Musical Moments From Around the World, GO!

Surrender to the Sounds

{Part I}

"Through meditation I've programmed my heart to beat breakbeats and hum bass lines in exhalation."

-Saul Williams

One thing I can never manage to leave home without is Music. There is something so grounding and comforting about knowing that you can have the soundtrack to your life on hand at any moment, where ever you end up.

So I've decided to centre this post around the incredible world of music that has swallowed me up. If you have a moment sometime I would love some feedback on this post. I'm contemplating bringing focus to my writing through the music and food I encounter while traversing this great world of ours ;)

This week in Ubud has been a never ending party! The Bali Spirit Festival brings in yogis, gurus, teachers, students, artists and musicians from around the world. One of my favourite groups had come all the way from Hawaii to headline their second Spirit Fest here in Bali, and wow did they ever put on a show last night!

Nahko & Medicine For The People create sounds straight from the belly of Mama Gaia herself. Self described as 

"Spirited thump-hop storytelling. Earth-based-spirit-
inspired. Working for social and environmental justice. Musical medicine. "

These guys continually send shivers down my spine, and over the last couple weeks I have seen Spirit/God/Divine light blaze through the heavens with great force to set their hearts on fire as they sing their songs. From concert venues, bars, to playing for children, and sharing songs of prayer they are inspiring a love filled conscious paradigm shift through the sounds they belt out into our world. With words like 

"Don't waste your hate, only gather and create... be of service...be a sensible person. Use your words and don't be nervous! You can do this you've got purpose, find you medicine and use it!"

How can you not start singing along in the highest bliss filled vibes! 

An up and coming star, Dustin Thomas, was on tour with Medicine for the People through the Asian Pacific. I've been blessed to hang with this mind boggling crew of musicians and they continually impress me with their infinite well of high vibes! Throwing down beat boxing with thoughtful soul searching lyrics he is taking the world by the horns. Teamed up with Medicine they are unstoppable. Dustin has just released his first album, and keep your eyes out for Medicine's new album! I've been lucky enough to sneak some peeks of their album artwork and WOW is it inspiring! Also Medicine's drummer Hope is currently recording a solo album! I'll be on set for her first music video this Sunday! Big Love!

Medicine was joined by an incredible array of world music. Oka came up from Australia to share there amazing tribal fusions of their indigenous resonance. Blasting the sound of didgeridoo into our souls with amazing beats that sent my being into a total trance.

Some local talent at the show included the body shaking noise of Afronesia and Susu Ibu.

Check it out! Expand your musical consciousness and rock out to some of these body banging sounds! Until next time beautiful people!

Signing off from Ubud, Bali!

Your World Wandering Yoshi!

xxox

A Spotless Future In The Web of Life

“May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world and know it's beauty all the days of your life.”

― Apache Blessing

When one door closes, there is always another opening somewhere not too far off.

The world always has so much to offer us. Sometimes in the moment we don't see beyond the hills we are approaching. Our imagination makes up the mystery of infinite potential in that land over the crest. However the world out of sight is so much more extraordinary than we could ever grasp.

Around every corner, there are miracles available to us. Beyond every hill lays a paradise world no mortal can comprehend.


My world cascades into the ebb and flow of an infinite cycle of death and rebirth. I find myself lodged in a threshold, portal way of epic proportions.

 All spring I'd been dreaming up my potential future endeavours. Filling my heart with inexhaustible excitement for epicurean alchemical undertakings.
Multiple concepts had popped up all spring, planning ensued, but as I prepared to take off nothing was quite sticking as it should.

why?..... only the Universe knows.

And now I've found myself in the Garden Of Eden, presented with opportunities to pursue dreams I'd forgotten I had.

From being cast as the lead in a film trailer, to helping open a store front. Collaborating, mingling and dreaming with some of the most talented beings on this Planet. My mind just continues to get blown every moment of every day.

Bliss. 

So....

YES! 

Universe, I would love to keep acting. Star in a film, Why not?
Fly around the world filming breath taking, enlightening moments? 

YES!

Jump in next deep designing spectacular jewellery?

YES!

CoCreating with some of the brilliant artists on the face of this Earth?

YES!

What ever you wanna throw at me Universe, I'm here, listening, watching, feeling. Ready and waiting for your cues.

YES!


