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A sacred summer of festivals...

Photo by Chris Kyle: chris@crosswaysproductions.com

Its been a while since my last blog entry. It has been a busy summer for me, playing at 8 of my favourite festivals, Eclipse, Uplift, Woodford, Rainbow Serpant, Sydney Spirit retreat, Earth frequency, Byron spirit festival and finally Bali spirit festival. Last year i consciously called in playing more music at festivals, and this is surely what i received. It has been a wild summer, a roller coaster ride of self discovery, love and summer fun....

Photo by Suki Zoe.

Im really starting to feel at home in the festival culture. Im amazed at how a whole city is constructed, a wonderland for us to unwind, celebrate and explore. To celebrate for a week or weekend with friends, to get into our bodies through yoga and dance workshops, to get back to nature, to walk under the stars at night, to celebrate the arts, this is where its at, and i am so happy that i get to experience it all at this point in my life. 

Painting by Collin Elder

Its not always easy. With the festival highs, sometimes come festival lows. Its really important to get enough sleep, to make sure you are eating well, and staying hydrated. There are always activities to do like yoga, and sound healings, so it is great to balance out some of the wilder festivals. The yoga festivals are so easy, the only thing i end up worrying about, is that there is too much to choose from. 

Picture by Pixie Shelly

The highlight for me this summer, has been playing my own music. This hasn't always been something that i wanted to do, more something i grew or fell into. It definitely is a whole new playing field, when you have to hold space, and be accountable for the musicians your working with. Im loving the challenge, and I'm enjoying the process of steping up. Of course it takes a community to accomplish something like this, and I'm so grateful for everyone who has supported me, especially the musicians i am now playing with. My favourite show was at the Byron Spirit festival, playing my own         songs, supported by 7 of my favourite musicians and singers. The gig went so well, people were touched, and we all had a great time.

Picture by Suki Zoe

It has been an absolute pleasure to support Dave Stringer, Kevin James, Daphne Tse and Sun Hyland, this summer. I love the conscious sacred music scene, i can see it expanding and growing and it is so inspiring. What has definitely been inspiring this summer are the amazing musicians Medicine for the People and Dustin Thomas. Lyrics that support social change, untie the heart, and speak ancient wisdom in modern language. It has been a pleasure to spend precious moments with these guys, and i definitely recommend getting their CDs, or going to their shows. Definitely an enlivening event. 

Right now, however, I have spent the last 3 days in bed, recovering and reflecting from a summer of so much fun. Happily nestled in at my parents place in Melbourne.  Next i head home to the magical Byron Bay. The ocean has been calling me home, i can't wait to be emerged in the healing waters of the northern rivers. I am looking forward to getting home so i can finish of my album, and prepare for my next concert, Songwritters on the Songlines in Uki on May 10th, supported by Alissa Nathaniel. Well thats all for this blog. Thanks for reading....



Check out the new Shop Mala page on this site. Beautiful range of some locally produced sacred malas and prayer beads. 

Also have a look at the video series below, to get a deeper insight into transformational festivals...

"Amidst the global crisis of a dysfunctional old paradigm, a new renaissance of human culture is underway. 

It explores the alchemy of themes that weave a true story of genuine hope for our times: 

A new blooming of human consciousness emerging through creativity, love and joy 

& an emerging culture pointing the way to a bright and promising future."

Solar eclipse 2012

As all the old paradigms and programming fall away, we enter a new time of clear manifestation, bringing forth our gifts to the world. 

It was like being in the desert. It was hot and dusty. The organisers had done a phenomenal job, turning the desert-like landscape into a fun park for our amusement. There were amazing art installations, dancers, musicians, DJs, mandalas. It was an amazing site to witness, and definitely worth the long voyage that many of us had taken to arrive at the Solar eclipse festival 2012.

Our days were filled listening to key note speakers, gazing at world class visionary art, laughing and sheltering from the sun and cooling off in the croc-inhabited damn. The nights were cooler, giving space to celebrate, dance, bump into long lost friends, listen to world class music, all whilst  voyaging through the wonderland site with all its magic under the array of stars, celebrating our time out in the bush.

