tag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:/blogs/diary-of-a-highway-hippy?p=2Where Spirit and Music Meet 2020-04-27T14:13:57-05:00Im Ginger Doss and I'm a Full time touring Musican, highway hippie and spiritual activist. I have an amazing life with epic adventurea and i want to share them with you! I do all my own booking, Web Development, promotion, song writing, recording and booking. So i aint got time to blog. Driving is when I finally can let my mind wander while my body roams . Dreams are had, prayers are made and teats come. The wide open highway and hipnotic sound of the road has a magical effect me. And I've been doing it for so long now it feels like home. Ride along with me aND I will tell you what's been going on and where i am headed next ♡Ginger Doss ~ Drive TimeGIngersoll DossfalseGIngersoll Dossginger@gingerdoss.comtag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/66172152021-04-29T11:23:02-05:002021-04-29T11:23:02-05:00I Am Putting Down Roots <p><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/7bdb50104e10b388b3ae55ed9b498c831dec4304/original/morning-glories-2.jpeg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /></span><strong>I just came back in the house after planting some morning glories along my back fence. And I had to share this with you. </strong></p>
<p><strong>This is kind of a big deal for me for a few reasons. </strong> This wasn't just planting flowers given to me by my dearest friend, soul mate and musical cohort Lynda Millard. This was done with intention. You see, Andrea and I are about to buy the house we are currently renting. </p>
<p><strong>As I planted the little baby plants I said; "Let these roots be like mine and flourish in this place. Yet I will to fly free like the bird & return again when I need rest ~ never bound but only comforted and nourished by this place." </strong> And as I stood up, I kid you not, one of nesting red shoulder hawks in our neighborhood flew above my head on the way to their nest. It was an affirmation that I still have my wings. *Thank you spirit* </p>
<p><strong>Plans for this have been in the works for over a year. </strong> And I can tell you, that it has been a self revealing, scary and at the same time life affirming process. I gave up all my things 10 years ago so I could live a life free and on the road making music. I still want to do that! This step brings up the fear that having more responsibility will keep me from being free to travel and play and share my song live with you! <strong>But I do not need to be homeless to be free. I can do this! </strong></p>
<p>Our land lord informed us 6 months into our 2 year lease that she planned on selling this house we now rent from her and wanted to give us the option to buy it. And let me tell you WE LOVE THIS HOUSE. We wanted it. We manifested this house. It has everything we wanted in it and dreamed about having while we were in our apartment for all those years. Most especially it has a small building in the back yard that I can convert to a studio. Perfect. </p>
<p>We set about getting ready to approach a bank. I stopped spending money on anything except paying off debt. We went to a first time home owner seminar and had a counseling session with credit counselors of Arkansas. We prepped and prepped... and then finally went white knuckled to a mortgage company. They approved us for a loan... BUT we could not show enough income. We needed a co-signer. </p>
<p>Well we got one. Now we need to make the offer. And we are getting ready to do that. We had a meeting with the co-signer and our realtor the other day. We had the place inspected and now I am making a jillion phone calls to get estimates. I am adult-ing all over the place. </p>
<p><strong>Hold positive home buying energy for us because over the next couple of weeks we will see if our vision of owning this house manifests. I am a bit nervous about it. ;)</strong> </p>
<p>MEANWHILE: Plans are going forward for the RUNE VIDEO!! I have released the 5th song of my <a contents="Sacred Flow Album" data-link-label="Sacred Flow" data-link-type="page" href="/sacred-flow"><strong>Sacred Flow</strong> <strong>Album</strong></a><strong> </strong>"<em><strong>RUNE" </strong>to <strong><a contents="my patrons" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.patreon.com/gingerdoss" target="_blank">my patrons</a>. </strong>Click the link to join for as little as $1 and have access to all the exclusive patron content. <strong> I will not release it to the public until the video is finished!</strong></em></p>
<p>In the midst of all this that is going on, as well as mama & kid care duties and helping to produce <strong><a contents="Lynda Millard's" data-link-label="Lynda Millard" data-link-type="page" href="/lynda-millard" target="_blank">Lynda Millard's</a> </strong>new album I have not had time to do any filming on the Rune video. </p>
<p>But that doesn't mean that I haven't been planning The Rune Video along with the stellar talent of<strong> </strong><a contents="Sj Tucker " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sjtucker.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Sj Tucker</strong> </a>who has signed on to help !! SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!! We had a conference call just yesterday with Lynda, my partner Andrea, Sooj and myself to discuss costumes/set designs for the Norns. It's their voices playing the part of the norns on the recording of Rune. Can't wait til you hear ! I hope to start testing backgrounds and doing my own scenes next week. My goal would then be to finish filming with everyone by memorial day. </p>
<p>Thanks for checking in with me! </p>
<p>Infinite love </p>
<p>ginger </p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/63413242020-06-03T19:48:58-05:002022-05-22T11:39:52-05:00Kundalini Rising and Summer Tour 2020 Update <p><em><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/a9674673fc26ebf5bbce2b54e1fedf40814fcb11/original/kundalini-rising-1.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Well today is the day I finally let it out. </strong> As I flipped the wall calendar over to June it hit me hard that I am *not* leaving in a week for my summer tour like I have done every year for the last 13 years. I cried my eyes out in grief. I have been keeping a brave face until now ~ but I will miss you out there like I never thought I would have to! I will miss the sweet communion of music and tribe and country highway and festival and nature - blended with the sweet harmony of our voices, pouring out our hearts as we sing. It is one of my greatest joys and something I live for. I still pray at noon every day and today I prayed that I can fill the giant void in my heart this summer with lots of creative goodness and continue to make this world a bit shinier as a result. I trust it is so ~ Blessed be "til I can touch you again". <strong>(<a contents="Window to the World" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwKbo4Lyr2Y" target="_blank">Window to the World</a>) </strong></em></p>
<p>June 9 my mother will be going to stay with my sister for 6 months (we share caregiving responsibilities 6 months each). That's when I was going to be free of caregiving for six months to tour and play my music. <strong> I had the most amazing festival line up this year!</strong> Our first gigs were scheduled for June 11, 12 & 13 in Springfield Missouri and on to many great fests and concerts from there. Can you tell I was anxious to get started? <br>But alas...it has all cancelled due to the pandemic except for one fest to be held in September ~ <strong><a contents="Gaea Goddess Gathering." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.gaeagoddessgathering.org/" style="" target="_blank">Gaea Goddess Gathering.</a></strong> Oh please let this one happen!! (safely) </p>
<p><strong>The good news in all this is that I will have more time to work on releasing songs from my new concept album Sacred Flow, where sacred practice and symbol become song.</strong> <strong>The next song & video to be released is Kundalini Rising.</strong> As soon as I have enough $ from downloads of Celtic Knot I can send it off to mixed and mastered! If you would like to help you can share the download link<strong> <a contents="https://gingerdoss.com/music-store" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://gingerdoss.com/music-store" style="" target="_blank">https://gingerdoss.com/music-store</a></strong> or the video link: <strong><a contents="https://youtu.be/2ePsD1oEhuk" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/2ePsD1oEhuk" style="" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/2ePsD1oEhuk</a></strong> and let people know that downloads will help to keep the releases coming! When I first release a song there are quite a few downloads but then it slows to a trickle. It would only take about 250 more downloads at $1/ea to make my goal! So easy <3 </p>
<p><strong>I think you will really like Kundalini Rising. It has a slow sexy tribal groove </strong><strong>and like Kundalini energy itself, builds in intensity. </strong> I have the perfect dancer for the video ~ <strong><a contents="Gaea Lady in Chicago" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://vimeo.com/271714115" style="" target="_blank">Gaea Lady in Chicago</a></strong>. We worked together at Tribal Stomp there last November and she choreographed dances (with matching costumes) to 5 of my songs that BLEW ME AWAY. I specifically wanted a dancer with a snake tattoo (Kundalini energy is often characterized by the serpent) and I mentioned that to her after the show. She pulled up her sleeve showed me the most beautiful snake tattoo and said "Like this?" Well that pretty much sealed the deal for me, as if it wasn't already. </p>
<p><strong>I plan to go to Chicago and film her sometime in June,</strong> a prospect that is a little scary with the pandemic but I know how to be very careful and I will be. I trust that I will stay safe. I will probably have to set up a fan fund for that process to pay her and make all my expenses. I will have more details on that as a plan comes together. </p>
<p><strong>I admit that that the current situation in our country has m</strong>e in a kind of creative/emotional vortex. The same thing happened when the pandemic became a reality and everything shut down, all creative flow on what I was working on at the time stopped and I couldn't move forward until I expressed my heart through the song Window to the World. Now I am feeling the same sort of pull to write and express about the need for racial healing and reform. I know that spirit will speak to me on that when the time is right. </p>
<p><strong>Here is more about Kundalini energy ~ </strong>Kundalini shakti is primordial cosmic energy, known as the Serpent Power. It is the fundamental life force and, at the same time, the supreme spiritual energy usually lying dormant and coiled three-and-a-half times around muladhara chakra at the base of the subtle spine. </p>
<p>The word kundalini is derived from the Sanskrit word kundal, meaning “coiled up.” In Tantra Yoga, kundalini is an aspect of Shakti, divine female energy and the inseparable lover of Shiva. Kundalini is generally defined as an essential potentiality of our being which, upon awakening, opens us to a cosmic, non-personal dimension of energy. Spiritual realization results from the transformations that it produces. </p>
<p><strong>The song Kundalini Rising attempts to put music to the rising of this energy.</strong> During the process of writing the song, I kid you not, I had a subtle rising within me! It was SO intense. I cannot wait for you to hear it and to make this video. It promises to be a very powerful experience. </p>
<p>Thank you for being a part of my experience on this planet and in this life (if you are reading this, you are) Your support and encouragement by downloading or donating or even just sending a note of connection and encouragement will help me to get through this time when I cannot tour connect with you and perform. THANK YOU! </p>
<p>The divine in me so clearly and dearly loves the divine in you <3 </p>
<p>all my love </p>
<p>ginger</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/62961012020-04-27T14:13:57-05:002020-06-28T13:26:05-05:00The Promise of LIfe <p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/1c1d274513d224d6a6c1418481da081dd06880f5/original/rose-bush.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />The Promise of Life </strong></p>
<p><strong>Transcript of Unity of Fayetteville Talk April 26 2020. Done live on Zoom and written as spoken. </strong></p>
<p>All around us during this unbelievably challenging time, spring is blooming in all its glory and in full force. And this has been a great comfort to me. Maybe for you too? Nature and this brilliant canvas of colors and perfumes soothes my soul in a way that little else can right now. </p>
<p>And for many of us right now we are actually able to take a moment and really see and enjoy it. Our routines have been disrupted, our schedules and plans cancelled. But in our own backyards and on our city streets and parks, in our beautiful Ozark mountains ~ spring flourishes. Maybe before this pandemic in a rush to get to where we were going and with our hectic work schedules we would only notice and cherish these things for a moment or a passing glance and then keep rushing on to the next thing. I don't know about you but I have stopped to look <strong>more</strong> than usual, <strong>more</strong> than a few times, to drink in the beauty of this season. It touches my heart and soul like the embrace of a good friend or family member. Like the embraces we so dearly miss right now from our friends. The beauty of this spring season comforts me to the core of my being and resonates with me on the deepest possible level. Could it be that these things comfort me not simply because of their radiant beauty ~ but because It speaks to who we are and why we are here. So I want to spend some time contemplating nature with you today, since its radiant graceful presence is one we all can safely turn to during this challenging time. And I think it has so much to teach us about the promise of this life. </p>
<p>In my experience the way things work in this world is very similar with everything from an atom to our solar system and all the stuff in between. I know that is true from scientific evidence and it makes sense since everything is made of the same stuff governed by the same physical and likewise, spiritual laws and it all has the same creator. And you know what that makes us? That makes us brothers and sisters - all of us. We are family. And not only family. So many spiritual teachers have taught us throughout time that we are all one. I know this is true in my heart but at the same time this brings up some issues for me. If we are all one and made of the same stuff ~ <strong>what power is at work to separate the form? </strong>What separates the rose from the cactus and the sycamore from the oak? If it's all the same stuff what separates the mountain from the valley and babbling brook from the ocean? If we are all made of the same stuff what separates you from me and the way we look and think? </p>
<p>Well separation itself truly is an illusion since we are not separate. We are the same. But what gives us different form and enables us to interact? The answer is intention. So all that we see around us is spirit with the intention of being a tree, spirit with the intention of being a rose, spirit with the intention of being you and being me. </p>
<p><strong>Our form = spirit + intention. </strong></p>
<p>But sometimes when we contemplate this “I am one with everything” realization. it can be a little unsettling. And we might think “But what about ME?” I don't want to be one with everything. Won't I just be lost in the fray? I want to be my own special thing. I want to be me! I GOT TO BE MEEEE!! </p>
<p>Well of course you do! That desire, that energy of wanting to be your own special thing is the very “intention” that I am talking about. That “I got to be me” feeling is your intention and what gives you your form and it is why we are here. Spirit longing to express as you, that longing to be you, is the very thing brought you into being! </p>
<p>So let me assure you that being one with everything does not remove how very special you are, but when you really think about it. It makes you even MORE special.<strong> It makes you more of everything. Sit with that for a second. </strong> </p>
<p>And when we embrace that knowing <strong>truly</strong>… something changes in us doesn’t it? A sort of calm and at the same time excitement, a feeling of expansion, of spreading out into the whole universe. And it gives us this calm and peace because the<strong> thought of these things aligns us with our true nature</strong>. We feel that calm because when our thoughts align with our spirit, our emotional guidance system goes <strong>online to the divine</strong> and we feel awesome. That is our sign that we are connected to who we really are, to our creator and essentially to each other. If you're feeling depressed, lonely, scared. It's time to go online to the divine using the keyboard and mouse of your beautiful mind. Point and click on the thoughts that align spirit and body and you will get back on track. Delete all the other stuff. Thoughts that make you scared or nurture loneliness or prop up your feelings of inadequacy or victimhood, they do help in one way. They show you when you are offline to who you really are. You are not a victim, you are not inadequate. You are an infinite child of love and divine creation and with you miracles are possible! </p>
<p>Lets align to the divine all together right now. Here is a practice in perception that will do just that and an affirmation to get us started.</p>
<p><strong>We are the living embodiment of the force of creation.</strong></p>
<p>Lets just feel into this for a moment. Let that sink in. Breathe in that truth and when you exhale surrender to <strong>the power and strength that that truth makes you</strong>. We are not separate but<strong> different rivers of intention streaming from the same eternal ocean of divine desire to be. </strong> We flow on through this life always fed from this eternal source. And as you flow on through your life you fulfill the purpose of divine creation. You are NO ACCIDENT. You are the way you are on purpose; spirit’s Purpose. We are not just randomly born. Spirit needs you to be the special ones you are or else you would not be. <em>*Now* how special do you feel? </em></p>
<p>Our source is the same, you and I. And yet we get to enjoy spirit’s intention to be the wide variety of life around us all at the same time. One source fills you and me and all the folks in this church community and not only that but this delicious spring blooming everywhere. That outside, that beautiful red bud tree is spirit with the intention of being a red bud. If you have a window near by, look outside for just a moment and find a tree or a flower or a bird or a cloud. And here is a thought that will shift your perspective. <strong> That is you out there</strong>… as a flower as a tree as a bird. It is truth that those beautiful creations out there are a part of who you are right now and you are a part of them. Can you reach out to what you are looking at right now with that knowing? Take a moment to breathe that in. Now come back to your computer screen and flip through all the faces in this zoom meeting. Those beautiful faces out there are a part of who you are right now and you are a part of them. This knowing can make us all stronger wiser more resilient than ever. </p>
<p>This makes <strong>love thy neighbor as thyself </strong> take on a whole new level of understanding doesn't it? When we send out our love we are always sending and receiving at the same time. This is why the power of love is so very strong! When you send out love to others when you give love you are included in that loop. </p>
<p>As you contemplate the bird and the flower and the red bud tree and how your oneness with those things does not take away from your specialness but ADDS TO IT <strong>remember that your life, like those lives, comes with the blessing and assurance of our creator</strong>. This blessing and assurance is the promise of life. The promise of life is that we all are endowed with spirits intention to be the thriving healthy happy version of ourselves. That is spirit's intention for us. That is our purpose. And you can rest in the knowledge that if you are not happy and you are not thriving - the promise of life says that you were born with everything you need to be just that. That you have everything you need to be happy and thrive right now. The eternal ocean of divine intention that is your source will never dry out and its only intention is to expand into ever greater joy. For the flower there is blooming. For the tree there is the bearing of fruit and the growing strength of the roots that dig ever deeper. For the human being there is joy, contentment and satisfaction. </p>
<p>So after meandering through that contemplation exercise here are 4 points to remember about the promise of life. </p>
<p><strong>Promise of life #1 </strong></p>
<p><strong>We are never alone. Never. Being alone is one of the biggest illusions of all. </strong></p>
<p>If you are feeling lonely any time and especially during our stay at home isolation, use the connection contemplation we just did and divert the thought energy of “I am lonely and or/I am so alone” to “I am a child of the universe and flowing from the same source as...fill in the blank. And often you can fill in the blank with someone you highly respect or something you feel comforted by the thought of. Or look outside and see something lovely or strong to compare yourself to. “I am a child of the universe and flowing from the same source as my rose garden or the maple tree across the street. And then maybe go sit beside that garden or that tree and languish in the presence of your sister the flowers. Or your brother the maple tree. </p>
<p>Our thought energy resonates through every cell of our body, when you do this sort of connection contemplation we are actually solidifying and strengthening those connections, And our cells remember all at once that they too have beauty like a rose or grounded roots like the tree, or the resilience of the race horse. We are made in the image of our creator, so we thrive and bloom when we too create. And it doesn't matter what we create as long as it brings us joy You can make a mowed lawn from an overgrown lawn or a new poem from random words or song from random notes or a new friend from random people, take one moment out of many moments for self care to relax, you can make tea, or make dinner for your family. And what makes form from the energy? Your Intention. We will know if we are thriving by the joy we create in our hearts from the things we make. Take some time every day to create joy for yourself. </p>
<p><strong>Promise of life #2 </strong></p>
<p><strong>We are always supported</strong>.</p>
<p>I have to read Mathew 6 25-34 </p>
<p>New living Translation Version JESUS SAID “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? </p>
<p>28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. </p>
<p>I think Jesus was doing a bit of a connection contemplation here too. The purpose of life is to grow and expand. This I have found to be true. And it resonates with my heart which is my best judge. And understanding the nature of true growth brings this understanding into clearer focus. Anger and hatred tare down, Tare down our bodies health, our relationships, our communities. Love builds, love repairs, love heals. If you desire anything in your life, the universe wants you to have it or do it. If it brings you true joy (not pathological joy) and comes from a place of love you are serving the purpose of the universe to grow and expand and you are SUPPORTED period. Just do it. Lean on this knowledge for your strength. If you have anything that you want and in your mind you think any sentence that starts “I can't because…” fill in the blank, I invite you to transform that sentence into I can because the universe supports me and </p>
<p><strong>Promise of life #3</strong></p>
<p><strong>We have everything we need to be happy right now and always. </strong></p>
<p>How can that be ginger you ask? You would not come to this life without what you need to bloom. That’s Like a rose bush with only thorns or a cherry tree that doesn't make cherries. It's not a cherry tree anymore! You were built to be able to achieve happiness because your happiness and you journey towards happiness serves the purpose of the ever expanding universe. Like the rose… to bloom is inherent. And your happiness is inherent in you. Now where we get lost I think is when we might be trying to do something that someone else thinks we should do to be happy. Or following someone else’s idea of happiness. Or even going against what we know to be true in our hearts. Listen to the whispers of your heart. </p>
<p>And the last promise of life I want you to remember is this. </p>
<p><strong>Promise of life #4</strong></p>
<p><strong>You are eternal and always will be !</strong> </p>
<p>I know that’s redundant but we sometimes need to reaffirm things. </p>
<p>It is important for us to remember the promise of life. It is yours in every moment. And it is your inheritance as one with all creation. </p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/61769242020-01-27T11:15:35-06:002020-09-09T10:44:19-05:00Revelation Into Resolution <p><span class="font_large"><strong><span style="font-size: 12px;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/a3e52e5d69eaac41db891eac10ca1ae504497fdd/original/the-glory1.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Revelation Into Resolution </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="font-size: 12px;">Unity of Fayetteville Talk 1/26/20 </span></strong><em><span style="font-size: 12px;">(transcript - written as spoken) </span></em></span></p>
<p>A wise counselor once said to me "you are not your thoughts". </p>
<p>At the time it was the perfect thing for me to hear. I was seeing her for counseling because I was struggling with my brothers sudden death and dealing with the anxiety and panic attacks of post traumatic stress. </p>
<p><strong>When she said that, it separated me from the thoughts I was thinking at that time in a profound way</strong> and immediately redirected my attention to my true nature. I was sharing my thoughts with her and she could see that they were scared thoughts, depressed and anxious thoughts. And with one simple sentence she diverted the chaotic flow of my thoughts like a river from one place to another. </p>
<p><strong>I am not my thoughts? Woe...</strong> No one had ever brought that to my attention before. It made me feel better right away. I felt a glimmer of real peace for the first time in so long during that painful time. I am not my thoughts because I am more than this thinking body I knew. That moment was a revelation for me; a spark that resonated with me at a soul level. It felt like a reminder, like something I already knew deep down. And I wonder Is that why it resonated with me? Because I already knew it? But how could I already know something that I am just now finding out? Because my soul knows. My heart knows. But how? How does my heart know, my soul know? Most of us don’t need an explanation. We just know like we know, and we feel it and that is enough. But I want to know what is happening when something resonates so deeply with us during moments of profound revelation, and explore that with you now. Because I have a sense that something profound is going on. </p>
<p>So to get started I looked up resonance and was kind of surprised when I found tons of definitions categorized by the different sciences. </p>
<p>I don't want to make your head spin but I started to see a significant pattern as I read through the definitions that was backing up my sense about what happens when we resonate on a soul level. So I want to share some of them… </p>
<p>For Audio Resonance is the reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighboring object. It’s one thing to play music in an empty room and a completely different thing when you are playing music in a room of people vibin with the sound. The music itself seems to expand and become so much more. </p>
<p> In electronics resonance is the condition in which an electric circuit or device produces the largest possible response to an applied oscillating signal, especially when it’s inductive and capacitative reactances are balanced. </p>
<p>In mechanics resonance the condition in which an object or system is subjected to an oscillating force having a frequency close to its own natural frequency. </p>
<p>I definitely see a pattern here. Science has always excited me because it’s like breaking down god and seeing how divine energy works under a microscope and using mathematical principles. All these scientific principles apply to us as well. As a student of electronics and a spiritually open mind I at once saw the correlation between the atom and our solar system. And many other aspects of the study of electronics can be applied to the way energy works in us and from a spiritual perspective. Likewise these definitions of resonance I think describe what is happening between our body and soul when we experience deep soul resonating revelation. Each of these definitions describe interaction, reaction and synchronicity. These things happen in the context of relationship. </p>
<p>In my last talk I focused on the relationship between our spirit selves and our physical selves and how that relationship truly is the foundation of every relationship we will ever have. As long as we are in this physical body we are always both body and soul, working together. We are not born physical and then when we die we become a spirit. We are spirit form or pure energy first, then our energy becomes focused as a physical being co-existing and co-creating with spirit during our lifetime and then when we die, we shed our physical form and return to spirit energy. And while in this body our connection with our spirit our source is directly influenced by the thoughts we think - and our emotional state guides us by showing us how open we are to that connection. But it is not just a one-sided conversation. </p>
<p><strong>When we have a revelation</strong> … the kind of revelation that has deep energetic resonance<strong> we are having a conversation with our source or our spirit, god. </strong>Resonance what the answer feels like. This is how god speaks to us every day. When the switch flips and there is resonance between spirit body and physical body you will feel it; and pay attention. This is the voice of spirit as balanced signal response synchronizing to your body’s heart and mind </p>
<p>Since my studies of new thought I have come to realize that while I am not my thoughts my thoughts are a critical part of my experience. My thoughts guide my abundant energy to go where I want it to go. And when we think thoughts that do not serve us over and over again they become habit and harder to change. And if we think them over and over again year after year after decade after decade … that’s when we might mistakenly identify with our thoughts as if they were us… until someone comes along and reminds us; that we are not our thoughts. We are spirit focused into physical form at the moment, and our thoughts are our brain/mind energy reacting to and processing the world around us and shaping our experience as a result. Through our choice thoughts can be softened and calmed. They can be healing, compassionate, forgiving, loving. And they can be brand new. </p>
<p>When we have a revelation it is the dawning of a new thought isn’t it? Backed by the resonance of our soul saying YES. And just as we can see the correlation between physics and energy work in the spiritual community we can see the correlation between how god creates and how we create. It is the same. We are the same. We are god’s revelation. This universe came into being as a brand new thought in the divine mind of god. </p>
<p><strong>It’s the beginning of a new year and many of us resolve to be better</strong>. We open ourselves to change at this time probably more than any other time as a collective society. </p>
<p><strong>I started 2020 with a BANG</strong>. I resolved to quit smoking, quit drinking started a wholes 30 cleanse which is NO SUGAR as well as no grains and no dairy… and exercise and meditate every day. </p>
<p>And I have mostly succeeded. And the benefits are great but what am I really trying to achieve? </p>
<p>None of this change really matters if the thoughts I think stay the same. I could be as healthy as could be but if running in the background are thoughts of doubt and insecurity, thoughts that tare me down; am I really going to see the benefit of all that healthy change in external habits? Maybe for a little while. </p>
<p>Ugh I am just gonna fail anyway… I should stop now and have a magarta and go on twitter to read people's rage tweets about the political situation. </p>
<p>All our resolutions are a wonderful beautiful part of who we are as creators stating our intention to expand with the universe. <strong>And I believe there is one resolution we must make before all others.</strong> We must resolve to live a life in mindful connection to our divine source in every moment. And that was my revelation this year. It resonated with me… god said YES ginger. And if you resolve to do that - assistance and most importantly awareness for everything you need in this life to be the best and happiest you have ever been is more readily available to you. </p>
