Musical Reflections

When I present, one of my most frequent questions is “Will recorded music be as good as/helpful as live music?”

Live music offers a personal touch and there’s no substitute for that! Further, live music will almost always be more potent because of the vibrations, the resonance of the instrument and the healing presence of the therapeutic musician.

That said, recorded music that is created with the intention to help in the healing process is much more therapeutic than the TV! Recorded music is also more practical – it has the possibility of reaching many more people for longer durations of time than live musicians.

If you are a hospital administrator, you probably want both live and recorded music in your healthcare setting. Certified harp practitioners playing live at the individual bedside and recorded CDs or licensed music on the closed-circuit TV system is well documented in research annuals as being helpful. Please feel free to contact us if you wish to discuss further.

As soon as I posted the last blog about music and violence, I realized I had more to say about this important topic/issue.

Whenever violence “hits” us, we are left wondering why this continues to happen in our beloved country. Is it violent TV, movies and video games? Is it gun laws (or lack thereof)? Is it deep unrest in the depths of our souls? Is it a mental health issue? Is it geo-political? Is it stress-related? Or something else???

And as a harpist, I can’t help but ask, “How can my music help? How can I be a part of the solution? How can I assist and/or facilitate the healing process through music?” When the harp is played with a peaceful intention, it is music to soothe the soul, comfort our contemplative core, calm our jaggled nerves, and move us into deep rest.

After each violent episode, I reflect, “What is my intention with my music?” My answer – to bring peace. To nurture your heart. To relax you. To relieve stress. To facilitate healing. I am honored to help you with your journey. To receive the gifts I offer, click to watch videos, order CDs and/or music devices, and purchase downloads. Many continued blessings to you …

Are you breathing a sigh of relief that the holidays are over? We are, too!! Whew … we made it!

New Year’s is a welcome break with very limited expectations compared to all the busy-ness of Christmas! As we reflect on the year ahead, we are consciously choosing to “ramp up,” but in a very mindful way. Our selected focus word for 2018 is gratitude. We will share more about this journey as the year progresses…

And over the next few days, we will be setting our yearly intentions. Have you created your list yet?

Mental well-being for harpists is an important component of our overall health. To begin, a quick question to ponder … when you get a challenging passage in the music, what do you tell yourself:

• Here comes the hard part? OR
• I’ve got this!

What we’re talking about is our self-talk, which also links to setting intentions. To define intentions, they are similar to:

• Goals
• New year’s resolutions
• Prayer
• Dreams (heart, not sleep!) –> manifest

Our energy follows our thoughts so if we think it, this is where our energy goes. This is why it’s important to think good thoughts. It is almost like a brain re-program or paradigm shift. For example:

• Is our language filled with hope and possibilities or is it of drudgery, negativity?
• Does our life go smoothly and flow with ease and grace or are we tripped up with trauma/drama?
• Have you noticed if we tell ourselves we’re tired, going to be a rotten day vs. I have good energy to accomplish what I need to today – it impacts our day!

These statements become our energetic blueprint and connect us to what we manifest. We are encouraging mindfulness which is positive mental health and well-being for you, as a harpist, and for those you serve. Our final blog post of the four areas of well-being will be next week, on spiritual well-being.

When do you listen to music? When do you prefer silence? Aldous Huxley said, “After silence, which is the most incomprehensible, comes music.” It seems we are not very comfortable with silence so we often play music to “fill the void” of silence.

It’s important to remember that music is vibration. So as you have music on to “break the silence,” is it a high vibration sound? (This helps raise your vibe and that’s important in these “wonky” challenging times.) And a reminder:  play music with intention and sometimes, silence is a gift!

This past weekend, Mother Teresa was honored and named a Saint in Rome. I have an acquaintance who was there and posted photos/videos on Facebook.

I have always admired Mother Teresa’s work and have also realized she was a queen of working with intentions. She always had the interest of those less fortunate and maneuvered others so that those impoverished could get better care (whether it was food, housing medical care, etc.).

