Leela Music Newsletter, January 2007Michael Stribling Here's an overview of what you'll find in this issue:
2006 was a banner year for me. I'd like to share some of the highlights with you. 18 years after it was originally written and recorded, Journey Within was finally officially released. I wrote this hour-long piece for hypnosis work (I used to be a hypnotherapist). It was my first adventure in the world of MIDI music. I didn't even have a piano-like keyboard when I wrote that piece; it all came out of my head and I typed in the notes from a computer keyboard (rather low tech, huh?). The relationship between music and computers certainly has come a long way since then. Over the years, Journey Within has been used for yoga, massage, relaxation, meditation, and even children's nap times. (I still use it at bedtime myself, although I'm hardly ever awake to hear the last notes :-) Last year, at the same time, I also released Songs of Hope and Healing, which is my official debut album in the category of new age music. One or two tunes on that collection date back even farther than Journey Within; thirty years to be exact (I'm not sayin' which ones are that old :-). I have to admit, it was enormously gratifying to see Songs of Hope and Healing reach the #1 spot last summer. And right now, that CD is currently nominated in five categories for the 2006 New Age Reporter Lifestyle Music Awards. Finalists will be announced February 4 (probably not one of the Super Bowl ads ;-). That was last year. The beginning of 2007 celebrates the release of my newest CD, Out of the Darkness, Into the Light, which is already enjoying airplay and positive reviews around the world. To commemorate the occasion, I just threw a launch party on the 26th. It was a blast! I'll have to find an excuse to do another one of those in the near future. As much as last year was exciting, 2007 is off to a wonderful start, and I am very grateful for all the support I continually receive, from folks just like you. Thanks. I appreciate it very much.
As the liner notes of Out of the Darkness, Into the Light remind me, "the purpose of life is simple: it is to grow, to love, and to serve. Seek Higher Levels of Awareness, Live in the Now, Dissolve the Ego." At least, those ideas have regularly been on my mind the past couple of years. In the coming months, I will have no shortage of authors/books/ideas to discuss in this section of the newsletter, which I plan to make a regular, perhaps central, feature. Over the years, there have been many thinkers who have inspired me on my journey in this lifetime. These days, and for the past two years, the writer who stands out most is David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD. Coincidentally (if you believe in such a thing as coincidence), as I think about it, I returned to my bliss (music) shortly after beginning to read Hawkins' books. It would be impossible for me to give a meaningful summary of his work in just a few words. Let me just say that I have read the following books several times: Power vs. Force; The Eye of the I; I: Reality and Subjectivity; Truth vs. Falsehood; and Transcending the Levels of Consciousness. If you are interested in reading about the path of spiritual enlightenment, or how to distinguish life-enhancing from life-negating people, places, things, and situations, then I heartily recommend this author and his books to you. I had the great privilege of meeting him and hearing him speak in May 2005, and that experience only added to my enjoyment of his writing. Let me offer just one tantalizing tidbit from his work. If it were possible to determine the truth or falsehood of any statement made by any person, at any time in history, would that be important information to have? Hawkins has developed a scale of human consciousness on which may be calibrated the level of awareness or consciousness of any person's works and ideas, any event in history, work of art, political agenda, religious doctrine ... well, you get the idea. This changes everything. Read his work, and let me know what you think. Who knows? Maybe we'll start a discussion group sometime (although I imagine a few groups already exist).
Have you seen or read The Secret yet? It's all about the law of attraction, and it's very impressive (not to mention, spreading like a wildfire around the world). So many good programs, so little time :-). I like both the DVD and the book. The idea is pretty simple: we attract into our lives whatever we think about, even the stuff we don't want. Wayne Dyer shares a great anecdote that I relate to this idea in his book, The Power of Intention, which I will modify a bit. If there are two wolves at war inside of me, a spiritual wolf and an ego wolf, both striving for supremacy, which one will win? The answer is simple: the one that I feed. If I spend lots of mental/life energy thinking about positive things, I feed/support/encourage those things; if I spend energy on negative things, I feed/support/encourage those things. Simple. The bottom line is this: spend more time thinking about the positive things you want, and just don't "feed" the negative stuff anymore.
Every issue, I give away a free CD (autographed, of course :-). If you're on the mailing list, you're automatically entered in every drawing. This month, the winner is Steven & Mary Westenrider. Congratulations! ============================================================ That's it for this issue. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you liked, or didn't like, in this issue, and any recommendations or requests you have for future editions. Thank you for your support. Please invite your friends to visit my website and sign the guestbook. Oh yeah, it's okay to order some CDs, too! They make wonderful gifts :-). I also have a page on MySpace.com. Have a look and join the list of friends at www.myspace.com/leelamusic I wish you peace, joy, and love. Namasté, Michael Stribling If you would like to be removed from my mailing list, please reply to this email and type the word "unsubscribe" in either the subject line or the body of your reply. Leela Music Newsletters
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