Hi friends💜,
With the massive storms that have ransacked the southeast, I hope this finds you safe and well. In my meditations, I try to wrap the tragedies of the world in love and keep them close enough to remember my massive privilege and the responsibility that privilege requires of me. This morning, know that I am sending love and protection to you wherever you are.
What a whirlwind of a month it has been for me. How has it been for you? September brings a new season full of beginnings and challenges where we find ourselves plunging into the methodical work of life after summer.
Riverside's season opener Scalia/Ginsburg turned out to be a huge hit and I am deeply grateful. Thank you so much for your support in the theatre and from afar!! One woman was in tears as she told my husband how deeply moved she was by my performance, and many others said they felt they were given a gift from RBG. Before my entrance (where I popped up out of a trap door in the floor: an homage to breaking the glass ceiling), I would ask for guidance and strength from RBG, my mother, my grandmothers and all women that have gone before me.
Since moving into the Emma Harvat House (the first female mayor of a city with a population of more than 10,000 in the United States) over four years ago, I have been profoundly inspired by the women who came before me. I believe their spirits have fueled my deep quest to find my authentic voice and how I can help others find that power.
Have you ever gone on a search to find something and later come to realize that what you are searching for has been with you all along?
Whether it is the pencil behind my ear, the keys buried in my purse, or the theology of my life, that truth hit me across the head. A wonderful spiritual mentor said to me last week, "Mary Jane you have always had the music, it is the music of the spheres, you are home." A few days later in a voice lesson, I pulled out a new song for my youngest heart-filled student, "The Sound of Music" and proceeded to sing it for her (because she had never heard it). And as I did, tears filled my eyes as I relived the words I had so passionately sung my senior year of high school in my very first role playing Maria. (Another biographically inspired feminine role:)
Ringing in the words was the music of the spheres that reverberates through us constantly. The sound of music echoing in the trees, wind, birds, water and mirrored in each beautiful soul I am honored to meet, especially you.
So I made a gift of this simple recording to share with you💜
It seems that every role I play, every song I sing, every poem and song I write reflects elements of these reverberations, these glimpses of beauty, a bit like looking through a kaleidoscope.
Broken shards of light
fragmented into beauty
gorgeous to behold.
But my childhood wonder
of its magic
is tempered
by my mind’s
incessant will
to know the
whole picture.
The recollection
of our dreams
are like shards of light.
Shards of memory
shards of desire
shards of terror.
Illuminated with
new and strange colors
arranged into designs
incomprehensible to our
waking consciousness.
What is truth?
Is it the sharp
clear pictures
that a well-functioning
eye can conjure?
Or is it the
flickers of wholeness
felt under the sky
hidden in rainbows
of unfathomable design.
Beauty
found only
through
the narrow
tube
of darkness.
I suppose for me, the reverberations of the spheres has found its home in my creative expression, both through my pen and voice and I have always longed to share that creative expression with a community. So I am extremely grateful to you! But, I long for it not be a one-way street.
And so, I am always visioning, imagining what could be. Yes, the world is is true chaos now and that is not to be ignored, but if we only focus on the negative, we can't conjure the vision of a new tomorrow. How then will we know what steps to take today?
My quest to help others experience the healing power of truly finding ones voice is going to soon be merging with this deep desire to gather all of the incredible people I have met and ones I have yet to meet into a community where life-long learners can learn from and support each other to live a life guided by the heart despite the limitations of society and traumas of the world.
I know, it sounds like a pipe dream, but I guess that's what it is.
In practical terms, it is going to begin as a private online network which I hope to open to membership next month. It will have an easy online platform and app to meet folks, a feed to share inspiration and stories, and chats where we can go deep and explore how we can connect our voices to our heart center. There will be a monthly online gathering, including a vocal meditation. If you are intrigued, I hope you will ponder joining and also reach out with thoughts or questions!
AND if you are local to Iowa, don't miss out on my first Vocal Empowerment Workshop this Saturday!
I have 19 folks registered already and there is room for more! (Thank you so much if you are one of them!!) Discover the healing art of singing and the power of the voice! For non-singers and singers both! We will spend a morning in community exploring the potential of our unique voices and find joy and confidence with our instruments. Then we will explore vocal meditation and learn some tools and lift our voices in song to access, honor, and release our emotions. There are scholarships available!
As always, I know how bombarded we all are with emails so I am deeply grateful to you for giving of your precious time to read this! And, by all means, if this email feels like clutter to you, the unsubscribe button is at the bottom.
This month I hope that you can hear the music of the spheres (musica universalis theory originating in ancient Greece) whether audible or not, in the depths of your soul.
💜Mary Jane
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$20.00
I Have A Voice, SATB Choral Octavo
This is an empowering anthem perfect for a high school, community, or church choir. The music is accessible with two... Read more |
