Pagans use musical instruments for sacred purposes–in meditation, ritual, or community gatherings. Instruments connect us to the divine, build relationships between people, are used for healing, and to manipulate the energy that affects our reality. Many instruments have been put to sacred use throughout history. Some instruments themselves are considered sacred and have their own …
How I am preparing for my winter artist residency as a songwriter After years of dreaming of and researching artist residencies around the US, I have found a great fit, and am excited to announce that I have been awarded a five month artist residency with Osage Arts Community in Belle, MO. This winter I …
Syncing hearts, aligning emotions, building communities, healing, bonding, and affecting emotion. Music–and especially music played in a group–is powerful magic. Drums are used for healing and prayer all over the world. Drums are used to drive away demons and to drive people to the madness of war. Drums can take us into different states of …
If the delicate fluting of the kazoo is part of your vision for a song you are arranging, you may find yourself faced with the prospect of running a rehearsal that includes kazoos. I have had this delightful experience. I would like to offer my reflections for all of you who find yourself in this …
Songwriting is such a strange process. I often spend months and much research on a single idea, and it might take a year for the actual song to emerge and mature. I have even said that a song isn’t a song until I have played it 100 times, because it will morph even after it …
Pagan Songwriters and Songs That Write Themselves Read More »
Just last week, on Winter Solstice Eve, I started mixing my next album. This was the perfect time to start a new project that would take me from 2020 and lockdown to the end of one busy, magical year and into the next…. Now let me just start by saying that I have written a …
I spent my first years in the Pagan musical community hiding from my fellow musicians every time they asked for folks to sing, play or otherwise contribute to something that they were working on. Why? My reasons might be different from others, but what it came down to was imposter syndrome and my belief that …
I don’t have an altar, (Everywhere I am is my altar) I don’t use a magic wand…I use a guitar…. My spells are my music and my words, my songs and compositions. My rituals are every show I play. Every time I sit down with my guitar to write a song or instrumental composition, I’m …
I am a traveling Bard and a student of Kaballah. It can get confusing, as I am in a constant state of reconciling my mundane and magical perspectives into an “it is all One” state of being. My musical and spiritual paths are not simply intertwined. I honestly cannot pry them apart. From creating, recording, …
ghost-writer We write and sing songs to celebrate, to express our connection to each other, our community, and the sacred. Music is a powerful means to express Spirit. There are as many methods to writing music as there are musicians: The whole piece may write itself; the lyrics may come first, or the tune; a kernel of …
