Thursday, July 21, 2011
Hebrew Sabbath Prayer - Lecha Dodi
One of the things I love about living in Israel is that the sabbath is still observed. A day of rest. It's such a simple concert. In these times, so needed. In these times, such a challenge for us to actually stop and DO nothing.
Lecha Dodi, is an ancient Hebrew prayer, sung to the beloved. When we sing to the beloved, we are calling to our higher selves. It provides us a chance to dive into the well of silence.
Still waters run deep. Here is a recording of the prayer, recorded live in Israel. I hope that you will take a few moments and rest... you deserve it.
How will you spend your weekend?
If you would like to give yourself a real rest and join by the well with others who have decided to do the same, come join us on Sunday - July 24th at noon EST. It's a simple gathering by the well - to share in good. I will compose a well song for those who attend. There is no cost, except for a phone call to the bridge line.
My intention is to support the growth of ease. I want to provide support for stopping for a moment and reconnecting to your inner well of wisdom. That is the point of this call. We will have ample time to share what we individually and collectively discover.
To receive the call in instructions, enter your name here, and they will be sent immediately...
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Invitation to the Well: Grounding yourself when there's no ground to stand on.

How do you ground yourself when it feels like there's no ground beneath your feet to stand upon?
Nothing is the best thing you can actually do.
Remember when you were a child and you fell and bruised your knee. It hurt. You cried.
Together we will discover good.
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Thursday, June 30, 2011
How to break the fear of being direct without going in circles...
His feedback came as no surprise, since I am meeting myself more honestly lately, especially those scary parts which lay hidden from my conscious acceptance.
During my writing session this morning, I decided to explore the issue of direct, honest communication. I’d ask an open question to my higher self, listen for the answer and write it down.
Direct honest communication is a basic element to being assertive…
Yet avalanches of butterflies flutter their wings in my stomach. I had no idea that being direct could bring up such stage fright…What is so scary about being direct? As one of my clients put it…
“Being whipped…being burned on the cross for speaking my truth when the consensus insisted upon the “truth” of the opposite direction. If they cannot see my truth, they will laugh at me. They’ll say I am lying. I’ll be humiliated in public.”
How can you assert your truth when you can’t see it? Or prove it physically? Can you relate? Here I am writing about the subject and feel like I’m running in circles. I can certainly relate. What’s going on?
Fear of receiving.
It’s scary to stop and do nothing. Especially if like me, you’re addicted to “doing”.
What’s so scary about receiving?
Maybe nothing will happen. I’ll be exposed and vulnerable to attack. Not knowing can be really scary. My thoughts scare me the most. Don’t want to really meet them.
What are the scariest ones?
The critical voices hurt the most: “You are stupid. Who do you think you are to own who you are. I am lord over you.” It reminds me of a stern father figure, forcing me to obey.
It’s also scary to meet anger. It feels like there is no place to safely express it. If I express it to that father figure, I will just get knocked down. Of course, I don’t want to knock myself down.
It’s easier to just keep power to myself. This way I can preserve my power. On the other hand, it doesn’t go anywhere. This is a sure ticket to depression. It feels greedy. There must be another way. What is that way?
Be willing to be different. Do it differently.
When we are focused upon the result we have no enjoyment of the process. The process is where all the fun lies. When you are so focused upon the results, it can also feel really lonely. That’s no fun. So how can we break the debilitating reactions to our fear?
1) Accept that it is there. Owning it seems to minimize its power.
2) Take responsibility. While it can feel embarrassing to own responsibility for creating your reality, is also empowering. You can then choose differently or change your mind.
3) Don’t say or do anything. You might wonder, “Isn’t that just the opposite of what you were writing about? I mean, I thought you said that you need to be direct?” What I mean is that if something is not clear… sometimes it’s better not to do anything. Something deeper may be lurking underneath the surface. If you give this time and space, it can come to the surface to provide you with more wisdom.
4) Meet the fear of death. For example, if you hold off doing something and it brings up fear, allow yourself to meet it.
The Hebrew word for fear is: PACHAD.
