Dear Friends of Healing Music,
Every winter I have a phrase or some words that come to me about what the feeling/essence will be for the new year. The three words that came through for me for 2016 are: ESSENCE, STRENGTH and CLARITY.
For years, decades, life-times!! we have been clearing, clearing, clearing. I now have the image of myself standing in an actual clearing in a forest. Feeling very Strong and deeply grounded into the earth. Protected by the beautiful trees around me and fully able to allow my true Essence to flow out in perfect Clarity. I AM HERE!
And now to my events in 2015. As per usual a wild, whacky and wonderful year!
There were a few exciting firsts: I had one of my pieces featured in an American TV show - 'Hell on Wheels', season 5, episode 3. This a cowboy show, and when I first heard from the music supervisor about licensing my music my first thought was 'what'??? When I heard how he used my piece 'Forgotten Lives' (from the Red Chakra CD, The Spirit of Shakuhachi series) I was incredibly moved, and also so grateful that my music had reached out to listeners in such a big way. My solo flute music was orchestrated and then used under a speech about the injustice of the treatment of Chinese immigrants building the railway. There were other little musical phrases used here and there but this main piece, combined with this speech, was incredibly heart opening.
Another big first - wait for it - I have recorded a song with words!!!!!! If you are new to my music you will hear in my first 20 CD's that my voice sounds like a flute, wordless. There is an amazing story behind the recording of this song - I will be releasing this song as a single and when I do this I will send you the story.
January took me to my friend Sue's beautiful house for our annual bringing in the new year Music Meditation. A magical event every year and it always has the feeling for me of our new energy fully landing, ready for the what the year has to bring! Thank you again Sue for hosting this lovely event.
My next events were Music Meditations with Mark Daniel and Chris Gartner. If you haven't been to one of our Meditations these are deeply relaxing and healing sessions. Participants can stretch out on the floor in a nest of mats/blankets or sit if that is more relaxing for them. Some people rest the whole time, some do gentle restorative yoga. We musicians walk around the space, allowing the music to flow into all parts of the listeners' energy fields.
Mark plays Tibetan and crystal bowls and gongs. Chris is a bass player and creates magical atmospheres with his bass. Thank you Mark and Chris for your talent and your healing energy. I love playing with you both!
We have several 'homes' for the Meditations - Esther Myers Yoga Studio in Toronto, Kalyana Yoga Studio in Ottawa, Akasha's Den in Oakville.... We offer a Music Meditation each month in one or another of these locations. Thanks to everyone who has helped with our Meditations and thanks to all who attend. We are always happy to hear about any new places that can host the Meditations!
Here is an old fashioned photo of Mark and me, found sometime in the future in a beautiful, wooden box in Narnia. While walking in the courtyard gardens here where I live one of my friends remarked “Debrina, you live in Narnia!”
Here is the courtyard and yes, there are fairies!
I don't usually talk about family events in these newsletters but there has been quite a miraculous healing this year with one of my brothers and I would like to share a little of his journey. In the summer/fall of 2014 brother Ron was having some discomfort. It wasn't until the week before Christmas that he received the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and that the treatment would be palliative. We were all devastated, shocked and saddened.
I immediately reached out to all the many wonderful Healers I know. With their help and the help of all our Angels and Guides, we added Ron's name to our prayers. This was a difficult time and I cancelled my Japan tour knowing that the energy wasn't going to be there for me to make the trip. Instead I went to Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, and spent time with another of my brothers. I embarked on a healing time that went right to the roots of our family energy. The great news is that Ron is still here with us - the tumour has shrunk and hopefully will be able to be removed sometime soon. I would like to thank all those that have helped, Gratitude and Blessings.
Back to the spring. I offered a Healing Workshop with my wonderful friend David Price Francis at Trinity St. Paul's United Church in Toronto. We also did another of these workshops later in the year - always a joy and a pleasure to work with David.
In May I offered another Healing Music Talk and Music Meditation at the beautiful Five Oaks Retreat Centre near Brantford. I love playing at this United Church centre, the land is deeply Sacred... They have a lovely outdoor Labyrinth, always a pleasure to walk here, and I was joined by brother Ron and his wife Jane. A great memory - Ron sat on a bench that had the inscription 'A Sacred Place'.
Then the Big Trip!!! Steve and I went to Paris - in the spring! It was so beautiful to be there. I loved so many thing - sitting on the water in a floating restaurant watching the fairy lights dance over the Eiffel Tower, the cafes, the gardens, the Louvre....but for me the highlight of the trip was seeing the huge Monet murals at the gallery L'Orangerie. I felt illuminated by the light flowing out of the pictures and I can see that light in my face in these photos.
Then to Edinburgh and one of the funniest encounters ever. I had been practising my Scottish accent in preparation for the trip. I did this by copying phrases that Neil Oliver spoke on his tv shows about the history and geography of Scotland - he has such a fabulous accent! I was in the airport in Paris and I looked over and there he was!!! I walked over to him, blanked on his name, and asked him if he was Scottish? I then went on to tell him the story of practising my accent by repeating what he said on his shows and then, I spoke to him with my Scottish accent!!!! He was amused.
Edinburgh was powerful - the architecture, the wild winds and the energy of the history there. I met up with my friends, Joanne, who I have known since I was four years old and Denis, a friend from Ireland.
From there I travelled to North Yorkshire and stayed with Joanne. We visited Fairy Caves where my Goddaughter Julia was working for the summer - they were amazing! Then I looked up to the ceiling in the cafe shop and there were a plethora of darling little Healing Fairies, all hanging on a clothesline. A few of these Fairies found their way to my favourite shop in Ottawa, Three Trees. I had bought one for Ron and one for me, and here they were at these amazing caves!!!!! Wow!
