Photo credit: Peter Bonavich
I’m playing with the Strand at 7pm this Saturday night at Third Place Cup Coffee, in Queen Creek. Come check us (and them) out. Hana Halverson’s lovely voice graces us as a special guest!
A reliable destination for live music and entertainment in Queen Creek, Third Cup is a newly opened non profit.
21805 S Ellsworth Rd, Queen Creek, Arizona
On Wednesday, I will be playing for the Reiki Harmony Center’s Reiki Share. Come check it out!
A session at the Reiki Share usually lasts between 20 to 30 minutes depending on how many people attend. Individuals without Reiki I (or above) training will be first to receive a session. Reiki shares are free to RHC students and clients or $5 for others.
Please contact them before attending, so they will have enough space for you.
717 W. Union Hills Dr., Phoenix
Southwest corner of 7th Ave and Union Hills
Come hear the Strand perform at Sozo Coffeehouse this coming Saturday, 7/21, from 7 – 8:30 pm. We’ll be playing lots of traditional Irish, Celtic, and some American music. Rick Boyle on guitar, bouzouki, and vocals, Steve Pawlowski on guitar, bodhran, and vocals, moi on flute, whistles, harp, and vocals.
Sozo is “coffee with a cause,” and donates a portion of all sales to local, national, and international charities. So not only will you hear some good music, you’ll do some good for the world, too.
If you are sick and tired of the Phoenix heat, why not head up to Flagstaff for the 11th annual Flagstaff Folk Festival? I’ll be playing with the Strand in the main amphitheater at 11:30 on Saturday. Better yet, take the week off from work, stop in Flagg for the weekend, on your way up to the Grand Canyon. You know you want to!
This was a crazy, busy, weekend for me. I spent Saturday with my IHTP mentor, working bedside at the hospice, and that means that Sunday is a catch up day. But still, I wanted to take a quick jaunt out to play for Random Acts of Harping Day. I knew I would regret it later if I skipped it this year.
The problem with RAOHD in Phoenix is that it happens in late June. Playing outside is not something we relish, exactly, when it’s 108 degrees. So I decided to go to our great little froyo place. Locally owned, and laid back, this place has a shaded porch where I could kill two birds with one stone.
After loading up on raspberry/strawberry/lemonade and lots of strawberries, I sat outside next to the sweet old dog who hangs out on the porch. Did I tell you that this place was laid back? They make milk-bone yogurt for the dogs.
This poor doggie, though, was afraid of my little harp. He barked and whined when I got it out, and hid behind a column for the 5 minutes that I played it. What torture for the poor fella.
So my Random Acts of Harping Day was pretty brief. Maybe I should have skipped it this year. 😦
Tonight I will be playing for the Reiki Harmony Center’s Reiki Share. Come check it out!
A session at the Reiki Share usually lasts between 20 to 30 minutes depending on how many people attend. Individuals without Reiki I (or above) training will be first to receive a session. Reiki shares are free to RHC students and clients or $5 for others.
Please contact them before attending, so they will have enough space for you.
717 W. Union Hills Dr., Phoenix
Southwest corner of 7th Ave and Union Hills
Right intent is one of the elements of the Buddhist eightfold path, including “the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively.” Who wouldn’t want to aspire to harmlessness?
When I worked on an assignment clarifying my intent in the very first IHTP lesson, I understood that it was an important exercise in goal setting and motivation – helpful for working through the year long (or longer) program. The IHTP also needs to know what we are thinking; they need to protect the quality of their stamp of approval for the sake of their graduates, the facilities they work in, and for their own viability.
I am playing bedside in a local hospice to fulfill some of my internship hours. The very first person I played for was near death and unresponsive. As I played, my mentor suggested that I add a high F to my improvisation. With that addition, the patient gave a little sigh and settled himself int bed a little bit. Another F. Another little sigh, another little settle. Another F?
There is fine line between exploring to find what will help the someone relax, and experimenting- manipulating someone to see exactly what the limit of the music is. The difference? You guessed it – intent.
The effect of that high F was so astonishingly, dramatically, evident, that now I see just how easy it was to wonder, “what if I…,” instead of “what is helping” – to manipulate, instead of meet and follow what is already present. It is such a simple thing for delusion to take over and color our approach to this work.
This firsthand message shows me another facet to the importance of right intent. Our intent is our mission statement and our target, and we need to keep our eye and our focus on it. We have not only to identify our purpose for others, but to articulate it to ourselves, actively and regularly, so that we continually remind ourselves why we’re here.
How do you find that fine line in your own life? Do you have a daily practice, or is it easy for you to see where you need to go? Or something else?
Shannon Schumann, CTHP, RMT 