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Newsletter Dear Friends, We are moving into the festive season again, marking the end of yet another year. What an amazing year it has been. I decided it was to be 'The Year of JOY' and to this end I offered a series of Joy events with my friend Lorraine Gane. We gave Joy workshops in Toronto, Ottawa and Guelph with help from friends Michelle McMillan and Wendy Morrell. The Joy theme was wildly embraced at our summer retreat at Rice Lake. Our retreat was at a wonderful 'green' centre, it was great to be off the grid in an oasis of calm and harmony. Just to get you ready for next year, it is going to be 'The Year of Gratitude and Abundance'. 2008 - look out for a fun and fabulous year. Working backwards, in November I had an action packed month of travel. I started off with playing a benefit event for 'Friends of Tibet' in Ottawa. Then I travelled down to Utah to play at a healing retreat in the mountains - I had a wonderful horse ride through the canyons; beautiful. Back to Toronto to play at the Palliative Care Conference here. I played at several events during the week but the Memorial Service in particular was a wonderful heart opening evening. My dear friend Ruth Richardson was at the conference and she laid a Labyrinth in pink tape! for one of the workshops. I then headed down to Florida to play at an event at the Ritz Carlton. I was able to spend time with my wonderful friend Donna O'Toole. I sat under the embracing arms of a Banyan Tree in Sarasota. I am a 'tree person', I love them all, hug as many as I can, but I have never felt this kind of intense energy off of a tree before. If you get the chance, go and find your own Banyan Tree and spend some quality time with it. I had many wonderful Labyrinth events to play at this year. I love the Labyrinth, the gentle energy it sets up in a space, and the opportunity it offers us to invite new healing energies into our lives. All of our Joy events included the Labyrinth. Steve and I played at Earth Dance, part of a world wide event to celebrate peace through dance. We had two Labyrinths set up that day, they looked like a giant butterfly! I continue my Shakuhachi lessons and Healing Sessions in Toronto, Ottawa and Guleph. The Shakuhachi Play Day was held in Ottawa this year and we incorporated the Labyrinth into the fabric of the day. I had one of my favourite moments - all my students walking the Labyrinth playing a heartfelt musical meditation with Ian Hepburn, harpist extraordinaire accompanying us and Ruth Richardson and fairy friend Wendy Morrell dancing the energy through. WOW. We walked the outdoor Labyrinth in Toronto's High Park for the Solstice. I saw a man sitting amongst the flowers and his head was tipped back, just like the blossoms. I invited him to walk with us and it was so lovely to meet him, he was trying to be like the flowers and plants of the earth and to absorb the energy of the sun just like them. What a treat to walk with such a person of light. I played at a powerful healing event hosted by healer Abdy. There have been many cycles of huge energetic waves moving through us this last year. This event really helped to clear a path for these energies to move more easily. Whew, it was a very intense playing experience. I am always grateful for how my Shakuhachi flute continues to teach me about new energies. I played at another event for 'Friends of Tibet' in the spring. I was walking through the audience playing a meditation. I stepped behind a Tibetan gentleman and suddenly the sound/energy shot up over my head and off behind me. I had never experienced this before. I took a deep grounding breath and carefully played into the flute and this time the sound moved through and forward. I found out after that I had stepped into the energy field of a bodyguard for the Dalai Lama! His field automatically repelled outwards, powerful but in a manner to maintain peace. This was another new experience for me, I offered a clearing for the oldest hotel here in Toronto, the Gladstone. The Shakuhachi's healing tones automatically offer clearing and invite in healing and balance for individuals and spaces but this was a Big clearing. I