The singing circles offered a real place for people to find a still place within, to be guided and moved. The mystic sound temple was a joy to organise and be  a part of. Weaving together in song, Darpan, Murray Kyle, Kevin James, Rebekah Ray, Ben Last, Avishai, Dave Love and myself, was an amazing experience. The flow, the sounds the vibration, it was a great moment to set intentions and prayers for the coming eclipse. This in itself was a full power activation.

But many of us had no idea what was in store. Me and some dear friends stayed up all night in anticipation of the eclipse. I had never seen an eclipse before, i had heard a lot about it, but had no idea how profound watching a solar eclipse would be. We sat there for about an hour watching as the moon travelled between the earth and the sun. The whole sky went dark for a few minutes as the shadow of the eclipse fell onto the earth. And then at the moment of totality when the moon was directly in line with the sun, i witnessed the most beautiful visuals i have ever seen. 

Watching the eclipse was the most profoundly beautiful, heart opening experience. It was like witnessing a birth, the enormity, the power, the majesty. It felt like a moment of universal magic, being blessed by God's grace.

People around me were crying, screaming, laughing, embracing, meditating, it was a massive moment, one that is hard to give words to, for me it was a sense of peaceful exhilaration. 

It was not only the spectacular visuals that blew me away. It was also the collective realignment going on throughout the time of the eclipse. After speaking to numerous friends about this, it was mirrored back to me, that for the moment of totality we were gifted with a download about our life's mission, about our soul purpose, about the paths we have chosen, about what we are here to do, and the next steps we need to take in order to achieve this. 

This alone was worth the massive voyage we had taken to be there. Through all the rumours of wild boars, croc attacks, scorpions, killer spiders, it all finally started to make sense why through all of this, we followed the call to be out in the desert 3 hours from Cairns to watch the eclipse. My thanks goes out to the festival organisers. We had the best view of the eclipse, not a cloud to be seen and some seriously high vibrations.

I  can't believe its only been just over 3 weeks since the eclipse. It feels like a lifetime ago. The memories and magical moments will stay with me forever. Now it feels like the real work can begin. Im back in the studio recording with the wonderful Ben Last at Reel Spirit studios. Having a great time, recording some really beautiful songs. Hoping to have an EP ready for Woodford Folk Festival.

It's been a wild time leading up to 2012. So many different alignments, a lunar eclipse just passed, meteor showers, and an array of cosmic astrological alignments all happening before the end of 2012. What a year! I am happily welcoming 2013.  I hope you have found whatever this year has come to teach you.

Blessings on your Christmas and new year.  Xxoo

Sisters in Song.

This is a story abut courage, about standing in the face of the shadow, about stepping up and into dreams. This is the journey that me and the 6 other women in my singing group have been faced with over the last 3 months. We all signed up for Kathryn Jones Kickstart mentorship program and have been on a roller coaster ride of self discovery, of friendship, of laughter and of tears. The program is designed to get us out of our comfort zones, and sitting in the tension of creating our musical dreams. And indeed it has lived up to it. 

Given that public speaking is one of the most feared thing on the planet, and singing is a step up from speaking, you quickly start to realise that  this is one of the most confronting things one can choose to do with their time. To bear ones soul, to open ones voice and heart, to stay in key, in pitch and in rhythm all at the same time, i must say is one of the biggest challenges one can take on. But the challenge really isn't about getting up there and singing. The real challenge is facing all the parts of yourself that aren't ready to shine. Its about facing all the years of conditioning that say "Your not good enough". Its about stepping up into the fear and doing it anyway.

As each week has gone past, i have faced my shadow and have been facing my fears, and i have watched them slowly loose their hold on me. I'm not saying my fears have gone altogether, but their grip has been loosened, and I'm starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. The reason i have chosen to write about this, is in the hope that it lands in the hands of someone else who is struggling with fear in a particular area of life. A good friend used to tell me to stand in the darkness, and face my fear, but i was always to scared to do it. After so many years of hiding from things I'm scared of, i now have a knew place to operate from. Sure i don't have to face every fear at once, but now that i have this experience under my belt, when i feel that sense of fear come up, i have a whole new place to come from. And it feels so good.

