery in that spot and that it was in recovery.
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