A Seeker's Thoughts: Bells and Chimes (As Symbols)

In writing an entry for Miriam's Secret about the symbolism of bells, I came across this insightful entry written by a seeker who to me, clearly connects to his inner well of wisdom, as clear as a bell :-)...

What do you think?

A Seeker's Thoughts: Bells and Chimes (As Symbols): joe8338@cox.net

Self Compassion and Forgiveness

If you are ever wondering how come you may keep releasing and releasing, yet never get to the bottom of situations which keep you stuck, or in the hole... here is a beautiful blog post written by author Suzanne O'Keeffe to help you flag that sore spot and compassionately set it free.

Lessons from Under the Sea - Desert Bell Lullaby

I am still reveling in the wonder of the past week spent in heaven in the Sinai desert. A week of relaxation, writing, swimming and snorkeling every day brought quiet connection to inner wisdom...lessons from under the sea... plus a fresh flowing bell lullaby composed just for you and your inner wisdom...

The water is so soft and smooth.

I am amazed by the amount of different fish in the sea.
I learn about abundance from the ocean. There are large fish, and small.

A school of minnows streamed ahead of me. I was swimming in the middle of what were thousands and thousands of small minnows. We were all swimming in the same direction. There were thousands in front of me, to the sides of me and behind me. I felt like a head of state, with an army of supporters to guide me. I could get used to this, I thought to myself.

As I continued, juxtaposed with the battalion of small minnow, was a huge sting ray gracing the bottom of the ocean floor. I felt safe in it’s midst even though a hint of worry entered my tummy. Having just finished writing about going with the flow, I impulsively sent love his way, as I marveled at this wonder of nature.

How many different shapes and colors are there under the sea! It’s stunning. Isn’t it wonderful to think about the creator of all those shapes!? I ponder that same creator who created me and all the two legged fish who walk above the sea, on land.

I kept swimming out to sea, even though it was already past sunset. The panoply of color and the quiet below the sea had me mesmerized. Being my last afternoon in Sinai, I wanted to take full advantage of the swim. On the way back, a heavy wind started to blow. I noticed that I was alone in the sea. I kept swimming yet the shore was a long way off.

“Shouldn’t you be worried”?, a voice of alarm began to chime.

I remembered what I had just been thinking, about the creator of all those fish. I surrendered to the benign creator of the universe. The voice chimed in again. Instead of ignoring it “bravely”, this time I met the voice of fear straight on, allowing it to share its. Instead of scaring me, I sent it love just like I sent to the sting ray at the bottom of the ocean. Not only did it stop bothering me, I also felt such a wave of compassion for my vulnerability.

Compassion gave way to courage as I decided to surrender to the unknown. If discovering new worlds like I have been doing this week under the sea is so pleasant, what might await me at home when I return to that world with an attitude of wonder?

I open the door to new vistas. I choose to learn new never experienced before…choosing to experience the wonder of ever renewing life. Choosing to love.

So I offer you this bell lullaby clip, recorded authentically, unedited, in under the blue dome of this luxurious Nubian palace, reminiscent of ancient times…

While you listen, please ponder within your own heart…



Where can you be compassionate with yourself? What new vistas do you choose to learn?

Share below or on facebook page.

Voices of Change - By The Well

As I type these words, hundreds and thousands of people in Israel prepare to turn off their television sets this evening, taking their power back, by going out into the streets, in social protest. The protest is to lower the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots”, and to lower extremely high costs of living relative to the average salary.

Change is in the air.
It is powerful. It is awesome.

Students have set up tent cities in every town, including my own. You may be wondering, isn’t it scary? The sense is not of negativity, rather, that of an invisible oceanic power, stirring beneath the ground upon which the tents are pitched.

I recognize this as the power of the divine mother. This is the power of divine providence. A mass awakening is occurring. A collective voice of authenticity is resuscitating the collective baby we threw out with the bathwater…

The roots of the ancient Israel are being watered with social responsibility taken by each and every citizen, one by one. It is quite amazing.

Where am I in all of this?

I am on my way to the Sinai desert, scorching hot in the middle of the August heat. And yet, it is the place I most want to be. I’m returning to the spot where, four years ago, I had a vision of a band of prophetesses high up on the mountains, carrying water, which excited me to my very core. “Oh, this is where we once were”, a deep sense of remembrance shook me to my very roots. This vision let me know it was time to write Miriam’s Secret. When I left, I knew that I would one day return.

