Leela Music Newsletter, May 2007Michael Stribling Here's an overview of what you'll find in this issue:
I'm still having lots of fun working on the next CD, which is about two-thirds complete. I have some wonderful new tools (okay, toys) that significantly add to the palette of sounds I get to play with (after all, Leela means "divine play" :-). I am continually grateful to the Muse, whose influence flows through me and inspires me. I think we're developing a great collaborative team, although, as with any partner, I have to be available and paying attention when she has something to contribute :-). I'm also exploring a new musical area for me, which is working with an A&R (Artist & Repertory) firm, writing music for film and TV. I just finished and delivered the first project. It's very fun, and I get to create music in other styles besides new age music. It reminds me of those bygone days in the jingle business, 30 years ago!
(The following content is merely another note to myself. You may or may not find these words apply to you. Take what you like, and leave the rest. Or, as a therapist friend of mine used to say, "Eat the fish, and spit out the bones." :-) Emanate love. Feel good. Serve the world. Emanate love. Imagine a campfire happily emanating light and heat in the darkness. Notice how people are drawn to it and how they receive comfort from it. Besides benefiting the individual who warms him/herself by the fire, it can help facilitate a sense of community for those who are gathered around the light and flame. Love is like that. We all know people who are so loving we could "warm our hands" on them. Perhaps the most important mission for us in this lifetime is to strive to be like that. Our job is to emanate love. It feels good. And it serves the world. Not only that, emanating love helps us attract more goodness into our own lives, and it actually affects our environment, including the world around us. The more we give, the more we receive. So, initially, it's about loving and serving others; additionally, however, emanating love benefits us personally. Feel good. One way to emanate love is to feel good. When we feel good, it seems easier to love. Think about something that always makes you smile. Feast on that. Smile for a whole minute. Toss another log on the campfire. Watch the fire grow. Think happy thoughts and watch those thoughts increase. This is not sentimentality; it's a basic spiritual principle. To develop goodness on the outside, we must generate goodness from the inside. After all, it's the only place happiness, joy, and love can come from; they don't come from the people, places, things, and situations on the outside of us. All things develop with practice (both the good and the bad), so to develop good things (emanating love, for instance), practice feeling good. More good feelings (and good things) will follow. Serve the world. David Hawkins suggests that the best you can do for the world is advance your own level of consciousness. Among other things, positive thought vibrates at a higher frequency and is far more powerful than negative thought. Emanating love and feeling good (increasing your level of consciousness) are ultimately more effective than "getting involved" in a crusade that fights against something or someone. Forget protest, which just energizes and feeds the object of your disapproval. Mother Theresa reportedly said something like, "Don't invite me to an anti-war rally; invite me to a pro-peace rally." Negative thoughts do not serve us; it's an unprofitable investment of time and energy. Avoid the negative. Seek the positive. This is the best way to serve the world. Emanate love. Feel good. Serve the world.
A hundred years ago, the year was 1907: The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years. Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub. Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars. There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S. and only 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union. The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower. The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour. The average U.S worker made between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist made $2,500 per year, a veterinarian $1,500 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year. More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home. Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had no college education. Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as "substandard." Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound. Most women only washed their hair once a month and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo. Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason. The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were
The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet. The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30! Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet. There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day. Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then, pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." There were about 230 reported Murders in the entire U.S.A.! Oh, yeah. I sent this newsletter to you and others all around the world in a matter of just seconds, using something called a computer (not around in 1907). Imagine what the world might be like in another hundred years :-).
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 Gail Morris. 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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