<p>Many of you may have already made your resolutions. Some of you have not but we resolve to do things all year long. And my message to you today is whatever you resolve to do use your natural ability to resonate with spirit to guide and assist you in that process. I’ll tell you this right now. If the thought of doing something makes you giddy with joy it is the path you should take. If you are uncertain and confused about something, if you feel your resolve slipping … wait a moment and pray for revelation. Consciously open your mind to the answer that is always there and you will feel it when it comes, resonate through your being. If nothing is coming if the world feels silent and you feel alone, be grateful for this awareness because it’s showing you something too. Perhaps it is showing you to wait and rest. Perhaps it is showing you to strengthen your awareness of, and open wide to, your inherent right to the constant stream of well being that is always there for you. You will know it when the right answer comes because it will be a revelation that resonates with you. The unconditional love that made you wants you to be healthy, happy and whole. It serves life purpose for you to be healthy, happy and whole. Because life’s purpose is to flourish and we flourish when we are healthy, happy and whole. There are so many tools to help you stick to this resolution of living in mindful awareness of your connection or oneness with spirit. You can do it by meditation, affirmation and prayer. When thoughts that hurt come through… it’s ok. Be gentle with yourself in those moments. Thank those thoughts for showing you where spirits focus needs to be in your life and release them. Because that’s not who you are. You are love in physical form worthy of this life which is why you have it. You are a whole part of spirit fulfilling life’s purpose every day and the kingdom of heaven, from which you came and to which you are always connected is waiting to serve your best and highest good. </p>
<p>Mathew 6:32 & 33 Therefore don’t be anxious, for your heavenly Father knows your needs...But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be given to you. </p>
<p> Luke 17:20–21, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you </p>
<p>So let’s sit together in prayer and meditation and resonate with each other and with spirit turning within. </p>
<p>Take a big deep cleansing breath. Let us pray </p>
<p>Great light. You already know our hearts and our greatest desires… You know what we need to heal, to be happy, to be peaceful and content. Our desires are heard by you every day. Our only true work then is to allow the answer to come through. Help us in this moment and every moment to connect with you first, align with you first remembering that you are the starting point for everything we will do in the year ahead. </p>
<p>Now lets visualize together… imagine doing something commonplace that you do a lot or maybe even every day; going to work, fixing dinner, doing laundry, taking out the garbage...Now Stop... hold that garbage bag or hold those clothes before you put them in the dryer and align with spirit. Say a little prayer in that moment. Sweet spirit I allow my connection to you in this moment to be strong and clear. I allow the constant stream of well being to flow into me in this moment and beyond. Now put the clothes in the dyer, or the trash in the can. </p>
<p>Now imagine something big. Something important that you know you need to do. Or imagine the feeling that you get when there is something important you know you need to do but are afraid and worried and you are just on the other side of that door. Imagine you stop and connect with spirit mindfully in that moment. By saying something like Sweet spirit I allow my connection to you in this moment to be strong and clear. I allow the constant stream of well being to flow into me in this moment and beyond. Now feel the resonance of god supporting you and going with you as you open the door and succeed.</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/60973192020-01-14T11:55:51-06:002023-10-16T09:44:46-05:00The Path of Sacred Flow <p><strong><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/ab1060dc5c73c61039652cf0be859a727be55011/original/video-thumbnail.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />The first song of my <span style="display: none;"> </span><a contents="Sacred Flow concept" data-link-label="Sacred Flow" data-link-type="page" href="/sacred-flow" style="" target="_blank">Sacred Flow</a> concept album has been released! </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span class="font_large">Track #1 <a contents="Mandala" data-link-label="Sacred Flow" data-link-type="page" href="/sacred-flow" target="_blank">Mandala</a> is available for download now. </span><span class="font_regular">Click the link to download and support the production of this album! I am releasing one song at a time. When the downloads of each song reach $500 (the cost of mixing and mastering) I will release the next song. </span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong><em>And so it has begun</em></strong><b><strong>.</strong> <span style="font-size: 12px;">The</span></b></span><span class="font_large"> </span><span class="font_regular">whisper that became a vision is becoming music and manifesting like a sweeping landscape before me, taking beautiful shape around me the further I go into it. </span><span class="font_regular"> The vision of this project was given to me in a twilight dream state just before waking and I have excitedly sought to make it manifest ever since. </span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font_regular">The concept is simple: </span></strong><span class="font_regular"><em>take sacred symbols and practices and turn them into song.</em> This is what was whispered to me in my dream state and immediately a list of songs began to come to me. But what made me shoot out of bed and stumble over myself to anxiously to tell Andrea about this new idea was the song idea "Mandala". To make a song from the inspiration and teaching of the mandala was very exciting and challenging to me especially as someone who has studied and practiced Buddhist teachings for some time. I took on that challenge with great reverence. </span></p>
<p>Shortly after this exciting revelation, my mother's was diagnosed with cancer and my world changed dramatically. I was grieving and knew it would be a difficult road ahead. I was on call to help with her care down in Houston which became progressively more involved. She moved in with me last year as a part of a plan for my sister and I to share the responsibility of her care. Her Multiple Myeloma is incurable and you can live with it for a long time. But in order to live with it, the treatment you must go through can do a number on your health especially for an older woman a dealing with other issues. The work on the Sacred Flow project and my music career slowed down. But I had several songs finished. I did not want to hold onto to them. <strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>I usually do a fan funding campaign to help with the release of an album but this project needed a new approach. So I thought since so much of this album was complete why not let the songs themselves pay for production? </strong>Mixing and mastering is expensive but if I could pay for the first song, maybe downloads of the first song could pay for the second and so on. <br><br>And that is where I am now. Help me spread the word. Each download supports the release of a next song! Besides Mandala the other songs that are finished are: Prayer, Kundalini RIsing, Celtic Knot and Rune. </p>
<p>Thank you for being here and thank you for your support !! <3 </p>
<p>Love</p>
<p>ginger</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/59915052019-12-04T10:15:52-06:002021-06-24T13:18:11-05:00Mom's Tough Days <p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/5c23c3f8458ba171a35f682e72936f27dbf60d29/original/78070096-10221561402613775-5684474621680680960-o.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Friday Dec 1</strong> It's been a tough couple of weeks for mom ... and we are down at the ER for the 3rd time. Nothing life threatening at the moment and if not for the fact that all the clinics and doctors offices were closed right now we might not have had to come. But this mysterious neck pain that started last week has caused all kinds of trouble. Without heavy duty pain meds she is in unbearable pain (believe me I have tried all the things) and now we are having some unpleasant side effects. Surprise!! Docs cannot figure out what's wrong with her neck and say we just need to manage the pain until neck/spine specialist can be seen and unfortunately everyone is on holiday right now. She will go into rehab tomorrow where they will be able to help figure this out and get her back on track. Meantime I don't mind telling you I am *so* tired. The pain wakes her up at night and she calls out to me. Poor mama... it has been so frustrating not to be able to take it away. So I lean on my spiritual tools and most times it's the only thing getting me through. Except today...Those tools weren't really enough when I realized we had to go to the ER again after only a sketchy 4hrs of sleep. </p>
<p>That's when I leaned on my love @Andrea for the 1000th time. She asked me if I wanted her to go with us this time and in my head I was like: *YES* but no way I wanted to take away a very rare day off for her. She saw my face and said "it's ok- i just wanted to read today anyway." While she has been here she has not cracked a book and has been doing nothing but helping every step of the way. </p>
<p>It's lucky this holiday is an exercise in giving thanks. The spirit of the holiday has been a comfort to us. I have *so much* to be thankful for and I try to focus on that as much as I can. It is already a daily practice.for me... but that practice gets even more crucial when life gets harder. </p>
<p>Like even in the middle of all this, mom was able to pull herself together and went to Thanksgiving dinner. She really wanted to go and it lifted her spirits. I was seeing her smile for the first time in a while and she said her pain level was good. Amazing how that works! I dont think I can fully express how much it meant to me to have her at the TG table with some of my Fayetteville hearttribe. </p>
<p>Like when i am so frustrated and tired ~ I can so easily picture the day she is not on this earth anymore and how I will wish for one more moment ... and I know I will think with a special fondness of the days she rode around in the car with me in Fayetteville loving all the fall colors. Those thoughts engulf me with deep grief ~ so I stop and I look at her right then with that big picture awareness and sigh with relief that she is still here. </p>
<p>Like how so many times during the course of our day yesterday dear ones kept showing us love. Every time I turned around someone different was sitting with mom, talking to her or helping her with something, so beautiful and so real. </p>
<p>And now in the ER @Andrea my love has given her day off to keep me from being here alone. How did I get so lucky and so blessed ♡ ?? HOW I TELL YA!!! ??? All the way around. Mama doesn't want pictures of her posted so I honor that. I will keep.you updated. Love y'all ♡</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/58938002019-09-16T13:24:58-05:002020-06-03T19:55:40-05:00The Greatest Love of All<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/18930e5b3fc9b835eaa49c52b000fc5729a0c6c8/original/but-first-love-yourself.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>(Written as spoken) Transcript of Unity Talk 9.15.19 - </em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Watch this talk on YouTube here: </em><a contents="https://youtu.be/0ZdaAHH5JRo" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/0ZdaAHH5JRo" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/0ZdaAHH5JRo</a></strong></p>
<p>Let me ask you a question. Have you told yourself lately that you love you? No seriously. Have you? Maybe looked in the mirror and said to yourself - I love you. And felt it. And meant it. And didn't even feel silly or anything. Maybe just spent some time looking at your face … and thought about all you have been through and all you have done; all those that you have helped and those that you have comforted. All those times you needed a hug, didn't get one but picked yourself up anyway and moved on. All those times you were sick and went to work anyway or went to visit a friend in need even though you were tired and just wanted to go home. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror and thought of all the moments when you made yourself proud or even when you didn't, just cause life can be hard sometimes, and your still here and said… I love you! Raise your hand if you told yourself today: I love you! Well we are at unity. </p>
<p><strong>Before we were born into this human body our energy existed as one with spirit.</strong> Flowing in a complete state of wholeness. When our consciousness focused into the physical being that we now inhabit we entered into our very first human relationship; the relationship between the physical being that we now inhabit and the non physical spirit that we always are. And from that point on during this life, we are always both. Never one without the other. </p>
<p>The relationship we have with spirit or source is the most important relationship we have. As you sit here today you represent both a physical and a spiritual being. ALWAYS BOTH. Never just one or the other. And there are clues to this everywhere… I have always had this theory that the story of the garden of eden is in fact the symbolic story of the journey of the spirit into the realm of the physical. </p>
<p>Corinthians 3:16 reads: Know ye not that ye are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you." In the mysteries of Genesis Charles Filmore comments on this scripture and writes: Under the direction of the Christ consciousness, a new body is constructed by the thinking faculty of human beings; the materials entering into this superior structure are spiritual substances, and the new creation is the temple or body of Spirit. It breathes an atmosphere and is thrilled with a life energy more real than that of the manifest man” </p>
<p>Wow what could be more real than this … than what I can touch and feel? Well ill tell you...What animates us my friends, our source, our spirit this is what we truly are. For that is our infinite being, what we are forever. And here on earth this most magnificent body and its journey through time and space is temporary; to learn and grow and experience contrast for the purpose of expansion. </p>
<p>Ok so what is our source, our spirit; the thing that we are forever? <strong>The Only word that I have to describe it and that encompasses the whole concept of it all at once is LOVE. </strong>Love is the nature of our source our spirit our soul our god. Let me elaborate. I am not talking about the love from the hippie chick who comes up to you with a flower who tells <em>you love is groovy man</em>. Although love <strong>is</strong> groovy and I would totally take that flower and be so happy. I am talking about the divine love that is the force of creation. And If you have had a child you know that love. But you do not need to have given birth to a child to know that love. You get to experience that love when you <strong>truly fall in love.</strong> The love that is your source is this same unconditional love that forgives, again and again; that sees only the best in a person no matter WHAT they do; that would let you go rather hold on to you because they know that is what would truly give you joy. That love would let you make your own mistakes and not try to control you, knowing that experience is the teacher that will serve you best. The love that is your source uplifts and heals and makes miracles. I am just gonna say it. The love that is your source is the same love that created THIS universe. When you feel the deep pure unconditional love for your children your true love, your bestie, your feeling the love that made you and everything that is. When you feel that love you are feeling God and the force that created the universe moving through you. That love, IS your source. And before you came into this incarnation that love was you too. But now that our consciousness is in this body vehicle we are experiencing a relationship with our source, a duality. And wow what a relationship. </p>
<p>Imagine a partner that is in love with you unconditionally - forever. And before you get creeped out, keep in mind that you feel the same way about them too. Imagine a partner that never judges you and only ever want your highest good. That will never ever ever abandon you. But will always give you the space you need to be whatever and wherever you want to be, even if it might be a mistake. Imagine a partner who Is a wellspring of vitality and healing and supports your happiness and joy with and constant stream of generous abundant giving. Well my friends this is what we have. 24/7. AND We have all the tools we need in this life to take full advantage of this relationship and we also have all the tools to be resistant to that relationship. </p>
<p>So who here has seen the movie Avatar? It is one of my favorites. When it first came out in 2009 and for ten years after, it remained the highest grossing film of all time. If you haven't seen it Avatar takes place in a distant future and is about a soldier from earth who is bound to a wheel-chair after an injury in battle. The military sends him to the alien planet Pandora; a rich lush planet that earth and its corporate interests along with the military have occupied so they can mine a very rare precious mineral that is found there in abundance. The soldier is given a way to link his mind with an Avatar or body, of one of Pandora natives so he can walk among them as one of them. He is suppose to go in, and gain their trust and learn their secrets so they can get access to this mineral, and then get out. But something happens when he begins to live life in this body. He falls in love with this beautiful alien planet and with the tribe of natives who live there and their ways and ultimately the native girl who has been teaching him. He begins to truly embrace life as this new being - while his broken earth body lays in a lab, his brain connected to this avatar by sophisticated computer links. More and more what becomes real to him is the world of his avatar not the world of the broken soldier. And eventually he sacrifices everything to live the life of his avatar.. </p>
<p>What’s really cool is we actually understand that technology now. Virtual reality and the idea of linking the human brain with sophisticated programming to simulate an environment is commonplace now. As science and technology advances, and we can see how all of this works at the subatomic level, at the energy level, science is proving spiritual concepts that have been a part of our spiritual traditions and beliefs since the beginning. It's not just deep inner knowing anymore…The more that science reveals the more mystical and sacred life is proving to be. </p>
<p><strong>To me this physical body, your physical body is the avatar of your soul.</strong> And our soul, our source, is linked with this body. And our thoughts are the signals pulsing through the links between our physical and non physical being that manifest our reality for the purpose of expansion.. We are like avatars for our soul. But this isnt sci fi ... this is sacred. We do not need to prove that god exists. We are the proof. That you and I exist proves that the source exists. We are extensions of source - of god expressing as us. </p>
<p>From the Vortex by Ester and Jerry Hicks ~ Channeling Abraham</p>
<p><em>“There is no relationship of greater importance to achieve than the relationship between you, in your physical body, right here and now, and the Soul/Source/God from which you have come. If you tend to that relationship first and foremost, you will then, and only then, have the stable footing to proceed into other relationships.” </em></p>
<p>While we exist on this earth our great work is the work of maintaining our relationships. Our relationship to our partners and friends, to our coworkers and communities, our animals and pets, to money, to intimacy, to food, to politics, to our past and our future. It is ALL relationship. And It all starts with the one relationship that made all the other relationships possible; the relationship between our physical being and our spiritual being. It is the one relationship that makes all other relationships on this plane possible and it is the healthiest most love filled relationship there is. Yet we so often ignore it. That would not fly in our friendships or our marriage … your boss wouldn't be too happy with you if you ignore him.( Play out the boss scene) Our source doesn't get mad though… we just miss out on the unconditional love and constant well being that is flowing for us all the time. </p>
<p>So here’s our source, eternally giving us love and essentially saying “I love you” all day long. </p>
<p><em><strong>I LOVE YOU … </strong></em></p>
<p>And here’s us with our ramblin resistant thoughts blocking the way - (waves hand) OMG i have so much to do and can you believe the state of our government and the environment and Ohhh….my BACK hurts and so does my leg what is wrong with me? I am just getting old and fat and useless. </p>
<p><em><strong>I LOVE YOU … </strong></em></p>
<p>Shhhhhh I'm trying to think. OMG my daughter is driving me crazy. Every time I try to tell her that she is screwing up her life she just shuts me off and leaves the room. She is just so difficult! And My husband is not doing a DAMN THING around the house. I have to do it ALL ….and does he say thank you? NOPE. </p>
<p><strong><em>I love you... meditate…. meditate </em></strong></p>
<p>Ok something is telling me to meditate. I should probably meditate but I don't have time for that!! <br>Ok five minutes. I can probably do 5 minutes. (Relaxes hands and breathes)</p>
<p><em><strong>I LOVE YOU </strong></em></p>
<p>I know. Thank you. I love you too. </p>
<p>Wow I feel a lot better. Oh and I love my husband and my daughter SO MUCH. They are both so beautiful. Maybe I just need to express to him that I need some help around the house. I never have before. And my daughter … she is so smart and creative. Maybe I just need to learn to be more encouraging and let go a little more. So she can make her own mistakes. Like i did. </p>
<p>Let me repeat the quote from the Vortex again </p>
<p><em>“There is no relationship of greater importance to achieve than the relationship between you, in your physical body, right here and now, and the Soul/Source/God from which you have come. If you tend to that relationship first and foremost, you will then, and only then, have the stable footing to proceed into other relationships.” </em></p>
<p>So if you are having trouble with anyone or anything First, nurture and align with your greatest love of alls... the LOVE that is you. Nurture that relationship first. And to nurture that relationship is fairly easy. Especially compared to the other relationships in your life. Especially when you practice every day. Open and allow yourself to be connected on a regular basis through the spiritual principles you are learning here at Unity. Mindful thoughts and affirmations such as<strong> I am allowing source to guide me in this moment.</strong> Or: <strong>I am opening to the constant state of well being coming from my source. </strong>These words along with the feeling they impart strengthens this bond. And Meditation is so important… it opens the conduit for your source to flow, that is closed when we are in resistant thought, so we can benefit from all that good. When you are living in mindful allowance of the constant flow of unconditional love that comes from your source you are strengthening the foundation of all other relationships. So let's take a moment to do that right now. </p>
<p><strong>Meditation:</strong></p>
<p>Take a deep breath </p>
<p>Let your shoulders drop and your neck relax. observe what thoughts creep into your mind without judgement and them let the go. Another deep breath….. </p>
<p>Remember being the perfect oneness of energy from where you came. Calm love. Perfect love. A peaceful colorful blissful essence. Now be born and step forward as you…. Your body as it is now sparkling as it forms around your essence. Look down and Marvel at the vehicle that is you. Now turn around and see that blissful colorful peaceful essence that you came from and notice the chord that connects you flowing with abundant love and energy. And sayThank you. </p>
<p>Now turn and manifest a mirror with your thoughts. Look into it and see your face… it is the face of you both body and soul. It is the face of God … expressing as you. Say to your body from your source I love You Now say to you source from your body I love you. </p>
<p>Now doesn't that feel better. Do this everyday and notice how the other relationship in your life ~ flourish. </p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/58307032019-07-20T11:41:23-05:002020-07-27T11:41:44-05:00Mom's Moved In ~ Its one Day at a time<p><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/beb5de06cc7779fca0f3a8cbdca0875a58bd76cf/original/img-7915.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></span>Mom is settling in well and doing really good. I am very thankful that she is at the top of her base level for health right now so I can take her around Fayetteville and show her the sights. Last night Andrea, Mom and I went to dinner with Lynda and had a great time. She was beaming. Part of that was that she loves Lynda and was happy to see her, part of that was that she was sitting in the sunshine but most of it was just a glow that I have not seen from her in a while and it melted my heart, </p>
<p>We are settling in too, still unpacking and figuring out where to put everything.Andrea mowed the entire yard front, back and side (its pretty big ya'll) and when I asked her if I could do some she growled at me. ;) She loves to mow and has been wanting her own yard for SO LONG. She really wanted the "first mow" all to herself. She ROCKED it. </p>
<p>Mom keeps asking me if there is anything she can do to help. I want to oblige but I have to consider what is safe and frankly, doable. Today I realized my clothes in the dyer needed to be folded so i thought about it. She could sit by the bed and I could set the basket next to her and she could fold without standing... not too heavy... it might just work. I asked her if she wanted to fold my clothes and she lit up - YES ! she said... (that's a big change from childhood just FYI) and OMG ya'll my mom folded my clothes. FLASHBACK! Wow. Now she is relaxing watching the news with the remote ear phones I bought for her for just that reason. Later we will run errands. Life is good. We are blessed. Step by step I will figure this out. <3</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/57684592019-05-25T22:44:25-05:002019-06-04T19:50:28-05:00A new house, A different life ~ An Expanding Vision<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/5b277b92aa279f47e6f1c021b2633077c9cd665f/original/60191327-10219697049846121-5108661056524255232-o.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><strong>It's official</strong>! Andrea and I have found a house to rent which means we have the space to bring my Mom to stay with us for half the year. I am breathing. This is a big life change for me and for our family. It feels good to at last share equally in the responsibility to care for her. It is also a scary prospect on lots of levels. One of which is I will be restricted in my ability to travel which as most of you know greatly effects my ability to perform music for a living. You can only play in your town so much before your peeps need a break; certainly not 3 or 4 times a week unless you play in a cover band in the local hotel circuit. This is why every singer songwriter you know hits the road. Well fortunately I live in the future where videos and <a contents="Patreon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/gingerdoss" target="_blank">Patreon</a> and <a contents="online concerts" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.concertwindow.com/gingerdoss" target="_blank">online concerts</a> are a thing and THANK all of the powers that be FOR THAT!! The girls have been SO awesome. All of them. My Andrea especially. <3 I even told Rowan (who volunteered her room for 6 months) about how my mom used to get on us as kids about our table manners. She got upset at dinner last night thinking she might make grandma Nancy (my mom) mad if she did something wrong. NO WORRIES little girl. This is my chance to cash in on the many times my mom said... "When you live in your own house you can do it your way!" Stay with me folks... I might be out of sight for a bit but I am definitely still here. <3</p>
<p><strong>The house came into our awareness on Easter afternoon. </strong>I was out in the parking lot at Unity Church talking to a sweet lady and one of the prayer chaplains for the church, Rosa. We were talking about the service and she told me how much she enjoyed my talk since I had given the message, as well as the music that day. <a contents="(A video of that talk is available to my Patrons) " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/gingerdoss" target="_blank">(A video of that talk is available to my Patrons) </a>Then she casually mentioned that she and her husband were buying a new house. A voice immediately said to me "Tell her you're looking..." So with some uncertainty I said... "Just so you know Andrea and I are looking for a house too." And she immediately said "Oh well our house is going to be for rent..." and the rest is history. Now it is ours. And now we have to move. Our move in date is June 21, a bit later than we wanted because the folks that are moving out are going through the process of buying their new place. Everyday or so we are going through our stuff section by section little by little. Mostly it's Andrea and the kids stuff because mine has been in storage since I moved in with her nearly 4 years ago. But I realize I am going through my stuff too... on another and much deeper level </p>
<p><strong>If you want to heal stuff from your childhood...</strong> having your mother move in with you during her end stage of life is a really good time to do it. There is a lot we must heal, my mother and I, though you would not know it to look at us now. We are two very different people yet bound by blood, a great deal of love and the bond that only a mother and child can have. She is conservative I am liberal. She struggles with my sexuality and I have for years been peeling away my own guilt for not being what she hoped for. I don't know how she will be in the house with us but Andrea has assured me during during many a doubtful moment that it's all gonna be good not matter what. I am blessed beyond measure that she is taking the journey with me. And there is so much more that I could write about this but... I don't have time right now. </p>
<p><strong>I will always create music. </strong> My expenses are rising but my trust is strong. I plan to keep working on my music every moment that I can. Day jobs and moms care will take a lot of my time. <strong>The more <a contents="patrons" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/gingerdoss" target="_blank">patrons</a> I have the more time I can focus on my music.</strong> I plan to stay self employed for as long as I am able so that there will be more time to give to my music. <strong><a contents="We have a short tour just before mom comes." data-link-label="Calendar" data-link-type="page" href="/calendar" target="_blank">We have a short tour just before mom comes.</a></strong> Check out my <a contents="calendar" data-link-label="Calendar" data-link-type="page" href="/calendar" target="_blank">calendar</a> for dates as it will be the only one we will have before next summer. I will be creating as many videos as possible so that they can do the traveling for me. This will take much time and effort. The more time I have the more will get done. I am FIVE SONGS into my new album and can't wait to begin the next song. I may release them one at a time. That may be the best way to go about it, so that I don't have to keep folks waiting too long. <em><strong>Thank you for continuing to believe in me. </strong></em></p>
<p>so much love</p>
