Musitations™: Exploring Music, Meditation, Creativity and Wisdom

00:00 Intro
06:23 Travis' Journey
12:20 Travis attacked by Dogs in a Monastery in Thailand!
17:00 Travis and Drew's humbly start their YouTube channel in a 350sq ft studio apartment!
21:00 Travis shares about surprises and insights about his Sound Healing Journey
25:00 Michael's Yoga Nidra, Samskaras and release of emotions in Sound Healing and Meditation
32:00 Travis' suggestions to how to experience an online Sound Healing
36:00 Sleep Vibrations and Chakra Vibrations launched
40:00 Existential Corrective to the spiritual journey
47:00 Finding Your own Inner Peace
50:00 What's on the Horizon?
54:40 Each Moment is a Note in the Song of Today
55:20 Moving from our Head to our Hearts
57:00 How to connect with Travis and Drew
59:00 Importance of Soulversations
1:00:00 People of the Twilight

If you've googled Sound Healing you're sure to have come across these two gifted artists. In front of the camera is sound healer Travis  Schumacher and behind the camera is filmic wizard Drew Griffin. The two of them, childhood friends, took different paths until a fateful meeting led to the creation of Healing Vibrations, Sleep Vibrations and their newest channel Chakra Vibrations.  I was honored that when I reached out to Travis it turns out he had been listening to my music on Pandora for years.  So it too felt like a fateful meeting! Since then we've become friends and I was over joyed to have him to agree to be on Musitations™.  We had a great far-ranging conversation and I'm sure we will be having many more.  I hope you enjoy our soulversation as much as we did!

A bit more about Travis here:

In his own words:

"At 22 years old, I had already lost 3 years of my life to heroin. I would have never imagined myself as an addict. I felt unworthy. Unworthy of love, unworthy of joy, unworthy of life. At that point, all that I wanted was to leave this world.

At the peak of my addiction, I suffered my first, true heartbreak. I felt betrayed. I felt like my world was crumbling around me. I realized I needed to make a change. I was terrified. The indescribable pain of withdrawals laced with heartbreak was almost too much to take. For days, all I was thinking was that this is not who I am or who I want to be. I had to stick it out. I had to get clean.

Coming out of addiction, I was faced with the hard reality that I had lost my way in life. I’d wasted years and had nothing to show for it. I didn’t know where I was going in life or if I had any purpose. That’s when I found meditation. I went on a quest for knowledge. Chants, mantras, reiki, sound healing, etc… All leading up to a profound out-of-body experience that changed the course of my life forever.

In that experience, learned that I was eternal, I was complete, and I was connected to all things. After going through my addiction and breakup, I didn’t know if I could ever feel whole again but this experience showed me that I could if I was willing to seek the truth.  During this phase of my life, I developed a newfound desire to help others. I became a certified massage therapist and sought further learning in Thailand. There, I spent 3 months learning about meditation practices and sound healing. I also observed that my life had meaning and purpose; to heal others from their traumas as I had now been healed.

Since then, I have dedicated my life to helping others find the light within. I now live my life promoting and performing sound bath in hopes of reaching those who feel lost or unworthy; striving to guide them to the path of hope and healing."

Travis and Drew's website: https://healingvibrationsmedia.com/
Healing Vibrations: https://www.youtube.com/@UCFHaYFxWu4zvM6-_O54A7cw
Sleep Vibrations: https://www.youtube.com/@UChXHr9AfAQClutnpeqR8QVQ
Chakra Vibrations: https://www.youtube.com/@UCRhDeFzIg4mDL7NG-T3Tppw

https://michaeldemaria.com/

I was so honored to be interviewed on McCall's podcast Falling Into Soul: An Exploration of Inner Alchemy on the subject of Burnout & Soul Renewal, a subject near and dear to my heart. Having burned out 3 times in my life, I knew this would be a deep dive and it was! She graciously agreed for me to post it on my youtube channel and included it on my own Musitations podcast since this was the third in our series of soulversations.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Intro

For those who know Mark Nepo's work he needs no introduction.  For those who are not yet familiar with his work, Mark Nepo has been called “one of the finest spiritual guides of our time,” “a consummate storyteller,” and “an eloquent spiritual teacher.” A bestselling author, he has published twenty-three books and recorded sixteen audio projects. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Recent work includes Surviving Storms (St. Martin’s Essentials, 2020) and Drinking from the River of Light, a Nautilus Award Winner (Sounds True, 2019). 

