Musical Reflections

Once all the holiday preparations are complete, it is time to move into the quiet sacredness of this special season. We look forward to this peace every year.

From Musical Reflections, we wish you a beautiful holiday filled with joy and love … and peace, too.

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays. A time of being in gratitude, we are aware that we have much to be so thankful for:

• Our many presentations with the opportunity to share harp music and our message of hope and healing.
• Our wonderful customers who purchase CDs and books to support their journey.
• Our “other” business called the BioMat. We have met so many great customers to help with their healing journeys. (And we also love the product personally!!)
• Our flexible schedule to care for aging parents.

May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving overflowing with blessings of grace, peace and love.

I recently saw this wonderful movie! It started out when Mr. Rogers talked about the musical term “modulation.” I was also struck by how the movie incorporated music throughout: Mr. Rogers gave African American musicians an opportunity to perform so the world could see talent is diverse (and the color of our skin does not matter). Over the years, Yo-Yo Ma was featured as a wonderful talent on the show. In the movie, Ma speaks about how Mr. Rogers impacted his life. Mr. Rogers frequently sang on his show, especially to children. He used the music as a way to bring out feelings of empowerment.

Further, the movie is a sweet history of simpler times and values worth remembering, such as kindness, compassion, love and tenderness. It also speaks about community, unity through our diversity, and the importance that we’re all connected.

If you haven’t seen this movie, I’d highly recommend it!

My parents celebrated 60 years of love and wedded bliss on February 16, and my sister and I will be honoring them on May 26th. We are excited to share this important milestone with their friends, family and church community!

For their 50^th wedding anniversary, my sister and I took them to Hawaii. We are aware of “life happening” in the past 10 years. For instance, my Dad’s Parkinson’s doesn’t allow him to travel now. While this is sad, we all realize he’s in a very different “season” of his life journey now. And it reminds me of a Joanna Macy quote, “The most radical thing any of us can do at this time is to be fully present to what is happening in our world.”

So, Mom and Dad, I am present to you, feeling so grateful for your love and commitment to each other, and to our family. Sending you both love at this special time…

I recently found this quote (that someone else found on an Irish headstone):  “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal; love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

It reminded me of playing for two different holiday memorial services (before Thanksgiving and Christmas) for families who have lost children. Both of these events are witnessing heartbreak in action and a huge outpouring of LOVE. Very sad, yet beautiful and heartfelt – just as the quote says. It truly is always all about LOVE – all the time, isn’t it?

For the past few weeks (off and on), we have focused on quotes. It was Jerry Garcia who said, “What’s the music that only you can play?”

So … what do you think about yourself and your life as you reflect on this quote? Even if you aren’t a musician, do you have a creative outlet that only you can do? What is it?

Amidst all the craziness of these times, going inward to explore our creativity and bringing it out into the open can be incredibly nurturing and great for our souls! And when I ask a question of you, I must also reflect on it! My “music” is definitely connected to the harp, but also writing blogs and books and important social advocacy letters. My other “creative flow activity” is holding space for and sending energy to our planet during these very confusing times. In many ways, my “music” feels bigger than just music and songs and lyrics, but rather it is connected to love. I know only I can love the planet in my own special way … and that’s true for all of my readers, too. Be sure to “play your music” and love our planet with a perfect brand of you!

I was recently on a webinar and the speaker talked about sitting for 11 minutes each day in peace, love and joy. Doesn’t this sound like an awesome thing to do?!

This puts us in the energy of these lovely feelings … it doesn’t get any better than peace, love and joy, right?! And, it raises our vibration individually and collectively. I really can’t think of a more important time to do this very simple exercise for only 11 minutes per day.

If you would like to do this Peace, Love, Joy Meditation using a harp solo, non-familiar song, I suggest the “Sincerity” download from the Calm as the Night CD. It is 11 minutes and is only 99¢ to help facilitate a deep connection to peace, love and joy.

Join me in this easy and make-a-difference meditation!

On this blog, we are featuring several different quotes and this is one of our favorites by Paraceleus (1493-1541): “The main reason for healing is LOVE.”

We see this again and again – both with those who are in our own life, as well as those we are serving. Love is a lot more powerful than hate. It is a really important time to stay focused on LOVE, isn’t it?

Love is the balm that soothes, that heals, that transforms. This means giving love to others and it can also be giving love to ourselves.

It feels important to share a recent story about love at a core level. Last summer, we learned about a trauma coaching program and it sounded like a tremendous opportunity to serve, as well as learning unique techniques that work and are self-administered (once the client learns them). The co-founder also promised “ready made” clients, but unfortunately, they never materialized. We were strung along, lied to and distracted. Once the masses of us figured all of this out, it was a mass exodus.

As I’ve had a chance to reflect on all of this, I realized it was an act of self-love to leave. And once I terminated my relationship with this fraudulent organization, I felt a huge burden release. It is our job to protect and love ourselves so that we can be of service to others. It truly is ALL ABOUT LOVE!!

On this solstice, the day of the year with the least amount of light (in the northern Hemisphere), we are reminded to “hold our light” for the world. And it’s also a time to reflect on our many blessings, as well as what we want to create/manifest in the days ahead of gaining more and more light (literally and figuratively!).

From Musical Reflections, we wish you a beautiful holiday season filled with love, peace and joy.

Several years ago, we were humbled to receive this review for “The Christmas Story” by the Daily OM. We share it here…

“Harpist Tami Briggs is a sound healer whose angelic, gentle playing bypasses all resistance to touch the root chord of the human soul. She honed her healing skill via personal appearances at hospitals and hospices, bringing her soothing sounds right up to the beds of those most in need. Bringing her knowledge of healing into the recording studio, Briggs makes harp music that’s simple, sweet, and deeply soothing. Embracing a less-is-more strategy, The Christmas Story interprets classic holiday standards into gentle solo-harp pieces, potent enough to hush a room of chatting relatives, relaxing enough to play in a child’s bedroom to help them fall asleep on Christmas Eve. And if you should find yourself alone for the holidays, Briggs becomes an angelic friend, her music a shimmering presence rooting you back to humanity.

Capturing the vibe of a live performance, The Christmas Story offers audio quality sharp enough to give the illusion that Briggs is playing right in the same room as you mull through your presents or nap on the couch in a sea of torn wrapping paper….The CD wraps up with the feeling of belonging to something larger than oneself, as Briggs’ gentle touch with the harp suffused even her frequent impassioned glissandos with warmth. More than just a bunch of carols played on the harp, Briggs skirts in and around the familiar melodies with the finesse of a jazz soloist, albeit one with no agenda of showing off chops, but rather of hitting all the right notes to warm the back of your neck and open your heart. Put on The Christmas Story when you need a gentle reminder of what the holidays are about: peace, love, and spiritual regeneration.”

You can order either CDs or download it.