<p>ginger</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/57145572019-04-10T13:31:03-05:002019-04-10T13:34:01-05:00The Miracle of Springfield <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/b17fc19a585f79a55f0a380feb005114409ecf18/original/55861180-10157006719882674-1564154916572758016-o.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />So my past week was a bit .. A BIT of a whirlwind. Went down to Houston for mama care/family wedding. Had some good days caring for her and being her escort for wedding events. (Everybody was looking good, I tell ya) Wedding went off without a hitch. Then suddenly Mom's health turned. A scary morning on Tuesday had me calling paramedics. and eventually brought us to MDA ER, a place the family is getting to know all too well. Beause when you're in cancer treatment there you have to go *that* ER when something goes wrong in an urgent way. (I will spare you the details of her symptoms which was a lot of bodily fluids) Much testing revealed a UTI. IV antibiotics were given and she was observed overnight. By the morning she still had fever and intestinal issues but they released her anyway sighting negative stool. So off to home we go. I stay an extra day to get her settled back in. She is still running a fever which seems odd after 2 rounds of IV antibiotics and starting the oral kind.<br><br>I left Thursday morning to head back to Fayetteville. And low and behold... <bam> the demon hits me. <strong>STOMACH BUG. </strong> I don't know how they missed it but they did. I wasn't as careful as I would have been had I known what we were dealing with was a UTI *AND* a stomach bug. Albeit, it may have been too late for me by then as far as exposure goes, BUT STILL. Ever tried to drive 10 hours with a stomach bug? Well, now I can mark that one off my bucket list. It wasn't too bad. I have actually been through worse on the road ... But It was not fun. Thursday night into Friday was an achy fever riddled journey through the nightmare that is a stomach bug. All of this might have been OK except <strong>I had A GIG in Springfield on SATURDAY!</strong> And I don't cancel gigs. Usually I have to be held prisoner on a different dimension or be actually *in the grave* to cancel. (Don't ask me how I would cancel if I was dead...) But as I lay ailing in bed, I actually contemplated how the show would go if I had to run to the bathroom between songs. </bam></p>
<p><bam><strong>That’s when I was like WAIT.</strong>.. there were a lot of awesome magical folks involved in the the prep for this Springfield show, (and I mean SERIOUSLY I love these people!) And I realized I need to send out an plea for healing from them. We had a facebook msg group going so I messaged them and said, “Um ya’ll ...if I dont get dramatically better by tomorrow… I am not gonna make it.” And they responded en mas: “ON IT!!!” What follows is what I am now calling, for dramatic purposes, “The Miracle of the Springfield Gig” I stayed in bed, sipped some broth and slept. The next morning, I was... good. I mean, GOOD like = I feel fine. OK YES! I CAN DO THIS!! So I got up (in pure aries fashion) and proceeded to do all the stuff I have to do to get ready to leave. Tare down my gear, load the car, shower, change, grab the kids and the honey and GO! Springfield is only 2 ½ hours away. The drive was smooth. And I actually drove. Got there, unloaded, set up, sound checked set up merch, then began to say my hello’s. Then Lynda and I snuck away to do the set list. Our opener did a short set then we began to play. While I am playing I can feel that I am not 100% but still I am more than hanging in there. Two 50 minute sets with a long meet and greet in between and then the last chorus of the last song… I feel the fade… then after the gig was over and I loaded out I realized that I am still not done with this thing. Holy Moly I was WHOOPED. </bam></p>
<p>I went to the room they have for us and crashed out. All day Sunday was a wash too. Felt ok but still green around the gills and not able to eat much. ALL I CAN SAY is that the plea to all the magical healing folks in Springfield, combined with the almighty divine force of the universe held me up for the time it took to do the gig. It was pretty obvious I was suppose to do this gig. That’s when you know… The clouds part, the sea divides, the traffic clears, the fever breaks… Someone is trying to tell you ~ <strong>YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO DO THIS.</strong> It’s when the fever hits, the storm grows, the traffic mounts, the roads close, the rivers rise ~ that’s when you know you’re suppose to stay home... and hopefully you can. ;)</p>
<p>I wonder how much of that is our soul working its deepest will. <strong>I REALLY wanted to do this gig. </strong> I think that had some part to play in the stars aligning. All that to say… I was truly blessed by the miracle of Springfield and I won't soon forget.</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/56150572019-01-27T14:21:49-06:002020-08-25T10:47:57-05:00Thought Antidotes <p><span class="font_large"><strong>This is a transcript of my message: <em>Thought Antidotes </em></strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong>Given a Unity Fayetteville 1/27/19</strong></span></p>
<p><i>Watch this talk on You Tube <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/RD4VmAD1Ya8" target="_blank">here</a></i></p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/fe4f70596cd14b6bddc9ddf77e994f71ed14511c/original/thought-antidotes.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></em><span class="font_large"><strong>Thought Antidotes</strong><em> (This is a transcript and is written as spoken)</em></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">There is a monster in this room. You can't see it … but it is HUGE. And it is scary and it has purple scraggly hair, long sharp claws and big sharp teeth and muddy feet and its pointing at me and sneering at me and saying you don't know what you are talking about sit down! Or not … it is ….Whatever I say it is. Because this monster is fear and I created it. And since I created I can also make it go away. Or better yet, since it is simply energy created by thought…I can transform it from what scares me to what soothes me. That may actually be easier than just trying hard to make it go away. Oooooo. Now the big monster is... not so big, about 2 inches shorter than me actually. And his scraggly hair is soft fluffy fur and he is smiling at me. His claws have turned into big soft paws and his arms are outstretched to me and he is saying you can do it! </span></p>
<p>Ahhh. Doesn't that feel better? Don't we all feel better? We just transformed the landscape of our mind by guiding our thoughts away from fear and visualizing our preferred outcome. If we want to heal our lives and our bodies, to heal our relationships and our connection to our divine purpose this is where we start - healing the mind. And we know this all too well in the new thought community. </p>
<p>And when I say the mind I am not talking about the brain I am talking about the internal landscape that is created by our thoughts, and how they interact with the energy of our spirit. </p>
<p>Now this does ultimately affect the brain and the body temple … but for now I want to focus on the mind. Spirit and thought, and the energy they create together. </p>
<p>One of the most profound teachings in my life about the nature of the mind came to me from Buddhist philosophy and I want to share this with you because it healed me in a very dark time in my life. It brought me back from the brink of debilitating depression and heartbreak. In Buddhism they speak of the 3 poisons of the mind - which we could talk about at great length, but that would be a whole different talk. But they also talk about the antidotes to these poisons and to negative harmful emotions in general. These antidotes are thoughts that quickly counter and calm the mind, guiding the way toward healing. That teaching resonated deeply with me during that intensely difficult time in my life. It is medically proven how persistent negative thoughts adversely affect our brains and do indeed act as a poison. It was soothing to me to know that the antidote to this poison was within easy reach and I only needed to have it ready. I was hurting and confused. I didn't always have the space or clarity to adequately process my emotions. I needed a quick remedy that could just get me through to the next moment. Like so many wise spiritual teachings that resonate with me in my life, I blend them, work with them and tweak them, and listen to my heart til I find what serves me best. Thought antidotes blended very well with new thought and gave me a fresh perspective. I liked the idea of medicine for the mind and Thought Antidotes are really one of the best medicines ever. </p>
<p>So this is a blend of buddhist and new thought teaching that i developed for myself and it worked so well that I want to share it with you. And here is a definition that we can use a reference guide: <strong>Thought antidotes are specific thoughts designed to counteract and neutralize negative unwanted thoughts that are no longer serving our higher good. They are prepared ahead time and are taken as needed. They primarily do 3 things and their benefits are far reaching. They reset our perspective aligning us with our true nature, they counteract specific unhelpful thoughts neutralizing them, and they plant new seeds for lasting wellbeing. </strong></p>
<p>Using thought antidotes is a two part process. And very similar to physical antidotes ...Part one is learning nature of the poison or the unwanted thoughts that are doing more harm than good in our lives and being able to recognize them when they appear. Part two is learning how to make the antidote, and how to administer it. </p>
<p>So let’s start with part one, the nature of the poison or the monster in the room. </p>
<p>Raise your hand if you don’t ever worry about anything. (No one did) <br>Worry and fear are essentially the SAME thing. I think we could honestly find that the source of all our negative thoughts is fear. Dare I say Fear is the biggest challenge any of us will ever have about anything. “ All we have to fear….” It stops us, from asking for help, from asking for a raise, from asking for an apology, from saying how we really feel, from taking the next big step, from believing in ourselves and being ourselves. Most importantly the big what if’s stemming from fear stops us from living our dream. What if it doesn’t work? What if I fail? What if I embarrass myself and then everyone will think I’m a idiot. It makes us put up walls or blocks, which don't just block the THING we think we are blocking. But it blocks a way for spirit to come in too. </p>
<p>Think back to a time when fear STOPPED you from doing something that you really wanted to do. Or made you do something you would NEVER do. Who’s in charge here after all? Fear? Is fear in charge of your life? So how can we change that? How can we be the ones in charge? </p>
<p>The night before his enlightenment, the Buddha fought a great battle with the Demon God Mara, who attacked him all night long with everything he had: fear, lust, greed, anger, doubt, etc. When his attack failed, Mara left in disarray on the morning of the Buddha’s enlightenment. But it seems Mara was only temporarily discouraged. Even after the Buddha had become deeply revered throughout India, Mara continued to make unexpected appearances. </p>
<p>Instead of ignoring Mara or driving him away, the Buddha would calmly acknowledge his presence, saying, “I see you, Mara.” </p>
<p>He would then invite him for tea and serve him as an honored guest. Offering Mara a cushion so that he could sit comfortably, the Buddha would fill two earthen cups with tea, place them on the low table between them, and only then take his own seat. Mara would stay for a while and then go, but throughout Mara’s visit the Buddha remained free and undisturbed. </p>
<p>The buddha teaches us here that the first key in conquering our fears and the poisonous thoughts that arise from them is to recognize them, to face them, to have tea with them. I literally did this. I had tea with my fears at that very dark time in my life when I was studying these teachings. Want to hear the story? </p>
<p>Back when I was a *roving* hippie singer songwriter with no permanent residence spent a couple of winters in Fayetteville. I was living in Jori Costello’s Dojo in the winter of 2010/2011, with all my demons and my broken heart aching. I cried all the time. I cried every night and every morning. And in between all that crying I was meditating studying… reaching for all my tools and also all my crutches. Then one morning I woke up saying to myself I am tired of crying! I don't want to waste any more of my precious time giving my peace of mind to someone else who is not even there. The buddhist studies were sinking in. And that’s when I decided that instead being traumatized by my painful thoughts and fears over and over again, and spending so much of my energy trying to distract myself from them and shut them out…. I would invite them to tea.</p>
<p>There was a little round table in the dojo that was perfect for this. And my very vivid imagination was helpful here. I brought my demons of that time in one by one and gave them a physical look as part of me. So my fear of rejection was over to my right ME frumpy and disheveled ,,, looking very unattractive and unwanted. Jealousy was over here looking angry and mean wearing camo. And self doubt was over here having an anxiety attack and a very bad hair day. Those were the main ones I was dealing with. So then I was like well what do I do now? Cause the book didn't say what to do when you are having this tea. So I actually went through the motions while I thought of what to do next. After a bit I decided to ask them some questions. Which was scary cuz I wasn't sure if I was going to like their answers very much. But here we all were so I did it anyway. I turned to my Fear of rejection and said … “what are you doing here?” And he said You invited me! And that hit me hard. Yes I did didn’t I? Everyday all the time I invite you in don’t I? So I asked another question. So what can I do to get rid of you? And he said … “Stop fearing rejection.” OK now that is just too simple and straightforward for this very complex analytical mind. But god is it really that simple? This is the kind of question you ask yourself when you’re having tea with your demons. It went on like that, I asked them all different questions: where did you come from and why are you in my life and how can I get rid of you...and when I decided the tea was over I felt … sort of better sort of wiser. I at least felt pretty good about the fact that I had done it. I had had tea with my demons just like the Buddha. But it wasn’t this big liberating thing… until later. </p>
<p>When Fear of Rejection and Self Doubt showed up again… I was like. Oh hello again. I see you Mara. I know you… had tea with you, we talked,. You're not so scary because I am beginning to understand you. </p>
<p>I invite you to try this exercise, of having tea with your fears. It is a great way to get to know them. But you should do it in a safe space where you are in not danger of someone looking through the window and saying OMG she lost it. </p>
<p>Really. It is an exercise in mindfulness. As we witness calmly and without judgement the demons or poisons in our mind we prepare the way for antidotes to work and know just where they need to go. And learning to see and face your fears is one of the greatest skills we will ever acquire. Because confronting fear is almost always the first step in healing. </p>
<p><strong>So part one of using thought antidotes is recognizing and understanding our fears, </strong></p>
<p><strong>The second part of using Thought Antidotes is learning to make and apply the antidotes. </strong></p>
<p><strong>The definition of Antidote is a medicine taken or given to counteract a particular poiso</strong>n. </p>
<p>Counter - act is the key here. Thought antidotes are specific thoughts designed to counteract and neutralize negative unwanted thoughts that are no longer serving our higher good. They are prepared ahead time and are taken as needed when “Mara” or any of your demons show up. They primarily do 3 things. They reset our perspective aligning us with our true nature, they counteract specific unhelpful thoughts neutralizing them, and they plant new seeds for lasting well being. </p>
<p><strong>To align with our true nature its helps if we understand our true nature: </strong></p>
<p>What is our True Nature? We are divinely created children of love. This is why thoughts and actions of love bring us joy, healing and literally well-being. And thoughts arising from fear if left unchecked bring us depression, sickness and stress. Our True nature arises from love and is divine, infinite, eternal, reaching beyond time and full of potential. Like the Sky. </p>
<p>Paul Levey Said </p>
<p>The intrinsic purity of our true nature can be likened to how the clouds in the sky, though apparently obscuring the clear nature of the sky, in actuality never sully the deeper, spacious nature of the sky one iota. Though both the clouds and the sky are present together, the clouds never become a part of nor touch the space-like nature of the sky. And yet, from another point of view, clouds are actually an expression an adornment of the sky, inseparable from the sky, in the sense that they emerge out of and dissolve back into the sky. </p>
<p>Our true nature is like a spacious, empty openness in which the endless variety of thoughts arise, momentarily have their existence, and in which they dissolve. </p>
<p><strong>You are the Sky - everything else is just the weather.</strong> Pema Chodron Said that. </p>
<p>You are the Sky ...That is your first thought antidote. Because it immediately puts things in a proper perspective and reminds you of your true nature. The words used to describe the sky... Open, peaceful, radiant, Infinite, beyond time, and full of potential. What does that also describe? Spirit, God, Creator. When you think the thought antidote “I am the sky” - you align with your true nature and open and clear your mind in a single thought. </p>
<p>The other two things that thought antidotes do is counteract the unwanted thoughts, and plant new seeds so that when nurtured take firm root in the landscape of our mind. Making a more beautiful healthy space and keep it that way. </p>
<p><strong>Let’s try an example how thought antidotes work </strong></p>
<p>I can't do this! I can't do this! I can't do this! Oh hello Mara … I remember you. You’re self doubt aren’t you? We had tea! You’re not so scary… I know why you’re here and other things about you as well. That was part one … I recognized the fear. Now part two I have the thought antidote right here and ready to go. </p>
<p>I am the sky. And “I can’t do this” is just a cloud passing by not really touching me. You know what? I bet i really can do this, I maybe just need to try a different way. Maybe just take a break and a few deep breaths and call my friend who might have some ideas for me on how I can do this. ANd if it doesn’t work that’s OK. I will try a different way tomorrow. This is my joy and therefore the universe supports me. </p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#27ae60;"><em>Plant the seed: It’s more likely that I actually can do this </em></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#27ae60;"><em>Plant the seed: if it doesn’t work that’s OK I’ll just try another way. </em></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#27ae60;"><em>Plant the seed: This is my joy and therefore the universe supports me. </em></span></strong></p>
<p>So you see how that works?: You can use thought antidotes for any unwanted thoughts that do not serve your highest good. Those are thoughts that make you afraid to do something you love or make you feel bad or depressed about who you are. We live in a difficult world and there are going to be times of pain and fear and depression, and that's OK. But when they take charge of your life and stop you from moving forward... that's when it is time for a little help from some energy medicine. And our mind is the great energy maker. The antidote would be its counter-part or its opposite. Thoughts that are solution oriented, make you feel better not worse and give hope, clarity and motivation. </p>
<p>Here's another example:</p>
<p>OMG theres my boss and I am supposed to do my review today and I really want to ask him for a raise but what if he thinks I’m too pushy and fires me! I am freaking OUT! . Oh hello Mara, fear of rejection, I see you. I invited you in again didnt it I? Well you know what? I have the antidote right here and ready. </p>
<p>Ok yes i’m scared and that’s ok. I am not "freaking out" I am the sky and the clouds are freaking out, And really it is my right to ask for a raise. I have worked hard and I deserve it. I am worth it! And maybe if he gives me a hard time about asking for a raise that is spirits way of saying I belong somewhere else and I should start looking for another job on my lunch break. </p>
<p><em><strong><span style="color:#27ae60;">Plant the seed “I am worth it” </span></strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong><span style="color:#27ae60;">Plant the seed “I deserve to be appreciated” </span></strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong><span style="color:#27ae60;">Plant the seed “Spirit wants me where I am supported and rewarded”. Hey this is an awesome garden! </span></strong></em></p>
<p>So you get it. Using thought antidotes has two parts; first know you fear recognized when it comes, second have your thought antidote ready when mara appears. Making the antidotes is a <strong>fun</strong> project because of all the good it does in your life. It takes some prep work and some research to find out what your thought demons are, where they come from and what your specific antidotes are, but doing this work ahead of time when you are calm is the key. I invite you today when you have a few extra minutes to single out a couple of your most troubling thoughts and see if you can pin point the fears they come from. Then prepare your thought antidotes. Remember they must do 3 things; reset our perspective to our true nature, counteract the thought that does not serve, and plant new seeds. </p>
<p><strong>So to close lets do a mindfulness meditation. Lets spend some time revealing in our true nature. Let's be the sky; vast, open, unchanging, clear, infinite, eternal. </strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Our Thoughts are impermanent. Arising and dispersing in a constant flow.</strong></em></p>
<p>As thoughts creep in let them do so without judgement. Just observe them as they change the weather while remembering that nothing at all can touch you. </p>
<p>What <strong>is </strong>permanent about the mind is its fertile nature. What we nurture within it, will grow. So just below your sky I invite you to place a brand new garden and you can take home with you today and keep and nurture always. As you nurture your thought antidotes this is the spot where you will place the seeds. Imagine the deep nutrient rich soil, and *you* will provide just the right amount of radiant soul shine to always warm and give light to these healing thoughts that are growing and flourishing in your mind. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I invite you to plant this seed right now. I am love and with love ....all things are possible. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/54702052018-10-15T10:24:33-05:002018-10-28T00:44:10-05:00A slice of life <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/f861d13ffc91b3bc0834c3f9e8b8b48ed8b6d972/original/20180719-201949-1.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Just a slice of my life at this moment: I’m in Houston, sitting next to mom on my laptop in between appts and phone calls. She watches fox news while I escape to the serenely and beauty of Moonlight Sonata in my earbuds and work on my taxes (did an extension). Thank you BEETHOVEN! I will have to get up in a minute for any number of odd jobs which tend to her needs. This challenges my already challenged ability to focus, especially working on something like taxes (but that's nothing new.) Meanwhile I am grateful to be here. Too often I feel so helpless so far away from her. Any chance I get to help soothes my heart. She is doing pretty well at the moment, It is very much moment to moment with her these days. Her cancer is incurable but if you can handle the treatment you can go a long time with it. (multiple myeloma) Thing is she is not handling the treatment very well at the moment and it is causing many complications. We are working with MD anderson on solutions for that. But right now she is doing OK and that is a blessing. She still has lots of good quality moments. Like today, she had bible study in the morning which she loves and then went for a walk outside in this beautiful fall weather and tonight we will prob go out to dinner. But I know one day day soon there will be pretty important decisions to make. Part of me is aware that I am getting used to the process of coming to care for her, something that was so new only couple of years ago and it numbs me to it a bit. I don't want to be used to this. But that's the way we are wired... It keeps us from being mentally worn too thin. Or maybe it keeps us from *knowing* we're being worn too thin. And then our friends have to say... HEY your being worn too thin! Regardless my sister is the one who handles it all most of the time and she is worn the thinnest of all. And also when it changes … I know I will wish for this time. So i try to remain aware of that and grateful. And I am so grateful for her and thankful to be here to help and have this time with her. </p>
<p><strong>Spiritually</strong>: I am working on mindful living ~ connection to the divine, moment to moment through a daily practice of gratitude and meditation. I am at a place where this is much easier than it would have been because of the super focused work I have done this year. *Easier* not easy. I catch myself in thought habits all the time (that are distressing or depressing or just stressful and negative), then redirect.This does not mean I live in a fantasy world. It means I see the world exactly as it is and choose to respond to it it in a way that is healthier for my heart and mind. I try to look at what is working, what is good and focus on solutions for what is bad. I choose not to be a victim. That’s the mindful part. I am still working on a level up and it *is working* feels great. Sometimes when I sit in meditation, I sit there fully intending to meditate and before you know it, the timer goes off and I have been sitting there letting my thoughts ramble like normal. That’s when I say to myself - “Shit.” And then go… “Wait, no judgement.” I tried. I’ll work harder next time.” And sometimes I sit in meditation and I am a friggin guru of focus and light. But most times it is something in between with little moments of each. It’s the *daily practice* of it that makes a difference they say. I see that now. I am seeing a change in me and my energy. </p>
<p><strong>Musically:</strong> Great gigs this past weekend in Texas and looking forward to CMA next week! I’ll be with mom until then. Away from my studio in Fayetteville means no time to work on the album. (Still in writing mode) but with luck between mom and taxes I may be able to begin work on the Thankful video. :D </p>
<p><strong>Financially:</strong> Doing OK, bills paid. But I meant what I said a couple of months ago. Ready to level up there too. Need BIG FUNDS to help with mom and to move my family to a bigger space. I am doing OK, but there are others that need me. I am very comfortable as a minimalist and would get by OK. But I want a nest egg and lots of $ to care for all the precious ones in my life. It is happening I can feel it. Your responses to that post lit up my world and I am so thankful for you all. I think I CAN do this without giving up on my music and message. I am not going to go work for big corp USA. Something in the world would break if it did that. Especially me. ;) There are too many opportunities in this big beautiful world </p>
<p>Always faithfully forward ~ your hippie warrior of love <3</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/53905772018-08-16T18:11:05-05:002018-08-16T18:11:05-05:00We are destined to overcome <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/77af3aa1be1ad67f32b679231d007126d0faf5f5/original/39173291-10217444271008058-1313602974248861696-o.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><strong><span class="font_large">I love seeing headlines like this! </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span class="font_large">The intolerant cannot and will not stand. </span></strong>It goes against the very flow of creation. They will die away and be born again into a world of love for all whether they like it or not (but I have a feeling they will like it a whole lot better) I know... people say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. ;) The more we dream this dream the more we will see it come true. I believe it is our destiny to forever end the fear and ignorance that is at the heart of racism. </p>
<p><em>About the RAGE that is triggered in me when it comes to racism: A reaction to the Charlottesville White Supremacist Rally August 16th 2017:</em></p>
<p><strong><span class="font_large">I am a student of peace, a warrior of love. </span></strong>It's times like this when I am truly challenged; when my rage and grief threatens to consume me and I am for a moment blind. In that darkness I feel the the emptiness and disconnect that comes with rage ~ the disconnection from my source and my true power. All I want to do is rage on, lash out. But I cannot live in that darkness for long. I cannot breathe there. It is not who I am or how I thrive. I know this so well. So from the bottom I look up. I am looking for the teachers, the light bringers to bring me to place where I can breathe deep again. And I thank all the powers that be they are there in force. Those whose words of wisdom change my life for the better in an instant. Theses are the ones I wish to learn from and stand beside. These are the ones that will ultimately heal this and I know this to the core of my being. They give me strength to rise up and remind me that I am not alone. Oh and we are so not alone in this brothers and sisters. These bigots are trying to make us mad and blind us with our own rage. They are trying to start a war. They are ignorant and filled with fear and they will not succeed. They are a tiny scar on the beautiful, ever diverse face of humanity. Breathe in that knowing and find your calm, for this is the place of strength that endures and robs them of their goal of chaos. I stand beside those who stand in non violent protest against the evil of racism in all its forms. It does not belong in the land of the free. It does not belong anywhere there are human beings. And if someone comes at me with a friggin torch, etc. I will defend myself and be sure. I choose to walk a path of healing and unity. I don't know what that path fully looks like right now but i know how it starts. It starts with the choice to walk that path, the ability to expand my vision beyond what I see to what I know and believe is possible, and an unstoppable will to succeed. </p>
<p>"Non - violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man." Mahatma Gandi </p>
<p>"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright day break of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." Martin Luther King Jr. </p>
<p>"Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die" Buddha </p>
<p>"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love..." Barack Obama tweeting Nelson Mandela 8/12/17 ~ it has become the number one liked tweet of all time </p>
<p>"Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education: they grow there, firm as weeds among stones." <br>Charlotte Bronte</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/53905752018-08-16T17:57:30-05:002018-10-15T10:25:30-05:00Crossroads<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/6708bee7609fd894cbc4f307bdcf52348c415ca7/original/crossroads.jpeg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><span class="font_large"><strong>Home again and at a crossroads. </strong></span></p>
<p>Traveling and making music is my main bread and budda. But I cannot *live* on the road and out of a suitcase anymore. It was easy when I was the highway hippy with no commitments and doing the vagabond thing. But now I have a home and family that need me, both in Fayetteville and in Houston. I am super good at taking odd jobs to make ends meet when not touring so I can still have the freedom to hit road and make music when I need to. I play for the church, I have studio clients, have a patreon page, I do stage hand work, as well as home improvement. But this is not enough anymore. My mother and sister need my help financially as well as personally, because things with mom's decline have progressed and there is greater and greater need. Also the wife and kids and I have far outgrown our little apartment and need a new home badly. We have big dreams and to make them happen will take way more green. </p>
<p>In the past I worked day jobs that hurt my heart to pay for all the big stuff I had. (And any job that is not my music fits that category) So I gave up the big stuff I had (House and furniture and stuff) to focus on my music. I have never been happier, or financially more unstable. But I was free to do my passion and my thought was that if I focused on my music 100% it would work it's way up to paying for the big stuff. It's gotten so much better but not good enough for all that is needed *yet*. Thing is... I can't wait anymore. </p>
<p>And so I am praying for a solution. One that is in alignment with my highest good and all the good I know I can do for the planet. My dream is that my music and ministry will help care for all my families needs, consistently and for the rest of my life.... and while i work to make that happen... I need to find another way quick. </p>