I have been following Mark's work for over 30 years.  Yet, I first connected with him when my music was used on his two audio programs for Sounds True, Reduced To Joy, and Inside The Miracle.  Since then I have had the honor and privilege of being part of a number of his mentoring circles for authentic living. 

Mark has a unique capacity to bring the inevitable complexities, challenges and inherent paradoxes of life into an intimate, clear and accessible focus through the power of story, metaphor and his timeless poetry.  In this episode, we dive into his most recent book, "Surviving Storms: Finding the Strength to Meet Adversity".  It's as all of his books a powerful, deeply intimate read about becoming truly ourselves in times of adversity, challenges and suffering. Today, more than ever, Mark's timeless wisdom is a welcome healing balm and lantern to light our way through the dark. 

Mark's Main Website: https://marknepo.com/  

Marks Website for Live Webinars: https://live.marknepo.com/

04:52 The Basic Chords Under Everything

06:24 Between The Song of Life and The Pain of Life 

07:57 Exhausted Open To the Joy and Pain of Living

09:30 The Everyday Broken Hallelujah

12:31 The Liminal Space of Being Born Premature 

16:00 Losing the Connection to the Chords Under Everything - Our Primal Home

16:30 Where is Your Soul At Home

20:57 The Essential Paradoxes of Life

21:40 Whales and Dolphins as Examples of Solitude and Relationship

24:00 Our Direct Connection and Reverence for Life 

24:45 Presence and Depth of MY Truth vs. Relationships and Truth Beyond My Own

25:50 The Gifts and Liabilities of Solitude and Relationship

26:30 The Maturing of Compassion - Staying Open To Your Pain Without Losing Yourself

28:00 Un-individuated Love and Codependency

28:39 We Have the Switch To Our Own Light, Not Others 

30:00 Through Suffering and Loving We Find Our Inner Light 

31:00 Being a Greenhouse for Each Others

34:00 Dealing with Paradox by Stepping Back To See the Wider View

35:00 The Hawk and The Horse - Balancing Revelation and Step by Step Living

39:00 Letting our Soul Catch Up With Us

42:00 Circles for Authentic Living

43:00 Progress vs Incarnation (doing for others AND seeing for myself)

46:00 Breaking Codependence (Extension of Suffering vs. Being a Resource for another Suffering)

48:00 Not Avoiding Suffering and Becoming a Hand Carved Flute

49:00 Being Fully Carved Open Like a Flute

50:00 Everyone Has a Gift Which Gives Us The Capacity to Live Life to The Fullest

The title of this podcast is the provocative title of one of my favorite books I have read in recent years, Rachel Corbett's masterwork of historical non-fiction, You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and August Rodin.  It really rocked my world. I had read Rilke's monograph of Rodin back in grad school 40 years ago, and have always wondered why someone had not written more about the relationship between these two men of vision, heart and artistic genius. To many Rilke is considered the greatest poet of the 20th century, and Rodin perhaps one of the greatest sculptures of all time.  In particular, Rilke's masterpiece, "Letters to a Young Poet" spoke so deeply to me as a young aspiring poet/artist and musician - that it has shaped my own approach to life and art in deep ways, and remains (as it does for many) as one of my favorite gifts to give to young, aspiring creatives of all types.  I was also going through a very difficult time when I read this book as we were entering the pandemic and it was as if Rachel was speaking directly to me through her thoughtful, wise and empathic prose.  I have wanted to have her on the show for quite some time and I'm THRILLED she agreed.  You won't be disappointed and PLEASE go buy this book and read it! If you want to experience Paris and the artistic/intellectual climate at the turn of the century - it will take you on a fascinating, wonderful journey - particularly with a caste of characters as diverse and extraordinary as Lou Andreas-Salome (Rilke's lover, mentor, guide and muse) and Camille Claudel (Rodin's gifted, brilliant and ultimately tragic muse) and so many others.

Here is a bit more about Rachel: 

Rachel Corbett is the author of You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin, which won the 2016 Marfield Prize, the National Award for Arts Writing.  She has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, and New York Magazine, among other publications. She lives in Brooklyn.

Chris and I have been having musical soulversations for close to two decades.  An accomplished film composer, conductor and musician based in LA, he has worked with Michael Bublé, Dr. Dre, Christina Aguilera and many others.  More importantly, he has a deep and profound understanding and approach to the art and practice of creating music. We went through David Darling's Music for People apprenticeship together and share a similar love and passion for the art of improvisation. We dive into the first time he heard Dark Wood one of David's poignant solo cello albums that helped him begin to look at the art of music making from a more profound and simple approach - what David often called Deep Listening - or playing from INSIDE the music, i.e., allowing the music to be birthed from this incredibly intimate, innocent and vulnerable place we all have within.  Join us for this deep dive into what "Being In The Music" means to us and how David's legacy lives on a year after he transitioned to the other side of things.

