At this time you can order 3 books at a time. If you only want one (what? Only 1! ) please email meshe directly. Otherwise, if multiples of 3 are your numbers:

.
 
 

 

who am i, you ask?

 
the heart wide open
is a great expectation

A good article regarding Mantra.
 
www.omexperiment.com/archive/OME-4.pdf
 
 
.

NEW VIDEO'S

 
3 WORLDS (music)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7TaTjx8bqQ 

MANTRA STORIES (yoga)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVedUbP7gD4 

   In Joy!

ON THE HORIZON
 
I have been developing a travelling show called IN LIGHT IN .
 
Combining musical performance, a yoga class, and spoken-word IN LIGHT IN is an exploration of the soul journey - love.
 
THE PREMISE
 
Held in local yoga studio's, IN LIGHT IN is a foray into cultural creation.
Together,  audiences become communities by combining art and
entertaiment with self-development.
 

NEW WEBSITE!
 
Let me know how it feels to navigate around, and if you see me on the bus with my laptop...know that I'm coding this site ;)
 
Meshe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Since DECEMBER!    Well, school has been working it's magic in the meantime.
 
New tunes, re-arrangements to jazz standards (with my penchant for creating counter-melodies and lyrics, of course!) and increased musical flexibility have arisen over the last 6 months of study.
 
Looking forward to sharing in a performance soon!  There are a few shows in the works for March, and many more coming in the summer. 
 
xo
 
Meshe
 
 

"A VERY VANCOUVER CHRISTMAS VOL. 3" CD review
December 10, 2008 - 3:10pm — john kereiff

"A VERY VANCOUVER CHRISTMAS VOL.3" Various Artists (Rave On) *****
Every December we are expected to buy the same holiday songs over and over again. Sure there might be a hundred different versions of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by different artists, but it´s the same tune. So color a Scrooge like me tickled to find this in the mail, featuring 13 original holiday songs by Vancouver-based artists.

The list of artists includes Rick Fines, Melissa-Rae Anne, Bobby Richards and tons more, but the biggest attraction is that these are original tunes, not remakes of the same old stuff. That this is music for a good cause is beside the point, but still worth noting. Every cent of the ten bucks you spend on this disc goes to the BC-SPCA. The tunes are mostly in the country/ folk/ pop veins- so if these are sounds you enjoy hearing in your home, and your copies of Bing Crosby´s "Merry Christmas" or "A Charlie Brown Christmas" need to take a breather, put this on- it´s excellent.

KEY CUTS: "Country Christmas Blues" (Rick Fines), "My List" (Melissa-Rae Anne), "Reindeer Touchdown" (Lindsay May)

If you´re having trouble spotting this in stores, try www.veryvancouverchristmas.com.

another tomorrow another tomorrow
there is no other than now
is no other than
here
.
.
.

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/main.htm

....returning to the homestead all too soon!

So much to relay, but in a 4 day (heart yantra cycle, more introspective)

much love and coming exuberance,

lakshmeshe

Hi all!

This has been an intense week of paradigm shifting. Underlying
the purification processes of Ekadasi (pranayama) and fasting are blissful feelings of harmony, inside and outside. What comes up as pride, false modesty, greed, depression, violence in thought and action is witnessed and released into the fire of strong determination. Cleaning the gutters of the mind!

Yoga is a journey of purification. Harnessing our mental powers to achieve this end, we then witness the potentials of our being unfold with greater ease. Consciously directing energy into evolutionary unfolding means not squandering it through unawareness, lethargy, negative habits and ignorance.

A few things that we've been playing with: Savitri breathing and Swadhyaya (self-study) in the 4 directions. These are not disturbing practises (like Ekadasi), and so can be practised by everyone!

The first, Savitri breathing, is calming for the mind and energizing for the nervous system (as we increase prana- extra electrons found on oxygen molecules).

Combining savitri rhythmic breathing with introspection (swadhyaya) while facing the 4 directions provides relaxing method of evolutionary learning.

Each of the 4 directions has it's own thought stream...as i've discovered for myself, this is very true!

East, the rising sun, brings with it the future, what is coming in life,

South holds thoughts of our relationships, how they flow or not, what needs to be clarified within them.

To the West, the setting sun, we go in, seeing ourself, and how we view ourself.

In the North is the realm of ideas and concepts. Also home to the Akashic records (lately know as the A-field to Western research).
***********************************************************************************
Savitri: Using a complete breath (abdominal, mid and upper), breath in for a count of 8, hold (relax your shoulders!) for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 8 (start the exhale from the abdomen, then mid then upper release), hold out the exhale for 4. Begin again!

IF this is too much, try 6-3-6-3, or work up to 16-8-16-8 etc. Don't force the holdings.

Swadhyaya: Do at least 9 rounds in each direction, then record the thoughts (first ones) that arise.
***********************************************************************************
We have started a 21 day course of Dhandal (yogic muscle building technique) and core strengthening work...hello conscious double leg lifts and pushups! You should see me trying to get up from prone to Chaturanga (where you hover off the ground on your hands and toes). Tres funny. grunt grunt! mooooooooooo!

Lots of love,

moomoo

Hi all!

So i've been here for almost a month in Thailand. It's amazing how quickly humans adapt to new environments and form routines! All the "inconveniences" (a hard bed, mosquito's, the heat etc) have vanished into a very enjoyable routine of up at 4am for meditation, hatha,pranayama, sound work (toning, chanting) and discussion until 4pm, where we are off, to do our own practises, reading and for some, socializing!

We are doing a very intense pranayama practise called Ekadasi Kriya. It stirs up the nervous system and restores the electrical flow to various areas that have been blocked throughout our lives. We are on day 5 of this 11 day practise; I feel like i've been blended on the inside and have had some very big releases.

Not a day goes by without gratitude for this experience, living
in a spiritual community of practising yogi/ni's. We are having
amazing openings, on many different levels. My understanding of the yogic chakra system, it's purpose and practise, deepens daily, even minute to minute!

For fun, a few of us hunted down a coconut. Not a green one (which you get milk from), but a hard old dried up one. Then we used the "coconut opener", which is more like a spear in the ground than a can opener, to take off the hard shell. We were then confronted with a hard cocoNUT, Which we promptly broke with a hammer and had a delicious (not sweet, like the packaged stuff!) coconut party.

It takes 2 canadians and a brit approximately 20 minutes to open a
coconut. The thai's found us amusing, to say the least.

Things that are circulating: Nelson BC comes up a lot! Music comes up a lot too. The various intervals and their healing/resonant properties. love for family and a desire to share these practises comes up pretty much daily!

The hatha classes are very inspirational, as we all learn and unlearn. Proper alignment is a focus right now, as are many "kundalini" practises (that's how i was introduced to them in vancouver-but now i know them as a type of pranayama, breath work).

Tonight we are having an ecstatic dance session then a sound journey in the amazing sound dome. The other day we were sufi spinning, which is (as some may know) my favorite thing ever! Next week I will be doing a brown rice cleanse, as my body is asking for even more release (which is amazing, considering how clean i've been eating and all the breathing). It should help with flexiblity too.

The brown rice diet is just brown rice for 10 days, chewed very well and water only when thirsty (so as not to overload the kidneys). Rice is very purifying for the blood. It will be inner-resting to observe all the food cravings that come up, thai food is especially delicious to my senses!

Lots of love, moomoo

Disclaimer: The following is all in good fun. All of these types
are based on individuals I've met, but not strictly. (i.e. none of these are YOU) They don't come close to showing the full person, as typecasts are the surface structures of the beautiful spirit that lives in us all.

That being said, let the fun begin!


Mr/Ms Encyclopedia of Health and Wellbeing

Spends a very conspicuous 10 minutes blessing his meal.
Will explain in detail why they eat or don't eat anything,
complete with a full explaination of the ayurvedic system,
nadi's and recommendations for your particular health type.

Heaven forbid you contradict their wealth of information
with your own personal experience to the contrary, for then
they will unleash a torrent of explainations and rationalizations
proving that their theory is, in fact, 100% correct.