<p>I worked video stage crew for Keith Urban last night. Wow. The money involved in producing just one night's live performance at that level is astounding. The cost of putting on that one show would probably more than cover the bills for my entire family, including my mother's care for at least one year, if not more. I say this because I was thinking it as I worked on that stage. There's lots of money to be made in music out there. Just LOOK! </p>
<p>I believe a solution is already here just waiting to be manifest. I am willing to work my butt off but not willing to give up my music and break my heart in the process, because I know that is what I am here to do and I believe it is POSSIBLE to do that and care for my family. If I knew what to do other than what I have already been doing I would do it. I guess I am just at a crossroads knowing I cannot keep going the same way. Too many people need my help. </p>
<p>I put this out here today, not for sympathy, but so you could hold the space of solution with me. Just a simple prayer or a smile when you think of how I made it all work. That is powerful magic. I have some amazjng teachers and amazing tools. I am learning to listen the wisdom of my heart more closely than ever and grateful for all the help I am already receiving. </p>
<p>Love you all so much ♡</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/50249262018-01-18T16:03:52-06:002018-01-21T00:21:12-06:00Taking care of Mom & The ache inside <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/ea20ef475c2a87eea8f63bd70d26319b2029e78c/medium/14370188-10210794940538952-7221387636494726693-n.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Day 5 in Houston with my mom. She is doing pretty well. I thought she'd be in a wheel chair because she was when I saw her two weeks ago. But she's been upgraded to a walker. So yay for that! <em>(This picture is of my mom doing her morning prayers) </em></p>
<p><strong>To review,</strong> my mom's health has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs for the last 3 years. She had been pretty healthy her whole life. Things seemed to decline after my dad died in 2014. I moved in with her a few months after his death to help manage things like bills and whatnot because Dad always took care of that. Mom is pretty clueless about managing finances and never cared much for computers. We tried to encourage her to learn but no luck. It was weird to be living with her again but it helped me with the grieving process over my Dad to be close to her. My sister and I started to notice some cognitive issues around that time. She didn't seem to be in touch with her grief over Dad. I have seen her push the hardest emotional stuff down and go forward like nothing is wrong since I was a kid, so it wasn't that big of a surprise but it was clear there was more of a disconnect now. We talked about it and she told me she felt like Dad was just on a business trip. They spent a lot of time apart over the years as a result of his traveling. But I could see that she was loosing touch about more than just that. It was early 2015 and I was in the middle of writing and recording my<strong> <a contents="hippie pocket" data-link-label="" data-link-type="album" href="/album/270870/hippie-pocket" style="" target="_blank">Hippie Pocket</a></strong> album. I had set up my keyboards and recording gear right there in her apartment. And this was a small apartment ! But I worked mainly in headphones and recorded vocals when I was alone. I'll never forget my mom's reaction to hearing<strong> <a contents="Charlotte Bogangles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/825734/charlotte-bojangle" style="" target="_blank">Charlotte Bogangle</a>.</strong> She was the first person to hear it and she loved it! It's still her favorite song of mine on that album. Anyway during that time out of nowhere she got a fever and it incapacitated her. She couldn't keep her balance and her mental processing slowed way down. I went into serious care taking mode. (see my <strong><a contents="blog post" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://gingerdoss.com/blog/blog/hippie-pocket-update-mama-s-been-down-healing-s-been-up" target="_blank">blog post</a> </strong>from that time). It was very scary. It was bringing up all the trauma over how we lost Dad. We had just thought he was sick with a cough but it turned out to be congestive heart failure. He went into the hospital and two weeks later he was gone. And here we were again, trying to figure out what was causing my mom's fever, and it kept going up. We were about to take her to the hospital and I was afraid she was not coming home either. Around this same time a good friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer. <strong>Ok I thought, time to work on a healing song</strong>. And that's when I wrote the song <strong><a contents="I am healing" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/795702/i-am-healing" style="" target="_blank">I am healing</a>. </strong>She recovered soon after that thank goodness and we didn't have to take her to the hospital. Things balanced out over the next couple of months and I was able to finish the album. Then came time for me to hit the road for 4 months. What I didn't realize when I left was the tough road that was ahead<em> for her</em>. I'll skip the details here but while I was gone she had a pulmonary embolism (which people rarely survive) and then got an e-coli blood infection while in the hospital which almost took her life after she got home. I braced to cancel the tour and rush home but my sister kept reassuring me. First she would tell me <em>wait and see what happens.</em> Then she would say<em> it looks like she is going to make a full recovery and be home soon! </em>So I sighed with relief and kept going. But through this experience we realized she could not live alone anymore and that's when my sister very generously moved my mom into her home with her husband and youngest son. Mom was completely moved out of that apartment before I got home from that trip. I will always remember the time I lived with her there, sharing each day and even the work I did on my music with her. It was precious. </p>
<p><strong>Fast forward to now.</strong> It's two years later and my mom still lives with my sister. She has been diagnosed with early stage dementia and Multiple <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/17a78d3386ea5057af6a02f17a20bc6e1713a999/medium/25587782-10215329775746998-4305645066639764960-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" />Myeloma. She also has heart valve and kidney issues. She broke her hip on Nov 17th after a fall in the kitchen. I was traveling on the west coast for <strong><a contents="The Muses on the Road Tour" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2017340911832270/" style="" target="_blank">The Muses on the Road Tour</a> </strong>when I got the news<strong>.</strong> She said she turned around and then boom she was down. Apparently she stayed down for 4 hours until my sister got home from work. She told me she did not have a lot of pain but she thought her right leg just wasn't working so she couldn't get up. She had dragged her self over to the pantry to try and use the shelves to get up. I have to admit, even though I was horrified by the thought of what she went through, I was pretty impressed by her determination. More proof of where mine comes from. :D She had surgery to mend the hip with screws a couple of days later and then was in rehab until Jan 11th. I visited her a couple of times during her stay there and then made plans to come back when she got home to help with the transition. Now I am here in Houston and I plan to stay until Feb 8th. I have made the trip between Fayetteville and Houston so many times now, there are starting to be grooves in the road along my route. </p>
<p>She had a great first day home because her spirits were high and she was excited. Lately though she has become discouraged. I believe this is mostly because her energy and strength are low and she feels tired and clumsy all the time. Her dementia makes it hard to know where she actually is in her understanding of what's happening. Her perception seems to change from moment to moment. It also makes her more uncoordinated. She is very engaged most of the time and you wouldn't think she has dementia at first glance. Her type is the sneaky sort that lays just underneath the surface, attacking her mechanical ability as well as her memory and processing. She has very little pain which I am grateful for. But I think she thought when she got home things would be better than they had been. Like she would go back to the place before she ever got sick. I think it's making her sad to see how much help she needs. I keep having to explain to her that she is in the process of recovering from a broken hip and that she will get stronger every day. She tells me that she didn't realize she would still be this weak when she got home. She doesn't remember the hospital stay. Deep down I realize that with progressing dementia, and all of her other issues this may be as good as it gets for her. </p>
<p>This is when the sadness, grief and frustration that has been lingering underneath everything regarding my mom takes over. I don't want this for her, for me, for anyone. My heart is aching and has been since before I came back.<em> Time to deal...</em></p>
<p>So I thought I would share the process of how I am I coping with this. Maybe it will help others taking care of a family member or dealing with a sadness or depression that they just cant seem shake. It took me a while to put this into words and then I even put it into steps. <em>I like steps.</em> ~ So here goes. </p>
<p><strong>The following are tools I have used and steps I have learned to take from lots of study and experience, new ones I am still learning to use and develop through practice and study, and some that are just instinctive. These are the steps I actually take. I have gotten myself out of some pretty dark places using them. I hope they can help you too</strong><em><strong>. </strong> (Book sources below)</em></p>
<p><strong><em>Ok</em>, I tell myself, <em>here you are.</em></strong> I remind myself this not *who* I am but *where* I am. Have you heard that expression before? It helps me to put things in perspective. In other words, I am not <strong>this situation. </strong> I am an infinite being dealing <strong>with</strong> a situation. It gives me some distance from the emotion that threatens to crush me, if just for a moment. It reminds of my divine nature, that I am more powerful than the situation and that I can rise above it. I like to psych myself up before I take on a challenge. I am a true Aries this way. It works for me. </p>
<p><strong>Step 1:</strong> <strong>I become aware of my thinking.</strong> I have dealt with depression more than a few times in my life. <strong>Sadness over obvious things you are dealing with isn't depression, it's human.</strong> For me the warning flag over my emotional state comes when I am sad and I don't know why. Or if I am not in touch with why. And I just cant seem to get out of it. If it lingers like a shadow and starts to interfere with my ability to be productive or my ability to even <strong><em>want</em></strong> to be productive and I just cant seem to shake it ~ that's the definition of depression for me. This is when I know something deeper is going on. Taking stock of my mindset is my starting point whenever I am dealing with a sadness that seems to creep in and just sit in my stomach. It's like taking a poll of the current opinion circulating through my inner world and dictating the weather there. This opinion creates the atmosphere I live in and effects my outlook on everything. Hard to go through the day with a thunderstorm that won't stop pounding down the rain inside your brain... threatening to brake the damn. It is crucial to be aware of the thoughts running the show up there ~ not just live as a victim of them. So I <em>watch</em> my thoughts as I experience and feel them through my day. I try to do this with as little judgement as possible so there is clarity. <em>Just watch and notice</em>. Kind of like those dreams where you are watching yourself. I learned this technique of observing my thoughts without judgement from a book on meditation that jumped off the shelf at me one day. (<strong><a contents="The Joy of Living" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=the+joy+of+living&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=174251322232&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=63553360216874431&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=90" style="" target="_blank">The Joy of Living</a></strong>). It changed my life in such a huge way that I teach this technique in one of the workshops I give on meditation:<strong> </strong><em><strong>Modern Meditation Techniques for the Hectic Lifestyle.</strong> </em></p>
<p>So with the intention of watching my thoughts I go through my day caring for my mom. I get her up, assist her walking, help her dress, clean her, make her meals etc. Then the thought pops up: <em>This is my future. This is what<strong> I</strong> will be like one day.</em> <ow>. And then at another time I think <em>She suffers so much and It's only going to get worse for her.</em> <em> This will only get harder and harder for all of us.</em> These are just a few of the depressing thoughts I have... there are lots more and I make note of them all. My moms's discouragement is obvious by what she says and her body language.<em> </em>I think:<em> Someday someone will probably have to take care of me like this... I don't want that! I would hate the humiliation, I would rather die first. She probably does too! She is miserable and hates her life! </em>I think. Wow. </p>
<p>I thought this ache was from the sadness of watching my mom decline but it is so much more than that. Until I took a moment to take stock i wasn't sure how much more. No wonder I feel this way and can't shake it. I have decided what my future looks like and I a living it now. Big breath, I can turn this around. </p>
<p><strong>Step 2 Cultivate compassion</strong>. We were not meant to be slaves to whatever thoughts run rampantly through our mind. These random thoughts are a product of our learned reactions, the influences of our environment and what we choose to expose ourselves to (yes many times it is a choice). Also what we learned from what we were exposed to as kids. (no choice there) <em>“All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.</em>” The Buddha. From a blog in Psychology Today about <a contents="Mindfulness Training and the Compassionate Brain:&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201212/mindfulness-training-and-the-compassionate-brain" target="_blank">Mindfulness Training and the Compassionate Brain: </a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em> Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) brain imaging shows that positive emotions such as loving-kindness and<br> compassion can be learned in the same way as playing a musical instrument or being proficient in a sport...people can develop<br> skills that promote happiness and compassion ~ they are not just stuck at their respective set points,</em></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Yes compassion can be</strong><em><strong> learned </strong>and cultivated; </em>One way is by deliberately choosing compassionate thoughts; compassion for mom, for myself and for my whole family. <strong>And why would we do this? </strong>Compassionate thoughts wake the warmth that lays within the heart of every human being. Compassion is the seed of enlightenment and calms the storm within. Try it. Allow yourself to feel it. It stirs something greater and wakes the soul. It resonates at a higher frequency. It will lift you up. But be aware... be real about it. Don't think something compassionate followed by rolling your eyes and snickering about it. That won't do any good. <em>This is no one's fault</em>. I think. I lean down and tell her I love her. I rub her shoulders and give her a kiss. I close my eyes and wrap myself in a virtual hug. I send love to my sister. This is a practice I have done many times in answer to feeling helpless, stressed, frustrated. I turn to compassion and love. After lots of practice I have found that the positive effects of this come quickly and with continued practice I can turn the corner from a deep sadness never to return to the previous state of feeling completely lost, helpless and sad. <strong><em> I begin to feel a little bit better. </em></strong></p>
<p><strong>Step 3 Allow this pain, this grief. Let it out </strong>~ I go upstairs while she naps and have a big cry. And no judgement here.<em>..</em>This is part of cultivating compassion for myself.<em> </em>I will be my own shoulder to cry on<em>. Just let it out </em> I tell myself. <em>This is hard yes, and we are all doing the best we can. </em>After I recover, dry my tears and blow my nose, I start feeling a lot lighter. Breathe again. </p>
<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/5a551d98f23ce351d337d2bef28ecf8602d2e9ba/medium/file-20171002-12163-1y5f6ha.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Step 4 Redirect my thoughts to create a more positive mental environment</strong>. Now that I have had some time to express and release there is space for this. And it is ongoing ~ you have to keep practicing this like any new thing you learn. It is work but it is taking control of *my* mind, my life experience. <em><strong>Hey, </strong></em><strong>all you thoughts, </strong><em><strong>this is MY mind</strong> <strong>MY LIFE!!</strong></em> Countless studies have shown that thoughts that are more positive in nature are healthier for the body physically as well as mentally, actually changing the chemical structure of the brain, speeding healing and reducing pain. It's also healthier for everyone I come in contact with. I have seen this for myself. And I know that improving my mindset changes my energy for the benefit of every living thing I come in contact with; my animals my plants and my people. Actually the whole planet. These thoughts are also more in alignment to the truth of my being. (But this is a whole other blog) <strong>So is it worth doing this work? OMG yes.</strong></p>
<p>Here's my process:</p>
<p><em>This is my future </em><strong> becomes:</strong><em><strong> </strong>I still have many years ahead and lots to look forward to. </em>That's a bit better, And I notice that I feel just a bit lighter. </p>
<p>And, of course, the target thoughts come back because they are habitual.<em> No but really, this is my future!</em> <strong>Becomes</strong><em> Are you a fortune teller Doss? Do you really know what your future holds? Do you know what medical advancements will be made in the future? There may be some sort of miracle robotic chip insertion available to you. You don't know! </em><em> Also, you could get shot tomorrow. As long as you are making stuff up... why not go there?! </em> Ok that shuts me up. Half smile. ;) Thsee thoughts will come back over and over and I will be there to meet them every time. Eventually they will loose their power. </p>
<p><em>"It's only gonna get worse for her.</em> <strong>Becomes: </strong><em>So you're fortune telling again Swamy Doss?</em> <em>You could both be walking down the street and get hit by a falling anvil! </em> Ok. Feeling better makes me go into cartoon land, but that's just me. </p>
<p>You get the picture. Each time I have a disparaging thought I balance it with what the Buddhist call <em>the antidote</em> to that thought. Through awareness I notice that all the thoughts that consume and upset me are almost always <em>assumptions about the future</em>. They are an imagined future. How dare I let these assumptions about events that may never happen rob me of my peace! There is always the choice of how I see the present.<em><strong> If I look for the divine in this moment, I will find it. If I dwell on the negative then my world will be a negative one. </strong></em>Its that simple.<em> <strong>My mind is the control center for my life experience and the energy I am sending out. </strong></em>But learning how to change it is a delicate process and one that takes learning, compassion and a sense of the sacred. And always remember, letting yourself feel is just as important as the rest of the process. You are just learning not to let those thoughts imprison you.</p>
<p>I also -</p>
<ul> <li>Meditate at least 5 minutes a day using the <a contents=" Insight timer app.&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://insighttimer.com/" style="" target="_blank">I</a><a contents="insight timer app.&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://insighttimer.com/" target="_blank">nsight timer app. </a>
</li> <li>Do something physical like work out, take a 30 minute walk or yoga every day</li> <li>I have removed news links from my google app and limit social media exposure</li> <li>limit the amount of news my mom and I are exposed to. If it wasn't for me she would watch fox news all day. NO ONE should live like that. ;) </li>
</ul>
<p>While I was writing this my mom got up with her walker, went over to her pile of things, grabbed her phone, her calendar and and her address book and tried to balance them in one hand while she walked back around a tight corner with only one hand on the walker. Um, no. This is why I am here.</p>
<p>"Mom let me get those." I say</p>
<p>"I can get it." She says. </p>
<p>"No mom, you need both hands on the walker." I say. </p>
<p>"I can get it!" She says.</p>
<p>"It's not safe to use a walker with one hand" I say. She is struggling to actually move the walker forward and the pile in her hand is about to fall. I am already there and take the bundle of things from her. </p>
<p>"I am gonna get rid of this walker!" My mom says with determination. And she means that some day soon she is not gonna need it anymore. </p>
<p>"Good!" I say. I set the pile down and help her back to her seat. </p>
<p>OK so my mom's attitude just changed from what it was an hour or so ago. While I was writing this I started to feel better and better. As an empath I send out vibes just as strongly as I take them in. Did my mom react to my changing mindset? I believe so - even if it was just a little bit. I know I have changed as a result of writing this as well. Energy, people: It is real and it is magic ~ and we can be the master of our own. </p>
<p>So it's the next day. My mom is remains happier and so do I. I didn't know that would happen when I started this. It just started as an update about mom but it turned out pretty cool. Meanwhile because I know I am in a challenging space and sadness can and will crop up at any time, I am going to continue to cultivate compassion for myself and others; allow myself to feel what I feel and release it, then focus on redirecting my thoughts to a more positive place. If I have a hard time thinking of positive antidotes to my overwhelmingly depressing thoughts (which happens when you're really in it sometimes) I will do some reflection. Write down the sad thoughts I have (without judgement on myself) then think about the antidotes to them so I will be ready ahead of time when those thoughts come up. This way it hopefully doesn't take me over. Yes I will be sad sometimes and that's OK... but I will work towards a brighter clearer present moment so I can enjoy more of this time with her and not be lost in the sadness of it. </p>
<p>The process I describe above is one I developed for myself through a combination of studies along with my instincts which, for my spiritual work, have always been very strong. Here are some of the study sources. </p>
<p><strong><a contents="The Sadona Method&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.sedona.com/Home.asp" style="" target="_blank">The Sedona Method </a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a contents="The Art of Happiness&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UK6NO0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" style="" target="_blank">The Art of Happiness </a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a contents="The Joy of Living&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Living-Unlocking-Science-Happiness-ebook/dp/B000OI0G6G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1516209934&sr=8-2&keywords=living+with+joy+book" style="" target="_blank">The Joy of Living</a></strong></p>
<p><a contents="Ask and It is Given" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DJ735O4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" style="" target="_blank"><strong>Ask and It is Given</strong></a></p>
<p><strong>Btw: These books speak to me. I follow what they teach because something inside me resonates with this. Some of the things I read in these books are things I have<em> already thought</em>. And what doesn't work I cast aside. You know when you stumble on information that makes you glow from the inside out that your soul is doing the big nod in the sky. There is a reason you feel that way. It is a sign forward, an affirmation from the divine. This may not be for everyone. I acknowledge that and am totally fine with it. My hope for you is that if this method doesn't work for you that you will find one that does. </strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/f371338a870b60fc31c565a712a28095def9ff4f/medium/20151231-201924.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></p>
<p>I hope you got something awesome out of this post ~ more than just the update on my mom and where I am with it. I know I have! I honestly didn't expect that working on this would have such a positive effect around here. Part of that is because my mom seems to be happier which makes me even happier. <em>But I started to change my vibe first.</em> It follows that if the changes we make help others to feel better, then we are sure to be as effected by them as they are of us. A vicious cycle of higher vibes making the world a better place. I love it. </p>
<p>Thanks for reading. And let me know what you think ~ Namaste </p>
<p>Love</p>
<p>ginger</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/49313722017-11-13T20:10:09-06:002017-11-13T20:10:09-06:00Down Time For Muses <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/6d1bfa06999fbefc971aa5ae4db7c0a96d872a30/medium/20171111-175834.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />#Musesontheroad Tour (Oct 26th - Nov 21st 2017) Having a few days to rest and recover in Seattle has been so nice. I think at our last show we were all a bit loopy and in much need of some down time. 8) We are now parked at our sweet host Betsy Tinney's House who together with her hubby Dave has been taking such good care of us. We all pretty much slept through the first day and are now slowly venturing out. <3 Gearing up for these last #Musesontheoad <a contents="shows" data-link-label="Shows" data-link-type="page" href="/shows" target="_blank">shows</a> is bitter sweet. So excited to see my love Andrea and my family again but don't want this magic to end. Wish we could have it *all* ~ *all* the time. But then maybe we would all be spoiled, bored and aloof with nothing to yearn for. Or maybe we would all live in such a state of gratitude and peace that the human race would catapult into the next evolutionary shift ushering the dawning of a new age of (asparagus) peace, joy and creative utopia! These are the things I think about if you leave me alone too long. ;) I do know that most of this trip I have indeed felt a very profound sense of gratitude. Grateful beyond words for my beautiful and talented tour mates Lynda Millard Sj Tucker Renée Drabarni Janskin and Ronda Jean and all they do and are; dearest friends and epic talents who I love with all my heart and with whom I am honored and privileged to share the making of music! And thankful for our families at home who patiently support and wait for us, letting us do these crazy things and without which we would be ~ I don't know, crying in the corner? I don't like to think about it ;) but I do know that the foundation they are in my life makes it possible for me to do this from a stronger place... makes it possible for me to give more, do more, go farther than I would if they were not there. <3 And HUGE gratitude for the people who come and see us. Yes you! Ultimately YOU are why we are here. You give our music flight and the love and LIFE it needs to thrive and make a difference in the world. When we tour we are doing this and making this music and energy TOGETHER WITH YOU and it that is the magic and the fire that will burn within long after we are gone. Thank you, all. <3</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/49193832017-11-05T16:51:44-06:002020-07-25T15:42:33-05:00When a Muse Loses Her Voice <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/54bc3944604e53370418b0930e39543d4baceedc/medium/angelssshhh.jpg?1509922081" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />For this Muse ~ my voice is the gateway to my heart. Through it I can show you the the deepest part of me without taking a single step. Ask me a week ago and I would have said <strong>my music</strong> was all that, but that was before I lost my voice. </p>
<p>I have had a BIG perspective shift in the last couple of days. Before this week I never really thought of myself as a singer. I felt more like a music producer and songwriter. To me the song was Queen, ruling o’er the land in regal robes of golden prose and commanding reverence from intro to outro. Then I lost my voice. *EEEERRRRRTTT* [Full stop vinyl screech] </p>
<p>Now look, if you know me you know I am on the road a lot. I rarely get sick but it does happen sometimes. <strong>But never, have I ever, lost my voice</strong>. Nope, not once in all my touring have I lost my voice on the road. I used to lose it as a kid a lot and once or twice as an adult but never on the road. I guess if I could choose a time to lose it now would be the time, while touring with <strong>3 other amazing singers ~ <a contents="#musesontheroad" data-link-label="Shows" data-link-type="page" href="/shows" target="_blank">#musesontheroad</a>.</strong> Any of my fellow muses, <a contents="Renee Janski" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.reneejanski.com/" target="_blank">Renee Janski</a>,<a contents=" SJ Tucker" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.sjtucker.com/" target="_blank"> SJ Tucker</a> or <a contents="Lynda Millard" data-link-label="Lynda Millard" data-link-type="page" href="/lynda-millard" target="_blank">Lynda Millard</a> could cover for me or sing on of my songs. But we didn’t know until the day of the show that I would not be able to sing. A slow-moving cold had made its way onto my vocal chords the night before and was hosting Mucus Fest directly on top of them. When I opened my mouth to speak all I could get out was a bit of a squeak if I was lucky and nothing even close to musical. So my girls, my Muses on the Road, being the professionals of the best sort that they are began filling in where they could. Renee even offered to sing my song Thankful. OK, so that is handled! So no big deal right? Then why do I feel like I just took my heart out, plunked it down still beating on the table then said “ Wait here. I’ll be right back.” Maybe because suddenly without my voice singing or speaking, I don’t know how to connect and share my heart the way I always have before. </p>
<p>It didn’t hit me all at once how not being able to talk or sing would feel when I showed up to a gig. First it was just the heartbreak of not singing with my besties and comrades on the road ,which is - I don’t know, one of my life’s greatest pleasures and one of my heart’s fondest dreams? So ok, I can deal with that for one show (and not without a moment to regroup). But from the moment we got to the venue I realized how important and relevant the first moment of connection with people at a music event is for me. I want to greet them and let them hear the tone of my voice, not whisper to them. Its crazy ow whispering at someone immediately affects your encounter. People instinctively whisper back and/or feel like they are talking too loud and wonder what’s wrong. Or they can’t hear you and that’s kind of important as well. If I am just meeting you at a social event that’s one thing. But as an artist my connection with folks at a performance starts with “Hello” especially if you don’t know me or my music. It’s like being at a *very* important business meeting with a prospective client and having to whisper your proposal to them. You: (whispering at a meeting) “Trust me here when I say our company, Big and Bold Ad Services, will get your message out there.” Them: “What?” </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">So here I am in a place I had never been, meeting people who are hearing about me for the first time...<em> but they won’t be able to hear me</em>. At this point all of my spiritual study tells me to let go. Nothing is worth losing my peace of mind. And perhaps spirit wants me to stop and really listen for a change. So I did. And as we were meeting folks I would just smile and nod for the most part. I tried to soak in all that I saw as an observer, no judgement. And I felt… weird. Like something huge was missing but I couldn’t see it or even tell anyone about how empty I felt. So I observed that as well… and looked for the lesson instead. </p>
