Sacred music does not connote improvisation all the time. Improvisation is invited within already composed songs or can be utilized in its fullness to bring through entirely uncomposed songs in the moment. Improvisation is one of the essential practices of the sacred musician because it teaches us to connect to the source of music, the mysterious mystical realms beyond, but it need not be the sole expression, merely a very profound tool. 

       Many musicians and artists have grown increasingly disenchanted with the ways modern culture exploits art for commercial interests. The profit motive is detrimental because it siphons artistic expression into a limited context that must be agreeable for ‘consumer interests’. If the art is deemed unprofitable (often by business people who don’t have the most artistic understanding) it is not given blessing as something significant.

There's a siege surrounding the declining comforts of our lives. A siege of increasing corruption, both politically and corporately; ecological catastrophe and harrowing revolutions; disasters and death and weather gone insane. The news can barely be beared: too many are dying, humans and lifeforms (from Egyptian revolutionaries, to Syrian civilians, to honey bees and glaciers). There's a flood of tears barely held back by fragile psychological defenses. A whisper deep from the soul, lingering beneath the surface of our busy minds, urges: why hold back?

When I returned home last night in the throes of challenging revelations from an evening spent with old friends, it was salving to read this facebook post by my dear friend, David. We had just watched the documentary "Chasing Ice" about the courageous work of photographer James Balog who worked tirelessly and through much sacrifice to make some extraordinary time lapse photos over a number of years all around the globe of the recessions of glaciers to provide strident evidence of climate change.

This year out of all others I feel the teeming bombast of solar power that marks the Summer Solstice. Perhaps it’s the sudden appeal of these natured-based festivities to more of the masses which is sparking an amplified collective field (I spy a bunch of solstice events occurring in the city, promoted online or on posters lining the streets). Perhaps it’s that yoga studios I frequent are alive with solstice-inspired classes and events (of which I am fondly taking part).

Last Spring I conducted my first retreat with my magnificent friend Jackie at a centre deeply nestled in nature. At the end, the group of participants and facilitators felt a tender kinship, made all the more lovely in that it was harnessed from a mere two days spent together. One of the more exuberant of our makeshift tribe during our final sharing circle that the retreat had changed their life. To be honest, he took me aback: it was a splendid weekend of yoga and sound healing with sumptuous, healing food, heart-inspiring company and exquisite connections with nature but I didn’t expect it to be so deeply influential.