Tag: secret mirror

24
Jun

Imaginotions: Part Five

The young woman awakened early, stirred by the flutter of a bird.

She went to her window and saw a bluejay sitting there.

“Good morning,” she said.

The bluejay seemed to wink.

She went to her mirror.

To her confusion, she saw nothing there.

She gasped.

“Why-Why…” she stammered, not sure what to say at her empty mirror.

“Have no fear,” a voice said from outside the window.

She spun around and looked at the window.

The bird was still there.

“Have no fear,” the bird repeated.

This was almost too much for the young woman.

No reflection in her mirror?

A bird that talks?

“Have no fear,” again said the bluejay.

“But I-I don’t understand!”

“Have no fear.”

“But I can’t see myself!” she exclaimed, getting panicky. “And you’re TALKING!”

“The nothingness you see in the mirror is the mirror of the real you,” said the bird.

“I am nothing?!”

“You are everything.”

“But I see nothing in the mirror!”

“Look again,” suggested the bird.

The young woman took a breath, calmed down a bit, and looked into her mirror.

Suddenly she realized all she saw in it was all she felt in her.

The mirror was her.

The mirror reflected all within and appeared without.

She slowly smiled.

“I think I understand,” she said, half to herself.

The bird smiled.

“But what about this business of a bluejay speaking?” she asked.

“Ah, but within the dream, all is possible.”

“All?”

“Whatever you can imagine, and can believe, can be achieved.”

“You sound like Napoleon Hill,” the woman said, smiling.

“I can read, too,” said the bird.

“All things really are possible,” mused the woman.

“And now you may awaken,” said the bird.

Thus the bluejay ended the lesson for the day.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – You know what this means.

Still a bestseller!

Still a bestseller!

Member BBB 2003 - 2016

Member BBB 2003 - 2016

4
Dec

Self-Help Music Videos

My brand new self-help music video was just posted. It’s the dance friendly title song off my last singer-songwriter album, Reflection. You can see it right here:

http://youtu.be/jLwQk1LgxKg

And the first video, which has been seen by more than 100,000 people so far, based on the song ‘Everybody’s Going Thru Something’ off Strut!, my first singer-songwriter album, is here:

http://youtu.be/YzT_yljj-SU

Enjoy!

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — The songs and their albums are on iTunes. A portal to all of my albums (so far) is at http://www.allhealingmusic.com

Saxman joe

Saxman Joe

28
Jul

Stretch Yourself

I’m in the recording studio with Grammy nominated legend Ruthie Foster and award-winning singer and producer Daniel Barrett. We have joined forces to create an album together.

I’m flattered beyond belief that these two superstars want me on an album. After all, I’m relatively new to being a musician. And I’ve been a long time fan of both of them. To be in the studio with them is mind boggling.

I was so excited to record with them that I showed up for our first session thirty days early. (!)

But what’s really interesting is how we are all stretching ourselves.

For example —

Daniel Barrett, Ruthie Foster, and me, all leaving our comfort zones

Daniel Barrett, Ruthie Foster, and me

Ruthie is famous for her singing but not her lead guitar.

On our album, she is playing lead electric guitar.

Daniel does everything, from engineering to singing and more, but he doesn’t play the drums. Or at least didn’t.

On this album, he does.

I’m a newbie to music and don’t have all that much experience doing anything (even though I’ve released eight albums in over three years). I certainly am brand new and uncomfortable on the saxophone.

On this album, I am playing a baritone saxophone.

What’s going on here?

Ruthie Foster stretching

Ruthie Foster stretching

Each of us is stretching out of our comfort zones.

Why?

How?

When you stretch your comfort zone, you reach a new level of comfort and confidence.

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?” – Robert Browning

When Daniel, Ruthie and I go into the studio, we talk, share, joke, and play. Out of our openness, we come up with songs. Out of our willingness to take risks, and exceed our comfort zones by pursing our desires, we create new possibilities.

The result is magic.

And some pretty cool music.

This is an important lesson for each of us.

You have “comfort zone limits,” too.

When you find them and nudge them a bit, you extend your power and attract new results.

We aren’t doing daredevil stuff in the studio.

When you look in the mirror, what do you hear?

When you look in the mirror, what do you hear?

We are taking what we haven’t done before but want to do, and focusing on making something happen by doing it.

We are simply following our inspiration and taking action to create something new.

Yes, there is often fear involved, but we feel the fear and do it, anyway.

We turn the fear into fuel.

Here’s an example —

One day, while Ruthie was playing lead electric guitar (and truly wowing me at it), I received an idea for a song.

I jotted it down.

As she kept playing, I started singing the song in my head.

The lyrics and her melody seemed to work together.

When she was done playing, I did something daring.

I said, “I want to sing!”

This was a huge move on my part.

Singing at all, any time, any place, has been a challenge for me.

I’m new at it.

I’ve been insecure about it.

And to sing for Ruthie Foster — one of the best singers I’ve ever heard in my entire life — was a courageous even outrageous thing to suggest.

Even though Ruthie had mentioned just the day before, “I like your singing, Joe. You can sing with me if you want,” I didn’t feel ready to leave my comfy mindset and step into her arena.

But.

But I wanted to push out of my comfort zone.

My heart was racing but I knew I had to do this.

Daniel and Ruthie are loving and supportive, and urged me on.

After all, each of us was doing something new.

We were all stretching.

So I took a deep breath, got in front of the mike, and belted out my tune.

After I sang, Daniel said, “That was some of the best singing I’ve ever heard out of you.”

Really?

Adding Bari Sax

Adding Bari Sax

I looked over at Ruthie and she was beaming a sunny smile and nodding her head in agreement.

It was amazing.

Daniel’s drumming, Ruthie’s lead guitar, my vocals — it was a stretch for each of us but it all came together into a powerful new song that will be on our forthcoming first album.

And that song will probably be titled, “Stretch Yourself!”

All I’m reminding you here is do what you fear.

If you have a dream but feel nervous about it, that’s good.

It means you care.

The next step is to get up and do something about it.

Your comfort zones are invisible lines in your mind.

You can melt them with a little stepping forth.

I’m packing up my baritone saxophone and heading back to the studio right now.

It’s time for Saxman Joe to do his thing.

What are you going to do today to stretch yourself?

Ao Akua,

Saxman Joe

PS — Ruthie Foster told me she got an “Aha!” from listening to my song, ‘Reflection,’ off my latest singer-songwriter album of the same name. You can hear samples of all the tracks on that album and grab the CD (which comes with a collectible, limited edition booklet, and with a surprise gift) over at http://www.ReflectionCD.com

BONUS: If you’ve never heard Ruthie Foster sing, watch this…

Member BBB 2003 - 2015

Member BBB 2003 - 2015