played from bottom to top, crawling into little used spaces and ending up with a wonderful healing ceremony on the roof. My friend Celina Carroll played her fabulous Berimbau to accompany the Shakuhachi. The Berimbau is a powerful string and gourd instrument that like the Shakuhachi has been used in the past as a weapon for protection. Some other adventures included a super hot June retreat in Utah, again with Dr. Peeke and many fun gals. Really hot, shimmering heat and a wind like a blow dryer! It was a quiet event for me compared to my previous experience there six months before. During one of mountain hikes in Zion National Park I entered a sacred grotto space. The arms of the Mountain Deva embraced me while I played and I stood with sacred water supporting my back. As I played the energy of the Deva poured through me and out with the sounds of the shakuhachi - I will never be the same, I was transformed by the experience. I send my love and gratitude to the Deva. I had another life changing experience when I returned to Tuscon in March to play at a Healing Music Symposium. I was staying way out in the desert with my healer friend Melinda Connor. Melinda is so amazing! We were driving home late at night and turned a corner and encountered a wall of cows, they had breached a fence. Melinda can move through time and she pulled us all back about a second and a half. When she then hit the brakes we were able to stop without injury to us or the cows. I managed to stay present in my body for the experience, it was amazing!! February took me down to Donna's great space in Florida. I played beside the waterfall in her backyard to a wonderful group. Donna took me to see Manatees, such beautiful, graceful, peaceful beings - and big! What else, lots of lectures and presentations here and there, I offered three presentations through the University of Toronto lecture series. Played at wonderful Yoga centres, United Churches, Japan Foundation events... CD news: Ambient World was released at the end of last year and is being danced to all over the world! I love the drums in this recording, I really wanted/needed some Shakuhachi music to move to. I also recorded a new CD entitled 'Feng Shui' with Steve on keyboards and our wonderful guitarist Brian Hughes. This was something new for us, we did it for a large company Solitudes and it was released through them. In the Spring Dr. Peeke and I recorded a CD with my music and her words of inspiration. I know that this will help many people on their journey. Alfred D'sa, amazing photographer/surgeon did the fabulous photoshoot, great fun. Leslie Bridger has just finished her second DVD with us, her beautiful pictures and our Healing Music. Steve did a wonderful job with the soundscore. This lovely DVD will be available in the future on our website. Christine Gross released her DVD 'We Are Timeless: The Radiance Technique in Hospice Care' at the Palliative Care Conference here in Toronto. This DVD features music from my 'Sacred Sounds for the Soul' CD which has been embraced by palliative care workers. The music is being used to help ease people through the grief process. People are also using this CD to help them during the passing over stage during dying. I have partnered up with TARA in California who owns a large company of delightful products for massage and relaxation. We have released our Sleep CD through her and envision many of our other CDs coming out with her during the coming years. Steve recorded his sixth CD of solo piano music this year entitled 'Starlight'. This is my favourite CD of piano music of all time. Steve's CDs have only been available in Japan but I will make sure that we get this one out on our Healing Music website this coming year. It is gorgeous. To finish off the year I am playing this weekend at a Christmas holiday event at Spadina Museum, hosted by the Japan Foundation. I will be joined by my students from Ottawa and Toronto with a special appearance by my student Catriona playing Shamisen, a wonderful Japanese stringed instrument. It will be a fun mix of Japanese and Victorian holiday traditions. I wish you all a wonderful, happy and fun holiday season and all the best for the coming year.