Go wallow in your palm-oil saturated coconut curry, my dear,
you may well feel LESS healthy after talking with this fellow!


Ms/Mr Otherworldly

Won't shake your hand, is from the Pleiades (but grew up
in New York) and will give you a big hug if you get close enough.


Ms/Mr Namaste

Queen of the day, this one loves to be in command. She won't
hesistate to tell you exactly how many hours of pranayama she
did this morning, and how great it makes her feel! You will always be wrong around this one, as this gives her a chance to ever-so-sweetly chastise you. Never mind the fact that she orchestrated the event to begin with! She can be found giving the advice, "Surrender" to the road-weary, while repeating her favorite stories to anyone worth impressing. A true spiritual narcissist, this one is to be pitied and loved, not strangled.

Ms/Mr Kowabunga

While all the above types are prone to have multiple tattoo's
and piercings, Mr. Kowabunga is the king. Nary a square inch
belies his original state of grace. Despite the long dread's,
you will have ample time to investigate his mythical artwork, as
Mr. Kowabunga rarely wears a shirt, or shoes for that matter!
With a booming voice, Mr. Kowabunga is the royalty of good times and mystery, dissapearing for days at a time, only to reappear
with larger earholes and new inkings.


Mr Beach/ Ms Beachette

If male, this fellow has a shaved head, manditory. If female,
she will not be caught dead in anything but a bikini, anywhere, anytime. This type usually keep to themselves and frequent the lovliest beaches in any given area. They are prone to smoking, drinking and sleeping late.They are relatively harmless, unless you steal their suntan oil. So don't. Even if it seems like it may be fun.

Ms/Mr New Paradigm

I fall into this category. (it's only fair, since i'm making fun
of all my new companions)

Horrified at the mosquito's and unrelenting sunshine, this poor
dear is constantly sweating under her long sleeved shirt and pants. Slightly confused as to what she's gotten herself into, she can be found sipping chilled coconut drinks and typing on her laptop. If by chance she takes a motorbike ride and survives, you may not see her for days as she recovers from the fright of her life! Wandering around humming to herself, this one needs afternoon naps and can be lured almost anywhere by pineapples and coconuts.

About 8 years ago, I went to Vancouver Film School (Acting for Film and Television). There I was able to exorcise and exercise many suppressed aspects of my psyche which, previously, had created conflicts, depression, weight gain and massive amounts of misery.

It was the power of expression that freed me to follow my inner promptings more than any inculcated socialization (be a doctor, etc). At VFS, the musical nature of my joy awakened and began orchestrating the course of my life.

It was there, too, that I met Amanda Hiebert. She requires a book to herself, but I will try in a few sentences to describe this dynamic, creative non-conformist.

A born artist, Amanda chooses theatre, film, poetry and music as outlets for her creative power. We embarked upon a fitness program together, very successfully, and inspired many others at VFS to do the same.


While we never attended a class together, Amanda informed me, rather mysteriously, of this thing called Bikram's yoga. At Bikram's, she claimed, you would laugh and cry, sweat and tone while experiencing mental and emotional catharsis. Well, that was definitely my trip at the time, and so began an ongoing relationship with the series of asana's performed in a hot room known as Bikram's Yoga.

It was all true. I practised diligently for the first 4 years, going at least 5 times a week. Not only did I gain physical flexibility, mental and emotional benefits matched or exceeded the outward changes. An inner reliance, confidence and determination grew. I began to wonder what else there was to this Yoga thing. Bikram's seemed just a drop in a vast ocean of lore, techniques, teachers and teachings. What is Yoga?

It took several years of reading, everything I could get my hands on: Ken Wilbur, Ram Das, Sivananda Radha, Osho, Chogyam Trumpa, Pema Chodron, Donna Farhi, Georg Feuerstein, Gabrielle Roth, Paramahansa Yogananda, Patanjali, Iyengar, Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, Rumi, Hafiz, Ma Deva Padma, and many more, to develop my intellectual understanding of Yoga, God and Nature (not that they are separate).

Changing at a very rapid pace, musically, psychologically, spiritually, emotionally, I outgrew relationships, jobs, habits and developed new habits of introspection, silence, meditation and self-inquiry. The seed of dhamma sprouted and Vipassana meditation entered my life. I began to explore Ashtanga Yoga. I decided to immerse myself in the study and practise of yoga for 4 months at Pyramid Yoga in Koh Phangan, Thailand. I leave next week!

Yoga is not an intellectual game nor is it a series of acrobatics. As a word, it encompasses the following: a state of being, a spectrum of techniques for the attainment of this state, a vast tradition of spiritual research. One must practise yoga to exist in yoga, it seems, despite the paradox that the unitary state IS, despite the conscious appearance of separation.

It has long been my contention that when one encounters paradox, one is knocking on heaven's door. And so, yoga is my doorbell to cosmic consciousness.

ding ding!

-moomoo

Silent sitting breathing
sensations arise and pass away
arise and pass away

Reactions to the pain
Reactions to the bliss
Still sitting, still breathing.

In this way the mind is mastered
it's deep habit pattern of craving/aversion slowly
bit by bit
.
dissolved
.

A monastic life cleans from the inside out.

Who can lie who does not speak?
Who can kill who does not eat?
Who has time for wrong action with a schedule that begins at 4am and ends at 930pm?

On this base of purity
we explore the full range
of mind and matter.


12 days later, we are glad!
This has been torturous-
this disciplined life of growing awareness
momement by moment.

The field has been so full of debris!
The weather so miserable!

Now back in the city.

Was that a dream?
Those 12 days, what have they brought me?
Is my mind equanamous?

Am I able to keep a balanced mind
despite the painful or blissful sensations that arise now
just as they did then?

Yes and No.
More practise.
More gratitute for such a profound teaching
such a profound technique
used in service
to the art of living.


.

Last goodbyes?

.
.
.

Replenished! Connected! Invigorated!

all from an intense hatha yoga class.

to know this spring of mindbodyheart
i passed through the winter of a poorly disciplined home practise;

the support of a teacher and community of practitioners (sangha) cannot be underestimated; they are the water and earth to our flowering.

.
.
.

there is a magic

portal

poems
shimmer there
lucid on the
mirrormind

with rhyme but no reason
thoughtripples
disturb the surface
.
.
.

One leg of the ashtanga spider.

Pratyahara: withdrawal of energy from the sense doors (taste, smell, sight, sound, feel)
*
Absorbed in the sea-
the salt of "we"
sits
silently
*

(the other legs: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhiyana, samadhi)

.
.

he is not me
-at this level of reality-
nor is he
an extension of my identify
as he is not me,

nor do i need him to be,
all is complete
perfectly
without necessity that he be me

for he is not me!
and i do not want him to be!
to honor the flowerings
that we be...

no, he is not me
nor i him, he, his or any other wiz!
for every i that arise's IS what it is.
which is
that he is not me
at this level of reality
(duality! - the only place "we" can be- )
in this cosmic soup,
karmic loup de loop,
he is not me!
he is not me!
.
.

a demo of one of roch's songs....

The Return

.
.
.

Babooshka

Click to listen

hi friends!

long time no write!


right. to the point:

************
A:new additions to the bio on


Michelle Dumond Website - SCROLL DOWN

-breakdown of all the different projects blooming!


***********
B: New Moondrops in the making: some demo's

DIRECT STREAM OF ANOTHER TEAR

DIRECT STREAM OF PRIDE


***********
C: NO CROW RADIO's FIRST PODCAST!

Coming for the next full moon


*Fuzzy Studio: new recordings

* Spoken word Poetry

* Songs from Nova Scotia Sister Reunion

* The Moondrops: news about Moon Circus' next release.

* Under the Covers: news about Eh?'s next release.

* Secret Portals: sound inner-resting? It is.

***********************************************************************************

"singing is a nice thing to do."

-Elaine Ryan

overheard



(on life)

....I have absolutely no inner strife. I don't know what my problem is.

(on camping)

....I don't need to see the fireflies, I have a VCR that blinks at home.