Now it’s time to complete Miriam’s Secret.

I look forward to disconnecting from the internet for a week in order to replenish my own well and to reconnect with the well of wisdom lying within my soul, waiting to be freed. It moves me just to think about it.



When I return, we will meet with bells on (literally and figuratively) in Jerusalem, on August 18th for the Ancient Healing and Transformational Music Workshop. How exciting to sound our collective voices in harmony as we each rediscover and reconnect to our inner voice of wisdom.

For those of you who cannot physically join us in Jerusalem, you may join us:
By the Well on Sunday, August 21st at 1PM EST, 6PM GMT, 20:00 Israel time.

You can dial in free through skype or telephone in, whichever is more comfortable for you. The intent of this call is for us to reconnect and empower one another through our collective wisdom. I will be recording music live in the Sinai desert – composing a special music meditation which will be broadcast during this call. Please invite your friends, through facebook, twitter, telephone, email, word of mouth…

Imagine yourself free.
Imagine yourself in harmony.

Please join me.

Hebrew Sabbath Prayer - Lecha Dodi

When it comes to the end of the week, especially during the hot summer months, and particularly during these times of tumultuous change, the approach of the weekend is such an appealing event...

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...

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?

Perhaps you have planned on something, which hasn't come through. Or you have been so deliberate in your creation, and you also release and feel so great, YES, things are finally opening up. The energy is beginning to flow. It feels so good to grow, to release....

And then.... boom.... everything collapses.

The rug gets pulled from under your feet.

It's so disappointing. So painful. What can you do?

Nothing. Really.

Nothing is the best thing you can actually do.

Instead of running to get away from the discomfort, dare to stop and connect with yourself.
Remember when you were a child and you fell and bruised your knee. It hurt. You cried.

If you received a nurturing hug from an adult or parent, the hurt still hurt, yet eventually you calmed down and felt safe again. After a short while, the hurt passed and you'd gingerly get up again and continue with your play.

Today, you can be a mother to that tender part inside of yourself. Try acknowledging it, instead of pushing it away. When we are in a place of making change, moving forward, yet feeling tender, we need support. This helps us strengthen our wings to fly.

In ancient times, the healers, the women, would wait by the well, and provide soothing balm to women who would come to be consoled. I feel motivated today to invite you to a well gathering - where you can come to hang out for an hour - and be supported. This is not a course, it's not a "three steps to...." anything...

It is a place to connect. It is a place to be supported in your growth. I invite you to join me by the well. I will come with bells on (literally :-).... I will compose special music at the gathering, just for those who will be there.

When: Sunday, July 24th, 2011

Time: Noon EST USA time 9 am PST

Fee; FREE

Enter your name and address below to immediately receive call in instructions:

Together we will discover good.

Feel the peace inside of your own heart.



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How to break the fear of being direct without going in circles...

A colleague provided me with some constructive criticism yesterday. He said I need to be more direct and to the point. Speak in short sentences…Period.

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.

פחד

If you turn around the Hebrew root of the word fear, you get: DACHAF

דחף

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?

Buddist Sound Healing

Buddist sound healing is very closely linked to Ancient healing and transformational music. The elements are connected from the ancient traditions of the east.

Here's a very interesting article about Buddist Sound Healing Research

From Self Destruction to Self Acceptance

Last week I wrote about my experimentation with bells - and how the friction created between the receptive casing and clanging of the clapper are catalysts for harmonious creation.

This week, I was delighted to receive an invitation from the founder of Israel's marine archaeology to provide my ancient healing and transformational music for the 25 year anniversary of the Ancient Galilee boat discovery at the shores of Galilee. But the museum has no budget. So I said no. It's painful. I was so happy that the archaeologist "got" the connection between the music and the percussion instruments found along with the boat.

This music would provide a sublimely powerful experience for that event. So convinced, I requested funding from the tourist board yesterday. It's too short notice. They said no. And honestly, harmony requires a two way flow.

It would be self destructive to putting my own needs in secondary place to the "larger good" of bringing back this ancient healing music form. Been there. Done that.

What is so scary about being bold, saying yes to ourselves, especially when it requires us saying no to the things we love?

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.

Hypatia courageously stands for her freedom, walking the walk, even in the face of extreme challenge. In the end she gets stoned to death. Nothing and no one can stop it.