Here is a bit more about Chris:

As a conductor and orchestrator, Christopher Anderson-Bazzoli has worked with top recording artists Michael Bublé, Dr. Dre, Christina Aguilera, and She & Him, among others. He is also an Emmy-nominated composer whose latest classical work, Continent’s End, is available on the Delos Music label. His music can be found on the web at posthornmusic.com.

Chris' IMBD:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1125129/

00:00 Intro

04:00 David Darling's Album Darkwood - Simple, Deep, Personal Expression

05:00 A Tuba at Esalen Institute 

10:21 Spirit and the Breath

19:35 Playing from Deep Inside the Music  

21:00 Soul Source and Jung

23:00 Returning to Child as Healing

25:00 Vulnerability of the Voice

29:00 Play One Thing - Simplicity and the Moment of Belonging in a music improv 

35:00 Even the Most Accomplished Musicians Struggle with getting out of their way

39:00 Deep Listening and Being Inside the Music 

44:03 Film Composing 

50:00 Power of Community in Supporting Creative Expression

Thrilled to have my good friend, colleague and fellow Multi-Grammy® nominee Will Clipman on Musitations™ for the kick off of season 2! I have admired Will and his profound work in world music and percussion for more than 3 decades!  It is such an honor and treat to have him on the show.  Little did I know we had so much in common; both being published poets, devoted world music multi-instrumentalists and most importantly survivors of a near death experience - which is how we connected while collaborating on a project for the IANDS (International Association of Near Death Experiences) conference last year.  We immediately connected and began discussing doing an episode on Musitations™ together which is now live! We discuss the meaning of mythopoetic, conscious creativity and the importance of having "serious fun" when creating - as well as the importance of listening, stillness and silence.

 Here is a bit more about Will: 

Will Clipman is a poet, percussionist, performing and recording artist, maskmaker, storyteller and educator. He has been nominated for seven GRAMMY® Awards, including one for his solo world music album Pathfinder, and his pan-global instrumental palette is featured in his Planet of Percussion® workshop and performance. Will has recorded over seventy albums, including thirty-five for Canyon Records, the world’s foremost producer of Native American music. Will’s poetry is widely published, including his book Dog Light (Wesleyan University Press). His masks and mythopoetic storytelling are showcased in his workshop and performance Myths & Masks®, which is available as a DVD. Will has conducted over three hundred artist-in-residence programs for elementary, middle and high schools, colleges and universities, senior centers, adult and juvenile prisons, hospitals, libraries, resorts and retreat centers. His work as an educator has been recognized with an Arizona Commission on the Arts Decade of Distinguished Service Award and three Governor’s Arts Awards nominations. Will has toured throughout the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as in Germany, Canada, Morocco and Russia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Syracuse University and a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Arizona. For further insights into Will’s work, please visit his website at www.willclipman.com.

08:14 Mythopoetic

13:28 Conscious Creativity 

14:40 Serious Fun 

24:05 Planet Percussion 

31:12 Will’s Musical Origin Story 

33:33 Feeling Good and Groovy 

37:35 Our Near-Death Experiences 

47:19 The Importance of Listening, Stillness and Silence 

49:40 Will’s first poem

56:40 Playing a Duet with Silence

I first met Felipe when he asked me to be part of a local PechaKucha, a fascinating form of storytelling that celebrates humanity. Felipe was the driving force and organizer for our local chapter. For those that don't know PechaKucha’s 20x20 presentation format allows each presenter 20 chosen images, each for 20 seconds. In other words, you've got 400 seconds to tell your story, with visuals guiding the way. PechaKucha means "chit chat" in Japanese and began in Tokyo in 2003, and since then it has grown into a worldwide movement. 

I loved the experience and was immediately impressed with the quiet strength, compassionate wisdom and presence of this young man and the community he helped develop in our Gulf Coast town for our fellow creatives. As you will find out Felipe loves hanging out with ALL the muses of life - and most importantly his love of people, family and the creative process.

Felipe is an award-winning artist, a five-time entrepreneur with 20 years of marketing experience, and a decade working on business branding and consulting. He's been coaching and training professionals since 2010 on how to work creatively with various tools and more recently focusing on assisting individuals on living a more mindful and meaningful life by embracing their spirituality, creativity, and exploring new positive experiences.