(on wine in the backcountry)

...we need a versatlle wine...something that goes equally well with a tuna casserole or a can of Chunky soup.

(on popsicles)

...what is this? Pink Marker Flavour?

(on maps and driving)

...this is ridiculous....we just spent 25 minutes in a 5 minute town!




Pictures coming soon!

to whom can i bring these shattered pieces
on what altar can i place
fragments of a shell
that no longer fits?

a magic cooking is going on
i the bubbling

when all is spinning confusion
a galaxy becoming

whose eyes stand at the edge of time
directing swirling mayhem?

deep! deeper! the depths
call
there the pearl
beyond this shell's passing shadows
and quickening joys
.
.
.

downtown vancouver
passing inventory

Prada - Cell Phones -

Man on the Street
-a vortex of need-

the lifejuice of 10 children
would barely irrigate
the desert in his eyes

mom and i
bought him a meal
last year

the girls behind the counter
were worried
he'd come back and ask for the money

- ants - potted plants-

and always the low hum
of cars by the ocean

*

ribbons of light
fall from a luminous skeye
radiating all it lands upon and touches
but the soul engulfed with sadness and grief
does not see the wondrous brilliance
that infinity has produced
and thus
eternally sleeps
hidden away
in a cloud of unknowing

-roch gallo

journey within
words the footpath
in a pathless land
a jungle veritable

Slash! Cut! Burn! Destroy!

--Words are not separate from feeling--
use that key, keyholder !
.
...
.
floating free without a me
a wave of poem splashes out
and slides back bubbling to the sea
directionality applied
in retrospect
.
.
.

P

somewhere the link must be broken

plastics produced
plastics consumed


RRR

reduced
reused
recycled


Plastics can exist peacefully with humanity
why the war?
on produce? -grapes and apples even

mushrooms and spinach

Plasticked.
Plastickered.

nothing escapes....

the terror of toilet paper

roll upon roll

Plasticked.
Plastickered.

plastickery doodles
for sale at every 5 and dime
plastic flags, lighters, keychains.
a whole store for bottled lifeliquid
(have you seen the ads? - pure life! they say. )

row upon row

Plasticked.
Plastickered.

Coffins seal the dead.

Prolonging.
Virtually Indestructible caskets.
As close to eternity as a passing person
a drop of humanity
can get.

Plasticked.
Plastickered.

Hi friends.

A good friend sent me this petition about global warming.
I signed, you can too.

Enjoy the sunny day

Bruce


____________________________________________________
Dear fellow earth-inhabitant,

It's time. In just 10 days, the leaders of the G8 and the five other most polluting countries in the world meet in Germany. These 13 men and women will decide the fate of the world's climate. The stakes couldn't be higher.

Over 100,000 of us joined to put the climate crisis at the top of the agenda for this summit -- and we won. We learned that global public opinion has power. But as the US and others dig in, we need an outcry like never before. For this meeting to produce not just hot air but real action, we need to deliver the largest climate petition in history by June 6th. So add your voice today:

CLICK HERE


PS: Between them, the G8+5 countries at this summit produce over 70% of global warming emissions. More background at


www.avaaz.org

LISTEN TO THE MOON DROPS

all the little poemsongs that have been coming out of our home studio compiled onto one page...

my being is the
divine's play

all that I am

decorates reality

This is two sound poems combined, the first is to be sung while walking in the rain, roch's voice is simulating a remark made by sorin, our wonderful apartment caretaker. This blends into the second, a cello piece (that's me playing, i take full responsibility!), my first cello "composition" (besides writing parts for other songs).

In Joy!

Sorin's Theme 2

and
Sorin's Theme 1

Credits:

vocals/cello/piano: meshe
narration/bass/guitars: roch

what is the soul?

different philosophies
theories of thought
like lattices
hold it
shimmering
in their word webs

it seeps from words
everywhere and nowhere
nothing and everthing
a great mystery
a great silence

all things good noble beautiful
eyesee woven in her
temporary changing coat

sometimes i don't understand
her choice of garments
but perhaps she responds
to seasons
i have yet to blossom into
winds i have yet to feel

to her i defer
trusting
that as birds sing
rain or shine

there is a reason for everything

and stepping back into being
her
who is
me
?
?

god writes
us

in the same way

-thunderbolts crackling from-
f i n g e r t i p s

rose-scented words
arise
near your right Ear (right here)

write
now
.
.
.

mistakes feel like stones.

a pebble in your shoe
or stones that bury you
a cairn of stones

mistakes can be
*
stones thrown that pierce
*
stones swallowed that choke
*
stones carved that remember

***

i'll be a mason then
these stones the foundation

stepping stones

God ran dirty movies through me last night.

I asked, "Why do you keep playing these shows?"

to which He replied, "Why don't you change the channel?"

"But you have the remote!" I cried.

"Here", said He.

remember this one?

ANGER

like a match, popcorn or an artist
take the raw materials of life
transform

POP

!

om shanti shanti shanti

inspired by a symphony quinn is writing (in response to a poem he wrote with the same idea)

water descends from vast space
murmering pearls in thunderous relief
music rises from within
to meet the pitter patter
and all is harmony

In case you didn't know: All songs from Into Orbit are available at Apple ITunes, Napster, Rhapsody, and a variety of other digital musical services. Go to Apple ITunes first!



.Michelle Dumond: Into Orbit EP



And a hidden treat:
The Changes: A song in the process of changing: Demo Version

THE CHANGES

Credits:
Cello-Quinn Brander
Vocals/Guitars/Piano/Percussion- Meshe
Bass-Roch Gallo

thank you's! You're welcome's!
-the social pagentry that
lubricates the moistest parts
of this ocean.

Centuries of ritualized
dancing
move our lips.

Limping
marionettes
we are
without
awareness
that
illumines
the strings
.

remember the 4 birds? (duck of not enough, peacock of wanting to be famous, rooster of lust, crow of ownership)
they guide me now
in ways that bring light and joy
so much light and joy
as only dropping the unreal
and holding
no-thing
close to my warm body
can

together we weave light into each other
together we illumine each other
together our flame
burns the illusion
of
separation
me from you
you from me
and it's
we
we
we
all the way hOMe. (as the little piggy says)

truth hurts when we're holding the unreal lens over our I's...
like a barbed metal arrow that circumvented
all shields to the heart
each spike attatching to some delicate part
we catch our breath with wretched soreness on the pull out.
What created
this glorious bleeding map to where
heart
IS
?
The root cause of all Things
to whom the heart sings.

O cursed/blessed language that limits as it allows!

To embrace dichotomy with words that themselves slice reality,

warriors train lifetimes

leaving headless corpses- heart and head separated by wincing pen- and bloodless i's

S P R A W L I N G

with organized glee across battlefield P'AGEs.

The grail's pleasures can inspire such wholeiness

-these religions wars

of the

kNO W here-

where waking, aching we re-cognize and recognize

OurSelf reflected

so clearly there/here

like blood on snow-

no where to go

.

reflections

reflections everywhere

the more i's look

them or eye's aware

?

.
.
.
beauty
shits
everywhere

especially
in
poems
.
.
.
\./
she kNOW's what
flowers
need
most
.

This earth is an olive
in a martini
shaken
by the Master Bartender
practising his art: form.

Every cup overflows
spilling onto the
Immaculate dancefloor

but most of us are
too drunk
to notice

or

too busy
dancing with the stars
to care.
.
.

Knowing we´re
mined full
of inner ore

Oh yes,

Now-ing, we´re
Mindful
Of the Inner Roar

we bound through this
earthly jungle

scattering pearls
and other
holy litter.
.

-Singing
-Dancing
-Laugh Specialist
-Playing Heaven´s Doorbells
-Planetball
-Flower Arranging
-Poetry

.
.

There´s a relentless SMILE
Glued to my mind
Now

It acts like a Bouncer

Dropkicking

Any notion
That feels

CON- stricted
R - fused
A -stipated
Z -trolled
Y -bative
. -demning
. -flicted
. -niving
.
.
.

