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    70. As I Relax with guest Lyndsey Scott

    2:2 Be Present Celebrate Change Empower Flex Flow Generosity Grow Hope Open Release Scale: Minor Song Form: Layer Songwriter Conversation Trust
    Song: As I Relax
    Words & Music: Lyndsey Scott
    Lyrics
    ​As I relax, I know my needs are met, And I live my life in joyous anticipation
    This draws in what I most desire, So I can live my life in full-on participation

    I'm alive to the life in me; I'm alive to the Mystery; ready ready ready ready; Grow!

    I let it happen to me; I let it happen through me; I'm molting -- unfolding -- Open

    I can feel the future calling, drawing, dreaming, pulling me towards it.  I'm letting this Be
    Picture
    Notes: I've shared this song with my pocket song singers online group, meaning I was live-looping it... and the layers are intricate! The different lines interweave closely, creating a dense, beautiful texture. Lyndsey and I enjoy our conversation -- hear her talk about dropping root to choose what to do in the morning and set an intention, about how grief can be a healer, and wealth of teachers and mentors she draws on. Learn which voices still niggle at her, even with all the wisdom she has steeped herself in, and how she includes and cares for those parts, too. When we recorded this, I was in a particularly fragile place, feeling a little unmoored -- I felt better after this time spent talking and singing... more connected, more hopeful. As usual, I left with more questions than I started with... but it feels like a big door has opened and is welcoming me through. Following the links will keep me learning for a good long time!

    Songwriter Info: Lyndsey Scott is an artist-goofball-yintennae devoted to priestesSing the Heartland, (literal and figurative).  She weaves community singing to empower earth-based spiritual consciousness, and gathers soul circles that, through Song and sacred listening, decompose oppressive scripts that get in the way of freely living the Love we are. With jams that get you skipping easily between the sacred, sexy, and sssssilly : your inner child, exiled banshee, and wise elder are all very invited to the circle. 

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:06:40
    Start time of reprise: 01:14:35​​

    Links: Are you ready??? Lyndsey had so many resources to share, so this is the longest set of links yet!

    Let's start with links for Lyndsey and As I Relax:
    The song is free to share but Lyndsey always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.
    ​    Lyndsey's website: lyndseyscott.earth
    Everything Lyndsey! https://linktr.ee/lila.gaia
    We Belong Community of Song: https://www.facebook.com/webelongcommunityofsong
    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lyndseyscott
    Lyndsey's album on Bandcamp: https://lyndseyscott.bandcamp.com/album/well-held

    And now links to things that came up during the conversation -- starting with some of the quotations.

    “He who sings, prays twice.” ― St. Augustine
    “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” ― E. B. White
    “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ― Howard Thurman

    Orland Bishop: Orland Bishop (presswarehouse.com)
    adrienne maree brown: adrienne maree brown – 'The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.' – camus…documenting my liberation
    San Francisco mural by Susan O’Malley: SusanOMalley_Mural_2009-2048x1536.jpg (2048×1536) (rootdivision.org)
    ​Starhawk, “The Fifth Sacred Thing” The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk « Starhawk's Website
    Marianne Williamson: Marianne Williamson – #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author
    A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume: Foundation For Inner Peace: 8601421955508: Amazon.com: Books
    Shireen Amini: Shireen Amini Music Medicine and Shireen Amini
    Shelley Tochluk: Living in the Tension & Workshop Series (shellytochluk.com)
    Emerald Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/jm/podcast/how-trance-states-shape-the-world/id1465445746?i=1000512752303
    Chubby Cree: https://www.instagram.com/p/CbTonaZJL2d/
    Laurence Cole: Can’t Do It Wrong / My Life Is So Cuckoo — Laurence Cole
    Love Poems from God, translated by Daniel Ladinsky: Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West (Compass) - Stillness Speaks
    Grace Lee Boggs: Grace Lee Boggs - Wikipedia
    Malidoma Somé and grief ritual: Dr. Malidoma Somé, Phd. | The Legacy of Elder Malidoma Somé
    Sibomfu Somé and grief ritual: http://www.sobonfu.com/  Embracing Grief | Sobonfu Somé
    Enneagrams – here’s one summary set: Integrative Enneagram Solutions (integrative9.com)
    Aretha movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkKOIQwTiKE
    Characteristics of White Supremacy by Tema Okun: Microsoft Word - Okun - white sup culture.doc (whitesupremacyculture.info)
    Francis Weller/ five gates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBfagOEkMi4   Home (francisweller.net)
    Liz Rog/Center for Belonging:  https://www.centerforbelonging.earth/
    Earthkeeper Wisdom School: https://www.earthkeeperwisdomschool.com/
    Grief to Action: https://www.holisticresistance.com/grief
    Influential album: MC HAMMER - Please Hammer Don't Hurt Em - Amazon.com Music
    Lynn O'Brien: https://www.lynnobrien.love/
    Artist Lyndsey wishes more people listened to: Briony Greenhill. Album: https://www.brionygreenhill.com/crossing-the-ocean

    Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Minor; 4 layers, one echoed/harmonized
    ​
    Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

    Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
  • Published on

    65. Loving-Kindness with Guest Wendy Luella Perkins

    2:2 3:4 4:4 Accept Calm Celebrate Flex Flow Generosity Journey Pain Rest Scale: Aeolian (minor) Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Unison Song Form: Zipper Tend Trust
    Lyrics to all six songs shared in this episode
    ​by Wendy Luella Perkins
    LOVING-KINDNESS TO THE WHOLE
    © April 17-19, 2022 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 5'42"
    In bed with lots of sciatic pain and began singing loving-kindness to my leg, my ankles, etc (as an add on to my body scan)…later on morning walk this was created.

    loving-kindness to my body
    loving-kindness to my mind
    loving-kindness to each and every joy
    and heartbreak of my time
    loving-kindness to my spirit
    loving-kindness to my soul
    loving-kindness to each and every part
    loving-kindness to the whole

    zipper: your body, our bodies, all bodies

    WHEN ALL IS SWIRLING
    ©2004 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 19'31"

    when all is swirling in my heart
    quiet come
    take rest in me

    zipper: busy, worry, hurry, troubled, etc

    WE’RE ALL CONNECTED
    ©2020 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 21'10"

    we’re all connected, bird, cloud and tree
    we’re all connected, earth, wind and sea
    an interwoven, exquisite tapestry
    we’re all connected, breath, you and me

    ​IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A SONG OR TWO
    ©2022 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 35'10"

    it's good to have a song or two
    when the road gets bumpy
    it's good to have a song or two
    on this journey
    ​
    Picture

    ​TRUST IN THE POWER
    ©2021 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 48'28"

    i'm gonna trust in the power
    trust in the power
    the power of love
    i'm gonna trust in the power
    trust in the power
    the power of love

    zipper: song, care, story, etc.

    TO LOVE I DO RETURN
    ©2021 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 55'50"

    to love i do return
    to love i do return
    when my heart breaks open
    to this broken world
    to love i do return

    zipper: song, action, courage, kindness etc.
    Notes: Wendy Luella Perkins sings to telemarketers, tells of her brother choosing her for his show-and-tell, and why she has a tik-tok channel. She talks about auditory memory, singing as refuge, and the reclamation of her voice. She describes the transition from singer/songwriter work into the Soulful Singing in 2002, and the challenges unique to this kind of therapeutic singing which is not professional therapy. We have the awkward conversation about money -- is it possible to make a living as a songwriter without commodifying song, which is a birthright? Patty Piotrowski has created the most appropriate beautiful art in my mind because of the generosity and openness of the bloom.