Lots of Love,
TAKE A BREATH OF JOY
Newsletter Dear Friends,
It has been a wonderful and
exciting year. So much joy, so many marvelous people and
I traveled to Japan in the
summer. I spent time at my favourite place on the planet, my
I was invited to Japan to
meet with a Kabuki theatre group, the only troupe of women
I had an amazing trip to
Tuscon in February where I played at a symposium on Healing
While on that trip I was
able to attend the largest gem and rock show in the world. Huge In the fall I traveled to Utah where I played for Dr. Pam Peeke at another one of her marvelous retreats. Picture me on top of mountains playing my shakuhachi to the group while eagles soar on the haunting melodies floating out over the valleys below. The climbing is a wee bit arduous but the views are spectacular. What a fantastic planet it is! I continue my monthly trips to Ottawa. Teaching the shakuhachi, offering healing sessions, playing for workshops and at special events, my Ottawa trips are busy. I always manage to have extra fun while there with my wonderful friends, especially with smiling Ruth and fairy Wendy. We offered our yearly Ottawa Healing Music benefit, this time in support of the Friends of Hospice. Shakuhachi and voice, with Steve onpiano and Ian on harp, a beautiful night of music. My shakuhachi teaching has expanded and I brought together students from Ottawa, Toronto and Guelph for a Shakuhachi Play Day. We had a master class then ate a wonderful Japanese dinner. What an amazing group of shakuhachi lovers. I offered a series of workshops with my friend Lorraine. When I combine my music with Lorraine's poetry, magic happens. We had many special events but the themes generally centred around the topics of Spirituality, Wellness and Creativity. I also played at many Labyrinth events, indoors and out including a magical illuminated Labyrinth twinkling by the woods. 800 tealights shining under a full moon! I met many wonderful healers this year, including Roland, someone I knew from a past life in Japan. I am so grateful to have the healing presence of these souls in my life. Two more pieces of news. I had the zany delight to attend a Chris Isaak concert. Do you know his music? Lovesongs full of longing, sadness and joy. During the concert Chris came down into the audience and he danced with me!! He has quite the heart energy, I have almost recovered from the thrill. Last but not least the most exciting news. The new CD, 'Ambient World' is almost here. Number seventeen and this one has drums! It is time to get dancing. I will let you know when we have it in hand.
All the best in the coming
months.
Newsletter Dear Friends, Thank you all so much for your support of my Healing Music. I want to share with you some of the exciting events that have been happening in my life. In April, 2005, I travelled to the world EXPO in Japan to play at Expo Hall. Our trio consisted of me playing shakuhachi and singing, Steve Raiman on grand piano and Brian Hughes on guitar. It was a wonderful concert; a full house and the music was magical. We stayed on in Japan for almost a week of cherry blossom viewing at many of my favourite temples in Japan. In May I played at a women’s retreat held in Utah. The landscape there is amazing. I carried my shakuhachi in a packsack up to the top of mountains where I would play across the expanse. What an incredible experience. The group was let by Dr. Peeke, an American doctor who is promoting wellness for women. The last event I played at with her was in Aspen. I look forward to more mountain adventures. In June I performed at workshops across Canada. One of the workshops was at a favourite spot of mine, Salt Spring Island, a lovely little island close to Vancouver. I was so happy to be there, playing my flute in the old growth forests. I am planning to offer a full weekend retreat there in the summer of 2006. I have just returned from doing some recording in Los Angeles. Lots of exciting new music for a variety of future projects. Many new creative seeds were planted during these sessions. I was thrilled to be recording once again with Brian Hughes. He played an amazing array of guitars. Steve Raiman oversaw the recording in his role as producer. What a fantastic job Steve has done in producing all the CD’s in the Healing Music catalogue. It has been a rich and varied year so far. In 2004 I spent a lot of time resting and renewing my spirit after the death of my father. The last CD I released, ‘Sacred Sounds for the Soul’ was for my dad - my greatest fan. I was able to play this recording once for him before his death. As I sat there holding his hand I knew there would only be this one time for him to hear this music. It is a precious memory. My dad’s last words to me were “You are a good flute player”. I’m not surprised that this CD has been embraced by the palliative care community and is being used as a tool to help with grief. As part of my renewal last year I returned to some of my musical roots, combining my music with movement. I composed a score for a large modern dance piece based on the Sufi poem ‘The Conference of the Birds’. A work based on the spiritual journey. I also produced, composed music for and danced in a new work entitled ‘HERE, blowing Zen’. My first dance performance since I was seven years old! The piece will be remounted on the stage in 2006. I look forward to the future journey of music, healing and fun. Lots of Love,
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