What inner-rests you
Naturally focuses your attention.
Do what you love,
Soleil.
.
.
.

Wayfarer, stuck at Subway Doubt?

Drink, eat, be merry
If you can.

For what is real Merryment?

Surely not all this looking
For
It
.
.

Love said to me one day,

"If you can´t

see TRUTH

Lustfully
Stark-Staring-Nakedly
Everywhere

If you´re paused

Ask me in,

And feel your heart
Start pumping
Wine
With this cheese."
.
.

Here´s a tip.
(put it in your change drawer?)

Everything you don´t like
Is Maya.

She´s hot,

she wants to drop her veil
And get naked
with
you
.
.

Dearest Most Beautiful One,

I´m onto your ´little´
-Big AME
-Big Game
-Bi-game
-bigamy

Any attempts to lead me
Astray
Will fail.

But keep trying.

You´re cute in your
Worksuit
.
.

Life is a tree
We are blooming buddas

Birds sing in our
Hair, e ven
Krishna

Would be jealous.

Youme says, how can be so?
MUS´ be wrong!

A Blessed moonbeam
Is all
Of
Existance
.
.

Detatched frOM
Outcomes

Out comes
GLORY

In a two-piece, bowing
A violin
.
.

Untie the me knot

All leads to the light.

How could it be otherwise?

How could it be otherwise?

O how

could

It

be

Other,

wise?
.
.

Golden Rule

Here's a case for making love:

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. [Matthew 7:120].
.
.
.

CHAKRA MEDITATIONS


1) All Ass, Allah's Will.

2) Where is that sweet
hotspot ins-eyed?
Make yourself
moist and delicious
while
awaiting
the Cakemaker.

3) He-Isis-Tree
re: cycles
like a
Wheel of
For- TUNE yourself
with Intention.

4) Be Love-Eyed
Loo-KING QUEEN-ly
............. .O
............. .U
......... wi .T h easy NEss.

5) Sit. Rest. Re-set.
Tune Your SELF
to Station OM.

6) If you're not tingling at this point,
ask me to kiss you
right
NOW.

7) Bloom. Bloom. Bloom.
.
.
.

THE CALL


Love, you little
two lip

come closer,
let's...
.
.
.

THE FIGHT


If you YELLED
at an angel

She'd paint it,

Yell OW!, of course,

with a few tee-hee ears, perhaps,

and say,

"Thanks for the inspiration!"
;
;
;

YOUR MIND



If
You're ORE,

then what's

MineD?

Soleil, you're a Brilliant Bouncer
at those Pearly Gates.

Make sure to let the

rubies,
diamonds, and
angels

in and out
so you don't get too bored
just sitting there
under the
twinkling stars.
;
;
;

MIRROR

another

you

. ..am i

and
you

another
i
. ..am you
.
.
.

GREEN BITS AND BUTTERFLIES


i wish
i could doodle
alongside these words
to give

SUN

green bits and butterflies

with this e-kiss.

.

naked i travels from womb to womb
naked i moves from tomb to tomb
a thousand lives and none have known
that i's more than just flesh and bone

.
LOVE AFFAIR

Two me's
mee-ting
coeur-ting
co-tingling

ting ting ting, indeed.

_____________________

GOD'S SEXY SECRETARIES

Artists are God's sexy secretaries
taking notes for the Big Boss,
while pursing their lips
erotically
once in a while
to catch
His
eye
.
.
.

THOUGHTKNOTS OF WORRY
___________________________

thoughtknots of worry
stiff tight breath
tense jaw
hard staring eyes

we broadcast intentions
but thoughtknots of worry
tie up the cord of attention
and our desires
keep circling back
to
thoughtknots of worry

thoughtknots of worry
probed
untangles
this from that
now from then
here from there

smooth brow
dropping how
being now
.

POEM RECIPE
___________
1 noun
3 verbs
1 adverb
1 verb

table
talks exists stencils
play*fully* do

>LINK TO AMAZING POEM BY JACK MCCARTHY

drunKs
>

my new promo shot...self-portrait of a fool

............................................

.
YELLOW

Who needs Star Wars monsters
when yellow steel caterpillars roam the earth
clawing living leafy limbs
crunching mountain bones
leaving slime trail asphalt ribbons
in their wake
.

.
MAGIC TOUCH

Snowy mountain ranges from the air
become whipped cream frosted earthcake.
The cakemaker must have a sweet tooth
to dollop so generously-
to scoop such deep valleys
with a magic touch,
........................light as air.
.
.
.

in Halifax now, Lisi gave me a bunch of old gig pictures (from Fuzzminko's glory days, ha ha)
I'll post them here for a little while and then maybe put them up elsewhere.

ON
Sharing
________________________
mutual sharing
like flow through a semi-permeable film
movement-movement
continual rebalancing
the film dissolves
movement continues
back and forth
on
and on
and on

.
TRYING

let go of trying
no more trying
down with trying
trying sucks
trying means struggle
trying isn't doing
trying is trying
my patience
________

.
PROXIMITY

an invisible tapestry paves
the distance between us
woven with silent strands
of forgiveness
and laughing beads of acceptance
then christened with drops
of our come passion

_______________

EFFORTLESS

a daisy and an ant
fufill their needs
spontaneously
instinctively
as me harmonizes you
.

.
Poems are below the article...love is all around...
.

FROM THE SKYTRAIN


bus full of humanity
all together one
drop
in a river of traffic
flowing
aimlessly
towards an ever-changing destination

________________

AUTHENTIC

a true smile
erupts
like a red tulip
called to the sun

___________________
LAST DANCE

clad in the color of consciousness
i struggled mightily upstream
a salmon with a vision of legacy
driving me forth
then i died
and became the river's
flow

______________________

participating in the moment
an i noticed
the moment never ends
___________________
RELATIVITY

mountain snow appears
stays a while
vanishes one dark night
like a baby's journey on fast-forward
or a fly's
eternity
_________________________

avoiding all stories
--one lives one--
checked out from the mystery section
__________________

Love's To-Do List

a master's task:

a) look at love
without a mask

b) feel love
burn without fear

c) let love unleash
the salty tear

d) express love
without holding back

e) let love
erase all thought of lack

for love is simple
and all hold
love's potential story
yet untold
_________

Going to Montreal soon...getting over the stomach flu...contemplating life, service, love, heart, short poems, desire, joy and enthusiasm...eating bananas, prunes, carrot and orange juice, toast, chocolate and persian soup...writing reading singing playing dancing wishing i were kissing and resting. cats are in wintersnuggle mode and the worms are happy with a fruitfest of pineapple rinds, strawberry tops and mango pulp.

winter ennuie
spurs spring blossoms
and births hot soups
redolant with nurturance
fragrant with love

Reading from the Book of Love Today

love don us we love you me love michelle love
love us lisa don love lisa you michelle love lisa
us you love me them love world lisa love people
love dogs god dogs like love yours love it them yours love
love it them you go love in love horse love beans love love love


_____________________________________________

Some poems have been coming out:
__________________________
NO LEDGE

leaves try to fly but they don't know physiks
so they fall
they should talk to birds
who must all have gone to Harvard
or some secret school where they speak duck
in China
_______________________
FOR MY SISTERS

I'm lonely
like a pony
without a salt lick
and the next time that i see you
i will kiss you 'till your sick
no use for you to run in fear
my hungry lips are drawing near
and when i finally do arrive
you will struggle struggle to survive (inside joke)
___________________________________________
FOR LOVE

opening...like a tight rosebud
unfurling with gentle naturalness
slow abandon
without impatience
without hesitation
but red awake
savouring every second towards certain oblivion
_______________________________________
FOR LOVE

contemplating the mystery
called you
laying down all weapons on the threshold of us
to enter naked into firey embrace
and be transformed
from carbon flesh
to diamond light
refracted on temple walls
________________________________________

_______________________________________________

New songs! Inspirations abound and it's hard to sleep...love keeps you on your toes dancing.