    Songwriter Info: Wendy Luella Perkins has been singing and making up songs since she was a very young child. When she was three years old, her older brother, Tim, took her to school as his Show+Tell item saying, “this is my sister Wendy Lu, listen to her sing!” She's been going strong ever since. As a singer-songwriter, Unitarian Universalist community minister, and founder, in 2002 of Soulful Singing (singing meditation for all) Wendy Luella leverages the power of song to build authentic, healing and joyful communities.

    A prolific writer of folk songs and meditative chants and supportive guide who helps others to create their own songs, Wendy Luella's greatest joy is to bring friends and strangers together in the transformational circle of song. Wendy Luella has produced three CDs of original music, which you can find on her website. As a response to pandemic restrictions and recognizing the need to keep on singing in community, especially in difficult times, Wendy Luella transitioned Soulful Singing to online sessions in March 2020. Soulful Singers from all over have been gathering online EVERY SINGLE DAY since then and once a week on THURSDAY evenings.
    ​
    Everyone is welcome to join Soulful Singing via Zoom. Singing daily over the last 875+ days with wonderful folks from Kingston and around the world has encouraged Wendy Luella to share her original songs more broadly in what she calls her “Song Liberation Project” (The SLiP). She has written hundreds of songs and with The SLiP is sharing them one by one on TikTok. Wendy Luella grew up in rural Nova Scotia, and has lived in Kingston Ontario for over 25 years with her sweetheart and fellow musician, Charlie Walker. She loves waking early, walking daily, eating communally, crafting publicly, sharing deeply, gardening bountifully, laughing abundantly and of course, singing soulfully!

    Links: 
    Wendy Luella's website: https://www.wendyluellaperkins.com
    and tiktok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyluellaperkins
    To email Wendy Luella: info@wendyluellaperkins.com
    To join Soulful Singing every day from 9:00-9:45 a.m. Eastern Time, please click here for information: Wendy Luella Perkins | SoulfulSinging
    (notice you'll need to email ahead of time to receive a link for joining, so don't leave it to the very last minute!)
    Album that mattered: Joni Mitchell, Blue
    Songwriter Wendy Lu wishes more people would listen to: Coco Love Alcorn

    Nuts & Bolts: 
    ​Loving-Kindness: 3:4, major, zipper. Time: 5'42" 
    When All Is Swirling: 2:2, minor, zipper. Time: 19'31"
    We're All Connected: 4:4, major, unison. Time: 21'10" 
    It's Good to Have a Song or Two: 4:4, major, unison. Time: 35'10" 
    Trust In the Power: 4:4, major, zipper. Time: 48' 28" 
    To Love I Do Return: 3:4, major, zipper. Time: 55'50"

    Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

    Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
  • Published on

    59. Heart Wide Open

    4:4 Change Flex Hope Open Ribbon Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Call & Response Song Form: Harmonized Trust
    Song: Heart Wide Open
    Words & Music​ by Lea Morris
    ​
    Lyrics
    Keep your heart wide open, though the waves want to push you around.
    You've got to keep your heart wide open, 'til your faith brings you back to solid ground.

    I'm gonna keep, I'm gonna keep, I'm gonna keep my heart wide open --
    although the waves want to push; although the waves want to push me around.
    I'm gonna keep, I'm gonna keep, I'm gonna keep my heart wide open --
    until my faith brings me back; until my faith brings me back to solid ground.
    Picture
    Notes: Haven't we all been going through waves of change? Whether it looks like loss or shift or fear or opportunity -- whether intended or thrust upon us -- whether sudden or slowly gathered -- it's not always easy or clear to navigate. I believe in song as a tool, an intentional change-maker, a physic for the body and soul -- as a way of choosing the thoughts we want to carry in our brain. And sometimes for me, it's several voices in my head at once! What I love about this song is the way it has two parts of me talking to each other -- my wise mind, reminding and encouraging me to "keep your heart wide open, no matter what sweetheart, have faith, you'll be able to..." -- and my tiny gerbil self, scurrying around, singing fast & trying to be reassuring, "Okay, okay, I'm gonna keep, I'm gonna keep -- I'm gonna get this done, I can do it, I can do it!" 