If you turn around the Hebrew root of the word fear, you get: DACHAF
This is the root for the word propeller or push, as in signifying the movement forward of something. When we can meet our fear with compassion, it can melt.
Be willing to die to the fear, and there you will find your eternal peace, which lies just beyond the fear of death.
Direct, and to the point.
Easy to write about, but the proof is in the pudding. Don’t believe what I write. It’s not worth anything. Try it for yourself and see what happens.
What is the scariest thing for you to be direct and to the point?
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Buddist Sound Healing
Thursday, June 23, 2011
From Self Destruction to Self Acceptance
Well, for one, we don't know what the outcome will be. It brings up self doubt. Maybe we made mistake? It's uncomfortable and can feel lonely living in that "not knowing" space.
Last night, I watched the film Agora. A friend lent it to me several months ago. Set in ancient Egypt under Roman rule, the brilliant and beautiful astronomer Hypatia leads a group of disciples fighting to save the wisdom of the Ancient World, as violent religious upheaval spills into the streets of Alexandria. I resisted watching it, knowing that there would be difficult scenes to observe. Last night, I felt compelled to watch, sensing that the film would support me.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Harmonious way to free unwanted habits. Ring a bell?

It happened to be the seventeen year anniversary of my moving to
I would compose music, focusing upon the moon, singing wordlessly to help us access a deeper state of consciousness.
Bells came immediately to mind. In biblical times, the Levites would sew bells onto the fringes of their robes and one would hear them as they walked in procession towards the holy temple. In the temples of the even earlier ancient world, priestesses would use bells and shakers to evoke a deep state of conscious awareness. The round shape of the bell casing, juxtaposed with the clang of the clapper or round pellet inside, creates a balance of masculine and feminine energies.
Something deep inside of me stirred. I noticed a water element stirring as the small metal balls rolled slowly within their round casings. My body slithered and swayed. I felt like a temple priestess in the middle of a sacred ceremony. I allowed the inner movement to guide my outer performance. It was mesmerizing. All the people had their eyes closed in meditation. This freed me to feel more at ease to connect to that feminine place, deep within the womb and allow it to express itself through the music being played on the bells.
The shaking of the bell allows for the vibratory rate of your consciousness to be shifted. Music is activated by the silent flow, whose sound gets generated from the receptivity of the outside form of the bell, meeting with the friction caused by the clapper.
The result is harmony. How does this relate to transformation?
Harmony is actually created by friction. Without the friction, there can be no sound. Friction is the power which provides the necessary combustion for great movement forward. Imagine the amount of power of a rocket ship – the amount of fire and heat required to provide the combustion allowing for the rocket to be propelled into space. When we avoid it – we hold ourselves back and stay stuck.
The fire and the friction are feminine forces of nature. They are not to be feared. They are to be harnessed. When we acknowledge their existence and allow for their power, we allow for them to transform self destructiveness into self actualization.
In that in between space, within that space which you cannot see, you can create miracles. All it requires is a willingness to connect to the space and meet it without wanting to affect a result. The result will come of its own accord without your having to do a thing.
Healing and transformational music helps quiet the mind so that you can stay there longer. Let’s conduct an experiment… Choose a habit that you want to free yourself of. Listen to this piece of bell music, from the healing music - meditation program Sepphoris recorded in an ancient
What did you experience? Leave a note and let us know? Leave a message below or on Miriam's Secret facebook page...
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
How do you express that which is unexpressable?
Without feminine energy, the ten commandments can seem severe and punative. With the unseen power behind them, they can provide us with a sense of personal power.
How do you express that which is unexpressable (is that a word :-)... The essence of feminine power is BEHIND that which is seen, it is beyond cognitive understanding. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Watch these lovely girls dancing during a traditional celebration:
Their innocence can remind us of our true power. Power that lies behind activity. Power which lies in the creative womb of the universe.
Where do you find yourself trying to express that which is unexpressable within you? Where does it appear in your life? In what situations?
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Reclaiming the baby from the bathwater...