The Wetspots are in town, we all need to head down to Granville Island to see them. If you are into hilarious, engaging performances about sex, that is.

ENGAGING BOOK LIST

1) Freeing the Natural Voice (Kristin Linklater)
2) Hearing and Writing Music (Ron Gorow)
3) The Artist's Way (Julia Cameron) and the sequel
4) The Psychic Pathway (Sonia Choquette)
5) I Ching (Book of Changes)
6) Effortless Mastery (Kenny Werner)
7) The Life of Pi
8) Autobiography of a Yogi (Paramanhansa Yogananda)


ENGAGING MUSIC LIST

1) Morcheeba (Big Calm)
2) James Taylor (anything and everything)
3) Tamara Nile (tamaranile.ca)
4) Mother (local band)
5) Hilary Grist (local singer-songwriter)

awakened
the heart
holds holy
melodies
-
whole notes
of joy
-

Went to see Lhasa sing and perform last night at the Burnaby Blues Festival. WOW. She directly communicates emotion through sound with a wide open throat, beautiful soulful melodies and the best cello/guitar duo I've ever heard. The musicians were incredible; the doublebass is pure rhythmic and bowing love while the guitar player moved between fingerpicking, excellent innovative rhythm with bass lines all the while singing unusual harmonies. There was no percussion player...but there was also no space for it as the arrangement was so rhythmically strong between the guitar and cello and Lhasa's precise vocal phrasing. They were so in synch as players that they could move through tempo changes perfectly. END RESULT: COMPLETE INSPIRATION!

I have come to a deep realization: I am addicted to exclaimation marks!!!! I think it's contagious and that I picked it up from Don. We had our last gig with Steve two days ago at Sailor Hagar's which was both unceremonious and anticlimactic. Hmmmnnn. I shall have to make a large chocolate cake in the shape of a drum kit in honor of our *frequently* delectable time together. Lisa and I are heading off for a few sun-filled, sister-bonding, I-thought-YOU-brought-the-sunscreen days to Sooke Potholes. I have several solo gigs booked over the next few months, they will be posted on my own website (www.michelledumond.com). There may also be a few shows in the works for Fuzzminko, with Steve, or with our new drummer. So put the word out! Fuzzminko is looking for a drummer!

What is mind?

What is mined?

Golden thoughts

hard preciousness
that needs a good polishing
to transmit light

What is minded?

this, that, the other

Who is minding?

the cosmic question mark
a fully empty silence

winding rivers of thought

arise frOM
and flow tOMb

I had to cancel the Naam show due to a cold. That was highly misery-inducing as I have a Bose system on loan that I wanted to try out! So I have been resting, if you call going to Bikram's yoga every day resting, trying to sweat out any lingering toxins. Fuzzminko has a few shows coming up this month, both in North Vancouver, both free! Yeah!

I have been working on recording Concrete Jungle, apparently everyone's favorite song of mine when we do it live. It is more rock than most of my other work. Streams of inspiration have been coming and I have written a few new songs over the last week. With all the summer birthdays coming up (mine included) I should write a birthday song!

Back from NxNE! It was unbelievable how well we all got along. It was like Fuzzminko's honeymoon! The love that was flying around almost took out my eye! Toronto was: hot, sticky, energetic, diverse, fun, wonderful! We played at the Oasis to a full house. The crowd was very attentive (thank-you!) and enthusiastic; we couldn't have asked for more.

So Steve is off visiting Montreal on a whim, the travelling bug has bitten! Who knows when he'll be back! Lisa is off to Calgary and it was Don's B-day yesterday. I'm enjoying the beautiful climate, trees and air here in Vancouver, going back to yoga and getting back into the studio! Check back soon for some new songs and updates.

We will be playing at Cates Park Concert in Deep Cove on July 16th!

Love, Michelle

a life of service
has a bee

as all serves
greater mystery

what a life!
dancing, humming
flying, drunk
on flowers fairy dust

so ecstatic to bee-

on this tree

that also bears

youme

first as flower
then as fruit
then again
as
holy
root
..
.

So we're going to NxNE in Toronto!

We'll post day to day updates as we go along. We are also being interviewed for a Documentary Called Blood, Sweat and Fame...more info to follow. The Caravan (Don's 6th annual student recital) went very very well, the sound was amazing thanks to Graham Ord at Capilano College Theatre. Fuzzminko played songs from off of our new CD, 'Fuzzminko'.

Just went and re-read the little snippets I wrote about songs I've written (see above this journal), I actually didn't remember the true origins of most of the songs! Looking back can be inspiring. So, lots of gigs coming up, playing with Fuzzminko is tremendous, loving those guys (and Lisa, our band pumpkin). We have taken on some private parties, so if you are interested in hosting a private party and having us play, let me know (bookings@michelledumond.com). Kisses go out to: Tammy, Deb, Camille, Lisa, Steve, Don, Sandra and Vince, Mary and Rick for buying my first 2 CD's, Arash, Amanda H, Geoff, so many people to love!

Into Orbit EP is ready. If you like it, please buy it, as your support will help finance the full album, with many more great songs. Summer is in the air and I will be busking down at Granville Island on either Mondays or Fridays, possibly both, come May. Just me and a guitar and some songs.

I realize I may be violating a family code, but this personal email from my sisterter to our mooooomy was just too funny:


dearest mommy,

having received your lastest "happy morning" message, i regret to inform you that i have contacted the appropriate agencies.The superfluous use of exclamation marks, dizzying repetition, and overflowing ebullience indicate to me that you have succumbed to some sort of spring fever or other maternal disease.

please do not struggle when they pick you up. you will be transported to a safe and happy happy happy happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! place.

xoxo
your daughter

A EXCELLENT article for all to read.

Social Responsibility is the new black.

You are what you eat…

…And drink. And wear. And buy. And read. And listen to. And watch on TV, and drive. Our identities have become commodities. Our commodities are our identities. You work to afford the things you pay them to tell you to buy. It´s an endless loop. You drink your morning coffee, which is probably farmed by farmers living in poverty who strip all the land of natural habitat so they can harvest the latest cash crop. You open your daily paper, which is probably owned by the same company that owns your favourite TV channel, radio station, the national paper, and community weekly. You make some toast, in a toaster made by some huge appliance company who are probably in the arms trade, with bread that´s probably made from genetically engineered wheat, which put the local farmer out of business, and top it off with some hormone filled butter. You put on your clothes for the day, which are probably made using harmful chemical processes by workers in sweatshop conditions halfway across the world. You put on your shoes, which are probably made by a huge corporation that influences the trade policies of the country in which they are made. You haven´t even left your house and your moral fiber is starting to fray. Corporations have clearly become the dominant institution which defines our lives; from global war to global warming.

We have become jaded and cynical of the world´s problems. We are helpless individuals in a society of helpless individuals. Meanwhile our government bickers over imaginary lines of left and right, speaking a language we don´t understand. Economists tinker with an imaginary system of counting which is based on numbers which have no root in reality; which ignore the true environmental and social costs of commodities. And to top it all off, the corporate media either dumbs us down, hypes us up, or scares us to death. Is it any wonder obesity, anxiety, and depression are so ubiquitous?

So, what do you do? Put your faith in the all mighty market and believe the trickle-down tenet of the tax-cut gospels? Continue to emulate Europe´s more Keynesian approach of spend-and-regulate welfare states? Write letters and petitions in vain to politicians? Bitch and moan? One thing is certain- you gotta live. You gotta buy shoes and eat and well, look good. So seeing as we´re in the information age, why don´t we do it responsibly? Are we so cynical that we´ve ruled out social and ethical responsibility in a corporation? Or is it that corporations are manipulating these concerns for their bottom line? Is consumer power a myth?

