Greetings First name / friend, 

 

Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I'd like to offer reflections on this present moment and its impact on our collective path. Please click the video above to hear more. Thank you. 

 

This coming Saturday, January 25, we will be welcoming Elvina Charley, Ed.S, from the Diné (Navajo) nation as the guest teacher for our Original Medicine 4-Part Series this winter. Elvina is a school psychologist practitioner and integrates mindfulness as a part of serving children and youth. Elvina has been practicing mindfulness since 2013, introduced to her by Bonnie Duran, Ph.D. as a way to heal from historical trauma. She found parallels between her Diné philosophy of life – Sa’ah naaghái bik’eh hózhóón and Buddhism. We look forward to seeing you for this special winter session! Register here. 

In the West African Dagara tradition, the Earth element is central to the medicine wheel and is associated with the years ending in 0 or 5. We’re currently in an Earth year. Mbali Marais says, “Earth did not say we don't belong. Humans did. These earth sessions are an invitation to engage deeply in exploring our relationship to earth and how they affect our sense of belonging, worthiness, abundance and scarcity. How do we serve the earth?” 

 

What if we treated every movement as prayer?  A prayer of gratitude for the body, for our aliveness here on this planet. What if we could perceive even the smallest movement as sacred? The gentle movement of placing your hands together in front of your heart. The sacred movement of tears down your cheeks. The movement of blood through your veins echoing the movement of water in rivers to the ocean, the movement of breath in your lungs echoing the circulation of the atmosphere across the planet. Listen to the rest of this beautiful teaching in the recording above. 

 

The sounds of nature have always been a source of solace and healing in my life. As a young mother, there were times when I felt overwhelmed and burdened by depression. During those moments, I made it a practice to visit the ocean at least once a month. The rhythmic crashing of the waves soothed my troubled heart, carrying my worries away to Yemaya. Each element of nature has touched my spirit in profound ways—especially the wind, which often called me to the mountaintops. There, I would feel its gentle embrace as it danced through my hair and wrapped around my clothes, offering a sense of freedom and joy, swirling in an ecstatic dance of renewal.

 

The ancients deeply understood what I’ve come to recognize: the healing power of nature’s sounds. These primal melodies—the first music—are found in the earth’s vibrations, the crackling embers of fire, the rustling of leaves, and the voices of living beings: cries, laughter, and songs. These natural symphonies are the foundation of the icaros, chants, and lullabies passed down by our ancestors, each carrying the echoes of the earth’s wisdom.

 

Our ancestors knew that sound is the essence of life itself. Across cultures and faiths, sound and song were integral to ceremonies, rituals, and rites of passage. Creation stories, naming ceremonies in East Africa, songs sung by the Pueblo people of New Mexico to welcome newborns, and the powerful grief songs of tribeswomen in New Guinea—all reflect an intuitive understanding of sound’s ability to connect, heal, and transform. Through these traditions, we are reminded that sound is not just heard—it is felt, shared, and lived.

 

My introduction to the healing power of music and sound began with the Native American drumming traditions shared by a beloved Filipino Shaman. For many years, this Shaman guided a select group on weekly shamanic journeys, where I first experienced the transformative magic of sound medicine. Over the past 20 years, I have deepened my understanding of sound and music healing by studying with indigenous healers from around the world. My journey has taken me to Peru, where I trained with Tito La Rosa, a renowned shamanic sound healer, as well as with Brazilian musician, singer, and teacher Sylvia Nakkach, a Chilean musician and sound healer, and Rafael Manriquez, a respected teacher.

 

I incorporate a diverse set of instruments from around the world into my practice, each carrying its own rich cultural heritage and unique vibrational qualities. These include Tibetan singing bowls from Nepal, gongs from China, rattles from Mexico and Africa, flutes handcrafted by Native American Indigenous elders, the kalimba from Africa, chimes from the Pyrenees Mountains in France, and drums originating from Indonesia, Iran, and Africa. Each instrument contributes to a tapestry of sound that supports healing and connection. These experiences have shaped my connection to the profound healing of sound.

 

I feel deeply blessed that Spirit has guided me to this path of healing, where I can weave the transformative energy of sound with the intuitive healing wisdom of my ancestors. It is an honor to offer this sacred medicine to the community, nurturing connection, balance, and renewal.