“In music, one doesn’t make the end of the composition the point of the composition. If that were so, the best conductors would be those who played fastest; and there would be composers who only wrote finales… …We thought of life by analogy, it was a journey, with a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at the end. And the thing was to get to that end – success, or whatever it is, or maybe heaven after you’re dead. But we missed the point the whole way along….” Alan Watts
Facing the Fear of Change
It didn't take too many years on this spectacular sphere for me to realise that no matter how confident we are that we're in control of our lives, change is inevitable. Sometimes those changes are self-initiated, sometimes they seem to fall upon us out of the clear blue sky. It's [...]
Single. And…?
I saw yet another article today justifying and defending why certain women over forty are still single. This particular one preached the we’re fierce, we know what we want and we’re not going to put up with your shit angle. Naturally, it was trending on Facebook due to all the [...]
The Secret to Never Ageing
I'm not going to write some long drawn out article where you have to read to the end to find out what I think the secret is. Here it is...
Meditation Helps, and Yes, You Can Do It!
I often talk and write about how much meditation has helped me, yet when people ask me for advice about how to do it, I honestly struggle to explain. I'm certainly no monk, I've only been practicing seriously for about 5 years now. And I think it's quite a personal [...]
Reconciling Compassion and Self-Preservation
In Buddhism they believe in something called Bodhicitta, which is essentially the energy of compassion. The most enlightened folks are able to practice this state of caring and warmth towards all other beings all the time. For the rest of us, however, compassion sometimes takes a little practice. Even though [...]
Ends Begin
Cape Reinga is a beautiful, spiritual place where the pacific ocean and tasman sea meet and merge. It is where the Maori traditionally believe our souls depart the land. What better place to share with you along with my new song. […]
Finding Joy in a Job You Don’t Love
So, yeah, jobcation obviously isn’t a real word. I made up this word a few years ago. I don’t remember the exact origins of the idea, but I believe it occurred something like this...
Unconditional
Someone recently told me that if we pay close attention we may notice that our lives seem to happen in cycles. In other words, we often have the same kinds of experiences, and ups and downs, at the same time every year. It was my birthday. I’d spent all day [...]
Why I Abandoned Christianity
Deep down I knew that life wasn't empty and meaningless and random, I just didn't have a good enough explanation yet. But I definitely wanted one.
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As many of you know, being an artist is no way to make a living, nor has it ever really been. The greatest musicians and composers throughout history have always required the support (patronage) of those who appreciated their work. And thank goodness for them! Without patrons we’d have no Mona Lisa, no Mozart…! And without the world’s wonderful creative people and those who support them, this sure would be dull and dreary life.