“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” — Plato
On a freezing July day, several years ago, in the high Tibetan plateau, I stood in front of the Namtso Lake. At almost 16,000 feet, it is the highest saltwater lake in the world and one of the most sacred and holiest sights in all of Tibet. It was as flat as a mirror. It lay without a ripple as if time itself had been frozen. The vast expanse of the clear sapphire water reflected the crystal sapphire sky and I couldn’t tell where the lake stopped and the sky started. The only sound I could hear was Aretha Franklin belting out, “Pink Cadillac” on my iPod. In the distance, I saw a nomad family with two small children, both sitting in the lotus position. I took out my earplugs and listened as the children soulfully chanted a Buddhist mantra. I slowly moved closer, bowed to the parents, and bent down in front of the children and gestured to see if they wanted to listen to my music. They immediately held out their cherry-red hands, and their little round faces sparkled in wonder.
As soon as the children heard my music, they began to giggle in a chaotic way; fits and bursts, loud to soft, nothing and then back to loud. I knew their heartwarming laughs revealed that they had never heard music coming out of such a small device, just as I had never heard such chanting reverberating out of small children. Was their experience of chanting more spiritual than hearing Aretha Franklin? From the light radiating from their eyes, I didn’t think so.
Music is one of our most powerful gateways to connect to our spiritual nature, our divine source, as well as to the universe around us and those other divine beings that inhabit it with us. I know of no other medium that can transport us as immediately, on all levels of our existence, beyond the limits of our intellect and physical body to a higher, often blissful and inexplicable state. Music has the unique ability to transform us independently of our thinking mind, to a place uninhibited by the judgments, doubts or fears.
Humans and our music have existed for ages. The oldest discovered musical instruments in the world (flutes made of bones and mammoth ivory) are over 40,000 years old. But instruments and songs may be far, far older. In his book The Descent Of Man, Charles Darwin wondered whether our language abilities had started with singing and if that was the reason for our pleasure in music. By studying fossils, we can establish that once our ancestors had the horseshoe-shaped hyoid bone in the throat in a similar position to modern humans, they would have had the physical ability to sing as we can. That date is over 530,000 years ago!
I won’t claim that all music is spiritual, or rather, created and intended for the benefit of the human spirit. It would be great if it were. As Eric Clapton said when asked if music is essentially spiritual, “For me, the most trustworthy vehicle for spirituality has always proven to be music.” When music delivers spirituality, the effect on us, our thoughts, our emotions, our subconscious, and even our physical well-being can be quite profound.
Just as music has helped rescue me from some of the lowest points of my life, it has been the blissful soundtrack for many of my most loving memories and the rhythm that continues to propel me forward. For me, spirituality and music will never be separated. The more music continues to awaken my higher aspirations and light the path of my inner journey, the more I am inspired to dive deeply into the realms of the magical unknown. If words are the limited language of my mind, music is the limitless calling of my soul.
I love the fall – chilly weather, cashmere sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, my birthday, bugs have returned to hell where they belong and we have the fall equinox! The fall equinox September 22, 2018, has been celebrated since the time of the Egyptians who built the great Sphinx to point towards the sun on this special day. While many of us have moved away from celebrating this time like our ancestors, it is an important time of balance. During this time of equal parts of sun and moon, we are being asked to find the balance happening in our exterior world, and also what is occurring within ourselves. Knowing that the duality of light and dark exists in us, the equinox calls us to discover a balance between the two. After the great light of summer, we must learn to welcome the depth and the mystery of fall.
The autumnal equinox is the time when the sun makes its golden path across the equator from North to South, and it is this occurrence that causes our day and our night to be equal. The word equinox comes from the Latin, aequi, meaning “equal,” and nox meaning “night.”
At the spring equinox, we were asked to plant seeds, both literally and figuratively, for what we want to reap in the autumn. Now is the time to contemplate and see if we have tended those seeds. Are we able to reap what we have sown with bounty and fruitfulness? Or have we neglected those seeds and are we now looking at how we can make amends?
Although it can be disappointing if we realize the latter is true, equinox makes it easy for us to once again plant the seeds of desire so that they may flourish in the coming months. Because the equinox isn’t only about balance, but also about endings that have to occur to make way for new beginnings. This is actually a wonderful time to start something new, whether it’s a job, educational pursuit, creative endeavor, project or even a relationship. During the coming months we will have long nights and quiet moments with which to nurture these new beginnings so that, come spring, they can bloom radiantly.