His father is a fine artist and interior designer, and his mother is an educator in theology and philosophy. Early on, ideas, concepts, and experiences allowed him the privilege of having time and space to develop critical thinking, compassion, and an existential drive that motivates him to this day in appreciating the beauty in every person and every moment. As a father of two expressive and creative children, now more than ever, he appreciates all the experiences that his childhood provided him.

Join us as we take a deep dive into all things creative in particular how he has developed his Art and Meditation practice and our mutual passion of combining present moment awareness with the creative process!

You can find out more about Felipe as: https://munoz.work/about or https://empathicpractice.us/  

I am thrilled to have my good friend, fellow flutist Sherry Finzer on Musitations Episode 12! We've known each other close to a decade and share a love of the flute and a passion for bringing more healing, meditation and mindfulness into the world through music.

Topics we explore: 

Sherry Finzer believes that music can heal. Her musical journey has taken her from classical to jazz, pop, world, and flamenco, to today, where she feels her music does the best work by helping to calm, soothe and bring people to a state where they can begin to heal through her New Age music. Fueled by stories shared by listeners and fans of how her music helps them deal with stress, depression, and physical ailments such as tinnitus, stroke, and cancer, she records, performs, composes, and runs Heart Dance Records – a label consisting of artists with a focus on creating music to be used to help mentally and physically heal. Sherry specializes in the low flutes - alto, bass, and contrabass, as well as Native flutes.

Sherry's music can be heard on SXM Spa Channel, Pandora, Spotify, Music Choice Soundscapes, Galaxie Spa Channel, Calm Radio, River of Calm, Journeyscapes, international radio programming, multiple airlines, and overhead music channels. She was one of the first musicians asked to live stream on the Insight Timer app, and performs weekly on this platform.

She has recorded over 27 New Age & Contemporary Instrumental CD's and has released many singles.

You can find out more about Sherry at: https://www.sherryfinzer.com/ 

I so loved doing this podcast with one of my newest soul friends Susan Harper - a true moving storyteller, dream weaver and continuum teacher who opens portals to the vast space of creativity we all have within us!  This last year, I became a huge fan of the work of Emilie Conrad. I spent most of COVID reading, re-reading, digesting and book marking her riveting autobiography "Life on Land," where she introduces how we all have aquatic origins.  That book brought me in touch with Susan who I truly see as carrying on the soul of Emilie's work, bringing together the 3 muses of movement, sound and breath.  At the end of the soulversation, Susan helped shed light on a vocal trauma I suffered at the age of 10, and also helped me dive more deeply into my current grief around my father's dying process I am currently traversing with him as a soul doula. So grateful for this time with her.

Themes we explore on this rich, deep dive of a soulversation: 

1) The relationship between vocalization, breath and movement in continuum.

2) What Musicianing is when it comes to our own breath, movement, sounding process?

3) The dual process of rooting and reaching.

4) The dual process of autonomy and connection (interdependence).

5) Cultivating Fluid Presence.

6) What is an Improvisational moment.

7) Ways of dissolving to discover primordial wisdom.

8) Tension between what is and what is possible.

9) What is our soul-heart-song? 

A bit more information about Susan and how to connect with her and her work:

Susan Harper is a Continuum teacher, a heart-soul-counselor, creative instigator, and inspired teacher of perceptual and movement inquiry.

Susan creates contexts for those who love to inquire, who dare to listen at the edge and in the depths—to be in the frontier conversation—who are aware of the adventure of courting the unknown.

You can find out more about susan and her work at https://continuummontage.com/

Beautiful documentary of Susan and her work:  https://vimeo.com/449520710 

In episode 10 I'm thrilled to have the talented musician and author McCall Erickson back on Musitations™!  I first read a quote 5 years ago by McCall that touched me deeply, “Soul work is not a high road. It's a deep fall into an unforgiving darkness that won't let you go until you find the song that sings you home.”  It was a beautiful distillation of what I have found to be true on my own journey. In Episode 6 you can hear more about her book  The Second Half of the Mountain: A guide to Personal Alchemy After Awakening.

Since our last episode we have stayed in touch and found a mutual focus, concern and interest in the following topics particularly around emotional sobriety and how it relates to healing from codependency, developing our creativity and supporting our well-being.

Topics explored:

Link to McCall's website: https://www.mccallerickson.com

Link to the video version of this episode (coming soon)