On one hand, you have multinational corporations seemingly exploiting our values with massive advertising campaigns attempting to remake a tarnished image- a practice coined "greenwashing". Take Starbucks´ "More Than Our Logo Is Green" campaign, trumpeting their social worth by proclaiming the importance of Fair Trade and their commitment to coffee growers, when the reality is that Fair Trade constitutes less than .1% of their total sales. (organicconsumers.org). Or take British Petroleum´s Beyond Petroleum advertisements. According to Paul Driesen of the Centre for the Defense of Free Enterprise, BP´s total six-year investment in renewable technologies was US$200-million – the same amount it spent on its "Beyond Petroleum" ad campaign. Or take the catch line to Ford´s new Escape Hybrid SUV, "Finally, a vehicle that can take you to the very places you're helping to preserve", when the Environmental Protection Agency recently found that Ford Motor Co. had the worst fleetwide fuel of any major U.S. auto manufacturer for the fifth consecutive year. The examples continue, from Shell to Philip Morris (now conveniently renamed Altria). Geoffrey Johnson of the L.A. Times writes that greenwashing succeeds by "dealing in lies of omission. The claims made aren't false exactly - but they're only a tiny portion of the truth. Ford is making a hybrid vehicle. BP is investing in alternative energy. But when considered in the context of the company's other endeavors, emphasizing those things presents a highly skewed picture."

"Corporate executives often lament that they would gladly supply greener products if only there were sufficient demand. It's Economics 101, they say. But their logic neglects an essential lesson from the same course: Unless consumers have access to accurate information about products, such as their environmental and social costs, then the market will not reflect people's true considerations."
Another piece of conventional economic wisdom is that consumer demand creates the marketplace. But as Betsy Barnum poignantly points out, this logic "leads directly to the ludicrous idea that consumers have "demanded" things like genetically modified organisms in our food or baby toys made of toxic materials like PVC, to say nothing of leafblowers, jet skis, botox, and--add your list of useless, destructive, outrageous products that no consumer ever thought up and demanded."
On the other hand, there appears to be a visceral reaction to the endless parade of mass produced gizmos, gadgets, fads, and must-haves. Epitomized by the current craze for organic produce, the success of the fair trade movement, and the ever growing popularity of Buy Nothing Day; people are beginning to crave a more authentic and responsible market. This is evident in the affection for all things independent: small budget film, alternative media, Indie music, off the beaten path tourism, and local DIY fashion. Companies such as the non sweat-shop American Apparel appear to be cashing in on this trend. Nevertheless, one must be wary of sub-cultural cooptation. Of course this is nothing new. We´ve seen it with the commodification cultural trends for decades: In the 60´s with swinging London, Mods, and Hippies; In the 70´s with Glam, Disco, and Punks; In the 80´s with Hip Hop and New Wave, in the 90´s with Grunge, skateboarding, ´Exteme sports´ and now in the 00´s with a sort of pseudo-activism.
But what we are now experiencing is different. It is genuine, and authentic. People crave community; vibrant neighbourhoods rich in culture, before our Main Streets were converted into massive malls and parking lots. We don´t want to see the same stores in every country we travel to; a reality of the monoculture created by corporate Globalism. People are realizing the extent at which goods, especially foodstuffs, travel to get to the major stores, so are opting to buy local; get their coffee at a Mom and Pop café; buy their beer from a micro brewery. People want to look different, they want something that can´t be found in every city in North America, and they want to support local artists and designers. Craft fairs are seeing a resurgence among young urban bohemians. Of course, big business will do their best to usurp this popularity, as seen with Adidas´ takeover, but not assimilation of Arc'teryx, and Nike´s purchase of Converse. But in the information age, consumers are savy, and besides, you can´t fake local.
One of the most powerful developments of late is the Blackspot Sneaker, a no sweat, no logo, organic canvas shoe, and the Blackspot Anticorporation that makes the consumer the a shareholder, able to participate in design and marketing. The company, started by Adbusters, is looking to branch out to restaurants, bio-diesel, culture shops, music, and even vodka.
Their manifesto captures the zeitgeist of the growing grassroots movement: "While giant corporations run roughshod over our lives, we whine and complain, protest and boycott. In vain, we even ask our governments for help. But the one thing we've never done is fight the corporations head on. For too long we've ignored the market, written it off as enemy territory. Yet, what do mega-corps like Walmart and Coke fear most? Competition. Let's start putting our creative juice and energy into building real alternatives. We're talking about a new breed of bottom up enterprise that does things differently: promotes ethics over profit, values over image, idealism over hype."
Bold words indeed. Yet there must be a deeper examination into the structures that reward sweatshops and clearcut logging, toxic pollution and child labor, destruction of indigenous cultures and privatizing of water. We need to place rewards on those corporations which have a minimal impact on our pysical and mental environments. There must be a proper system of accounting the true price of goods; their social and environmental costs. Combined with socially responsible consumers and companies, we can proud that we are what we eat. And drink. And wear.



Published on Monday, September 29, 2003 by CommonDreams.org
Let's Act Like Citizens, Not Consumers
by Betsy Barnum


Published on Sunday, August 22, 2004 by the Los Angeles Times
'Greenwashing' Leaves a Stain of Distortion
by Geoffrey Johnson

Thanks to everyone for coming out last night. The Living and the Reverberators were both great! We'll be performing 3 songs on Monday at the Media Club, around 10:45 pm. Artists that are inspiring me right now: Seal (first few albums), Sarah Slean (Day One), Lily Frost. Spring is happening like it or not, and here's a fun event:

>Masquerade Dance Party
>Presented by the Work Less Party
>
>Come join us for the wildest masquerade dance party of the year.
>On Saturday March 5th, you are invited to attend a celebration of dance,
>performance,
>art, acrobatics, burlesque, theatre, body art, music and much more
>dancing.
>
>Bands:
>Dubfreque
>Blue Quarter
>Slow Nerve Action
>
>DJ:
>DJ Girl Charise
>
>Performers:
>RC Weslowski
>Magpie Ulysses
>Your Little Pony
>Work Less Party
>Megan Rose
>Oliver Luke
>
>+ Plus !!!!:
>Spartakissers Kissing Booth - (Fundraiser for Spartacus Books)
>Body painting - Many of Vancouver's best body artists will be present
>Performance Art Challenge - $400 will be awarded to the best performers and
>artists who can combine body art, music and performance.
>The re-launch of BC Indymedia - the new BC Indymedia server will be back
>on-line
>Indoor bicycle parking !!!!
>
>Artists:
>Arthur Orsini
>Collin Brown
>Darcy Paterson
>Reverend Chad Verigin
>
>Price:
>$3 If you come in costume (any costume, the creative decision is all
>yours)
>$7 Without costume
>In addition, there will be a small free gift for anybody who arrives in
>costume on a bicycle.
>Advance tickets can be bought Our Community Bike, 3283 Main Str - (604)
>879-2453
>or Art-Topia, 440 W Hastings St - (604) 685-9100
>
>
>Where:
>Maritime Labour Centre - 1880 Triumph Street (corner of Victoria and
>Triumph, 2 blocks north of Hastings)
>
>Time:
>Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please arrive early, this event is going to rock
>from
>beginning to end.

Check out the calendar section for upcoming shows! Feb 18, 21 and more to come soon!

I'll be down at Cafe Montmartre this Sunday to try out some of my new songs, solo on guitar. We may organize a show there, with the full band for early March.

My song Wishful Thinkin', in demo version, will be Track of the Day at Garageband on Feb 1st.



Click the above link to see the page!

Some new songs are up! The EP is almost ready. Just doing the final mixes and remixes now. Tweak tweak tweak till it's just right.

Family, christmas music, contemplation. Letting go of the year, welcoming in the new experiences to come.

OK. So here's the lowdown on the band names:

Fuzzminko: Original music by Michelle Dumond and Don Kline Jr.

3D-Donny: Cover project.

To summarize 3 months in 3 words: FUN BUSY CHANGE.

But that doesn't do it justice! Fuzzminko, the band Don and I formed with drummer Steve Mickelson, is playing lots of private functions and has been doing some recording. I have been writing new songs, my favorite ones to date have come from this last 3 month period. This journal is now placed here, it's permanent home on the bio page.

Right now I am working on some music for a children's theatre production to be held in North Vancouver. Fun! I'll post the details on the calendar page.