<p>The show was awesome. It was in Sunset, Utah, an incredibly beautiful place with some equally beautiful people. I played my heart out and mouthed the words to the songs I usually sing while listening to the muses cover my parts. They did so beautifully of course. (Secret: The muses don’t really need me to sound awesome ~ but I sure do like the way it sounds when I get to join in). I had some short whispered conversations and they were nice. Still there was so much more I wanted to share that I did not. Where is the lesson in that spirit? </p>
<p>After some time I realized - the lesson is this. I have an appreciation for my voice and all that it does and allows me to do that I never had before. I got to see all the ways my voice serves to connect me with the people on my path ~ and those people are the most important part of my work, my art: where spirit and music meet. I am here to share my heart and my spiritual understanding in an ongoing quest to make the world a better place through music and my voice is the center of that experience. For as long as I have it I will share it with you. And if Mucus Fest shows up again on my vocal chords ~ well I suppose its time for me to listen and, be thankful for the voice I was given and also revel in the fact that I live in an age where a digital duplicate is available. ;)</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/47453062017-06-14T21:26:01-05:002017-06-14T21:26:01-05:00New Century Weapon Awareness<p><img src="http://gingerdoss.com/files/122412_mural_1024.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="199" width="300" />Originally Published 2012</p>
<p>If you’re like me, the events of Newtown Connecticut were the last straw. </p>
<p>“As a nation we have endured too many of these tragedies.” Pres. Obama. </p>
<p>I agree and I am compelled to act. </p>
<p>I have not been able to stop thinking about what can be done to respond to this crisis. I want to help and I do not like feeling helpless. The children of this world are my responsibility, our responsibility. How could we let this happen? I set to thinking about what to do, researching and hashing out ideas. I am not an expert on anything except perhaps my own music. I have no experience at putting an organization together or starting a political movement. There are millions of little details that have to be worked out and mountains of red tape to be cut. But at least I can put my ideas on paper and that is a start. It is my intent to put my thoughts out there, to run it past my network for constructive feedback, and to fine-tune a proposal to be submitted to those who do have the experience and resources to make implementation a reality. <br> <br>I started to think… </p>
<p>We are wasting too much time and energy arguing about gun laws. It's getting us no where. But does having the right to bear arms mean we should do nothing about the problem of mass shootings? I believe in the human ability to evolve, expand and create change that can lift us to greater heights. We must use our intelligence, our hearts and our astonishing ability to adapt and work together to find a solution. With the right to use such deadly weapons must come the enormous responsibility of protecting our children and each other. </p>
<p>It is certain that no law will make a difference without an evolved shift in cultural attitude. This is not the America of 1776. Our culture is changing and evolving at a staggering rate. We must adapt our perspectives at the same rate if we want to keep from destroying ourselves in the process. This applies to so many things but for now I want to focus on the problem of deadly weapons and mental health. And to start, we must look deeper. </p>
<p>…and a picture began to take shape </p>
<p>This is a very different world than it was 200, 100, even 50 years ago. We need to look honestly at the things that shape our culture. </p>
<p>It used to be that kids who had trouble with social interaction had fairly uneventful lives (books, model airplanes, one or two TV shows if any) and they would be more inclined to step outside and find a friend or die of boredom. But no more; from a very early age and on a daily basis we are exposed to vivid images of hard-core violence from the iconic TV and Movie superstars that have become our role models, as well as news reports and online videos. We can watch movies any where, any time, and over and over again. We and our impressionable youth marvel as our heroes fly through the air firing dozens of rounds from high powered guns in both hands, always hitting their mark and always getting the girl (or boy). People of all ages can live their fantasy in virtual worlds, playing at shooting games and battle scenarios for hours every day utilizing all kinds of modern and fantasy weapons; never needing to step outside, never needing to show their face, never needing to make a friend and never learning to interact with or understand themselves or others. </p>
<p>Meanwhile mental illness is on the rise and sophisticated assault gear like semi automatic guns with high capacity ammunition clips and body armor make killing a lot of people relatively easy. Don’t get me wrong - I love video games and action movies. I am just pointing out some things I see that are shaping our minds and our culture. We need to take these influences into account because when you add a sick, troubled mind to this mix innocent people die. </p>
<p>Below are seven ideas I have roughly outlined for solutions. I submit this for honest constructive feedback. I ask for your help in making these concepts work – or telling me why you think they will not. If you have a criticism, I challenge you to offer a solution. My hope is that these ideas will lay the foundation for change that will save lives – even one life – even your life or the life of your children. </p>
<p>1. Promote a more educated, aware and mature culture surrounding gun ownership and safety for the 21st century. </p>
<p>When Candice Lightner’s13-year-old daughter was killed by a drunk driver she founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a nonprofit organization that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and overall push for stricter alcohol policy. Alcohol is a problem but certainly making alcohol illegal is not the solution. MADD and other organizations like it helped to change our attitude and promote awareness through things like public service announcements and placing crosses by roadsides and effective preventative options like offering free taxi rides to people who have been drinking and much more. Their work helped to develop a culture around drinking and driving that made things like designated drivers and taking car keys away from friends who have been drinking too much, acceptable and common place behavior. </p>
<p>I think we can do the same thing when it comes to the mix of mental health issues and deadly weapons in modern America. It’s time for us to educate ourselves, admit that we have a problem and work together towards making a solution. </p>
<p>2. Educate the public on the warning signs that have become a very real pattern in mass shootings and create avenues of effective preventative action for parents, teachers, counselors, friends and if need be law enforcement. </p>
<p>In most cases of mass shootings there are behavioral warning signs; a pattern has emerged: </p>
<p> <br>Columbine - According to journals, notes, and videos that [killers] Klebold and Harris left to be discovered, Klebold had been thinking of committing suicide as early as 1997 and they both had begun thinking about a large massacre as early as April 1998 - a full year before the actual event. Klebold and Harris were angry teenagers…. As early as spring 1998, they wrote about killing and retaliation in each other's yearbooks, including an image of a man standing with a gun, surrounded by dead bodies, with the caption, "The only reason your still alive is because someone has decided to let you live." </p>
<p> <br>Denver Theater Shooting KMGH-TV reported that a university psychiatrist, Dr. Lynne Fenton, reached out to campus police in June partly because James Holmes talked about killing "a lot of people." It said she opted not to place him under a psychiatric hold because he was leaving the school. A university spokeswoman said she could not comment on the report. </p>
<p> <br>Virginia Tech Shooting - Cho, a senior English major at Virginia Tech, had previously been diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder. During much of his middle school and high school years, he received therapy and special education support… Because of federal privacy laws, Virginia Tech was unaware of Cho's previous diagnosis… Cho was accused of stalking two female students. After an investigation, a Virginia special justice declared Cho mentally ill and ordered him to attend treatment. Lucinda Roy, a professor and former chairwoman of the English department, had asked Cho to seek counseling. </p>
<p> <br>Newtown Shooting - “This was a deeply disturbed kid,” a family insider told the Daily News. “He certainly had major issues. He was subject to outbursts from what I recall.”Lanza, who friends and officials said suffered from Asperger’s syndrome or a personality disorder, had a tortured mind. He was socially awkward and at times unstable, but also extraordinarily bright. </p>
<p> <br>What a deadly combination: Tina Burgess Examiner.com regarding Adam Lanza - A child with an emotional pain that is stronger than any physical pain, a lack of support by the local school district to attend to any emotional, psychopathic, sociopathic, or other kind of disability, a lack of social interaction, a most likely excessive interaction with computers, nothing to have to work for, and training in how to shoot. </p>
<p>In a Huffington post article entitled “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother”, Liza Long writes terrifying accounts of her son’s disturbing behavior - threatening herself and her other children. “When I asked my son’s social worker about my options, he said that the only thing I could do was to get Michael charged with a crime. “If he’s back in the system, they’ll create a paper trail,” he said. “That’s the only way you’re ever going to get anything done. No one will pay attention to you unless you’ve got charges. </p>
<p>Liza Long's son could be our next mass murderer. She is warning us right now. There should be something we can do. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>3. “Citizens Defense Council.Com” (arbitrary, non existent name) Create a network of information and resources for people like Liza Long, and a fund to help promote and implement it to the public. </p>
<p>Provide a website to go to, a place for her to call, steps for her to take… </p>
<p> <br>Call on behavioral specialists, psychiatrists, social workers, educators and law enforcement to get together on effective steps that responsible citizens, school kids, mothers, fathers or neighbors could take when they see this pattern emerging or get wind of a potential attack. For every person that we know about who saw some warning signs, there are surely more we don’t know about that might have come forward. </p>
<p> <br>This network/website/organization could generate things like an anonymous hotline for people to call, public service announcements, effective plans for school drills, public education and awareness services and more. </p>
<p> <br> If we have an interactive network to gather our collective resources for solutions, more solutions will reveal themselves. </p>
<p>4. Make a Mental Health Class part of school curriculum at every grade level </p>
<p>These classes could include such things as: </p>
<p> <br>Learning to effectively and safely express difficult emotions <br> <br>Exercises in compassion <br> <br>Learning to make friends <br> <br>Tools for managing disagreements and keeping friends <br> <br>Self esteem building exercises <br> <br>Fun Physical Group activities – participation with classmates could be homework <br> <br>Diversity and tolerance training <br> <br>Education and response to bullying <br> <br>Once a month, or a quarter, have one class that parents attend and participate in, <br> <br>Encourage parents to participate in homework for this class. </p>
<p>There are a lot of privileged angry young people out there. They are not poor or abused and come from ‘good’ homes. They have an education and all the possibilities for a bright future. Why are they so angry? Why do they hate so strongly? Giving kids mental health tools as a part of their curriculum in school not only addresses some of the root causes of the mass shooting crisis, but will build a stronger, healthier country all the way around, cut crime and save lives. </p>
<p> “You know what I hate? Star Wars fans: get a friggin life, you boring geeks. You know what I hate? People who mispronounce words, like 'acrost,' and 'pacific' for 'specific,' and 'expresso' instead of 'espresso.' You know what I hate? People who drive slow in the fast lane, God these people do not know how to drive. You know what I hate? The WB network!!!! Oh Jesus, Mary Mother of God Almighty, I hate that channel with all my heart and soul” </p>
<p> Columbine mass murderer, Eric Harris </p>
<p>5. Encourage residential security education and non-lethal options for home defense. </p>
<p>It is my hope that more effort will be put into developing effective non-lethal home security weapons. Also that self-defense education, including home invasion drills and training in the use of single shot firearms and non-lethal weapons; i.e. tasers, stun guns and mace will be more widely available and implemented. </p>
<p>How many people who have guns in their home for protection have the training to use them effectively in an intruder situation and under intense emotional duress? If you decide you need to keep a lethal weapon in your home, you should at least give yourself and your family the training to use it wisely in an intruder situation. Here are some instances where training might have saved lives. </p>
<p>“FREEZE!! I HAVE A GUN!!!” </p>
<p> <br>New Orleans, Sept 12, 2012 - Charles Williams was mistakenly shot by his wife who thought he was an intruder. </p>
<p> <br>Connecticut, Sep 28, 2012 - A man responding to his sister's call for help during an apparent burglary at her home next door, shot and killed a masked intruder who turned out to be his own teenage son. </p>
<p> <br>Rochester, Dec 11, 2012 - A 61-year-old man shot his granddaughter at the patio door of his home late Monday night, telling police he had armed himself with a pistol to investigate a suspected intruder, police said. </p>
<p> <br>Alabama, Oct 14 2012 - Jesse Rainey, 15, was shot in the head by his friend when he played a home invasion prank on him. </p>
<p>6. Encourage people to store lethal weapons outside of the home. Store semi-automatic rapid-fire assault weapons and ammo at gun ranges, gun clubs, lockers or special storage facilities. </p>
<p>This is a tough life. Even a normal well-adjusted person can snap in an emotional crisis. If you have to drive somewhere to get your gun, maybe by the time you get there, you have calmed down just enough to keep from killing yourself or someone else. I am not suggesting we make this a law but simply encourage this as a part of a more enlightened attitude about these types of weapons. </p>
<p>Some personal experience: </p>
<p> <br>I was a victim of a home invasion by two masked gunmen. They burst through the door with guns aimed directly at myself and two friends who were watching TV. A gun as held to my head as they demanded money. I thought I was dead. I am very lucky to have survived. If I had had a gun I would not have been able to get to it. I was tied up shortly after they broke in. </p>
<p> <br>During an argument a friend of mine’s husband grabbed his gun and shot himself in the head. He died right there in front of her. </p>
<p> <br>My brother killed himself by a shot to the head with his 12 gage hunting rifle. </p>
<p>I believe it's time to admit that some of us are not stable enough mentally and emotionally to keep deadly weapons in the home and we need to do something about this. Perhaps the rest of us who are could shape a more evolved strategy so the rest of us are protected. I believe home security education and training along with non-lethal weapon development and implementation is a better solution to personal safety. </p>
<p>Also, according to several statistical websites, there are an average of 600 accidental shooting deaths a year. About two-thirds of accidental shooting deaths happen in the home. In 45 percent of the cases a child shoots him or herself. And in the remainder of cases friends or family members pull the trigger. </p>
<p>7. Require a license to sell guns – period. Unlicensed gun dealers found at gun shows are not subject to, or give, background checks. </p>
<p>In the days following the Tucson shooting that left six people dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in critical condition, New York City sent undercover investigators to an Arizona gun show to explore how easy it was to buy weapons without a background check. Just 15 days after the shooting, and just over 100 miles from where it happened, the investigators bought a Glock and a 33-round magazine — with no background check. In two instances, the New York undercover officers specifically said before buying a gun, "I probably couldn't pass a background check," but were still sold guns, city officials said. In a third case, an investigator bought a Glock pistol and two high-capacity magazines like the ones used in the Tucson shooting. Such purchases were made without any background check but were perfectly legal. </p>
<p> <br><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/14/the-japan-lesson-can-americans-learn-from-the-country-that-has-almost-zero-gun-deaths/" target="_new">Compare Japan's Gun policy to American gun poilcy in this Washington Post Article. Japan has almost no gun deaths each year </a> </p>
<p>Ok. This seems like a big enough bite to chew on for a bit. I am interested in your responses. I call upon the divine spirit in each of us to shine through and remember the innocent victims of these tragic shootings, to shed a light on the way to help us work together and to protect one other from people who abuse guns and are careless with gun safety.</p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/45520262017-01-16T14:18:25-06:002021-07-07T08:11:41-05:00Ten Healthy/Spiritually Enlightened Ways to Get Through Inauguration Day...<p><span class="font_large"><strong>...As Well the Following First 100 Days and the REST of the New Presidential Administration if You Didn’t Vote for DT: That May *ALSO* Be In Line With Your New Year’s Resolutions. </strong></span><br><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/4e2cc168c02b6330b1205c7be9a08530db49495e/small/forest-gump-crop.jpg?1484596818" class="size_s justify_left border_" />1) Jog to Canada.</strong></span><br><br><strong>2)</strong> <strong>When shaking your head</strong> every time you hear about/see yet another thing that you can’t believe is happening, slow down the movement and extend into neck stretches… tie in your breathing. Elongate and breathe ~ wooooooooooooooooooo<br><strong><em>R<em><strong>esolution tie-in</strong></em>: </em></strong><em>Become more flexible</em><br><br><span class="font_regular"><strong>3) Do 50 ab crunches</strong> every time DT ends a tweet with “-SO UNFAIR!!! “ Get into it!! Say: “ I’ll show you unfair!!! <em>My six pack abs are so unfair</em> ....to *YOU*! 1!...2!...3!...</span><br><em><strong>Resolution tie-in:</strong> Flatten Stomach</em><br><br><span class="font_regular"><strong>4)</strong> <strong>Whenever your DT supporting family member starts talking about how great he is</strong>, put a finger gently on their lips and say “shhhhhhhhhh … I just love you and I am so thankful for our time together…” Then hug them REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hard until the subject changes.<em> </em></span><br><em><strong>Resolution tie-in:</strong> More quality time with family</em><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/062e47bd1ad32b0c591e5a4cdf36c6e6568177f7/medium/team-america.gif?1484597386" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><br><br><strong>5)</strong> <strong>Start a savings jar</strong> and throw in a dollar or more every time you hear that Mexico is gonna pay for a border wall. Then when they finally admit it’s not gonna happen donate the money to the <strong><a contents="American Immigration Council" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/" target="_blank">American Immigration Council</a>.</strong> And even if they never admit it, when the money gets to the top of the jar ~ </span>donate anyway.<span class="font_regular"> Seriously they need it. </span><br><em><strong>Resolution tie-in:</strong> Save more/Give to charities</em><br><br><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/7883dd10781ecdafba56fd6f1a5701eedaccc93d/small/downward-dog.jpg?1484596977" class="size_s justify_left border_" /><strong>6)</strong> <strong>While watching the news</strong> commit to plunging into downward dog (yoga pose) every time they show DT's face. Hold it until they move on to another topic. This way you stay informed *and* improve circulation as well as divine connectivity while keeping your mental landscape free of upsetting facial images.</span><br><em><strong>Resolution tie-in:</strong></em><span class="font_regular"><em><strong> </strong>Incorporate zen activities into daily routine</em><br><br><strong>7) Start a Skype Chat Group (or other online video chat group) for Tibetan throat singing</strong>. Call it a “chant up” and plan to get together only during DT speeches or press conferences (if any). Go deep into the chest cavity, close your eyes and do <strong><a contents="THIS" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvyhxY54M3I&t=114s" target="_blank">THIS</a>. </strong>Why Tibetan throat singing you ask? Try it and see if you can think about, do, or hear anything else!!! SPEECHES BE GONE! <strong> </strong>No one else within earshot will be able to hear it either!<strong> <br><em>Resolution tie-in: </em></strong><em>Enhance spiritual skills to cope with stress <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/4e96f66145af8516ce8fc43ca86eb7db4629201b/small/clown.jpg?1484598569" class="size_s justify_right border_" /></em><br><strong>8) Make a list of fun things you can say/do</strong> for a friend who's depressed or going through a hard time to make them laugh or bring a smile every time DT ends a tweet with: “– SAD!”<br><em><strong>Resolution tie-in: </strong>Reach out more to friends in need</em></span><br><br><strong>9) Write a song with the main line of the chorus being “<em>He can’t be president forever!</em>”</strong> Sing it to yourself whenever you need a lift. Add lots of verses over time and sing it as loud as you can like in your car when you find yourself stuck in traffic behind a Trump supporting bumper sticker, especially the “Make America…” one. Fellow song writers: You have been challenged! Make this as CATCHY as possible. And if you have never written a song NOW IS THE TIME DAMN IT!!! <br><strong>Resolution tie-in:</strong><em><strong> </strong>Be more creative</em><br><br><span class="font_regular"><strong>10) Instead of getting completely wasted and then puking and passing out</strong>, go to the gym (or with a friend to their gym if you don't have a membership) and then <em><strong>work out</strong></em> until you puke. You can be sure if they are broadcasting the inauguration that wont be very long. Or go to the part of the gym where you can't see the TV, put your favorite tunes on, take a deep breath *<strong>and then*</strong> work out til you puke. Then go home and pass out. See? Same end results but there's no chance of a DWI and you will feel so much better tomorrow!! </span><br><em><strong>Resolution tie-in: </strong>Don't drink so much!</em><br><br><span class="font_regular"><strong>If you follow just a few of these suggestions you can bet you will have a happier, healthier transition to the new administration as well as kicking ass on your resolutions! Get with me again on the 2nd 100 days. </strong> <strong><3 </strong></span></p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/41305982016-11-12T14:44:45-06:002020-09-09T10:44:36-05:00There is a lot of love in the world - an exercise <p><span class="font_regular">The other day a friend of mine told me that there is a lot of hate in the world; a lot of <strong>hate</strong> and <strong>anger</strong>. Indeed, I thought. <strong>"And there is *also* a lot of love"</strong> I told her. She told me that I just live in a bubble. <em> I can agree with that actually.</em> And that got me thinking about my <strong>bubble</strong> and how it's made. And if I live in a bubble then it follows that she lives in a bubble too. In fact we<strong> all live in bubbles </strong>of sorts. These bubbles are<strong> made up</strong> <strong>of our thoughts, perceptions and attitudes.</strong> They are fueled by our experiences, what we have been taught and how we choose to respond. I imagined us all walking around in bubbles of thoughts and ideas. Some are clear and bright and some are dark and cloudy, some are blue and some are purple. And they can change in the blink of an eye because the thoughts we choose and our resulting states of mind create these bubbles. These bubbles in turn <strong>effect how we see the world because we look through them</strong>. We live in them so they effect all aspects of our life ~ our health and mood, our stress level and relationships ~ just our total quality of life. If I could choose the bubble I live in, <strong>and I can</strong>, I would<strong> choose one that is clear and bright and full of energy</strong> that would give me the highest quality of life, make me happy healthy and peaceful. <strong>Wouldn't you? </strong>I just have to figure out then how to make my bubble an awesome place to. I work at that every day. <br><br>So from this vision of bubble land I started thinking about <strong>how much LOVE there <em>actually</em> is in the world </strong>and if I could somehow quantify it. So I did an experiment with some theoretical <strong>love math</strong> and the result was pretty amazing. I want to share this because what I ended up doing became a<strong> powerful practice</strong> in altering perspective that gave my bubble an instant charge of light. Contemplative practice, or resetting your state of mind to one that makes you happier and healthier, is something i have learned about from my studies in Buddhism and <a contents="New Thought" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Thought" target="_blank">New Thought</a> philosophy. I started to see how this love math calculation could become a <strong>contemplative practice</strong> that could bring my<strong> mind to a more peaceful place. Because after I did it I felt way better than when I started. This is why I want to share it with you</strong>. These kinds of practices have become more and more important to me as tool to strengthen my positive frame of mind ~ which to me is <strong>the single most vital component of a happier healthier life</strong>.<br><br>Before I share this LOVE MATH CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE exercise I want to expand on why I think cultivating a </span>positive frame of mind <span class="font_regular">is the single most important component to a healthier happier life. <em>For example; </em>Say you are healthy ~ GREAT! Now if you have a negative view of life and nurture negative thoughts about yourself and others on a regular, unconscious and habitual basis, there are mountains of research to suggest it will eventually find a way to manifest in your health both physical and mental. I have seen many examples of this in myself and others. On the other hand. if you are sick or dealing with an illness, but maintain a positive frame of mind about the possibility of your healing, you can be certain that <strong>healing is far more possible </strong>and in fact your healing will be assisted on a cellular, spiritual level by an attitude which allows for the possibility of healing. This is just one example of how our frame of mind effects us. <strong>Everything</strong> in our lives both within and without is effected by our thoughts and attitudes. With a positive attitude you live a solution oriented life, not a problem oriented one. You have more hope and as a result more energy. You are more likely to succeed at your goals (or even make goals in the first place) because within your mind they are possible to achieve. This cultivates even more happiness for yourself and your family. A positive frame of mind and attitude is like a rich lush garden full of possibilities and the people closest to you get to walk there with you. A negative frame of mind is a barren, one that breeds anger, hopelessness, jealousy and low self esteem. Those closest to you will walk in that land with you and be effected by it too. If you cant seem to get out of these cycles of thought, there are many tools for the willing. The journey to get you to a more positive place will reveal much inside you that must be looked at, felt, and healed. Like it did for me. I have battled depression many times in my life and pulled myself out more than once. Each time was easier because I knew it was possible. We need these types of tools in a time when the turmoil of the world is not so much getting worse, but our ability to see it broadcast anywhere, anytime, from anyone is far more pervasive, streaming into our eyes and minds and effecting our bubbles more than ever. And we are not getting a balance of stories and images either. In other words the major news organizations aren't broadcasting and publishing the many positive stories of selfless acts and heroism that are out there and putting *those* on loops as well. Instead we see mostly images of violence over and over even long after the episode is over. Back in the day before the internet and mass digital media if a terrible thing happened, it happened only once if we were actually there. But with video cameras and monitors in virtually everyone hands we can see things that happen to anyone anywhere over and over. <br><br><strong>I want to interject here for a moment that working to maintain a positive frame of mind IS NOT ABOUT LOOKING AWAY from or ignoring injustice, pain and suffering. It's about being able to look directly in the face of all the negativity in the world and not let it consume or crush you. A positive attitude responds with solutions and maintains hope. It acknowledges and allows the pain and grief that is a natural part of the human experience, takes the natural and needed time to experience and feel it, then channels that energy towards possibilities for resolution and into a place of inner strength instead of lashing out or surrendering to hopelessness. This takes strength, practice and discipline. And to do it in a healthy way you must ALLOW YOURSELF TO FEEL first. Its about what you do with those intense feelings long after you have had a chance to grieve. At the moment when it is ok to move on (and that's different for everyone) that's when the positive attitude can work miracles. I have seen the staggering difference in outcome when people come from anger and fear, as opposed to coming from compassion and hope. Our responses to events in life cause more of the same in return: compassion breeds compassion - hate breeds hate. I will always stand up for what I believe in and work towards equality, tolerance and peace. I stay informed and I see what's happening, but I refuse to let it make my bubble black. That's not healthy for me or the people around me and it definitely does not make the world a better place. </strong><br><br>Can you see how it could make a powerful difference in your life to take a moment to reset you mind? This is how I combated my own depression and got my life back on track and started wanted to live again. I believe it<strong> is vital to our overall well being to see the balance of truth. It is a way to restart a negative mindset and pull yourself out of a funk.</strong> If you are willing to see all the hate and anger in the world then can you be just as willing to see all the love? If not then ask yourself why. Do you find yourself feeling sad about the world and your life a lot? <strong>This exercise be healing as well as revealing about the effects of thinking</strong>. Chances are you have seen or read about a lot of anger and violence lately. Why not take a minute to see/read about/contemplate all the love as well. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br><em><span class="font_large">So here is the exercise. Take a second after each suggestion to <strong>actually do it</strong>. <br>I believe you will get a lot from it. I believe that you will feel better when you are done. Ready? </span></em></p>