While many often see spring as a time of new beginnings, there is something even more extraordinary about starting something new in the fall. It is during this season and the coming winter that we have more time to concentrate and give our hearts to whatever we want to see grow and strengthen over the coming months. I find that there is beauty in new beginnings that start quietly under the darkness of colder months.
So while we are all searching for that balance in our own lives, know that it is never too late to plant new seeds. Because life is a circle, and nothing can truly grow unless it first dies. This doesn’t mean complete and utter endings, but embracing the evolution of change within our hearts, our lives and us. It’s letting go of old ways of thinking and living. It’s reassessing the way in which we look at life so that we can feel free to take on new approaches that would better serve our highest self and the life that we want. Nothing stays the same forever, what comes next is often times better than we can possibly imagine.
Celebrate the equinox by heading out to the desert or out into the woods for a warming bonfire. I am traveling to Mount Shasta, California with my friends Laurel and Tim. We are using this equinox as the opening of a portal to the next stage of our lives. Join us as we raise a glass, build a fire, write a list of all that we have been blessed with, burn words we would like to let go of, and finally, cleanse with hot Epsom salt baths, a grounding earth element which has a strong quality of cohesion. At this sacred celestial time connect the dark and light; the yin and the yang; the masculine and feminine, because if we allow it, life can truly begin all over again in the fall.
It’s that time again – back to school! My son August is starting his masters in A.I. at New York University and my son Sam is starting his junior year in high school. I am giving both of them crystals to assist them with the challenges they will face this school year and to help them make their education more understandable and less stressful.
I have had a relationship with rocks, gemstones, and crystals most of my life and I have learned that different rocks and crystals have different vibrational frequencies and work to assist us in various aspects of our life’s. Below is my list of best crystals for students.
Black Tourmaline – helps strengthen the immune system. It repels negative energy and defends against disease.
Onyx – focus and discipline. This stone can bring balance to the body and mind, perfect to put in a pocket for any class.
Rose quartz – known as the universal stone of love, which could be self-love, friendship or romantic love.
Amethyst – a powerful protection stone that channels loving energy in order to guard against stress irritability and anger.
Howlite – calming and helps with a good nights sleep; this helps to flood the body with a good feeling and improve emotional attitude. Great to assist those who procrastinate.
Blue Lace Agate – comfort and relaxation and dispels past feelings of doubt and encourages growth within those who use it.
Carnelian – Confidence; in ancient times Carnelian was believed to give the wearer courage in battle.
Tiger’s eye –strengthens the will, inspires creativity and enhances good luck. Brings grounding energy and aids with happiness. Roman soldiers use to wear this stone into battle.
Snowflake Obsidian – overcoming difficulties and balances the mind, body, and spirit. It enhances clear and logical thinking.
Malachite – leadership and confidence and absorbs negative energy and pollutants. Aids in one’s spiritual journey and helps to stimulate dreams.
Amazonite– truth, harmony, and peace; helps to analyze and sort out information and combine the process with intuitive wisdom.
Have any Feng Shui questions? Feel free to contact me at michelle@michellecromer.com and sign up for your Power Color.
Essential Oils, which have been used as far back as 4500 B.C.E have been called the “lifeblood of a plant.” They circulate through plant tissues and pass through cell walls, carrying nutrition into cells and carrying waste products out. Applied to people, oils do the same thing. Essential oils are one of natures best body cleaners. Only the highest quality of essential oils have the capacity to promote healing and they can be applied directly to the skin or diffused into the air. Some can be added to food and water.
Listen to the replay to learn how to use nature’s medicine to heal your body, mind, and spirit!
Mercury Retrograde is here again for it’s third and last visit this year. Mercury is the planet that seems to have the biggest effect on people and when it turns retrograde, even those that don’t believe in astrology find it difficult to deny it’s powerful influences. The most noticeable problems will occur in communication, technology, and travel plans.
Each Mercury retrograde has a certain character based on the sign that Mercury is in when it goes retrograde. This retrograde is in the sign of Libra.
Normally when Mercury is in Libra, communications between people are likely to be social, charming and diplomatic, leading to win-win negotiations. But since Mercury in Libra will be retrograde, we are likely to see more than usual disagreements between lovers, bad news about the economy that shakes up the stock market, and relationships of all kinds will be strained.
Listen to the replay as we answer all your questions about navigating this challenging time.