White Electric Dog (Power of Heart)

I have chosen the final songs for the album. They can be summed up in a poem:

Love. Love? Love is
Hiding from itself. But to send our
Dreams
Into Orbit with full awareness! This desire lingers...
Don't Tell Me this
Spiritual
Whale Song is mine alone. I see others blooming in our
Concrete Jungle -is it possible that the future is
Falling
Wide Open?

Yellow Lunar Warrior

I vacillate between putting up the demo versions and removing them all until the songs are "done" (are they ever really done?) I will continue to put songs up as they are redone, take them down as I rework them. An ongoing unfolding, blooming of these songs.

Blue Magnetic Eagle

Having fun rehearsing for our live show....we have decided to throw in some covers like "Come Together" (the Beatles, then Aerosmith) which is fabulous and a song by Asia, which will remain a mystery. Political themes are running high, and the responsibility that comes with knowledge and power. Re-reading Kurt Vonnegut with a new perspective, (Ken Wilber's ha ha ha), listening to Sarah Harmer, Supertramp, the radio (a big departure for me). Mixing overdrive, feeling good about Into Orbit. That means that I remixed it, added and removed parts, redid vocals and listened to it for 48 hours. Then I put it aside and listened again and was convinced that it is moving in the right direction. Babbling becomes me. Amanda Hiebert, where are you? Please check out the World Peace Music Awards Site,
www.wpma.tv, here is a quote from the site:


Video Clip Photo Clip
Why was Bali chosen as the 1st WPMA venue?
Even though the horrible terrorist bombing of October 12th, 2002 killed and injured hundreds of innocent people, the people of Bali didn't respond with additional violence. Instead they responded with prayer, tolerance, and deafening call for peace. Monitoring closely the international media coverage during and after the incident, Matt Taylor, the organizer of the World Peace Music Awards recognized the apparent lack of attention being given to the peaceful and non-violent way in which the people of Bali reacted to the world's second largest terrorist attack. Taylor realized that musicians who inspire peace throughout the world are also overlooked. "Never once have a musician been honored with a Nobel Peace Prize. Yet every time there's a problem in the world, it's their music that brings people together." This acknowledgement led to the conception of the World Peace Music Awards. -

Yellow Self-Existing Human

For those of you following the song Love, Love, Love, well. It's coming along well. I have worked around the clock for the last two days on it, and have finalized the arrangement, changed the progression slightly, chosen my major instrumentation and sent it off to Steve Michelson for drums. Don will most likely get in there with some electric guitar, wah pedal stuff.

Yellow Something Seed, Oh dear losing track of time

Ok. Want to hear a bloody good album? or two? Get Hawksley Workman's latest, and Sarah Harmer's latest. Sarah threw me into a beautifully melancholy let's use our lower register kind of mood and then Hawksley just gave a great blast of that beautiful thing, the male perspective. A truly beautiful MOVING PICTURE, Spring, Summer, Fall, Spring is playing in theatres (well some). How many times can I say beautiful before I become aware of it and decide to whip out my thesaurus? Well it's gonna' take more than three. First mix of Two Cosmic songs, well, now we know at least where we are going with this CD! And the vocals! Oh dear. Work to be done, but the songs and their intention still hold up under our (intense, gruelling) critique and analysis. Yeah for art, for love, for bad moods that only sweet lovers can clear up, for melancholy moods that yearn for a song and for seeing Jian Ghomesi (cuter in person) on the street.

Trees! Music! Explore! Create!

I invite you to make your own 4 word bio!

Guidelines:
1) first word is physical reality (ie. Oceans, Mountains, Water, Flowers etc) that describes you best.

2) 2nd word is experienced reality (ie. Sunshine, music)

3) 3rd word is your defining action in this world (ie, teach, explore, laugh)

4) 4th word oh dear, I don't know. I just make this up as I go along!
Send me your 4 word bios!

My roomie's is: Sunshine! Oceans! Laughs! Dance!
My lover's is: Mountains! Music! Teach! Play!

Yellow Rhythmic Star, Spectral 15

The final two weeks of mixing....I never thought that I would be interested in mixing, but now I see that it is an art form in itself; the songs are still developing, parts changing. I've been listening to my all time favorite CD's (Under the Pink, Tori Amos, Surfacing, Sarah M) and have become overwhelmed with the quality of production and mixing (not to mention performances). I definately have my work cut out for me!

CD's will be for sale through the website (telephone or mail order), garageband.com and cdbaby.com (internet order), and at select indie retailers around Vancouver (we'll post them). We will also be selling Two Cosmic CD's at the Caravan (May 31st at Capilano College Theatre, see the events section of this website). Don has been busy teaching, rehearsing students and completing his own songs for the CD...


In case anyone is wondering, the dates at the top of these entries are from the 13 moon natural time calendar. 'Natural Time' means that is maps the actual physical cycles of nature


"It should be noted that the 13-Moon/28-Day calendar is a perfect solar-lunar measure; that is, it uses the even, regular lunar cycle of 28 days as the standard of measuring the 365-day solar cycle of the Earth. The balance of solar and lunar may also be taken as symbolic of human psychological characteristics and their balance or imbalance. A solar-lunar calendar will represent and reflect a balance of the solar-lunar, masculine and feminine qualities within the human being. It is important to bear in mind these considerations of calendars and their effect on shaping the human historical consciousness and its psychological makeup. From this perspective, history is, in fact, a process of falling away from the perfection of harmonic standards. "

- Dr. José Argüelles

You can visit www.13moon.com for more info on this calendar and the upcoming calendar reform happening this July.

Red Crystal Dragon, Spectral 8

Lots going on...where to begin? Recording mode is full of beauty and joy, changing up songs written long ago and making them into something fresh and beautiful is extremely rewarding. My wonderful sister now lives here! Moods Salon in Yaletown has selected the two of us for a hair-makeover...We are going to be featured in the Yaletown View magazine. I'll put up some links to the pictures as soon as I can! I have been writing some very interesting songs, my big influences being Lenny Kravitz, Tori Amos, Sarah M, Morcheeba and Peter Gabriel right now...

Yeah summer! Check out Art is Where the Heart is 2, below...

April 7TH, 2004


So much going on, so much sunshine and fun, oh dear. When will it end?

In my study and teaching of music I have noticed a few things that interfere with enjoyable practise time of your instrument (remember, the voice is an instrument too!) The primary culprit is a wandering, unfocused mind. (This all applies to life too, so hold onto your seats ; )... )

One solution that I have use can be summarized by saying, " When you know what your body is doing, you know where your mind is." Repeatedly bringing your awareness back into your body while practising will strengthen your muscles of concentration and focus over time, if done consistently.

Where does the mind go? Where doesn't it go is a better question. I have found that 2 major streams of thought interfering with enjoyable, productive practise are:

a) Egoic Fantasies (Oh I'm going to be good....etc.etc)
b) Condemnation Fantasies (Oh, that sounded terrible. Why am I doing this? I can't play! etc)

Both stem from judging the sound of your instrument and your mind usually wanders between the two.

Better to let the sound of your instrument take you deeper into the present moment awareness of what, how and when you play your next note.

More thoughts to come. Email me and let me know what has come up for you in YOUR practise.

Michelle


. Dreams is back up in the music section, enjoy away...

February 15TH, 2004




Hello beloved readers (if you exist outside my mind)! Here is my quote of the day:

"Knowledge! That beautiful branch whose leaves I pluck--on whose fruits I quench my thirst!"

I would like to talk about a dear friend today, Amanda Hiebert. Amanda is an incredible person and I am blessed by her friendship. She is currently producing, and acting in, "The Woods" by David Mamet in Toronto. Her company, Tell Us A Story Productions is having a fundraiser for the event.


Tell Me A Story PRODUCTIONS brings an event to town worth talking about. In an effort to raise funds for an up and coming production of David Mamet´s "The Woods" at the Alumnae Theatre The Vancouver born company has put together what they believe to be the ´party of the year´. Founder Amanda Hiebert wanted to put together an evening celebrating, magnifying, and monopolizing on our fascination with the female, and her sensuality.