We had some lovely adventures in Yorkshire. We went to this incredible Druid Temple where I sang and played Fairy Chimes, accompanied by the birds!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf_GIcjr3tU&feature=em-share_video_user
On my first Sunday back home again in Toronto I went to St. Cuthbert’s church, just on the corner here. I had visited a beautiful St. Cuthbert’s church in Edinburgh. I saw a postcard there of the church and thought I should bring it to the Minister here. While visiting Joanne I had found out that she goes to the St. Cuthbert’s church in her little town. As we sat in the backyard one night we heard the bells from the church - folks were doing bell practise for the service. St. Cuthbert was calling to me!
I have always loved the old bell at the Toronto church - it has a special energy that really reaches out to me every Sunday that I hear it. On my first visit to St. Cuthbert’s here in Toronto it turns out that it was the beginning day of a Bell Ceremony to remember and honour all the Aboriginal women who are missing or dead. So there I was ringing that amazing bell. It was a powerful ceremony and one that I attended daily that week to help ring the bell, once for each woman on the list.
In June I offered another Healing Workshop with my dear friend poet Lorraine Gane, here from Salt Spring Island. We intertwingled music and poetry, always a joy!
July took me up to Grail Springs retreat for another magical time in the Enchanted Forest, playing for wonderful folks!
And then down to Erie, Pennsylvania the last week of July to play again at a Sacred Dance Guild Festival. We were housed at the beautiful Catholic University Mercyhurst - such a lovely campus, full of art and beauty. I love these festivals - the participants get to experience all different types of dance and movement traditions led by incredibly talented presenters! Thanks to all who helped in so many ways with this festival and special heartfelt thanks to Wendy Morrell, the president of the guild. (Wendy is also a fellow fairy!) There will be Sacred Dance Guild workshops in both Toronto and Ottawa this year. I will let you know about them and you can also go to their website to learn more about the organization:
www.sacreddanceguild.org
Then out to the Scarborough Bluffs for a Healing Boat Cruise that ended up being on the beach! It reminded me of my time living in the Bahamas. Every boat I worked on broke (as in almost sinking!!!!) and I was always so happy to be on dry land! The bluffs were so beautiful to play beneath….
In the summer I returned for another visit to Paris, but this time in Ontario!!! It is such a cute town and there are Eiffel Towers in all the shops! fun
Another Fairy Teatime - this one at the new home of my friend Karen Carrillo - dress designer extraordinaire!
In August we had our tenth annual Shakuhachi Playday!!! My friends at Orbital Arts designed some commemorative artwork to mark the anniversary. A wonderful day, wonderful music, wonderful party, wonderful students.
The next day we offered another one of our Benefit Concerts at the beautiful Stepping Stones Gallery in Ottawa. Ian Hepburn on harp, Catriona Sturton on shamisen, Rebecca Cragg painting gorgeous artwork during the concert and some special appearances by my talented students. This benefit was part of our fundraising to bring Japanese artists to Canada - to keep the bonds of love strong between Japan and Canada! Thank you everyone for your wonderful performing, thanks to all who attended and special thanks to Rebecca and Matthew for hosting us again.
The day after that we performed at Remic Rapids at the Rock Sculptures created by the amazing John Ceprano. The musicians were joined by dancers from the Sacred Dance Guild and also the lovely fairy dancer, Natasha Royka. This is one of most magical places I have ever performed. Thank you John for your beautiful work - breathtaking.
I travelled back to Ottawa in September with Chris Gartner and Mark Daniel and for the first time the three of us played together! The concert was held at a healing weekend called The Mystical Event.
In October I returned to The Yoga House here in Toronto to offer another workshop with the owner, Celeste Shirley. This is such a beautiful space, always lovely to play here with Celeste!
November 11th was the annual Benefit Concert at Museum for Music Can Heal. I am a board member on this palliative care association. Thanks to everyone who participated and to all who attended.
Eva Gold, an amazingly wonderful healer, invited me to offer a Healing Music talk and Music Meditation at one of her workshops. I love playing at these! Thanks Eva!
And in December I played at another of my Qigong classes, led by wonderful instructor Andrew Blake. I don't get to attend as many classes as I used to but it is always a pleasure to play for the great folks that attend. I also played at a summer class that we had in a park - it was lovely, people that were in the park started doing the movements with us!!! Magical.
I finished the year playing up at Grail Spring with my fabulous friend, Mark Daniel. A Mystical, Magical, Marvellous way to end the year!
I continue with my Shakuachi teaching, here in Toronto and in Ottawa. Thank you to all my students who have carried on with this fantastic (but difficult!!) instrument. I am also using skype and the telephone to offer lessons and healing music sessions, such interesting ways to connect the energy! Here is link talking about some of the many sessions, workshops, meditations and tours that I offer:
The Sleep Program - almost ready. It has been a challenge to find the ideal way to offer it but we are almost there! I will let you know when it is available.
The new CD with Chris Gartner is almost finished! Stay tuned for this amazing new musical journey!
I look back over 2015 with Gratitude, Joy, and Amazement at the journey. Fairy Hugs for all the friends and family and listeners I have shared this journey with.
And I look forward to this amazing new year - my heart full of hope and excitement!
I hope to see you soon, somewhere magical, during this wonderful year!
fairy hugs, debrina
Queen of the Pixies
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