Last Saturday I lead an ancient healing and transformational music workshop at the ancient site of Tel Dor, an ancient Phoenician port where the ancient priestesses wove their vocal sounds and rhythms for physical, spiritual and mental health.
We received the gift of a stupendous tour from the renowned archeologist Kurt Raveh, a man who founded the entire marine archaeology of Israel.
Amongst his finds are percussion instruments and thousands of female statuettes. I am so happy that he agreed to help me locate the finds in the archaeology warehouse. He did show us a 2700 year old bell. I almost fainted when he showed us, as it was the exact same shape as the bells I had brought to the site, for us to use in one of our musical exercises.
Here is a video clip from the day, thanks to the generous photos of Dorit Kaplansky. Talk about recovering the baby with the bathwater, the song which accompanies the clip is called "Water". Those of you who know me, know that Voices of Eden music model is wordless. This song with lyrics, I wrote back in 1997. It reached a final round in a British song writing contest, which brought me to London.
Thanks to Bob Miller, a music professional who approached me after one of my concerts there, I got up the courage to speak to him of my dream of reviving the ancient use of singing and rhythm for healing purposes. His support gave me the courage to dare approach the neonatal ward of my local hospital to suggest testing this music approach. The rest is history.
There's no drum in this music. Just voice and guitar with lyrics in Hebrew and English.
Where have you thrown the baby out with the bathwater? Where might you reclaim it? What benefit would it serve? Leave a note below! Then come for a visit on facebook.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Speaking Up - Creating Waves
The experience provided inspiration for the chapter on Creating Waves - Speaking Up in my upcoming book "Miriam's Secret - Midwiving the Birth of Your Inner Transformation". The prophetess Miriam spoke up against the accepted consensus. She was connected to her inner truth, and she expressed it.
Given the powerful tides of change occuring during those times, her feminine voice was silenced to make way for another masculine agenda to dominate. As punishment, Miriam was distanced from the tribe and banished to the leper colony.
What did she go through during that time of disconnection? I wonder how she spoke to herself? Was her inner power so clear that she went with the flow, even though this masculine God sent her away? Did she even accept that power? Did she rebel inside? Was she angry? What were the tools she used to deal with her situation? I wonder how she sang and drummed? Or did she refrain from singing and drumming during that time?
It must have felt uncomfortable to be set aside for expressing her honest opinion. Yet Miriam, being aware of her power, was also aware of the changes occurring during this time.
What if she were to have used this time to become even more rooted in her own power? What if she were to have used her time of isolation to creatively preserve the divine feminine power through the conscious use of her voice?
Perhaps with music like this?
What do you think? How do you reconnect when you've disconnected?
Leave a comment here or at Miriam's Secret facebook page.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Getting Stuff Done? Change Resistance.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Inhibited to Sing? Brain Research Overcomes It
Why is that? Brain researcher and musician Dr. Dan Levitin of McGill University is conducting very interesting work on the effect of sound upon our brain.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Taking the risk to be real
I have noticed that this behavior inside of me, is self violating. It is violence. If I am about creating peace, then, like Gandhi said, it must begin with me.
For me, this translates to taking a break from writing my regular newsletter - when I am not clear of it's intention. I will not write, then feel angry, then pretend, I am not. It's inauthentic. You'll feel it. That'll embarrass me even more... and I won't be truly connecting with you.
So, it's time to take some time out and reconnect to my good.
Here's a short music clip to open to your own good:
Can you relate to this? What's your experience?
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Your Voice Matters - Free Teleconference 3/27
We'll explore:
1) How we can exercise our self-esteem by being honest with others and with ourselves.
2) How to become the midwives of our own inner transformation.
What changes are you in the midst of?
Where are your biggest challenges to show up for yourself?
Leave a response below. I will use your responses to build the content for the conference call.
I will also be composing special live music for whoever will be on the call.
Sign up for to receive call in details.
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Thursday, March 10, 2011
Accessing Your Subconscious with a Well Song
What is a Well Song?