She´s Sold ACT 1 will be featuring a burlesque show with the Fluff Girls, acoustic pop with vocalist Anna Torontow and the Dave Orrett band, and Toronto´s top notch jazz performer Melissa Stylianou. Included in the event will be a silent auction, where dates with six gorgeous girls, and sensual art donated by various well known Toronto artists such as; Michelle DeMello, and Cynthia Gould will be up for sale. Finally, in the far left corner of the room, party goers will be able to take advantage of the old fashioned kissing booth that we read about in the pages of comic books with Archie and Veronica. More than anything, She´s Sold Act 1 pre-purchased at 416-858-4846.

Another friend from acting school, Dany Papineau, is releasing an independant short film entitled, "Two Frogs in the East". It is a wonderful story of a French Canadian's journey out west. My song "Dreams" and "Falling" will be featured in the soundtrack to the film. I will post the screening dates shortly!

February 01st, 2004


Here are some of the pictures we took (Anna Williams, photographer) in the snowstorm. I just read a beautiful poem by Pablo Neruda called, "Ode to my Socks". Chunks of pink melon....



If you are interested in consciousness, you should visit www.integralnaked.org. What a fascinating site.

January 06th, 2004


What a snow! Just went outside in this glorious whiteness and did a photoshoot...The sky fades into the sea in a wall of grey, the snow and air are glowing....it's going to look great. I'll put up some pics when they are ready....Michelle

December 05th, 2003


OK. So the album will not be ready in December, that's the way it goes...the new target date is February X marks that spot. I've put up a few more songs, some rough mixes (ha ha ha rough because I did them) enjoy! MIchelle

November 23rd, 2003



Great news...3 more songs are recorded! Don't Tell Me, Dreams and Spiritual should be up soon. Also, there is a new forum up for Musically Inklined which you can access at the Musician Connector page on the Musically Inklined website. There's a link to it from the sound samples page on this site.

October 25th, 2003



We just put up our Two Cosmic page at Two Cosmic . It's amazing working on this project because Don's songs are just so fabulous. (It's hard being a sexy guitar/bass player, but he does it well)...ha ha ha. The songs on Into Orbit are going well, our drummer hurt his hand but things look like they will still get done by December. Anna Williams, an amazing actor and photographer, is doing the photos for the album and here on the website. Check back in a few weeks for the pictures!

Checking off a to-do list

I saw that
any transaction
can get done
the Soleil's work.

Remember
all those moments
you were in love?

Check.
.
.

Sandra, keeper of life mysteries, what do you hear on the breeze? Wordless unspoken things, secrets that only you know! Sandra, what do you whisper this time? Do you lips move with reason or rhyme? Seasons are turning as life is returning to Sandra! What´s in that upside-down smile, stay a while…with your eyes full of spring and a heart full of sadness…

Show me that I´m creation that I´m just vibration that I´m nothing more. Show me that I´m creativity until I feel it coming out of every pore/poor soul´s searching, in their own way, every soul´s answer in it´s own day! I´ve been running around looking out for, out for myself. But I don´t ever find IT, what is it? I analyze and I fantasize, but I know this body is a big disguise, and it´s gonna´ take more than these human eyes to see, to see the truth, to see through to truth. Nam myoho renge kyo. Freedom to and freedom from, my freedom calls me like a lonely drum, but like a 12 year old potted house plant, I cling to the dirt and I carry hurt…

Remember love, September love, it was lovelier than spring, although all that spring can bring, never ever brought meyou…the sweetest things the springbird sings, were written by the fall, for in the cold and dark the songs were waiting. Don´t we call it fall for a reason? We fall in love to keep us warm when it´s freezing. As the season´s snow, blankets all we know that we fell, in the fall, in the thralls of love. Remember love, September love as the couer-ting of our hearts, the me-ting of two parts, so lingeringly, tinglingly, lovely dear, meyou…

A little water and some soap, a little time to rest, I hope, to wash the worries of the day all away. Bathtub time is fun, to sit and watch the water run, and when we´re through, we feel brand new! Oh, soaking here, is twice as nice, when you´re near…so, take off your clothes and oooh, wet your toes! Take off your clothes and wet your toes. In the bathtub you will find, you can rest and just unwind, let the busy brain float down the drain. Some bubbles and a duck, and with a little cosmic luck, you´ll have a lover in the tub, to scrub a dub…floating away at the end of the day is my way to pray. So I take off my clothes and oh wet my toes! I take off my clothes and wet my toes.

One of us is sleeping and one of us is dead…which one has it better and which is which all said? The mystery´s embraced you, her kisses are they sweet? A new face you´ll be wearing, when next we chance to meet…to meet! Au Revoir, mon amour, au revoir! Au Revoir…Is it water we become? The sand beneath these feet? Is Hercules inside us, is it me I´m trying to me-et? Death comes to us all, the secret´s not long kept, I´ll be seeing you when my tears have all been wept, my tears have all been wept. (chorus) Naked I go from womb to womb, naked I move from tomb to tomb! A thousand years and none have known that I´s more than just flesh and bone! (chorus) Love´s every note in the scale, love´s every name is a veil…

Some of us love beer, some of us love to fight, we´d all like sex, if we just did it right. Some of us love dancing, some of us play guitar, some of us think love lives on a lonely distant star, some of us work hard and some don´t work at all, some call them lucky and some would love to see them fall…Oh what is real? Oh what is true? Can we please all agree on what to do! Cos´ we all need light and we all need air, we all need laughter to feel life´s fair, we all want love and we all need sleep, we all have wisdom hidden down real deep. Some of us drive fast and some don´t drive at all, some think we´ll drive into a big fat wall with all this bombing, as the death tolls rise, don´t forget about pollution, look to the skies! Some of us are angry and some don´t really care, some of us are wondering if God is really even here…what is real? What is best? Let´s make things right, let´s pass this test…Cos we all need light and we all need air, we´ve all shed at least one tiny little tear, all we need light all we need is air, all we need is water to exist down here. Courage up, heart´s on your sleeves, cos´ it´s gonna´ take guts before the darkness leaves…

I´m sick, on Christmas, I´m miserable and sad! But I´m counting my blessings and wearing my best things and laughing all-most all the time. Because Aunt Dorothy thinks it´s psychosomatic, my sister´s say to eat some garlic, everyone has a piece of advice for me, you see, I´m sick, on Christmas. I´m miserable and mad! I´m drinking ginger tea and thinking me me me, I´m coughing all the time! While mom is cooking up a wonder, the table´s set with treats to plunder, but nobody wants, to have a seat next to me…you see, I´m sick on Christmas, but I´m trying to be glad, so while I´m under the tree, where the presents happen to be, I´m blowing my nose in time…cos´ it´s Christmas, oh-oh-oh-oh Christmas time, and I´m with you, and one more time! Oh-oh-oh, I´m with you. achew, bless you.

At times I look into your lonely eyes and see the dreams that passed you by, you feel that it´s the end, but you´ll find your love again. You never really wanted much at all, just someone who could ease your fall, you´ll find it´s not the end, you´ll find your love again. Day after day, it´s around you! So open you eyes to something new, we do what we can do! And when you think things are over and done, you´ll find they´ve only just begun, so reach out and smile my friend, you´ll find it never ends, and you´ll find your love again!

At the other end of the skeye, I´ll be there, when there´s nothing left to try, I´ll be there! When all the dreams of yesterday slowly start to fade away, and the fire starts to burn, every lesson that you´ve learned, I´ll be there, you know, I´ll be there. At the other end of the skeye, I´ll be there. When you start to ask yourself why, I´ll be there! All the people in your life, all the places, good and bad, all the happiness and strife all wil go, but you know, I´ll be there. At the other end of the skeye, I´ll be there, when there´s nothing left to try I´ll be there! When you´ve said your last goodbye and spirit starts to rise, to another time and place, with a smile upon your face, I´ll be there, you know, I´ll be there.