<p><br><br><br><span class="font_large"><strong>To start, think of the person you love *most* in the world</strong>.</span><span class="font_regular"> It may be a spouse, a girlfriend or boyfriend, a child or parent, or a dear friend who has always been there. Think of how much you love them. Feel your love for them for a moment. (pause, close your eyes, think of them and feel that love) </span><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/fe56445dc2786da6b61409e87a241bdf3315c2d9/medium/never-leave-me-message-640x480.jpg?1474319824" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br><br><br><span class="font_large"><strong>Now, think of all the people you love most in your life</strong>.</span>...those very special ones you hold near and dear, your family and closest friends. Take a minute to think of each person for a second. As you visualize them in your mind think about what they mean to you and how much love you have for them in your heart. (pause, close your eyes and think about them and feel that love or them for a second) <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/721b54e8020bebecd4605923e306dd8367c64c14/medium/grouphug.jpeg?1474320775" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br><br><strong><span class="font_large">Now think of all the people you love in this *world*</span></strong> This might be a bit of a stretch but try. Just a quick inventory with a flash of their face in your minds eye. Those living and deceased, those who you may not see very often or those you don't even know but love for some reason... like a celebrity or an human rights activist or a spiritual leader, someone you deeply respect who has made an impact on you~ a teacher or song writer or poet or artist whose work you love. Really think about that love for a moment. (pause, close your eyes and think) <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/ab84a80113cb89d812f730ada2612ac838da4380/original/the-world-needs-more-neeps.jpg?1474321203" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_large">Think about all that love for a minute.... all together.<br><strong>That's a lot of love ~ and its just inside you. </strong></span></p>
<p><br><span class="font_large"><strong>Now think about all the THINGS other than people that you LOVE</strong></span>... Music, art, dancing, chilling, rainbows, playing sports, clouds, stars, trees mountains, birds, your cat, your dog, sailing, hiking, partying with your friends, the beach, reading, movies, your car, your house, your bed... you get it. <br><br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/a47ba99ee4211ee43901411ee5fe562d246be354/original/2011-11-05-november-2011.jpg?1474321583" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><span class="font_large"><strong>NOW Contemplate all this LOVE for a moment.</strong></span> Within the vast majority of individuals on this planet there is at least some of the love described above <span class="font_large">inside them</span> ~ for their families and those they hold dear, for their friends; for nature or their pets and got their many passions in general. I am not suggesting that there are not those out there who perhaps have no love for anyone, but <strong>this exercise is to think of those who do and can love. </strong>If you start thinking about hate remind yourself that you are supposed to be thinking about love and keep going.<span class="font_large"> </span><br> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_large"><strong>Imagine *all* the love that all those people who can and do love have for their dear ones, for their friends and families, for those they love in the world and the things they love to do ~ just like you <br> PUT TOGETHER.</strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_xl"><strong>MILLIONS OF HEARTS LOVING MILLIONS OF OTHER HEARTS<br>MILLIONS OF PASSIONS ~ MILLIONS OF LIFE LOVING MOMENTS</strong></span><span class="font_xl"><strong> EVERYDAY</strong></span><br><br><span class="font_large"><strong><em>Millions of people who have at least a little part of the love that's inside you, inside them.</em> </strong></span><br><br> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_large"><strong>That's a lot of love. Stay with that for a moment.<br><br>Or a moment more. </strong></span><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>I will leave you with this thought ~ Most violence against people that we have see on the news is done by one or couple or a few<strong>. But the resulting out cry against it is in the millions </strong>and the number of people who show up to help and support the victims far outnumbers those who commit these acts. Take this to heart and know that we can be stronger when we focus on what we *can* do together. <strong>What binds us together is far stronger than what tares us apart. </strong>Believe in the awesome power of the love we all have within us. Nurture it within yourself and others through thoughts and acts of kindness towards yourself and others. and if you ever get low... take a minute to think about all the love there is in the world.</p>
<p><br><br><br><br> </p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/41577952016-04-28T14:09:25-05:002020-07-11T12:08:15-05:00On going Tour Diary 2016<p>April 30<br><br><strong><span class="font_large">I have this wideness.</span></strong>.. a sense of being that feels "big picture" when I prepare for a tour. As I reflect on things I realize that this time is different on many levels. First, I am leaving after finally settling in my new home with a family that has waited for me to settle here for 4 years. And I look at them and think ~ how can I leave them? Then Andrea takes my hand and says - "This is what you do. And I love what you do. The world needs what you do. And I am happy as long as you always come back to me." And she says it with the most beautiful smile you can imagine. Wow. Really ? heart emoticon And my Lyndie (Lynda) ~ if you all could know the strength it is taking for her to do this with me. The pain she has endured ... I am so proud of her and blessed beyond measure that she will be with me! (at least for the first half) I look through the list of shows and think ~ of the magical beautiful people who make this possible and *so* worth ever step I take to get to them, the long dark rainy roads and the open bright drives through the mountains, The scary motels and the willing strangers floor, the tent in a big storm and naps in the car, The energy work and the new connections, the tears during a conversation that speaks so deeply to my heart, and the exhausted push to the next show, no matter what, no matter what! the saving of the voice, the laundry mats, loading out, packing the trailer, loading in, packing the trailer, the truck stops, waiting for a decent meal and getting a big delicious home cooked meal when you least expect it. the constant trusting and the constant affirmation of that trust ~ even in the "bleakest" situation. And it all comes back to this... the music. It is my guide and my light. It saves and restores me. It is the temple and the altar. It is the doorway and the key. It is the words of my heart and the song of my emotion. it is what spirit does to me and I *know* that I do not even know the half of it. But I do know that if spirit really wants me to do this... a way will be made. And look, a way has been made! And I will go spirit. I so gladly and humbly and thankfully, will go!<br><br><strong>April 23 Amazon Womens Music Fest<br>April 28 Fayettville CSL<br>May 7 Iowa Womens Caucus Des Moines<br>May 12 - 15 Our Havens Women's Gathering Indiana<br>MAy 19 Online Concert from Venus Land Illinois<br>May 22 Unity Naperville Illinois<br>May 26 Caldera Music Fest</strong><br><br><a contents="CALDERA!! &nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.paganmusicfestival.com/" target="_blank"><strong>CALDERA!!</strong> </a>I had been waiting so long for this event and for lots of reasons. First, because it is only event of its kind happening now ~ a pagan <em>music</em> festival. Second because so many of my good friends were going to be there/ perform there! 3rd it was the release of the <strong><a contents="GREEN ALBUM!!!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thegreenalbum.net" target="_blank">GREEN ALBUM!!!</a> </strong> I mean what more could you want? I was so<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/413613df8224004e49d7db52d2ba1aef947b77e2/medium/greenalbumgrp.jpg?1474344599" class="size_m justify_right border_" /> excited to be there and from the minute I got there my feet never touched the ground. It was epic through and through. David Banaach, organizer, along with his wife Mary and their many volunteers did an amazing job! There was VIP camping with air conditioned showers for crying out loud. You might think that was a bit much but it was hot and I was grateful for any break from the heat. Regardless it didn't matter. Hot or not I was still happy as could be and enjoyed every minute of it. Every one of the 30 acts was stellar. Including of course the artists on the Green Album that could attend Wendy Rule, SJ Tucker, Bekah Kelso, Tuatha Dea, Mama Gina, Damh the Bard,,Celia Farran, Mama Gina, Brian Henke, Sharon Knight and Murphey's Midnight Rounders. I spent most of my time at the stage because not only I am huge fan of all these people but I got to sing and play along with many of them *big happy dance* We were all taking turns playing on each others sets ~ and there were <strong>*all plays* </strong>that people are still talking about on my travels. Having all these folks in one place created a vortex that leveled up this special world of the magical muse and all her people. And the Green Album got the best possible CD release imaginable! Danny and Becca of Tuatha Dea worked so hard on that project and I was blessed and honored to be a part of it. The picture right was taken right after we were each given our stash of CD's to sell. A happy and proud moment for us all. It is still selling at the <a contents="THE GREEN ALBUM.NET" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thegreenalbum.net" target="_blank">THE GREEN ALBUM.NET</a> and at last count had saved nearly 3k acres of rain forest. <br><br>The green album CD release set on Saturday NIght was an amazing thing to behold and brought tears to many eyes. It was a living realization of a dream come true as each of the artists played their song in the order it appears on the CD. We missed Kellianna and Spiral Rhythm dearly. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/e9567abae0db1baa71f0386cb0f4064d690420c0/medium/13344741-1324523790898083-6389839963596098504-n.jpg?1474348898" class="size_m justify_left border_" />On top of all this goodness I got to share this event with my love Andrea. She Arrived late on Thursday after the gate was locked and as a result had to stay at the local hotel. (A room they kindly arranged for her) This is a rare and beautiful thing but of all of all the events this year this was the one I truly wanted to share with her. She came in first thing Friday morning and we hit the ground running. <br><br>The only hard part was the end. I tried not to think about it the whole time but it lurked ... It would be over soon and I would have to say goodbye not only to Andrea to but to being together with some of my dearest friends and musical cohorts all at the same time!!! Who knew when, if ever, that would happen again like that. It was like a dream ~ It *was* a dream and I didn't want to wake up. But I had to. I said long bitter sweet goodbyes to everyone one by one then went to get some food with Lynda and Andrea. Then I said goodbye to both of them. This was the hardest thing ever cause I was going to continue on the road by myself. Something I had not done in a very long time. <br><br>~~~~~<br><br>It was after my gig in Asheville, on June 5, when my phone was taken. To back track I was a little uncertain about how my Asheville gig would go because I had never played there before and didn't know a lot of people... next to no one before I played at Caldera. I connected with Star Bustamonte at Caldera through a mutual friend who was kind enough to point me in her direction. She did not hesitate to offer her home to me and so I contacted her after Caldera and bam - a place to stay. :) <br><br>I had a small but awesome gathering of people who came to the show, including Danny and Becca from Tuatha Dea. I was so touched that they came to my show. We had known each other for a couple of years and got closer though our work on the <a contents="Green Album" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thegreenalbum.net" target="_blank">Green Album</a>. It went well and afterwards, Star, Danny, Becca and I went to dinner. It was fun and we had a lot of great conversations. After dinner we decided to gather at Star's house.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/64860dffb637ae08ec54d0a1f30dc1e1f58f6a0e/medium/13346403-1623151194666120-571422042037968374-n.jpg?1470445381" class="size_m justify_right border_" /> On the way back I left our 3 car caravan and stopped at a convenience store. I jumped out quickly and ran into the store without locking my car. Bad move. I got back in the car and started to drive away when I noticed my phone missing. It didn't take long for me to realize it had been taken out of the car. I had been listening to music on it when I stopped so it had been sitting in the cradle I have for it. Someone had nabbed it in the 2 minutes I was in the store. Bummer. I proceeded to do all the things you are suppose to do if your phone is stolen. I was somewhat familiar since it had happened to me before. Today I have been dealing with the headache of reporting it stolen, making an insurance claim and figuring out what to do next. It's too long and boring to list details here. And meanwhile, while in the course of dealing with that I was dealing with my reaction. <br><br>In the course of my spiritual practice of mindful living, meditation and positive thought, regular life including all its challenges and frustrations continue. I use the opportunity of these challenges to utilize these tools. Not easy, but a good practice. And it helps quite a bit to keep my peace of mind. Here is what I posted about it on facebook. <br><br>To the one who stole my phone : Thank you for providing me with an exercise in compassion and patience. It is my goal to move towards enlightenment and be of service to others with my music and my actions. So I study and I practice... and so to walk my talk here I took a breath after cursing you... then I moved into a deeper space and looked at the bigger picture. Then I cursed you again took another breath and began again. What soul is this whose desperate state led them to this action? What life must be like for one who lives in such fear despair and doubt that they felt they needed to do this.? Where have they come from? And what more will they do before they see that these actions only contribute to a world of pain and fear. What can I do to help from here? Not sure. ... but one thing that couldn't hurt, especially energetically, is to be in a place of compassion... from here all healing is possible. And at least no one can rob me of my peace. </p>
<p>“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” <br>― Albert Einstein<br><br><br>From Asheville I went up to Maryland for 2 weeks at <a contents="Ramblewood Retreat Center" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ramblewood.com/" target="_blank">Ramblewood Retreat Center</a> where I was scheduled to perform at two events happening back to back. First was<a contents="&nbsp;Maryland Faerie Festival" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://marylandfaeriefestival.org/" target="_blank"> <strong>Maryland Faerie Festival</strong></a> followed the next week by <strong><a contents="Free Spirit Gathering" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.freespiritgathering.net/" target="_blank">Free Spirit Gathering</a>. </strong>Both were awesome events in different ways.<strong> </strong>The faerie fest was incredibly <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/18e0041795525ee99b786b6a23bae9e289abe44c/medium/13412227-1240397975973020-5713002559378979377-o.jpg?1474403438" class="size_m justify_right border_" />shiny and filled with all the magic of the faerie court. It is open to the public and had tons of folk streaming in for the vendors and the festivities which began with a drum circle Friday night and kept going through Sunday evening. I had 2 shows each day; one at the bat barn (shown right) and one at the tulip stage. I had fun sporting my neon green horns during the whole event. I also got to wear an awesome set of chain mail faerie wings that I borrowed from the chain mail vendor with the promise to give them a plug during my show. (want some) A dragon showed up at my last show but thankfully not the fire breathing sort. <br><br>Late afternoon Sunday the fest was over and as fast as it was set up the Faerie Fest was torn down. Everyone cleared out to make way for Free Spirit Gathering. That was my que for a couple of days off . These were really my first days off in a while.... where I was not driving, booking playing promoting or SOMETHING so I <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/50bf07ea1ce4f2c1582b7cdd2ccc82fc00d6d57e/medium/20160617-141323.jpg?1474405079" class="size_m justify_left border_" />CHILLED ~ kind of disappeared into my cabin space for a while. Did lots of yoga - meditation reading and general relaxing. Aaaahhh. I also began to work on the talk I was due to give in St Louis in a couple of weeks. (So i guess it wasn't total chill time) <br><br>Meanwhile over the next couple of days FSG folks began to trickle in. I was excited to see it take shape because it was my first time at this event. And I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of fellow Green Album Artist <strong><a contents="Kellianna&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.kellianna.com/" target="_blank">Kellianna</a></strong>. We had done another couple of fests together in 2012 but i had not seen her since. And I missed her at at Caldera and the Green Album CD release since she could not be there because of a family wedding. I needed to hug this woman ~ we just did an album together! Finally she came in on Wednesday and I happily got that hug. <br><br>We were both playing on Thursday night June 16. Apparently the year before at FSG there had been a bad storm during the Thursday night show when <strong><a contents="SJ Tucker" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://sjtucker.com/" target="_blank">SJ Tucker</a></strong> played. They lost power and it was threatening to do it again. We were getting all kinds of storm warnings. and we weren't sure who should go first as the event coordinators had left is up to us. Since the storm was bearing down we decided I should go first in case there was a loss of power again because she could play with or without power and I pretty much could not. Well I could but - it would be a VERY different show. As in "all my songs acapella while I do air keyboard?" :P I went first and she played after. The storm never materialized (because we planned for it) so it all went off without a hitch. I got a great response which I was happy for since it was my introduction to this community. And what a great community it is! <br><br>The next day (Friday) I had to start making my way down south. Sadly I could not stay for the whole event. I was playing and *speaking* for the first time in St Louis at the <strong><a contents="Radiance Center for Spiritual Living" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.radiancecsl.org/" target="_blank">Radiance Center for Spiritual Living</a></strong> the next weekend and was planning to pick up my family in Fayetteville so we could go together. I had not seen them in a month by this time so I was pretty anxious to get there plus I was a bit nervous about this gig since it was my <strong>first time speaking </strong>and I needed to finish my message. BTW Fayetteville is NOT on the way but 6 hours past St. Louis but it was worth the extra drive time! <br><br>I got a lot of driving done on Friday and made it to a hotel somewhere in Virginia that night. I was too tired from all that festing to go much further. While in the hotel I plugged back in online and saw that Tricky Pixie and Mama Gina were playing in St Louis the next <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/2472a09e6be0fabd6acb6a8afd807ab7586f1ac4/medium/20160619-135304.jpg?1474408307" class="size_m justify_right border_" />night!! It was on my route home but still about 13 hours away so there was no way I could make it to their show in time. But I could stop by for a drive by hug on Sunday which i DID!! I drove like heck all day Saturday and ended up getting there about 2am Sunday morning. <strong> Fun trivia Fact</strong>: Sooj (SJ Tucker) and I had a song swapping duo we put together called <strong>"Drive By Hug"</strong> for a show we did together in Seattle in 2010.<br><em>Now you know!! </em><br><br>It was awesome to see them !! I had not seen Alex and Betsy of Trickie Pixie since 2010 in Seattle. (see above) And it was a happy thing as always to see Sooj and Mama Gina again since we had just seen each other at Caldera (time to reminisce) and I was glad to hug Mama GIna since she had just gotten out of the hospital (where she became nine toes for real) and was recovering at the house of Ms Amanda Bell where this picture was taken. All seemed well and aglow from their house concert there the night before. And I got to be serenaded by Mama Gina with a song about questionable items sometimes sold as having magical properties.... It was hilarious and scandalous ~ the perfect compliment to Sunday brunch. I felt recharged! I said my goodbyes and headed on to Fayetteville and Home! <br><br>I was so happy to be home and finally was able to unwind a bit with my precious family. So HAPPY TO SEE THEM!! I also had some time to prepare for my gig at Radiance CSL where I was speaking for <strong>the first time ever.</strong> I was nervous about it and had been working on my talk off and on while on the road but once I got back to Fayetteville I was able to really focus on it. I worked on it every day and even practiced on Andrea, who let me preach to her, smiling all the while <3 <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/b925e7bcaf8a15299fc7ab30d96e19f72649fd97/medium/13475186-1183432675035154-2309764385812939687-o.jpg?1474428654" class="size_m justify_left border_" /> She gave me some great feedback. I kept editing it even after I thought I was finished. We left Friday and all piled in the G MOBILE. (I just made that up and I like it a lot so its gonna stick) and were back off to The Lou. We got settled in Friday night at the home of Rev Pat Powers of CSL (who owns that name ~ I mean a truly powerful woman!!) Saturday night she hosted a house concert for me there. I still worked on my talk even after the show making last minute tweaks and practicing reading it without looking at it :P <br><br>Sunday went well. At least that's what Pat said - she said it was "over the top good" for a first time. I did not feel so good about it. And especially now that I have spoken a few times and am feeling much more confident. <br><br>My talk was on the <strong>True Nature of Power. I plan to video myself giving this message with some concept footage soon. This would be part of a video series I wold like to make of my talks as I write them. I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS like that. </strong>I can't wait to do them all :D But here's the jist of the message I kind of want to share here. I truly believe and have always believed that there is only one <strong>true power</strong> in the Universe. At Unity we affirm this power as God. I agree with this. But I also know and sense that this power is THE DIVINE SOURCE of all CREATION. The origin of life ~ and this assumption can be proven scientifically. I believe that the evidence of how true power really works is all around us and can be seen and understood through the study of the universe. LIGHT is the true power. DARK is not a power. It is where light is not. In the beginning all the mass of the universe was condensed TO ONE POINT ( not two) and the BIG BANG happened. I believe we will understand the force of the BIG BANG more in the future. TO me all that is necessary to know about it is that it is the spark of light and the origin of the only real power working in our lives. Look for my video on this hopefully coming soon. After the service I did a concert and had a great time. I got to know some of the folks at the center there. We drove home tired but happy to be going home to finally have some real down time. <br><br>July marked the first July in 6 years or so I was not in the far north of the country or Canada. AND MY BIG FAT TEXAS FAMILY wedding was the reason why! ! I had to be in Texas for the 2nd half of July for my Niece's wedding which was a year in the planning So for the first half I returned to my music director responsibilities at <a contents="Center for Spiritual Living in Fayetteville" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cslfayetteville.org/" target="_blank">Center for Spiritual Living in Fayetteville</a> where I provided special music for the first 2 Sundays. I also had some production clients (did you know I take music production/recording/writing clients? ) And some cherished family time. We got to go to Crystal Bridges in Bentonville just an hour North of fayetteillve The second half of July was taken up by a big family wedding in Texas. I am Mean big! <br><br><br><br>to be continued, corrected, updated, added to etc ~ soon </p>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/40386872016-02-12T14:02:09-06:002017-01-13T18:04:01-06:00The rest of 2015 in a blaze of glory<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/766c7ce0df0076c52db73b4c6d64d6d223930e14/medium/ginlynlivepromo15.jpg?1445368675" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p><strong><span class="font_large">Greetings My Awesome Tribe !</span></strong><br><br><strong>Here's is a summary</strong> of my life since the release of Hippie Pocket last year. I don't have a lot of time to write per usual so it will have to be on the brief side. Lynda and I hit the road in the middle of May for our first stop of our summer tour which was the <strong><a contents="Heartland Gathering" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.kchsa.org/" target="_blank">Heartland Gathering</a></strong> in Kansas on May 21. It had been a crazy time getting ready for that tour just like always but especially this time since I was also finishing up the details of my new CD. The soonest it would be ready was after I hit the road so I arranged to have the first copies of the <strong><a contents="Hippie Pocket CD's" data-link-label="" data-link-type="album" href="/album/270870/hippie-pocket" target="_blank">Hippie Pocket CD's</a></strong> sent to Heartland for their release. I hoped they would arrive safely not only for their release at the festival but also so I would have them for the rest of the tour! Sending anything to festival land is a little shaky because 1. they are usually off the beaten path and 2. delivery areas can be a bit uncertain. I was worried but did all I could to make sure everyone who would be at the gate and the<a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="album" href="/album/270870/hippie-pocket" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/ddb223dd050830c97aa82e1c3d08d1fc538ef7c6/small/hippie-pocket-cover-v4b.jpg?1422993957" class="size_s justify_right border_" /></a> delivery people knew where to go. When I got to the fest someone at registration told me there was a box for me so I breathed a sigh of relief. But I after I tracked down the box and went to open it, with much anticipation and even a friend taking video, I found out it was only the t-shirts! I started asking around and no one knew of any other boxes. YIKES, It was the day before my release. I started going through all the paranoid scenarios of what I would do without them for the much anticipated release show THE NEXT NIGHT. I as trying to be cool but really I was starting to freak out. I was doing Sedona method emotion releasing steps and any other calming tool I could think of, and that helped but no one seemed to know where they were. I called UPS and they said they had been delivered which was better than saying they hadn't been i guess but where were they? At a festival that big with that many people volunteering, who knows? But my love, Andrea, like the angel she is came trough for me. (She also has a knack for finding things ~ she uses her fae senses, which come very handy) I was doing sound check but having a hard time concentrating since my CD's still had not been found, I was going through in my head what I would say to people to explain why the CD's weren't here during the show when she appeared way off in the field heading my way, holding a box and shouting something. Someone yelled: SHE FOUND THEM! I ran out to meet her with the biggest hug and longest kiss you can imagine. I was beyond relieved ! I was finally able to focus on the my show and the rest of the fest. It was FANTASTIC!! We had a great show with some great responses and after which I started getting the feed back on the album. (You always sweat the first couple of weeks after a release a when your fans start telling you what they think) People were loving it thank goodness. I had several detailed compliments on specific songs, and different songs were peoples favorites which made me happy. When they tell you they like it but have no details you wonder if they really mean it you know? After Heartland we kept traveling until September 20. Exactly four months straight of touring! Wow! That's the longest I have ever been on the road without a break. It was a productive and fabulous trip with many awesome shows. Behind the scenes though some dramatic life changing events happened for both myself and Lynda. I wanted to talk about those because when you blaze through town to town there is not a lot of time to share what is going on in your personal life. It was hard for both of us but our beautiful friends and the music really pulled us both through. <br><br><strong>For me those life changing events were about my mom</strong>. During the tour I almost lost her twice (Ecoli blood infection and pulmonary embolism). I will leave out most of the details except the most important one. My sister bravely managed both episodes and took care of everything. She insisted that I did not need to come <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/9aa10bbbc2bfdeda1d4474c314fa5c001039fbe8/medium/20150131-121211.jpg?1425159681" class="size_m justify_right border_" />home each time I asked. And when it appeared that my mom would fully recover (somewhat of a miracle ) I chose to stay on the road. After my mom's second illness and at the prompting of my mothers doctor, my sister moved my mom out of her apartment and into her house. Again she insisted that I not cancel the tour and come to Houston to help her, which I would have done and offered to do in a heartbeat. So in other words, <strong>my sister is the reason I was able to finish the tour last year.</strong> I thank god every day for my wonderful giving sister. I am so blessed by her and love her more than I can say. <br><br><strong>Lynda's life changing event</strong>, as most of you may know, was her husband of 10 years ending their relationship about a month into the tour. It was also revealed after some investigation that he had been having an affair which was ongoing and happening in their home while we were traveling. She was absolutely devastated. <br><br>But the good news is - <strong> Lynda and I are tough cookies!</strong> And we are surrounded by such awesome love and family and have some very powerful spiritual tools to work with. <strong>We are so blessed!!</strong> The magic of our music and strength of our awesome tribe (you included) fueled us through the toughest of those times. I do need to say how proud I am of Lynda. It took serious effort on her part to get through the tour under those circumstances. She is a true rock star and an incredibly strong woman. She took a 2 week break in July to go down and confront her husband. It was so hard for her. The original plan was for her to go home at that point on the tour so she could go with him on a trip they had planned to California. I was supposed to continue on the rest of the tour by myself.. But under the new circumstances she decided to come back and finish the tour. I was sad for the reason why but very glad to have her back with me.<br><br><strong>So, despite these things we were blessed to be able to complete the rest of the tour.</strong> And what an awesome tour it was!! Despite the personal difficulties everything went very well. Thanks to all of YOU for your support and for coming to the shows, sharing the music and even the occasional note of encouragement. <3 It ended for Lynda at <strong><a contents="Venus Music Festival" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://venusmusicfestival.com/" target="_blank">Venus Music Festival</a></strong> the last weekend of August, and for me at the <strong><a contents="Bulldozer Health" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.bulldozerhealth.org/" target="_blank">Bulldozer Health</a></strong> Benefit in Fayetteville September 20th. After that show I had 3 weeks to finish <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/f05448328a0e2308689c8526dc029176e89acbc0/medium/venusselfie.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_right border_" />booking and preparing for our <strong>October Florida Tour</strong>. I also promised to go to Houston to give my sister a much needed break in caring for my mom. By then my mom had been diagnosed with MCI (ealry stage dementia) and could no longer drive on top of the other help she needs. My sister and I also handle all of her business affairs as they are confusing for her. (I do some of that long distance.) Another note here is when I stop traveling and playing my income stops as well (working on changing that) and I take odd jobs to make ends meet. While in Texas I work for Uber. During that time I worked for Uber in the evenings while I cared for my mom and did music business during the day. It was a POWER PACKED 3 weeks.