The film stirred up a visceral yet ancient terror of being ostracized and burnt on the cross for daring to live my deep inner truth in public, even if it is not understood by others and not following popular culture and consensus.

As disturbing as it ended, it helped to watch the film - to identify the root of inner fear and doubts which have created what seems like lifetimes of self recrimination. In the face of this scary place, I am shaking the bell on my wrist bracelet. This helps me to shift my consciousness by providing a nurturing response to scary inner voices by remembering that harmony is created through friction.

Can you relate? If so, how?

Here's a soothing mini music spa minute to quiet whatever voice may be creating friction in your inner world. Enjoy, and then share what you experienced, below or on the facebook page

Harmonious way to free unwanted habits. Ring a bell?

Yesterday there was a lunar eclipse… in Gemini. I am not one who usually responds to astrological events, though yesterday, somehow I felt pulled by the force of the moon. Something about soft luminescent light, lighting up darkness spoke to me. I was informed that this particular eclipse allows an opportunity for us to release subconscious habits.

It happened to be the seventeen year anniversary of my moving to Israel and I’d been invited to give an ancient healing and transformational music program to a Kabbalist meditation group. In celebration, I decided to focus upon connecting to the Divine feminine spirit represented by the moon energy. I asked the participants to choose something in their subconscious over which they feel a lack of control, a habit they would like to be freed of.

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 water well which will allow you to connect to that deeper level of awareness. Imagine yourself free.

What did you experience? Leave a note and let us know? Leave a message below or on Miriam's Secret facebook page...

How do you express that which is unexpressable?

Milky white, nurturance, nourishment, mother's milk...Safety, serenity. This is the essence of the holiday Shavuot. Actually, this is the feminine divine power, behind the ten commandments, for which this Hebrew holiday commemorates.

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?

Reclaiming the baby from the bathwater...

In the name of progress, we humans seem to have a habit, of shutting off the past when we are moving forward towards a new direction. It's like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. In doing so, we are able to focus exclusively upon the direction we have chosen to follow. Yet we also pay the price of shutting off other precious parts of our humanity.

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.

Speaking Up - Creating Waves

It has been more than a month's hiatus, since I wrote my last newsletter. Breaking the routine of newsletter communication consensus felt scary... not wanting to let other people down, not wanting to let myself down.... It stirred up the fear of abandonment; If I "break the consensus", I'll be punished, banished from the tribe.

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.

Getting Stuff Done? Change Resistance.

Are you getting stuff done to the degree that it really satisfies you? If your answer is no, perhaps resistance is getting in your way?

I am getting back on track after a month long hiatus from writing. I have been putting into practice the principals of what I am addressing in Miriam's Secret... namely.... "Less can sometimes be more" and "Slow can be the fastest, most direct route to any destination..."

If you'd like to melt resistance to getting done whatever is most important to you, this mini-spa music meditation will help you on your way:

Where can less be more and slow be fast in your life? Leave a comment below or visit the Miriam's Secret page on facebook where you can download free chapters.

Inhibited to Sing? Brain Research Overcomes It

Do you find yourself inhibited to sing in public? If so, you are not alone. Most people find themselves meeting up with inner fear and inhibition when they go to sing before others.

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.

Nuria Escude, director of Music Therapy at Barcelona University, posted this interesting video clip of his work. It seems that people who suffer from the rare disease of William's Syndrome, have alot to teach us about overcoming our inhibitions to singing.

How does inhibition stop you from singing?

Taking the risk to be real

Do you know that experience of feeling pushed inside, no motivation to do what your mind says you "should" be doing? Yet you're a responsible person, so you go ahead and "do it" anyway.

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?

Your Voice Matters - Free Teleconference 3/27

To explore this issue of "Your Voice Matters" more, I’ve scheduled a free teleseminar for March 27th at 1pm EST – 18:00 GMT. Please note that the original date was March 20. The date has been rescheduled, pushed back a week.

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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Accessing Your Subconscious with a Well Song

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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.

The Courage to be Different

In one of the chapters of my upcoming book, Miriam’s Secret: Midwiving the Birth of Your Inner Transformation, entitled, “Your Voice Matters”, I write about the literal birth process and the role of midwife in it, to explore how we can begin to support ourselves as if we were midwives, in giving birth to our inner transformation.

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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Petition for More Positive News

Petition for More Positive News. It's a petition through facebook for more solution oriented reporting in the media. Why bother?

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...