A well song is a sort of crooning or lullaby that you can create for yourself to address or access a deep level of your unconscious.
What does it address?The well song addresses the need to deeply connect to hidden crevices of your psyche, parts which lay hidden beneath the level of our conscious awareness. In situations where you suffer confusion, you don’t know what to do, may feel out of sorts and at odds with yourself, a well song can permit natural healing.
How does it work?
When you vocalize, without words, the sound reverberates at the cellular level. Remember that vibration and sound is the essence of all matter. Everything vibrates. When you use sound at this level, it is precognitive, and access very deep levels of your consciousness.
When you consciously sing to yourself you permit empathy with your suffering. You are like a mother singing to her baby to soothe her suffering. This permits the suffering to birth a new solution to whatever confusion, worry or pain may be befuddling you.
Wordless sound works in its own way, in its own time.
The Well Song can be a way to bridge those gaps between the known and the unknown.
Here is an example of a well song that I created at an important juncture of my life. It’s unedited, unrehearsed, unplanned. I allowed the unknown spontaneity of the moment to move me. I was making huge strides forward in my abundance and prosperity mentality. I was working through a deeply embedded habit of self abnegation and self deprivation and consciously taking bold steps to get my music out into the world through.
The mortgage was due, and I did not know from where it would come. Having been through this dynamic before, I chose to create a well song for myself to anchor my state of receptivity, acknowledging the wisdom and power in the deep well of my being, that feminine place, which my mind cannot understand. Like Innana, I surrendered to the process, trusting that all would be well.
To my surprise and delight, the tune came out, bouncy, playful, without slow long single notes. Go figure! It truly opened up my attitude which brought abundant good, which only continues to grow.
What does the music do for you? Leave a post. Next time, I will show you how you can create your own healing well song.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
The Courage to be Different
To learn more from the first hand perspective of a professional midwife, a few days ago I met with Mindy Levy, who has assisted over 1500 births, within both a hospital environment and also within a home birthing setting.
I asked Mindy, “Through all the births you have assisted in, how do you relate birth and transformation?” Her response was direct and to the point:
Transformation is birth. Birth is transformation.
“I’ve never seen a woman give birth without being transformed. The transformation is the birth of a new self, a changed person, a changed being - someone who has been willing to die in order to be born. It may sound overly simplistic, but every woman I’ve ever witnessed or participated in her birth has always undergone some form of transformation. You have to go into hell, then come out and find heaven. If that is not transformation, what is?”
Touchee… Do you know the sense of going through change… you get to a point where you think you’re going to die?
You can’t go on and you can’t do it any more. When that moment comes, it’s like the saying goes:
The darkest hour comes just before the dawn.
Can you see a correlation to your life? I certainly can. Yesterday, excited about receiving the response as to who moves up to round two in the Next Top Self Help Author’s Contest, I opened the email to discover that my name was not on the list. Big ICK! My immediate response was that old familiar voice of the victim, “It’s not fair; I should be on the list! No matter what I do, it’s notr good enough for them.” Butterflies churned in my stomach.
Levy describes: “There are contractions. There’s pain. And then there’s a rest. There is this movement going on. It gets more and more painful all the time. Yet with it, the capacity to deal with the pain increases as well.
While the pain is stronger, the hormones that the body releases are stronger and they help the woman deal with the pain. As the observing midwife, when a woman says she can’t go on, I say to myself “oh good” the baby’s on the way. That’s when I know that she is about to give birth.
I remembered her words as I dealt with the pain. I allowed the butterflies to be there, along with the voice of victim, yet I chose to choose a different response to the old pain. It wasn’t comfortable, but then, who said birth is comfortable?
"When you control your thoughts and emotions you can actually being going around in circles, not moving ahead.", Levy noted, “When the movement becomes more chaotic there is more opportunity for something to break out. From that breaking out, something new can happen. Something new can come in. That is when the transformation comes."
I appreciate every one who cast your vote for the book. Thank you. I feel empowered to keep writing when I remember that the discomfort is part of the birthing process. Babies need families to connect with. Miriam’s Secret will be published because her voice matters. Your voice and my voice matter.