Mother Teresa died shortly after Princess Diana and both of them deserve Sainthood in my humble opinion!

For the past several years, I’ve made a list at this time of year of what I’m most grateful for. This year, my list includes being in gratitude for:

• My “gigs” – they are still my heart, my passion and I so appreciate these opportunities to share.
• Having clients say “Yes!” to my newest information on intention (and of course, playing live harp music during reflection exercises).
• My dear connections to the Mayo Cancer Care Center, SD Parkinson’s group, Association of Professional Chaplains organization, Holistic Health and Healing Summer Institute conference, both regional and local The Compassionate Friends group, Gillette Children’s Hospital, etc.
• The expos, health fairs and conferences where I met so many wonderful people.
• All my travels – new experiences, new people – make me smile with wonderful memories.
• Customers who said “Yes!” to my newest product, Angelic Vibrations. It is always a risk to introduce a new product ad when you say “Yes!” and order, it makes my heart sing!
• Those who purchase CDs and books – both retail and wholesale customers. I so appreciate your continued support!
• My two other businesses: 1) the BioMat, and 2) Alphay. Love both of these health and wellness products.

So, as you can see, there’s SO much to be grateful for … and isn’t gratitude the most lovely feeling in the world!

One of my friends asked if I would be interested in being a part of a Miracles Mastermind. She explained it is a group of six people to help each other manifest positives in our lives. I jumped at the chance!

We met to set our intentions for the month. Then, meditate each day for a minute/person in the group (a total of five minutes). I can’t wait to meet with this group in a month and hear about all of our manifestations/progress, including mine! We are piloting it for 90 days with the intention to eventually “ripple out” with each of the original six, selecting six and then those six select six, etc. What a great vision and the exponential compounding for one another has awesome possibilities 

During the past year, I worked with intentions and did several presentations about them. As I defined intentions, I mentioned they are similar to setting a New Year’s resolution. And now, we’re in the “vibration” of the New Year. Did you set New Year’s resolutions and if so, what are they? These intentions are important for the upcoming year. When we “ground them in,” we increase the likelihood of manifesting and creating our heart’s desires.

Happy New Year … and here’s to your manifestations happenin’!

Previously on this blog, I mentioned doing a self-care session for my Harp Therapy peers. Self-care is a topic I’m very passionate about!

Before the holidays, my dear friend, Barb Schommer (Healing Touch Instructor and retired public health nurse) and I were having lunch. She is one of the 31 women in the “Women as Healers” book and we co-created a CD called “Reflections: A Guided Meditation.” Barb and I also love to present together…there’s a synergy with the two of us together that is unmatched!!  

At our pre-holiday lunch, we started talking about “What’s Next?!” We had been thinking about doing something for self-care for a long time … we decided it was time to take action!  Hence, the “Self-Care Salon” was born.

Description:  In this session, we explore self-care as a daily practice and how to give ourselves loving self-care. As we focus on our own self-care, it sets a beautiful tone for our daily lives and helps us have greater compassion for others. We can also model this self-love to those we serve.

Participants exchange ideas about self-care using a creative and fun approach called World Café. Those attending experience an oasis of relaxation, reflection and rejuvenation! This unique session nurtures their spirits, moving from busy-ness to calm and deep relaxation. They leave the session in a mellow state. . . guaranteed!

Objectives:  Participants will–

• Experience calming harp music and guided meditation allowing you to unwind.
• Create a self-care collage in community.
• Commit to one new self-care practice.

Testimonials:

We conducted our first session at Woodwinds Health campus in late January. This doodle is from one of the participants — yes! the pot of gold really is at the end of the rainbow!!

• “Just what I needed!”
• “For some time, I have been on a path of daily prayer/meditation, yoga/exercise, healthy eating and basic connection with myself. This reminded me to stick with my program.”

It was a joy for Barb and I to be present … if you are interested in manifesting your self-care intentions using the “Self-Care Salon” format, contact Tami.