And so like the meditative and divine process of the spider, I patiently dream the mandala I wish to live in. May it be spun strong, true, catch every drop of sparkling due, and every glimmering ray of sunshine. Let all the nightmares fall through its holes, and may every lucid dream be caught to shine in the glory of this world.

Flow vs. Force...... Dream your world

Flow vs. Force

Surrender

to the Golden thread that propels & pulls us towards our Dharma. Engulfed in the perfection of time, catapulted into the world of serendipitous synchronicity. Let your life be an infinite cycle of Miraculous events unfolding before your eyes.

Having always felt like a reasonably decisive and to the point woman, this concept of Force & Flow feels ever present in my life. A constant virtue to keep in balance. 

When do I step back and allow things to manifest?

When do I step forward and catalyze that which I am called to?

Patience is a facet of myself I am continually working on. I've come a long ways, but the path of change is an infinite one. A friend once told me that

"True change is like hiking a mountain. Backwards and blindfolded. It takes a great deal of commitment and effort, but the rewards of reaching the top are incomparable."

I dont always deal well with sitting idle, not that I should, but it does, on occasion, feel like I am putting in more effort than is always necessary. 

Bali feels like a land lost in the flow........

(runs off in a hurry to feed her gurgling belly..........6 hours later.....)

Well, talk about Flow! 

I found myself amidst amazing company and deliciously cheap delectables. I gave this whole day to the flow, and boy oh' boy did she ever engulf me in her swirling, magical abyss. Instantaneous manifestations abound; fleeting thoughts materializing before my eyes. 

I nonchalantly mentioned to a friend the other day, that I would love to do more acting/performance. 

TA DA! Casting call for actors here in Ubud! Coincidence, I think not. 

Thought it would be neat to participate in more story telling via film.

TA DA! World class documentary film maker sits down at our table. 

Would love to meet/interview a particular band here in Ubud.

TA DA! Neighbour is from the same hometown as them, and in fact has invited them to the casting.

The list goes on and on today. And the day isn't even over!

Now I just need to manifest that house!

Today's Lesson:

Your phone died for a reason. Forget about your long list of "To Do's" and breathe in the present moment with excitement, bliss, and gratitude. You never know what tomorrow will bring.... or so you thought. Living a dream is as simple as Dreaming.

Shift

Shift

into a world you created 

into your Waking Dream 

I step forth into this new Era, with the intention to release all that does not serve me in the ascension of all beings into Light and Love.

Leaving behind what we know so well can often be a frightening task. Releasing the old through the ancient and true process of metamorphosis, we may sometimes feel attached to what once was; who we thought we were. Though intimidating, it is a necessary step in evolution.

Months have seemed to creep past me as I have opened up to a new self. At first, feeling heartbroken and at a loss for leaving my community, friends and family for adventure, I've come to embrace it in a new light. Realizing that this was an opportunity for me to own up to what was important in my life, I have begun to deepen my connections and relationships with the people I love most, despite not being physically present.

Presence has often been thought of as being in the immediate vicinity on a physical plane. My internal reflections and contemplations have brought me to notice that often people with a "strong presence" maintain that "energy" regardless of wether its over the phone, online, or on film, etc.. It feels as though it really does come down to an energetic level. Maintaining presence is an energetic commitment not a physical one. Wether it is a call, email or thought, I've stumbled upon this relieving insight that I am there with those I love where ever I end up.

Cortes > Vancouver > Bali 

As it always does, the Universe provides me with strong signs and omens where ever I wander. 

I am on the right path. 

As the days inched closer to my departure I became increasingly unsure of why exactly I was leaving. Though I told those around me that

"I'm going to have my jewellery made, and get some much needed R&R" This feeling developed that I didn't really have any idea of why I was ACTUALLY going. I can only guess that it is meant to be, and through surrendering to the Universe at large, I will be provided with my purpose. 

A new comprehension had arisen in me as my embarkation loomed. Amidst the chaos of packing up my life, saying good-byes to friends, and working my butt off to get here, I inevitably had a meltdown. I'd kept myself so incredibly busy those past few months that I hadn't truly allowed a moment for my heart to integrate and process. It all felt like a water main violently bursting open with the explosive force of the element having been under long, compounded pressure. 

This is definitely part of why I am here. Perhaps not the whole reason, but a fraction for sure. 