To explore this issue of "Your Voice Matters" more, I’ve scheduled a free teleseminar for March 20th at 1pm EST – 18:00 GMT. We'll explore:
1) How we can exercise our self-esteem by being honest with others and with ourselves.
2) How to become the midwives of our own inner transformation.
What changes are you in the midst of? Where are your biggest challenges to show up for yourself? I will use your responses to build the content for the conference call. I will also compose special live music for whoever will be on the call.
Sign up for to receive call in details.
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Sunday, February 27, 2011
Petition for More Positive News
Positive news gives people hope. It fills people will inspiration and uplifts them. This is good for the economy. When people feel good, they want to share more. They give more of themselves. They miss less work due to sick days, and the companies save money on insurance expenses.
When people feel good, they spend more and this generates flow into the economy.
When people cooperate, it creates goodwill and peace. For example, last year I wrote an article on Israeli and Palestinian mothers creating peace through healing lullaby music. The article was written for Common Ground newswire service. Common Ground is a wonderful wire service that reports good news from the Middle East.
The story was picked up all over the world, including the by Israel and Arab country media. Need I say more. Read the article and then leave your comment how you think peace can continue to be birthed...
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Your Voice Creates Transformation. Here's How...

I've just spent a wonderful day writing the next chapter of my upcoming book Miriam's Secret. The subject is: Your Voice Matters
Your Voice Creates Transformation. Here's How...
Remembering that vibration is the essence of all matter, we can see that every single atom and molecule in this universe vibrates at some level. It has some sort of voice. Think about it for a moment; the crashing of the waves, the sound of the first drops of water when the rain begins to fall, the booming sound of thunder, the cry of a newborn baby, the chirping of the birds, and the roar of a lion.
There are no two voices alike. Every voice matters.
Sound is vibratory. Sound waves can be sculpted, even though we cannot see them. Sound is the most intimate form of creation, the first transformational manifestation from the spiritual realm into the physical realm. Thoughts and feelings speak very loudly and they affect us even though not one word may be spoken out loud.
I believe that this is why people have so many issues surrounding the issue of their voices. It’s said that after the fear of death, the number one fear of human beings is the fear of public speaking. Why do you suppose that is?
If we each have a unique imprint to make with our voices, why do we find it so hard to express it in the world?
Think about it. Every thing has a voice or sound connected to it. Drop a pebble into a pond. What do you hear? “Plink” the sound created as the pebble meets and penetrates below the water’s surface. The ripple effect, though we do not hear it, is nonetheless powerful as well.
The ripple effect of your voice is truly powerful.
1) When you vote for Miriam's Secret by Feb. 28th, you help us move to Round Two. It is impossible without you, alone.
2) When you leave a comment below or visit Miriams facebook page , your voice gets heard and is empowered for good.
3) When you send to ten friends (more is ok too :-) the email template below (edit as you wish), you empower others to express their voice as well.
All of this creates a ripple effect of good. Here's the email template:
Dear X,
My friend, author, musician and healing music composer Eliana
Gilad entered the Next Top Self Help Author contest sponsored by
Conari Press: Miriam's Secret - Midwiving the Birth of
Your Inner Transformation.
The winner will receive a publishing contract by Conari Press and help marketing the book.
The top 10% will move on to round two. February 28th is the voting deadline.
"I can't stop listening to this music. Still waters run deep!" V.
Avital
She's made a soothing, inspirational book trailer to help get the word out. She's also giving a powerful gift of five day healing sound course and two
chapters of the book: http://nexttopauthor.com/profile.cfm?aid=146.
Please help us spread the good word. Watch the video, vote, and send
this email to ten of your friends and ask them to send to ten or
more of theirs, post on facebook, twitter etc....
Registration & confirmation takes less than one minute - you'll return to Eliana Gilad's author page. Simply click the "Vote" button and you'll receive the confirmation link for the free chapters and five day online stress release course.
All the best,
(Your name)
Your voice makes a difference in my life. Thanks.