<p> </p><strong>We left on our Florida October 12</strong>, and returned after our house concert in Jacksonville on October 27. It was wonderful as always. Back in Texas we had several shows in the area through November: Denton, Houston, Austin. Needless to say, by Thanksgiving we were utterly exhausted but in the best sort of way! <br> <p> </p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/caa62f6ba57911c5b1093070759c4f3651c56460/medium/heartlandfam.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_left border_" />I was not done though</strong>. I had another big step to take. After all this touring I had planned to move to Fayetteville, Arkansas to be with my girlfriend Andrea and our kids, Rowan and Willow. So I packed up as much as I could carry from my storage unit in Houston and left for Fayetteville. There I would spend both holidays with my girl of 4 years for the first time. I took a holiday job there working for UPS as a driver helper, which had me working through Christmas Eve. (Cause you can't make money doing music if you sit still for long) Then Andrea, the kids and I went to Memphis to celebrate Christmas with the kids' dad. It was a happy and laid back time. After Christmas I went back to Texas to again relieve my sister, care for my mom and get the rest of my stuff out of storage. I also went to San Antonio for a <strong><a contents="GBmojo" data-link-label="GBmojo" data-link-type="page" href="/gbmojo" target="_blank">GBmojo</a></strong> online show. (FUN!) Then it was back to Fayetteville. <strong>We've got another one coming up <a contents="March 15th" data-link-label="Shows" data-link-type="page" href="/shows" target="_blank">March 15th</a>. </strong><br> <br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/greenalbum" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/7585048b71b8d7b7e851e7683c7a1c03c1237792/small/thegreenalbumcover.jpg?1450652083" class="size_s justify_right border_" /></a><br><strong>January was the month I had set aside to work on my song for <a contents="The Green Album" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/greenalbum" target="_blank">The Green Album</a></strong>, a compilation CD by many great artists in my expanded community. Many of you have probably heard about it by now. <strong>Really exciting!</strong> The contract I signed months earlier had me on a deadline to finish writing and recording the song by February 2nd. It had to be a new song not yet released. When I sat down in January to work on it I started from scratch. I had an inkling in my mind of what I wanted it to say but that's about it. I also needed to find work again cuz the bills just keep coming - right? Don't we all know? Which I did, by the way, working assorted handy jobs for friends in the area. (I am pretty darn handy - I can work a saw ya'll!) When I wasn't working my day job I spent many hours working on my Green Album song in my mobile studio set up in the apartment. <strong> Now finally it is done and recorded! YAY!</strong> <br><br>I am now working hard on booking gigs for the upcoming summer tour. <strong>Check my <a contents="calendar " data-link-label="Shows" data-link-type="page" href="/shows" target="_blank">calendar </a>for details as they develop, </strong>and making a secure nest for myself and my love here in Fayetteville I continue to live a life focused on my music and spiritual work, You can help me by holding that vision with me. <3 I will send out the brightest light to all of you and hold a vision of highest well being for all my tiribe and their tribe and on and on.... 2016 looks like its gonna be a great year! Hope to see you on the road SOON!! <br> <div style="text-align: center; "> </div><span style="font-size: small; "><b><span style="font-size: small; "> </span></b></span>
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<br> </div>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/36070892015-03-17T12:38:55-05:002019-11-11T23:37:36-06:00Hippie Pocket Update: This Is Where It's At <strong>Hello beautiful souls who are reading this blog and that I love so much in this world!!</strong> I am taking a break from long hours of daily production on the new album to check in with you. And it’s about time right? Well I figured you would appreciate me working hard on the songs and sticking with it for a time. And it has pretty much consumed every hour of the day in one form or another. :) <br><br><span class="font_large"><strong>This is where the <a contents="fan fun" data-link-label="New Album Fund" data-link-type="page" href="/new-album-fund" target="_blank">fan fun</a> is</strong></span>: <strong>THANK YOU!! </strong>Because of your wonderful generosity I am almost to my goal at $4,217 with 15 days left to reach it! I organized this fan fund myself so that I could save the percentage the big companies take out. If I had gone with an outside company I would have had to ask for more money to compensate and I did not want to do that. I did my last campaign myself with much success so I thought I would do it again and so far so very good!! THANK YOU!!!<br> <br><span class="font_large"><strong>This is where I am:</strong> </span> I got pretty far behind where I wanted to be by now because of my mom’s illness and the care she required from me. Truth be told this is why I am doing the album in Houston. She needs me to be here to help and I am so very glad I am able to right now! My sister is here as well but she is a full time executive running a very important business and her kids and hubby need her too. She will be taking over for me when I am on the road so I am doing as much as I can, when I can. I knew she was going to need me, but I wasn't sure how much or if she might become ill. <strong>The good news is my mom is doing much better!</strong> She has recovered from the scary fever, her falls, the effect of general anesthesia and is back to herself again. She still needs me but not to the extent she did. This frees me up to focus more of my time on the record. Thank you for your prayers and energy. This has been an incredibly challenging time for both my mother and I ~ one of the most challenging by far. Living with my mom is weird and wonderful and it brings up waves of emotional highs and lows at random “not ready for you” times. I have <strong>not</strong> lived with her my entire adult life so childhood flashbacks have been creeping up behind me and doing cutaways of things I have not thought of in forever, bringing up laughter and tears. And then I look to the future. With the pain of losing my dad still fresh in my heart I worry about her and what will happen, what is starting to happen. But I have many spiritual tools for dealing with challenges and my music is one of them. <strong>My music is holding me in that true unbreakable love, again! </strong> And I am transferring all that love back into each song. There is much more I could say about this, but as I say each time I get distracted…<em>I need to focus on the record!! </em>That’s my catch phrase right now.<br> <br><span class="font_large"><strong>This is where the album is:</strong></span> AAAAAAUGH!!!! OK That’s much better just needed to get that out. ;) All basic production is finished. All songs are written. <em> I can’t believe I just typed that</em>. I have most of the basic tracking down for each instrument. I am now in the interminable process of tweaking and reviewing. During writing and preproduction I quickly record rough tracks to review parts and see if I like them. It’s like the artist’s sketch before they start painting. I throw down a bass line here a keyboard track there, a rhythm track, a rough vocal on a hand held mic, then listen. <em>Hmmm</em> I say. <em> It needs this here, that there. It needs a harmony. Oh wait I don’t like that part. Wait, this whole song needs to be in a lower key cause I will never be able to hit the high note in the chorus and I love that note. So I am not going to change that note I am going to change the whole song around it. Wait – that groove does not work there – what was I thinking? Ooo I like that part. Yes that sounds good but the whole thing is too slow, start over</em>. I have done all those things on this record. <strong>One song I started over 3 times to get tempo and key right. </strong>That's pretty rare fortunately<b>. </b>Can you guess which song? Of course not! It was And In Me – <em>I am still not sure I like that title</em>. Now this process goes on for EVER. Then I finally say to myself THIS IS IT! And start tracking the final tracks. That is where I am now. <br><br>Now during final tracking I will, for example, replay the piano with special attention to details like continuity, level and emphasis on rhythm so it works smoothly and tightly with drums and bass. Oh the bass. I work very hard on bass lines. I love writing them and they challenge me to the point where I get absolutely crazay. (I spelled that the way I wanted to) Example of a bass lines I worked for days and days on are <strong><a contents="Run Little One" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/365814/run-little-one-from-love-to-love-cd" target="_blank">Run Little One</a></strong> on the <strong><a contents="From Love to Love album" data-link-label="" data-link-type="album" href="/album/66407/from-love-to-love-download" target="_blank">From Love to Love album</a></strong>, and the song <strong><a contents="This Cocoon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/365835/this-cocoon" target="_blank">This Cocoon</a></strong> from the album <a contents="This Cocoon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="album" href="/album/66409/this-cocoon-downloads" target="_blank"><strong>This Cocoon</strong></a>. You would not believe how many different varieties of bass line I tired before I settled on the one you hear. Now I am not playing bass mind you. I am playing a bass patch on my <a contents="Yamaha M08" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MOXF8?adpos=1o1&creative=55642390801&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKEAjwoZ-oBRCAjZqs96qCmzgSJADnWCv8Z9p7Y5N8uOV2XKxX2jdPM_rXGEWf3Yl4N5iHyEEW-RoCOk3w_wcB" target="_blank"><strong>Yamaha M08</strong></a> keyboard. (It has LOTS of good ones to choose from) Bass is the foundation of any song and can absolutely make or break the feel. This is true of every instrument in a song but especially true of bass. I would love to play one for real but I also love playing them on my keyboard. I picture the bass in my hand as I play. I imagine myself as "the bass player" when as I am tracking. <strong>I am a closet bass player. </strong>But I have BETTER than the next best thing. I have <strong>Lynda Millard</strong> who takes the lines I write and makes them her own for our live shows. She is my favorite bass player and my bestest friend. I am very lucky to have both of those rolled into one!<br> <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/1601f2ce9d8450e372ab8102ed36f3f6ffea3e39/medium/2015-03-17-11-03-53.jpg?1426609668" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />OK so you get the picture. I am in the final tracking days before I go into the pro studio where I will record kit drums, more hand percussion and possibly a guitar or two. (<em>name things ginger can't do in her mom's apartment</em>) <strong>All of the decisions on what I will record when I get in the big studio need to be made before I get there</strong>. It could get <em>very</em> expensive if I am not prepared. The picture to you see is the final tracking grid I use for the album so all that needs to be done, and <strong>is</strong> done, can be seen at a glance. I borrowed the idea from my good friend <a contents="SJ Tucker" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://sjtucker.com/" target="_blank"><strong>SJ Tucker</strong></a> who used one when I was tracking her. We worked on several of her albums together. The column on the left is the song name and the row on top is the track to add (I left a couple extra in case) ... keys, bass drums etc. I love the idea of filing in boxes when something is completed ~ gives you that extra sense of satisfaction. I will post more pics of the grid as boxes fill in. There are some that should be filled in now, but I wanted to show you the clean sheet first.<br><br><strong>After all tracking is finalized then we will start mixing</strong>. I have already gone into more technical details than you probably want about tracking and mixing is an even more technical process which can take hours per song. I will spare you any more detail about that other than to say it is a <strong>critical process to the final quality of the record</strong>. After mixing is <strong>mastering</strong>. <em>What? You're not done yet?! Ah come on!! </em>Every professional recording artist you hear does this process before you hear it. Simply put, mastering takes each song on an album and puts them together so they make a cohesive group all the same level and shine. I am still deciding on which mastering house and studio I will use. I have been doing the research and will let you all know when I have chosen one. I would like to be in there the last week of March. but the truth is I am not sure I will make it by then. I have to leave for 3 weeks in April for <a contents="shows" data-link-label="Shows" data-link-type="page" href="/shows" target="_blank"><strong>shows</strong></a> in Arkansas and Kansas. That's why I wanted to be finished by April 1. I am trying my hardest but sweating it a bit about now. <em><strong>Wish me luck!!! </strong></em><br><br> <br><strong>Meanwhile there is the album cover and graphic layout. </strong> My good friend Cheryl Russell of <a contents="Design Galveston" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.designgalveston.com" target="_blank"><strong>Design Galveston</strong></a> will be working<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/6c0ca287ce201eb3f3268aac4ee6db4dc1fc78ee/small/11072757-10153160629277320-171865153-n.jpg?1426611684" class="size_s justify_right border_none" alt="" /> on it. She is the one who did the cover mock up I have been using for promotion. I basically said I wanted the back of a hippie girls jean pocket with a heart coming out and she did the rest. My part will be to submit all the text and the bar code and figure out song order and make sure I have all the studio credits, executive producer credits (from fan funding) and musicians credits correct (which is harder than you think). And all of that info has to be compiled after everything has been finished so no one gets left out. My deadline for album layout and submission to <a contents="http://www.discmakers.com/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.discmakers.com/" target="_blank"><strong>duplicator</strong></a> is May 1, so I have it in my car when heading to <a contents="Heartland Festival" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.kchsa.org" target="_blank"><strong>Heartland Festival</strong></a> which is the first stop on my summer tour. She will also design the t-shirts. There's a little more time on that deadline but not much. GO CHERYL!!! AND GINGER!!! HURRY UP GINGER!!! <br><br>I set this schedule and I fully intend to make these deadlines. <strong>I also want the best quality for this record and if making it better means I have to extend them, I may have to. And that's OK ~ c</strong>uz it will be worth it!!!<br><br><strong>I am so thankful that you believe in me.</strong> I work on believing in me too and with spirits help I do!! I will post again as soon as all the other work I am doing allows!! Did someone says taxes? You just hush now. <br><br><strong><span class="font_large">Sending so much love and gratitude to you all always!</span></strong>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/35652362015-02-28T15:45:08-06:002017-01-13T18:04:01-06:00Hippie Pocket Update: Mama’s been Down – Healing’s been UpFirst I want to say <strong>THANK YOU!!!!</strong> After only 2 1/2 weeks of the<strong> <a contents="Fan Funding Campaign" data-link-label="New Album Fund" data-link-type="page" href="/new-album-fund" target="_blank">Fan Funding Campaign</a> </strong>I am over half way to my Goal !!! <strong>Thanks so much to ALL OF YOU!!! </strong>To all those who have contributed and shared ~ Bless you for supporting my music! It touches my heart more than I can ever say and makes it possible to continue to *make* my music. Bless you AGAIN! There is no such thing as too many blessings and you have blessed me infinitely <3 <br><br><em><strong>Here's what's been going on....</strong></em><br> <br>I had a great visit to Fayetteville during Valentine's week and burrowed in with my favorite faerie three; Andrea, Rowan and Willow (keyboards were there too). Unbeknownst to me, a fourth little microscopic guy was also in attendance and decided to burrow in as well, a little too close. Yes, this means we all got sick. I figured out that when a cold virus decides to move in he rearranges your internal furniture and this is what causes the muscle aches. Virus: “Hmm… I think I’ll put the left eye in the right socket and stretch the right neck muscles over the left shoulder blade. Oh that’s much better!! Now I’ll just spread the lower back muscles apart so I can have some curtains and use the kidney as a throw pillow! Voila!” Anyway, Mr. Virus stayed with me for a while until the onslaught of garlic and ninja tea (with essential oils ala Andrea) forced him to evacuate. It wasn’t too bad though. I have had much worse! It was just enough to knock me down for a minute and delay the writing of the last song of the new album. <strong>But there is *always* magic in the air and as always that delay in song writing had a very important purpose</strong>. Some of you may have seen my post about this ~ when an idea for a song hits me, it hits me like the sun after a long series of clouds “GINGER, WRITE A SONG ABOUT HEALING” it said to me as I blew my nose for the millionth time. OK then, a healing song it is. This was to be the 10th song of the new album. The more I thought of it the more it made sense ~ and healing from my cold was only one small reason why.<br> <br>If you’ve watched the <strong><a contents="video" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://youtu.be/H1jhl5_Ea1Q" target="_blank">video</a></strong> about my fan fund you know that I have been staying with my mom a lot this past year. For the past couple of weeks she has been having a challenging time. To be real, since my dad died in May this whole year has been difficult for her. But most recently there has been some pretty significant mental decline. It has been hard to watch, and even harder to admit. Her doctor also made a discovery. The heart monitor chip they put in in December showed that she has been having frequent pauses in her heartbeat, sometimes for as long as 4 seconds. Within a couple of days of this discovery they scheduled her for a new sort of pace maker. It actually goes inside her heart (not under the skin) and only works when it needs to. They put it in on Tuesday this week (2/24). The procedure went well but since we have been back from the hospital she has required constant care and can’t be left alone. She developed a fever, her blood pressure has been very high and she has had difficulty with balance. She has fallen a couple of times (without significant injury) and has been extremely disoriented and unengaged. She has mental issues, but not to this extreme. Needless to say it has been taking most of mine, and my sister’s time to care for her. As I write this it is after 2am. It's only when she sleeps that I can focus on other things.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/9aa10bbbc2bfdeda1d4474c314fa5c001039fbe8/medium/20150131-121211.jpg?1425159681" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /><br><strong>Now meanwhile</strong> the computer above my keyboards has been open to the lyric page of my new and as yet unfinished healing song. I have kept it there for a couple of days now so I can think about it and keep the healing energy close to heart. I see it every time I walk by.<br> <br>The first verse was all that was written up until an hour or so ago. <br> <br><em>There is light in this heat </em><br><em>A spark the fever will feed</em><br><em>And enfolding this need </em><br><em>An overwhelming relief </em><br><em>I am healing </em><br> <br>A little about the intent of this song - With the lyrics of this song I want to use the symptoms of illness, which are always our guide, as a healing and meditation *focus point* to transform the energy usually created by symptoms into that of a healing light. My hope is that this song will be a healing meditation, prayer and visualization for both the healing and the healer. <br><br>Anyway - earlier this afternoon, my mom’s fever spiked to 102.5 My sister and I had a conference in the bathroom so we could talk about it without alarming her. We were trying to figure out if she should go back to the hospital. We had been in communication with the doctor and he said it was up to us at this point. <br> <br>I will be real here. I am not ready to lose my mother. Who ever is? But I am still grieving my dad. We lost him in the same hospital where we were talking about sending her. And we thought all he had was a cough. Granted I will never be ready to lose her, but not now please. ;) We stood silent in the bathroom after talking. Neither of us wanted her to go back to the hospital (where folks tend to get weaker especially older folks) but we were afraid something more serious was going on and didn't want to make the wrong decision. She hates it at the hospital and it is always traumatic for her when she goes in so we decided to wait and see what would happen if we did more fluids, aspirin, and of course prayer.<br> <br>And pray for her I did. I spoke to spirit and had the “I am healing” line from my song in my head. ( I can't wait to sing the completed song! Especially for someone who really needs it ~) It wasn’t the first time this week I prayed for her but it was the most focused. I went to get groceries and came back. My sister left and we agreed if she wasn’t better by the next day we would take her to the hospital. I started making dinner. <strong>Suddenly she shot up out of her chair </strong>and strode effortlessly and confidently into the bathroom. Now look, I had been walking her shaky self to the bathroom every time for the past 3 days, while she held on for dear life every slow step of the way. I was like – WHOA – and followed her into the bathroom and I was like “uh… you ok?” She was like "Yes" (like of course why do you ask?) and just smiled at me. OK. So I went back in to the kitchen and was just shaking my head in disbelief. She came out of the bathroom and looked at me and said “I think I have turned the corner.” I think she was right. I checked her temp... it was just above normal. <strong>Why am I still astounded when spirit works its healing light so effortlessly? I see it all the time.</strong><br> <br>Continuing today she is better but still not 100% by a long shot. I must ask for forgiveness and patience because while she needs my care to this extreme there is very little else I am getting done on music. <strong> I trust with spirits help I will keep up with everything AND YOUR AMAZING HELP IS A BIG REASON WHY. :)</strong> Your continued support gives me hope and helps me with the added energy boost I need to move forward on this project! <br> <br>On a final note I want to say that, believe it or not, it’s hard for me to open up; hard for me to say what’s going on with me - either in this blog or in a conversation even. It's been an issue for me. Opening up about my mom here was not easy. Now to express in a song is another thing. My songs come out as an effortless reflection of my innermost emotional landscape, with melody trees and rhythm rivers; and poetry to point you in the direction that feels right. Within that space I know the listener can feel my love and know it is there without a doubt. My heart likes that. First know there is love, then listen to what I am saying. But this year as I have said, I am called to heal. <strong>And as a part of that healing I want to open up more.</strong> I want to express with words to the people who matter most to me (that includes you). <em>Use your words Ginger...</em> I think my father is helping me to do this from the other side. He found it hard to speak from his heart too. Now I think he wants me to. :)<br> <br>Thanks for listening. Up ahead is more caring for Mom and doing my best to finish my healing song by Monday. May both endeavors bring healing to her and to our world ~ both in this home and to the end of the Universe. <strong>Sending LOVE and GRATITUDE to all of you!!! </strong>More soon...GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/35256862015-02-12T14:21:47-06:002017-01-13T18:04:01-06:00Hippie Pocket Progress Update 2/12/15<strong>WOW - I LOVE MY TRIBE</strong>. Period. Today has blown my mind. At day 4 of the <strong><a contents="Fan Fund&nbsp;" data-link-label="New Album Fund" data-link-type="page" href="/new-album-fund" target="_blank">Fan Fund</a></strong> we are at $1,430.00. I am SO happy, humbled and grateful beyond words! Listen ya'll... I have learned a lot from my life as a touring hippie musician. And one of the most beautiful things I have learned is that there are SO MANY BEAUTIFUL MAGICAL WONDERFUL CREATIVE TALENTED GENEROUS LOVING and AWESOME people in this world. And I have the BLESSING to meet more and more of them all the time. It's is the greatest treasure of my travels. THANK YOU EVERYONE, SO MUCH!!! And also I have learned not to watch too much news. It can skew your perception of people and the state of things. Your world is right in front of you... take it in. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/c60bbbd8235630f88d80199a2fa094bf89f0abd5/small/10307204-10154438325405381-1131679298224765258-n.jpg?1423769577" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="Danielle LaFontaine" />Here's an example of awesome people... I just heard from my talented friend <a contents="Danielle LaFonatine," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.craftybitchcave.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Danielle LaFontaine</strong>,</a> the woman who makes and designs the Hippie Pocket purses and bags. She just told me that once we sell $500 worth of the purses (via donation) she wanted to donate the money back to me for a house concert! I was<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/26b0c192673dd76f1751c0e42ec41d9a0cd37669/small/hippiepocketpurse1.jpg?1423770220" class="size_s justify_right border_none" alt="" /> like 8. are you kidding me???? This woman ROCKS MY WORLD! I love you Danielle!! The Hippie Pocket Purses are HER idea and HER design. She brought the first two she had made to Lynda and I after a show last summer. It was only the week before when she had been at another show of ours and heard the song Hippie Pocket for the first time. That was all it took for her to think up the design and get the motivation to make the purses and bring them to us at the next week's show. Now that's quick. See? Awesome people. <br><br>Another example is a friend who donated at the Lucky Charm level. She said she wanted the song Thankful as her choice for the "Framed Handwritten Lyrics". I am only too happy to oblige her and her husband. Especially because they surprised us by coming to the <strong><a contents="Posi Music Award's" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.empowerma.com/Festival" target="_blank">Posi Music Award's</a></strong> ceremony last January in Florida to celebrate their anniversary and were there when I won the award for "Thankful" . Here is what she wrote... <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/a5f68d0374ec80cd501634793e9095206230fb6c/small/ginposipower.jpg?1394128453" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" />"And a funny story about Thankful is that we were with you on our wedding anniversary when you won and it was an amazing night and then a weird thing also...... When we went to the doctor with Serenity's <em>[their adopted daughter]</em> birth mother, when we were trying to find out her due date, they said she was conceived on January 19 2014 which is our wedding night and the night you won the posi award ...... So that is our family song now... " magical ;) <br><br>After finishing <strong><a contents="From Love to Love" data-link-label="" data-link-type="album" href="/album/66407/from-love-to-love-download" target="_blank">From Love to Love</a></strong> I needed a long break from the studio. I had never worked so hard and long on a an album project in my life. It was the most rewarding and most exhausting album ever. That was 2012. As 2014 progressed and the new song writing began I started to get excited. Really excited ~ and twitching to be in the studio making a record again. But I also had some angst... I knew I needed to do another fan fund... which to be honest I really didn't want to do. It's alot of work and I don't like asking for money!! I wanted to be able to save enough to do it myself <em>(but alas). </em>But now that it is set up and I have figured out what to give in exchange I don't feel so bad. It helps to feel as though there is an even exchange of energy here. <br><br>I have been in Fayetteville this week spending some beautiful time with my girlfriend Andrea and her kids. I am also working as much as I can. I brought my keyboards and pro tools equipment and have it set up here, but managing the fund has taken all my work time. I will be back in Texas next week where writing on the final song (#10) and production on the rest of the music can resume full force. <br><br><em>Thanks again to everyone who is helping. You will never know how much it means to me and how deeply you touch me. <3 </em><br><br><br><br> GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/34974652015-02-09T09:34:56-06:002015-02-12T14:22:37-06:00New Years Resolution - Put that in your Hippie PocketI have committed myself to healing this year; to heal my body, my heart and mind from what has been some of the most challenging yet rewarding few years in my life. From some of the worst emotional pain I have ever known, to putting myself out there as a solo artist; facing and conquering some of my biggest fears, to some of the highest highs I have had the gift to experience. Life is divine.<br><br>Like a true Aries I am committing to healing *completely* and in the most challenging way possible. Ha! Of course ;) Healing my relationships, both with self, also with others, with the divine, with money; healing past hurts and the damage I have done to myself both mentally and physically. So here I go. Obvious step one for me is quitting my vices. Not the least of which was my nightly glass of wine. The result of not drinking these past weeks has been incredible after having at least a glass of wine every night, usually more. ;) I am nearing the 30 day mark and I feel awesome.<br><br>I am praying and meditating everyday and asking for guidance and assistance in my quest. (I need it) I am working out and doing yoga - not anything new for me but I am ramping it up. 8) I have been actively centered on love in the stream of my thoughts and opening my heart where fear and panic in the past would have closed it. All of this I did before, but now I am in going full bloody force. I intend for this healing to provide a healthier stronger foundation for the work I continue to do in my life and with my music and my spiritual development (which go hand and hand) And to infuse the new music and I am creating right now!<br><br>I am SO VERY EXCITED about my new album entitled "Hippie Pocket." Here is the story of how that title came to be. I was sitting around a fire at Brushwood a couple of years ago with my beautiful friend Devonne talking about the cool parts of town that are inevitably in EVERY town. Some bigger and "cooler" than others. We were calling them "Hippie Pockets" and Devonne said to me: "You need to write a song called Hippie Pocket!" And I was like <*LIGHT BULB*> DEFINITELY!!! A year later I finally got around to writing it ~ March of 2014. I performed it around the US and Canada during my touring last year and got a lot of really great feedback on it. And to my great pleasure more songs in the same vein have been coming out of me! Lots more. Here is the list of songs that will on the new album so far<br><br>DANCE AROUND THE FIRE<br>HIPPIE POCKET<br>CHAROLETTE BOGANGLE<br>AGE OF AQUARIUS<br>AND IN ME<br>RAIN DOWN<br>LIVING IN PARADISE <br>NIGHT MARE<br>WE ARE LOVE<br><br>Its obvious that for this project my hippie definately wanted to come out and play. These songs have been a lot of fun to write and are a lot of fun to listen to; upbeat danceable tunes reflecting the playful side of my life. But that doesn't mean that my spirituality doesn't shine though. Spirit will always have a way of making a way through my music. I can't hep it and I don't want to ;) I can't wait to share these tunes with all the folks in my extended tribe (both that I know and that I have yet to know) that have been playing with me and will *get* to play with me this year and beyond! I have one more to write and a lot of final production to be done on the rest. BUT I"M SO CLOSE!!! <br><br>With the launch of my <a contents="fan funding campaign" data-link-label="New Album Fund" data-link-type="page" href="/new-album-fund" target="_blank">fan funding campaign</a> I trust that together we can make this vision a solid reality !!! <br><br><em><strong>With LOVE AND GRATITUDE I GO ~ So very thankful to ALL OF YOU!!!