To allow my Heart, Body, Mind & Spirit to process and integrate the catalytic events of this past year. To embrace all emotions that come forth, love them for all that they are, and release them back into the Earth.

My last day in Vancouver...

I am still in total awe of a breath taking mystical instant. The Universe never ceases to amaze me! 

My Mama and I had headed to YVR to visit my cousin during her layover enroute to Calgary. We were walking up to the domestic arrival luggage carousels when I noticed a girl sitting on a bench who looked quite like a dear friend of mine. My mind immediately flew with that thought.

"I wonder if I'm going to hear from her today? I think i told her I was leaving today? How's she getting along in Calgary? Did she find a job yet? Will she be home today to call?......" Oh my million thoughts a moment mind took that one for a ride.

She looked up, and in her most bird like chirp...

"Yoshi?!"

It was her. We took a moment from our family members and stepped outside for a much needed catch up and hug. The odds of such a magically timeless moment are unfathomable. I trust it was meant to be, and am so boundlessly full of gratitude to have had that unexpected embrace with such a dear sister hours before my flight. All I can manage to muster is

"Of course!" and "Thank You!"

It seems as one moves further upwards on this spiral of ascension, the frequency of these seemingly "magical", serendipitous synchronicities exponentially increases. Time starts to feel irrelevant, as if we can create our own measures of it. Or perhaps we are simply remembering the "true essence" of time. 

I had stated many reasons for coming here, and now have concluded that I don't really know why, but I'm quite OK with that.

So I relax into the ever changing soundscapes of this Paradise Lost. Feeling embraced by my precious Ubud.

Oh sweet Ubud, to be held in your tender, sweet scented caress once again. Under the glint of Shiva's moon I surrender to your beauty. Your humid air tickles my skin, as the soft sound of birds and crickets sing me into a serendipitous slumber. I shall dream of you always ♥

Indeed it all comes in to play in perfect motion. As if being part a grand galactic orchestra, I find myself playing the perfect notes in just the right timing.

Blessed New Moon to you all.

"We are to flow with the energy. Release our need to control. " 

Here's a little write up on this New Moon in Pisces from one of my favourite mystics.

http://www.mysticmamma.com/new-moon-in-pisces-march-11-2013/

 

Do you do things that scare you?

Reconnecting with my family here in Japan has been a profound and challenging experience in the utmost dualistic nature, but I feel like I've jumped the hurdle. Like any integrated member of a society, majority of my relatives are quite integrated into "the system". The same system I have strived to separate myself from. What a laugh huh?
 I do however, feel it has been an empowering experience of growth. I have integrated on a deeper level what t is to be open and unattached. To love, accept, and experience Their lives with out judgement.

And so in rolling with that flow, I'm going to do something that scares me out of my wits! Navigate the extensive Japanese train network on my own! I know it doesn't seem like such a frightening thing, until you actually see......

This is just for Central Tokyo!

I strongly believe in doing things that totally petrify us, if not once a month, than at least once in awhile. I feel it makes us stronger, more adaptable people :)

So wish me luck!

Rerooting to Release in the Land of the Rising Sun.

    The past two years, I have found myself building a nest of feathers, soft down, twigs, and sparkling shells on a mystical island off the British Columbian coast line. 

   

   Like the Sun's rays dissipate into the dark of night, my once busy schedule chained to "the clock" rapidly faded into the abyss. I came to learn time by the phase of the Moon, planting on the new, and harvesting on the full. Living my day to day by the weather, tides and seasons. For the first time in the jumble of my scattered and chaotic life events, I felt at Home. Completely and utterly in place, like a key having met its perfect matching lock. I made friends, and community, even considering many my own Family. My heart soared with eagles, my spirit ran with the wolves, my body and mind afresh with every changing tide. I unearthed a deep, established root system in myself, becoming one with the emerald, dew mantled old growth forests. 

  As our world continues to turn and change, so our lives, much like the seasons must also reshape themselves.  My exploration for inner growth and healing brought me back onto one of those big ol' shiny metal time/space travel machines across the Pacific into tomorrow; The land of the Rising Sun, my homeland and birthplace. 