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Spices, Scents, Music and Heaven
The spa has seven floors, five for treatments, one for haute couture design and beauty salon, top floor for administrative offices and the conference hall (in the photo) where I led one workshop for clientele and invited guests of the CEO, another for doctors, professors and music therapists.
Here's what inspired me most:
1) Lua Chom Pei the CEO (she's in the middle of the photo with me and Avital Gamliel from the Israeli Embassy), an amazing business woman whose femininity is the bedrock of her business acumen combined with creative ingenuity.
Her company has developed a technology and equipment to provide a music spa treatment. I have never experienced anything quite like it. Her grace and power and humility are a blend I have never experienced before either. She truly inspired me.
She is a model for inspiration.
2) Though we did not share any spoken language in common, I felt "understood" by the people I worked with. Ancient Israel culture and healing music did not seem a "foreign concept" to them. They understood the connection between our two shared ancient civilizations.
To celebrate my success I went to Sabon.
My God their stuff is so great! It reminds me of the spa and my music... all natural, highest quality ingredients, made in Israel, love of nature...think green e.g. eco bags, use recycled glass...Sabon has stores all over Israel, if you live here or happen to visit, New York, Rome, Amsterdam, Toronto, Bucharest, London, I think LA too...Check them out.
I have bought their products over the years for my own use and for gifts to send to my savvy friends and family overseas. My recent purchases have me tickled pink. I took a photo of the products with some of the drums in the studio.
The amber body oil sends me into heaven. Never expected to like such a sweet scent, but I was mesmerized the moment I smelled it. If you can't imagine it, listen to this short relaxing music video and you'll have a very good idea, what I am talking about. Imagine ancient caravanseries with the most elegant, succulent spices and scents wafting in the air.
I rubbed some on this morning and am still enjoying the fragrance. It's just divine. The carrot face cream I purchased is also a marvel.
What scent goes with what music? What music goes to what scent? Can't wait to hear.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Chinese New Year
The year of the rabbit has begun in China, and I am still feeling warm and fuzzy from my trip to Beijing less than two weeks ago. Though the weather was below freezing, the warmth I felt was deep.What truly amazed me was how lack of language (I speak no more than two sentences of Mandarin, and they speak no English or Hebrew) made for almost two weeks of communication of a different kind. When you don't have a language in common, it allows an opportunity to communicate in more creative ways.
Take eating for example. If my hosts didn't take me to eat somewhere, I would eat in my hotel. How can you order a meal, when the menu is written in Chinese? I couldn't even ask what was on the menu. No one understood a word. So, I started flapping my arms like I was flying and vocalized "bawk bawk bawk" to the waitress to ask for chicken. This brought loads of laughter to us all. It brought some interesting dishes, and once it brought me an egg dish :-)... I had a good laugh over that one.
The other amazing thing to me is that there was no tea in the restaurant. Tea came as boiling water in a pot. If you want tea in Beijing, it's an expensive affair.
The owner of the music spa who brought me to tour in China presented me with an amazingly beautiful gift box on my last day in Beijing. It looked like gold was inside. Well actually it was filled with gold.... tea, that is.
She made it a point to tell the interpreter that this is gold tea, the most expensive kind, that she and her husband hand chose it. I guard this box with my life. It feels like such a stash. The flavor of the tea is soft, sweet and nothing like the type of tea served in North American Chinese restaurants. In Beijing I saw a tea store - it looked like a diamond store, filled with expensive jewels.
Anyway, the tea reminds me of the warmth I experienced in cold Beijing. I will write more about my experiences with the music on another post.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Reduce the Fear of Public Speaking - Practical TIp
Bring your focus to your tail bone - sitting straight upon your "butt bones". This will consciously connect you with the force of gravity which has a calm grounding effect.
If you are standing, bring your focus to the tips of your toes. Imagine there are magnets on the souls of your feet connecting you magnetically to the center of the earth. This will ground you, increase the level of energy and calm your nerves as well.
Don't believe what I write. Try it and test it out for yourself.
What happens when you try it?