    Songwriter Info: Lea describes her sound blend of gospel, jazz, country & R&B as SoulFolk. She performs solo & with her band. Lea is one of the Black composers commissioned by the Natural Voices Network for their Black Lives Matter commissioning project, and she also writes music used by Unitarian-Universalist congregations. On our songwriter conversation (episode #60), she talks about the compositional process and shares a little of what's currently in process. Check out her website under "More" for full biographical info, and don't miss Lea's own recording of Heart Wide Open on her youtube channel!

    Links: 
    Lea's website: www.thisislea.com
    ​and on youtube:     www.YouTube.com/thisislea

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:01
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:06

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Ionian, call and harmonized response

    Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

    Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
  • Published on

    55. Everything Is Changing with Guest Kaitie Ty Warren

    4:4 Accept Be Present Change Flex Flow Gratitude & Trust Journey Praise & Wonder Protection & Presence Release Ribbon Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Unison Songwriter Conversation Trust
    Song: Everything Is Changing
    Words & Music:​ Kaitie Ty Warren
    Lyrics
    Everything is changing.
    Life keeps rearranging; and
    sometimes it feels awkward,
    but we cannot go backward.
    We cannot go backward.
    Picture
    Notes: I keep singing this to myself... so grateful that Kaitie caught this song-morsel that provides so much release. This idea that life keeps rearranging, sometimes feeling awkward -- but that's not the end -- I get to keep moving through that... for some reason I can hear this so much more easily when it's coming in a song. Kaitie isn't done with this song -- she is still listening for the harmonies -- which means you're getting it at this sweet moment of openness and exploration -- how will you harmonize it, or will you stay with the melody, singing the reassurance into your bones? The songwriter conversation that follows ranges across the Ubuntu philosophy origin and how/why it applies to choirs, caring for a group, straight talk about singing in groups when not everyone's on pitch, what we can learn from small children, musings on flexibility versus predictability ... and more!

    Songwriter Info: Kaitie Ty Warren (she) is a Bay Area-based songleader, teacher, writer, cartoonist and performer. Passionate about creating joyful experiences through music, Kaitie uses simple yet luscious harmonies to build bridges within communities and bring people together in song. In early 2020, Kaitie's Living Room Choir moved online, and that fall her first child was born. Living Room Choir continued online, and in 2021 Kaitie added Simple Harmonies: Songs for Babies & Their Grown-Ups. Nowadays, Kaitie is still leading online but also exploring pandemic-conscious opportunities to sing together in person. Her dream, pandemic-willing, is to host a vibrant, in-person, intergenerational choir for babies, children and adults of all ages to sing together. ​

    Links: 
    To contact Kaitie directly: kaitietywarren@gmail.com
    To learn more of Kaitie's songs: https://thelivingroomchoir.com/original-music/
    To sing with Kaitie: thelivingroomchoir.com
    Kaitie's cartoons: https://www.instagram.com/kaitietywarren/
    For cartoons & things for sale: https://society6.com/kaitietywarren

    Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morrisette MORISSETTE,ALANIS - Jagged Little Pill Acoustic - Amazon.com Music
    Simon Webbe: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/simon-webbe/78729485
    more about the Bird/Cat/Dog idea for community reengagement
    Ubuntu and Bishop Desmond Tutu... here's an article about ubuntu by Desmond Tutu’s granddaughter

    ​Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:04:11
    Start time of reprise: 01:00:53

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Major (Ionian), melody with optional harmonies
    ​
    Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

    Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
  • Published on

    54. Surrender

    3:4 Accept Be Present Empower Flex Flow Gratitude & Trust Grief & Fear Grieve Pain Power & Change Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Layer Trust
    Song: Surrender
    Words & Music:​ Kaitie Ty Warren
    Lyrics
    What if I just stop struggling?
    What if I just stop struggling?
    ​What if I let it go?
    Can I surrender?
    Picture
    ​Notes: When choosing the searchable categories for this song, "Surrender," I found myself surprised by the juxtapositions -- I picked "Empower" and "Grieve", "Pain" and "Trust", "Accept" and "Flex". I realized how I find the most strength and power and freedom in myself at the moments when I surrender to how I feel, how my body is in the moment, my limitations. I love this series of questions that help me remember the possibility of surrender. Don't miss the back story to this song, told in Kaitie's own words at https://thelivingroomchoir.com/surrender/. Next week, Kaitie and I dive into a songwriter conversation, and Kaitie shares a delightful new song about the awkwardness of change and growth... and we talk about finding both continuity and fluidity in music and life, the Ubuntu philosophy, and much, much more.

    Songwriter Info: Kaitie Ty Warren (she) is a Bay Area-based songleader, teacher, writer, cartoonist and performer. Passionate about creating joyful experiences through music, Kaitie uses simple yet luscious harmonies to build bridges within communities and bring people together in song. In early 2020, Kaitie's Living Room Choir moved online, and that fall her first child was born. Living Room Choir continued online, and in 2021 Kaitie added Simple Harmonies: Songs for Babies & Their Grown-Ups. Nowadays, Kaitie is still leading online but also exploring pandemic-conscious opportunities to sing together in person. Her dream, pandemic-willing, is to host a vibrant, in-person, intergenerational choir for babies, children and adults of all ages to sing together. ​

    Links: 
    To contact Kaitie directly: kaitietywarren@gmail.com
    To learn more of Kaitie's songs: https://thelivingroomchoir.com/original-music/
    To sing with Kaitie: thelivingroomchoir.com
    Kaitie's cartoons: https://www.instagram.com/kaitietywarren/
    For cartoons & things for sale: https://society6.com/kaitietywarren
    For more about "Surrender":     https://thelivingroomchoir.com/surrender/

    Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, Minor. Layer song.
    ​
    Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

    Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
  • Published on

    51. I Release Control

    4:4 Accept Be Present Calm Flex Flow Gratitude & Trust Heal Praise & Wonder Protection & Presence Release Scale: Mixolydian Song Form: Harmonized Song Form: Unison Trust
    Song: I Release Control
    Words & Music​ by Alexa Sunshine Rose
    Lyrics
    I release control
    and surrender to the flow
    of love, that will heal me.
    Picture
    Notes: This song by Alexa Sunshine Rose has been a huge resource for me as I’ve gone through big transitions and grief this spring. I think that’s in part because it is so direct and short -- it settles inside me without worry or fret. And then the potential complexities of possible harmonies keep me interested, as well as the way it feels inside as I sing. You might start by humming one of the drone notes… then maybe humming with the melody. Eventually, when the words start pushing inside you, wanting to come through, let them appear in your mouth. Feel how your tongue moves against your teeth, how the air moves against the roof of your mouth, the way f and v vibrate against your lips. So my invitation to you: let singing this song be a physical experience that draws you into your body -- how does it feel?

    Songwriter Info: Alexa Sunshine Rose describes herself as a singer-songwriter, mother, artist and mystic who has dedicated herself and her life's work to being a clear channel for peace on earth. Her songs are prayers, which bridge worlds; the inner and outer, the mind and heart, chaos and calm. She has been touring and teaching across the West Coast and Hawaii since 2009. I met her on Zoom through the amazing songcarrier Aimée Ringle during the pandemic, and knew immediately that more of her voice in my life would only be a good thing.

    Links: 
    Alexa Sunshine Rose's website
    One of Alexa's video recordings of I Release Control
    Alexa on Bandcamp (buying her music here means more of the money actually goes to her)

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, Harmonized over drone

    Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

    Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!