I write this sitting in the house where I crossed the threshold into this complexly magical world. My Obachan's (Grandmother's) home sits in a suburb on Tokyo Bay. Quiet enough for a reborn country girl like myself, but still bustling like any city in Japan. Like many before me I'm sure, I have struggled with my past. Feeling emotions of abandonment and disconnection with my roots. Never having had my Father around to pass along the cultural traditions and stories of our land, I had many a moment felt a grand loss in my identity. However, I chose before my departure, to come here with no attachments, nor any expectations. To come and experience for myself what this magic This land holds as treasure. And oh what a profound challenge it has been. 

I stepped into a world of sensory overwhelming advertisement, consumerism and junk food.

Where would I find my grounded sense of positivity in such a deeply unconscious society? Every other instant I found myself on the verge of tears.

How could they change if they were so far down the hole?

How would they ever know the world that I have so come to love? The only question I can answer is the first.

In myself.

I began to integrate this epiphany. How many times will it take? lol ;-)

Realizing that maybe my purpose is to be a bridge, and a light. To share and inspire the art of turning Dreams into Realities.

I could go on about the details of my trip, but I feel like that bit of typing is enough for me tonight. So I'll share some photos instead. Thank you for reading a little bit of my Heart's thoughts.

 Traditional Japanese breakfast

 Giant robot from Laputa and I

 One of my lifelong dreams achieved!

 Clockwise from top left: My Dad, Ojichan (Grandpa), Auntie Misao, Cousin Kanae, Myself, Obachan (Grandma)

My family crest (for the women)

Serendipity, my old friend, it's nice to see you :)

As The dust settled, we'd found ourselves in a sun soaked Round Valley somewhere in Northern California.
What seems like only days has quickly turned into weeks, and now months. The first strong tastes of home came in a white paper cup. Fresh brewed coffee, the best we'd had in the states yet. After pouring lattes and espressos this summer at the Cortes Co-op Cafe, we were rather impressed with the mouth watering aromas of a rich roasted bean and spices wafting from this little shack.

As close to the seclusion of an island you can find with out being at sea, Covelo is a little round valley tucked away in the wandering hills of Nor Cal. Only one very windy road in and out in the winter, and absolutely encompassed by the wilderness.

The coffee shop, aka the The Farmer's Market, where there is of course a market every Friday, was having a growth spurt (just like to co-op at home). As their new space prepared for rebirth, so were many other beautiful endeavours also flourishing. This post has been slowing coming to fruit, apple by apple, ripening over these golden fall days. More and more so as my roots find fertile soil to grow in with my every moment here.

Journeys into the woods with puppies abounding, and baskets laden with chantrelles and porcini. Gardens overflowing with abundance, and apples ripe for the picking. I even learned to use an old Amish cider press.

These days Russ and I have found ourselves on the southwest hills of the valley. Looking down from this abundant ridge I am greeted by the big glossy brown eyes of a doe, happily nourishing herself on the glistening umber grass. I've been enjoying this brilliant sunset spot on the deck for a few evenings now. Vineyards with grapes still on the vines to my left, the yurt below them, and further down still the pond. Where funny enough, the six pointed buck awaited the doe on the other side of the fence. As he hopped up onto his hind legs, showing off how he could reach the high branches of a near by tree, he jumped back in panic. A long beard like strand of lichen had attached itself to his antlers. He ensued a vigorous battle with the intruding flora, and danced around valiantly attempting to shake it off. I sat in wonder as the commotion took way, while our little pup Luna lay next to me oblivious to anything other than her bone.
As bliss filled synchronised moment follows another, I feel at ease and perfectly serene with where I am in my journey. And that I am exactly where I am meant to be, on all planes.

In the blink of an eye, under the glow of the Freeze Up Moon, we have awoken in a palace on even longer rollings hills of the fertile valley. A space created with intention and love, built on family foundations. A sliver of a stair case led me up to our new room, of what was once a humble shack.
The sun poured in this morning from the East and the vibrancy of that space filled me with the memories pf a fresh summer rain, cooling the warmth of our star. His warmth lights up all the frosty fall landscape with fire and swirls the color across the playing winds. I am greeted, of course, with friends and the puppies have a chance to whirl into explosions of excitement with the reunion of two little sisters. I'm off to vibe in the pyramid for the day :)

Where tomorrow will take us, I can't say. For my imagination at this moment may only limit the potential of where I might end up. As if in a fairy tale, every moment is infinitely more perfect than I could have ever dreamed up.