Stepping up is exactly what me and the 7 women in my singing group have beendoing, day by day, week by week. The grand finale of this 3 month music mentorship program is our concert called 'Sisters in Song'. This is where our families and the wider community can witness the hard work we have put in over the 3 months. This is a chance to come and watch us fly. 7 local women launching their music, their hearts and bearing their souls. I guarantee this will be an exquisite event. This coming Saturday 3rd of November. 2pm matinee and 7pm evening show. Tickets available at Mullum bookshop, Byron music, and Brunswick heads visitors club. 

Sing in spring

Spring has arrived and it is a very blessed time indeed. The last couple of weeks i have been down to Melbourne, which is always a time of family, close friends and yoga. I have been very blessed in the last couple of years. Every time i fly to Melbourne i get to tie it in with some delightful music events. This time i sang on Atira Tan's yoga class, with Sun Hyland on his first retreat, and with Kevin James at a beautiful concert at Clifton Hill Yoga Studio, what amazing acoustics that place has! Now I'm back in Byron Bay busily preparing for our big concert Sisters in Song, and for an event at the Solar Eclipse happening mid November.

Some themes have been playing out for me over the past month,  and i felt so inspired by them that i thought i would share them.

Friends

There is something so special about friends who have known you for a long time. Friends who understand you, yet can also help to remind you of the patterns you have been playing out over the years. Friends can be a great reflection of where we are at, and where we have come from. I love my friends so much and am so grateful to have them in my life. Belonging and having a sense of community is such an important part of being alive.

Communication

While i was in Melbourne i did a course called Communication Power to Create. And as the title of the course says, the power in creation comes from the way in which we communicate. We did some fantastic work over the weekend, and ended with the most amazing meditation. It was such a great feeling for me, as i stepped out of my head and into my heart, feeling the oneness of it all. It has been hard to maintain everything i learnt in the course, but it was invaluable knowledge, that i will continue to apply. Is there anyone in your life that you avoid communication with?

Spring

I find that getting out and taking walks in nature is the best thing to do to start the day. Its also a great way of dealing with stress and emotions. Witnessing all the beautiful flowers in bloom has been an enjoyable start to spring. Plus its a great way to get some exercise.

Music

Music remains a current theme in my life. My journey with music begun about 4 years ago, and I'm so grateful for the journey i have been on with it, and i am so intrigued to see how it continues to unfold before me.

As some of you know i am being mentored By Kathryn Jones. She has taken 7 women (including myself) on a journey of uncovering our musical dreams, and helping us to step up and out into the community. It is an incredibly amazing process, yet at the same time i have been feeling stretched, and sometimes uncomfortable. I feel like I'm learning the life lesson that comes when you start following your heart. And I'm realising that its not always easy. 

Im hoping by the end of it all i will see that a flower remains tight in its bud, before it bursts out in bloom. But to be honest sometimes i feel myself so tightly wrapped up in my bud, that i see how easy it would be to curl up and stay in here forever.  Im starting to realise that in order to follow your heart, sometimes you will start to feel uncomfortable. Which is probably why some people are so happy to settle, and put their dreams in the 'too hard basket'. As someone once told me, "no one transforms in their comfort zone". And at the moment whilst facing all these challenges, i am definitely transforming.

So the end of our course is coming up in 4 weeks, and to celebrate our work, we are having a 'Sisters in Song' concert, where each of us will share songs that we have been working on over the course. This will be a beautiful night of tears, joy and laughter. Its coming up on the 3rd of November, if you're interested in coming send me a message for more details.

And on a final note, a beautiful quote to take into your day…

You don't have to go looking for love, when love is where you come from.

Thanks for reading.

Beginning of a new chapter

This is the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Embarking upon a journey of the written word. I will be sharing things that inspire me, like yoga, sacred music, festivals, retreats, natural beauty and healthy living. I also hope to share more personal stories of life and love.

 As life speeds on by it is so easy to forget that we are drawing nearer to the pinnacle time of 2012. I don't have the answers to what is going to happen at the end of the mayan calendar, but i get a feeling that now more than ever it is an important time to:

 Align with a daily practice, 
 Start doing more things that you love,
 Start giving more, 
 And start letting go of things that no longer serve you. 

 I hope that these pages help in guiding your way home. Writing helps me find my own hearts song and remember what it is that nurtures me, into a place of stillness and connection. 

 So thank you for reading. 

 With Love Mel