</strong></em><br><br> GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/34499462015-01-02T22:35:00-06:002015-01-03T11:49:32-06:00A letter to a friend - I love you Stephen Dear Beloved Stephen, <br><br>Oh my brother I am so sad to see you go. But I honor the journey of your soul and celebrate the time I had with you. You were (are) a true original and a gentle loving man to the core. I want to put in writing how you touched me, how I will be forever grateful for our friendship and for the support you offered to my person and my career and so many others like me. You gave so much not only in the the countless times you sheltered me in your home as well as financial contributions, but you also offered to help me in any other way I could think of; mailing CD orders; spreading the word, whatever. I know I have told you these things so I don't regret not having not said them to you... but I have to say them again for the world. You were always so humble. I want everyone to know about the silent glow which always lays in my heart for you. It is the result of your deep effecting touch and it will linger forever. <br><br>I remember the first tine I met you, six years ago. I was instantly moved by the warmth and love you extended to me as a stranger in your home. And our conversation almost immediately moved to things spiritual. But this was no typical conversation. It was the kind that lights your heart on fire. It was clear that we were kindred souls. You were a man of a cloth of many colors. A spiritual seeker and adventurer, seeking the divine where others may fear to tread. I had never met anyone quite like you, soft yet so intensely spoken. I knew we would be good friends. You along with your beautiful wife so effortlessly extend yourself and your love to those around you. And that original affection and warmth you showed me that first night never wavered through the entire course of our friendship. <br><br>Here is your last FB message to me I would like to share<br><br><em>"Happy holiday to you my dear. We love you and always have a seat at the table for you and yours. Give us a holler someday, ok? I have a yule present for you, just about six years in the doing of it! Please send me an address, ok? Love always, Stephen-Jacob</em><br><br>You always seemed to call me when I most needed to hear the tender words of a friend. And tender they always were ~ so comforting. Sometimes the call would be of a matter you wanted to discuss with me. But more often than not it was simply to let me know that you were thinking of me and loved me. I am pretty sure I told you,`I sure hope i did, how awesome it always was to hear from you, how much those calls meant to me and how much you were loved in return. There was one tough time for me on the road when I kept your message and played it again just to be soothed by your words. <br><br>I will always remember the beautiful conversations, the spiritual and scientific ambitions of your mind, the compassionate nature of your heart and the many calls and messages that always touched my life. You were an exceptional part of my tribe Stephen Bell. Thank you for being such a bright and constant light in my life. This is not goodbye I know, but see you later <3 <br> GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/31606262014-08-28T12:15:49-05:002017-01-13T18:04:00-06:00Thoughts of My Father So much has happened this year. So much good and so much… no I can’t say bad cuz in my mind at this moment nothing is bad. Not when you look at the BIG picture; life is good, great in fact, divine. The gift of life is so great that even if a terrorist came and blew me up right now it could not change the divine nature of existence. It would not change the fact that my life is a gift ~ even to have it taken away. In the VERY BIG picture I feel that the nature of a thing should be determined by its consequence or its ability to either block or support the divine flow of the universe. Could a terrorist block the flow of the universe by blowing my up? No… only alter its flow; a bolder in the stream of life. Does it hurt if you slam into that boulder? God yes. Is there pain and confusion and sorrow and loss? Yes. Are these bad things ~ or just the consequence of the divine flow of the universe being altered? Just thinking out loud. I know that the divine flow of love (big bang expansion of the universe – source of life) always has me, dead or alive, and will carry me past the boulders that I inevitably must crash into. Especially when I surrender to its constant flow and trust in its nature. My energy cannot be destroyed only transformed. Within that knowledge, "bad things" take on a different perspective. They are my teachers and my challengers, helping me to be smarter, stronger,bringing me closer to my divine nature. But it doesn't mean I like it. I sometimes ask "Do I have to do this today?" <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54833/e8b81b9b339339dfb6725a4f5780bdea57fc8899/medium/20140802-115305.jpg?1409267641" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br><br>Before I talk about the rest of my year so far I have to talk about the most important and far-reaching boulder I just crashed into. My father passed away on May 22<sup>nd</sup>. The consequence of this thing continues to unfold for me and I know now that it will never stop. My heart and mind are learning a great lesson from this. I don’t know how to write about it, if I try to think about what to write in advance. So I will just put down what comes, as it comes. <br> <br>Oh this is hard. The child in me is afraid. It’s like getting lost at the circus. Suddenly all the fun stuff around you isn’t fun any more. Nothing matters except being found and having your hand taken by that familiar loving presence. Here though, you realize that you are not going to be found by the one you are looking for ever again. There is panic and there is grief. But then, softly as a whisper of love there is the realization that they never truly leave your side, that they are apart of you forever. You trust that you can find your own way home and you can breathe again. It is a brief respite in the waves of grief but it is there and it comes more often with time. Where does this moment of peace come from? I believe it is wired into us. Death is a part of life. We must all grieve at some point. Perhaps we will be lucky enough not to have too much grief. But there is some form of it in all our lives even if it is not death itself. And everyone who has ever lived has experienced it. Like the other traits we have passed down to our off spring – shock, and other forms of protection help us get through. My point here is: fear not - we were made to handle this and we can as long as we trust in the tools that are our divine inheritance. And then there is each other. Oh my tribe… where would I be without you?<br> <br>My Father Richard B Doss was a very special man in many ways to many folks. To me he was special because he was my father and he cared about me. He cared about me even though he didn’t relate to my lifestyle very well or agree with my hippie perspective <strong>at all</strong>. And even though he didn’t understand or agree with my choices at times, he understood <strong>me, </strong>better than I think I ever wanted to admit. We were further apart in age than most of my peers and their fathers. We were even further apart in worlds. But he was always quick to to offer help and advise when I needed it. He wasn't east to understand at times but he was always generous and kind to me, always. <br> <br>“Nobody didn’t like Dick Doss” A friend of my fathers said at his internment. He was not a music lover but he did sing in a barber shop quartet in College. He loved remembering that in his last years. He didn’t talk much about his personal feelings but he did like to talk about <strong>you</strong>. If you look closely, you could notice him observing you while you talked to him. Then he would ask you a question to try and get you to come to a particular conclusion without telling you directly what that conclusion was. It was his way of helping you learn or to realize something on your own. I don’t remember him being as passionate about anything as he was about helping people make a better way in their life. As a management consultant it was his business and he was very good at it. He had a gift for it. <br> <br>I remember him blowing up his cheek for me to kiss when he would come home from work. I remember him watching sports and the news on TV with a martini in his hand. I remember him laughing and joking about how old he was getting when he would get up from his chair with exaggerated stiffness. I remember him bitching about the way my mother spent money. I remember him mowing the lawn, and working in the garage and saying to me “You can help by staying out of the way.” I remember him giving me a dollar to put in the collection plate at church (even this year – it was a thing he liked to do no matter how old I was). In his later years I remember taking his arm so that I could walk along with him, at his pace, because I knew I would not get to walk next to him for much longer. I started writing down his stories and saving his phone messages no matter how mundane. And in the hospital I told him over and over and over “I love you Dad”<br> <br>It’s all over too soon, no matter how much time there is. But I had the chance to say what I wanted to say to him. and he had the chance to talk to all of us. I know how lucky that is. He did not suffer long and that is another blessing. Thank you God for taking him quickly.<br> <br>“Where are YOU?” was the first question he would always ask me when I would call. I am here Dad. Where are you? I want to reach across the universe and find him. I don’t want him to go, and yet, if I think about the time he was here in the flesh I remember how distant we really were. Regardless his presence in my life was a comfort I don't think I will ever get used to being without. I like to think if he sees me now, from his spirit perspective ~ it is possible for him to understand his crazy androgynous spiritual hippie gypsy musician daughter in a way he never may have before. I think when we drop our earthy robe we also leave behind the judgments that do not serve our heavenly being. I know he is there, shiny, happy, free of pain. I have no doubt of the eternal nature of spirit, but it is another thing to understand the details and the mathematics of what our energy does when we leave our bodies behind. I know without a doubt that I can talk to him and tell him everything like I never did before. And I do. And I sense that he hears me. Not like on the phone, but he hears. I love you Dad. Thank you <3 GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/23202692014-01-02T18:21:36-06:002015-03-26T07:13:10-05:00A song about Jesus ...I recently got an email asking why I had not written a song about Jesus. I wanted to share my response here because I realized I don't have my spiritual beliefs summarized and written down anywhere else. ;) So why not? <br><br>Below is the email and my response to it, with the personal references taken out. <br><br><strong><em>I love you ginger but I never understood why you never wrote a song about our lord Jesus maybe you have but I don't know about it. Have you?</em></strong><br><br>My Answer...<br><br>I do not have a song about Jesus at the moment. No reason why not, in particular. I have songs about so many different things, most of them near and dear to my heart at the moment I am writing. I allow my heart to flow out when I sit at the piano. This is why the subject matter tends to be very personal and emotional....about my relationships or the way my connection to the divine moves me in its many forms.<div> </div>
<div>I am curious as to why you don't understand why I have not written a song about Jesus. Perhaps it is because you and I have never talked about my spiritual path. Here is a little bit about my beliefs. I am a member of Unity Church and also consider myself a Universalist, if you have to have a label. My relationship to God, the divine light of the universe and the source of all creation, is the most important thing in the world to me. To me. the greatness of God's love and light is so immense that it is not limited to one path, or one person. It appears in a single flower, in my family and friends, in the unselfish act of unconditional love, in the vastness of space and in the twinkle of an eye. God created everything and everyone. From this light we all came forth and when we manifest into this world we refract like the prisms of a rainbow - so many colors, cultures and languages emerge. Surely there must be as many languages to speak to God, and as many paths to the one light so that we all may find our way. I sense the essence of God is unconditional love, and as a result opens many doors for the true seeker. In this knowledge I have great peace and an open mind to the different people of this world and maintain a respectful reverence for their chosen beliefs. I attend episcopal church with my family and pray by their side with utmost respect. I listen to the words of the minister and am sometimes moved to tears. I also practice Buddhist meditation on a regular basis and go from time to time to the temple in Austin. I am in awe of the Buddhist teachings and they are a profound part of my spiritual practice. Also many times I have joined in pagan ritual. There, my old soul is home and my heart is lifted in the presence of the old ways. You see, I believe all of us walk side by side, all loved by the same light, all going to the same place.</div>
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<div>If you would like to know more I would be happy to share with you. It is one of my favorite subjects. I have no idea what I will write about in the future, but who knows, there may be a song about Jesus still to come. </div><br><br><br><br> GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/17299552013-09-27T11:55:00-05:002021-06-28T12:00:36-05:00Summer Tour 2013 Part 3 OMG Brushwood...<img src="/files/107202/BWforest2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" width="150" />OMG Brushwood...I’m not saying OMG Brushwood because of how awesome Brushwood is, (although it is one the most friggin awesome festival spaces EVER) I am saying OMG because now I have to write about our experience at Brushwood ~ OMG!!!! How does one fucking do that? Can I say fuck in my blog? Of course I can. It’s my blog and that’s the best word for this situation. So where was I? Oh yeah OMG BRUSHWOOD, fuck, here goes.<br><br>After our Sunday morning Unity service in Cleveland we headed straight for Brushwood Folklore Center in upstate New York. Nyx and I were incredibly excited because we had been before and LOVED it. The Festival grounds of Brushwood host many festivals and two of its largest are Sirius Rising and Summer Fest. Both of these are week-long fests (Sunday to Sunday) and are held back to back in July without interruption. We were scheduled to perform at both. So there is your technical information.<br><br><img src="//gingerdoss.com/files/BW%20Labyrinth2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" width="150" />Now I get to rant ~ Brushwood is truly is one of the very best festival spaces I have ever been to and I have been to a lot. It’s privately owned and therefore lovingly tended to all year round by the fabulous owners who, along with scores of volunteers, do a first rate job. And it’s not just the variety of camp space, or the food vendors, or faerie woods, or the stages (yes I said stages) or the shrines (the faerie shrine is my personal favorite) or the dead bic altar, or the labyrinth, or the four direction flushies, or the massive fires and their keepers, or the stripper pole, or the…….. wait for it……. drumming. I got down on my knees to type that (not really, but I should have).<br><br>Let me bump this down a space or two - the drumming has to have its own paragraph. Sirius Rising has the best drumming of any festival I have ever been to, period. Anyone who has been to Sirius Rising and is reading this right now agrees with me. Unless they have been somewhere with better drumming ~ and if they have, it is not on this planet. But seriously let me know if there is any festival with a better nightly drum circle than Sirius Rising and I will RUN there. Every drum circle has its moments; Sirius Rising has epic transcendent super novas. To fine-tune this a bit - it is not because of “the drumming” that the drumming is so good. It’s because of the drummers. The drummers that go to Sirius are the best festival djembe & hand percussion drummers in the country and they are coming to their sacred space – the Round House. There is also the Didge Dome. (there are two separate drum circle spaces and they do not interfere with each other.) They are both awesome in their own way, but for my purposes I will focus on the Round House. I have been to the Round House Drum circles only twice now. The first time is like the first time you have amazing sex with someone new. Incredible right? But the second time is even better because you have been thinking about it and gotten yourself all worked up and thought about even more stuff you could do to expand the experience the next time. Right? This is how I felt about my time in the Round House: Round House=Great Sex and your hands hurt after. The drumming lasts all night, every night. Yes, starting Sunday night. It goes til roughly noon the next day – and sometimes it goes all day. I experienced some of the best drumming just after sunrise. The drummers go in shifts and some stay all night. <img src="/files/107557/roundhousejpg.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" width="150" /> I could go on and on about the drummers (Kelly Bezl Miguel – and so many more) and the many things that happened in the Round House during Sirius/Summer Fest but I can’t cause I have to tell you about lots of other stuff too. And some things are just not explainable with words. Just know that every day was filled with expectation of the drum circle that night, at least for me and the drummers I camped with, and every night was its own unique and spontaneous rhythmical magic. I have ultimate admiration for all the drummers who make that sacred sonic alchemy with wood and skins, hands and hearts, beating with abandon in the center of Round House.<br><br>Back to when we arrived - Andrea greeted us when we first pulled up. She had gotten there just before. Andrea had flown in to attend the first fest, Sirius Rising. The year before I told her she HAD to come and she made it happen. I was thrilled to share it with both her and Lynda who were experiencing it for the first time. After registering we drove directly to Beat St - the small road leading back to drum camp (so coined by Bezel who also made a street sign to mark it). When we got there went into high gear to get our camp set up before dark.<br><br><img src="/files/107205/BWcamp2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" width="150" />The tents are the easy part. The tricky part is putting up tarps to help protect the tents and our kitchen space from the rain. We were going to be there for two weeks so it wasn’t a question of if the rain was coming, but when. We did a pretty decent job – I thought. When the rain came, it came hard. Nikki had a hard time with the tent she borrowed from her son. One of the poles broke and it looked like a mutant lean-to that someone should shoot to put out of its misery. She had to keep moving her stuff around so that it would stay dry, and unfortunately it didn’t. Also there was one spot in the tarps that would gather water. When I came out of my tent at one point during a rain storm there was this precarious pile of things stacked from the ground up to lift the tarp in that particular spot so the water would run off the side. It looked just like when Sylvester the cat stacks up everything in the house to get to tweetie. Thank god for Nyx who had assembled it in a jiffy during a torrential downpour. Otherwise I don’t know what would have happened.<br><br><img src="/files/107207/BWsolitaire2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" width="150" />Here’s another rain story: There were many more dry days than wet thank god. But one day it rained all day. A bit stir crazy Lynda and I were hankering to play double solitaire. This is a card game we love and have played many times together. But we neglected to bring any cards with us (you need two decks). Determined to play I drove to the tiny country grocery store in town (al la green acres) to see if they had some. Well I <b>thought</b> they did. The only decks of cards in the store turned out to be peanuckle cards. I didn’t know there were different *KINDS* of decks so I didn’t look closely at the package. Anyone who knows how to play peeknuckle (no one really does) knows that the peanuckle deck is completely screwed up. Has anyone noticed that I have spelled peeknuckle differently, and might I add, incorrectly each time? THAT’S BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SPELL IT AND WHY SHOULD I? No, I am not going to look it up! Moving on… So in PEEEEEKNUCKLE there are no 2’s or 3’s or anything like that. It’s a 48 card deck consisting of twelve cards in each of the four suits - two in each rank; Ace, Ten, King, Queen, Jack, and Nine, and there are no 2 – 8's. This simply won’t do for double solitaire, which is the same as single solitaire except both players race to play on the same aces and sometimes, it gets violent ~ which is why we love it I'm pretty sure. ANYWAY… (stay with me here it gets better) We were very anxious to play. So we decided that since we had enough cards (if you count the jokers) we would use a sharpie to change the doubles into the cards we needed. I do not know how long this took but we had a red sharpie and a black sharpie and plenty of time on our hands so we just went for it. The resulting game was hilarious. The decks ended up looking insane. We played about 3 or 4 hands before we just gave up. Ignoring the actual card value for the scribbled sharpie marking proved much harder than we thought. But it provided alot of laughs and by the end the rain had stopped so we got to go frolick. <br><br><img src="/files/108333/andginbrush.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" width="150" />Andrea and I had a great time at the round house each night but also attending concerts and workshops, visiting with old friends and making new ones, eating at the cafes, exploring the woods, walking the labyrinth and shopping the vendors. We were honored to be camping with the drummers and loved being that close to the drum cricle. Going back and forth was a breeze. And every night, when we finally did get to sleep, we slept like a babies wrapped in the warmth of the hypnotic beat that wove its way into our dreams like a blanket in the night.<br><br>My perforances were all lot of fun. We played for the Sirius Rising<img src="/files/108334/stagebow2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" width="150" /> speakers meet and greet on Tuesday and again at the café on Friday afternoon. Also we played with Freedom and many of the other drummers and performers including <a contents="Kenny Klein" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://kennyklein.net/music.htm" target="_blank">Kenny Klein,</a> <a contents="Billy Woods" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.billywoods.com/" target="_blank">Billy Woods</a> and <a contents="Nighthawk" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ4RIVGjdRU" target="_blank">Nighthawk</a> Satuday night for the community dance jam. At Summer Fest our main stage show was fabulous with guest drumming from Nighthawk (who lucky for us played with us for all of our shows) and Billy Woods – drum and thai chi master. I am always honored beyond woods to play with both of them. We played again for Frank’s birthday party (the owner) later in the week. It was a great way to wrap up our time there.<br><br>So much happened – how can I tell you all of it? I can’t. But I can sum up by saying that we all cried when we drove away. Yes all three of us. So many amazing dear souls in one sacred place it is almost too much to bear. We keep saying, long after we were back on the road, bye amazing drum circle… bye amazing people…. bye beautiful camp site… Thank all the powers that be they asked us back. I can’t wait to be there again!!<br><br><br> GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/14838592013-08-26T13:55:00-05:002021-06-28T12:00:58-05:00Summer Tour 2013 Part 2 - Hello Cleveland! <img src="/files/103375/Pauls%20Door.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Paul's Door" height="134" width="100" />And then there was Cleveland…. HELLO, CLEVELAND!!! (a la <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WXEL5MFAjc" target="_new"><b>Spinal Tap</b></a>) I always love saying that in Cleveland. Anyway, my beautiful friend from the area Mallory (singer/light beam) had hooked us up with all kinds of goodness while we were there; two different Unity Churches, one for a Thursday night concert and the other a Sunday morning service, and a house concert at her friend Paul’s house. We had not yet met Paul, whose house we were currently driving to and who was also graciously providing crash space for us for the few days we were in the area. Mallory had all kinds of awesome things to say about him. It was late evening of July 9th when we got to the street where he lived and we couldn’t see the addresses. It was an older part of the city near downtown. We squinted in the dark to figure out which house was his. Then we saw some red front doors with a peace sign and a taitjitu (yin/yang) symbol etched in the glass. <i>This is the place</i> I thought, and I was right.<br><br>Paul was not there yet. He texted us where to find the key and told us to let ourselves in. We promptly found it and worked at opening the door. There was no front porch light on and I had a slight but lingering fear that we might have the wrong house. I mean, other people might leave their key in the same place right? And <b>what if it was </b>the wrong house and we freaked out the sleeping homeowners, Fred and Bertie McGunblasters? And what if they just happened to have been burglarized last week and bought a new shiny shotgun that they keep loaded by the bed? (These are the things that go through my mind so I thought I would share.) And BTW, who tells a bunch of wayward hippie strangers where the key to their house is and to let themselves in when they are not there? Well Paul does apparently. He was already living up to all the great things Mallory had told us about him and we hadn’t even met him yet. More insight into the awesome nature of Paul; He was not there because he was on his way home from the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbIa58Djo5A" target="_new"><b>Bhakti Fest</b></a> in Madison, which is held at the same time as National Women’s Music Fest in early July. I had experiencened Bhakti Fest the year before. Mallory and I went out there on the Sunday after NWMF for a few hours. It was yogi heaven, with music, yoga, meditation and so much more. If I had not been so exhausted after NWMF I would camped out there that night but I needed a cold dark room and a real bed real quick.<br><br>Fortunately, we were in the right place after all and Paul’s dogs (three big sweethearts and one little one) greeted us as if we were long lost friends. We walked back through the beautiful old house, which had been recently remodeled. The living room was a large wide-open space with natural hardwood floors that had everything needed for yoga class, which they in fact had there on a regular basis. This was the area that was going to be our house concert space. The entire back wall was made up of uniquely designed folding glass doors, which opened to a large deck and salt-water hot tub. It was not long before we were soaking in it, under a sprinkling sky. The roommate, who had introduced herself not long after we let ourselves in, told us to hop in. AAAAAhhhhhhh ~ we were in heaven. We slept very well that night.<br><img src="/files/103377/CleveHC.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="House Concert" width="200" /> <br>The next day was our House Concert and we wanted to track down any friends we might have in the area to invite them out. Lynda had one friend she could think of in Cleveland, Steven, who was an early Velvet Hammer fan. She got ahold of him and he was excited to come out. She gave him the address to which he responded: “I worked on that house!” Turns out, Steven was instrumental in the remodel of that very house. Not the one next door, not the one down the street ~ THAT ONE. This was a very weird coincidence seeing as Lynda knew only one guy in all of Cleveland. Do the math on this people. Are you astounded yet? Good, cause we were, and so was Paul. <div>
<br>The house concert was fabulous with a delicious organic potluck followed by two sets of music from us, which inspired lots of dancing hippies spreading the love. This is what struck me most about this Cleveland community ~ abundant warm happy hippie love that flows extra freely from the folks there. I imagine that it is the result of lots of organic veggies, yoga and message/healing work which are a big part of the lives of the folks that we met there. There were several group hugs, a couple of foot massages and some shoulder work being done at different times throughout the night. I am so blessed to have come to discover so many different hippie pockets on my travels. This has inspired the as yet unwritten song by the same name <b>“Hippie Pockets”</b>. I can’t wait to work on that one. <b>Hippie pockets ~ oh the things you find in them. </b>Toward the end of the evening as things settled down, Mallory picked up the guitar and sang for us. I love her voice. It is always such a treat to hear her.
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<br><img src="/files/103376/UNITYSIGN.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Church Sign" width="200" />The next night was our Unity Church Concert. When we pulled up outside the church we noticed they had a sign by the street that said “Chakra Rock Show”. Lynda said, “What if someone thinks it’s a gem/mineral show? We all laughed at this but sure enough, someone did. This guy comes in and asks the lady working the door where the rocks were? This was my first experience with a possible flaw of my uber cool catch phrase; CHAKRA ROCK – for the colors of your soul. I know now to warn the people in charge of the marquis to put “music” somewhere in the description or they may get a swarm of spiritually aware geologists.<br><br>Back to the show ~ Did I mention Mallory sings like an angel? Yep. Mallory and her friend and sometimes singing partner <a href="http://www.sageyogathai.com/%20" target="_new">Beth Gatchell</a> (check her out - yoga healer and musician) did an opening set for us. They sounded<img src="/files/103378/UNITYCONCERT.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" width="200" /> wonderful. There was a great turnout for the show and our set was well received, complete with dancing and lots of energy moving in the room. We made some awesome new friends that night.<br><br>After the concert Mallory took us to a spot in the middle of this super swank Cleveland suburb where you could walk down to the beach of Lake Erie. It was a breezy and cool moonlit night. There was a couple down there with a bottle of wine and two glasses. It was obviously a romantic interlude for them and I felt just a wee bit intrusive. They didn’t seem to mind though. While we were down there, Mallory sang this gorgeous song in Spanish with the lapping of the waves in accompaniment. It was so beautiful we made her sing it again so we could record it. With all this talk of Mallory’s singing I simply must share it with you. <b>The actual recording of her singing that night is at the top of this page on the player</b>. It was recorded on an iphone. Hit play to hear it, close your eyes and image the moon shining on the lake. The waves you hear in the backgound are Lake Erie.<br><br>After that dreamy moment by the lake we went to dinner and ate breakfast ~ which I am down for anytime I am hungry. We dropped off Mallory on the way back to Paul’s and I got to meet her awesome puppy dogs.<br><br>Friday we drove to Tonawanda, NY for Paul Telesco’s cancer benefit. Paul is the husband of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Telesco" target="_new">Trish Telesco</a> (author) who we use to cross paths with at many festivals in the past but had not seen in quite some time. It was bittersweet to see her again under those circumstances but we were happy to play if it would help their cause. I heard that the night was a success and I trust that Paul will have all the help he needs. We continue to send energy their way and they are still working to raise funds for the cost of his care. You can still donate <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/Brain-Surgery--Recovery" target="_new">here</a>. <3<br><br>We were thankful for the day off Saturday after three shows. Sunday morning we were scheduled to play the Unity Church Service in Akron so we rested and caught up on business online and get some laundry done. We drove back to Paul' s and got to work. <br><br>Sunday, we were EXTREMELY EXCITED because after church we were going to head straight out to Brushwood for <a href="http://www.brushwood.com/sirius.html" target="_new">Sirius Rising</a>. Lynda had never been out there and it had been a couple of years for Nix. I was there last year and I COULD NOT WAIT to get back. We packed up early and loaded the trailer with all of our luggage so we would be ready to go out there right after church.<br><br>And WHAT A SERVICE! OK, I am not just blowing smoke here. This really was one of my favorite all time Unity Church Service performances. I kid you not, they were dancing in the aisles which is not something you see at many Sunday morning church services. Even with all the cool Unity’s I play all over the country, this was a first. As a Unity member I am always thankful to connect with more Unity communities and this was no exception. We stayed for over an hour after the service selling lots of CD’s and connecting with lots of awesome folks.</div></div></div>
</div>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/14439802013-08-18T12:40:00-05:002020-12-03T14:22:19-06:00Summer Tour 2013 - Part 1 <br><img src="/files/102450/GPSChilly.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="200" width="200" />It's hard to document a tour while you’re on it ~ especially if you’re the driver. Yeah I like to drive. I better, right? This is the fourth time in five years I have driven from Texas to Canada and back and I love it. It is the ultimate “do without doing” kind of activity for me. I can feel productive while just sitting there. This arrangement is just fine with my current traveling companions - the FABULOUS Lynda Millard and the UNDEAFEATABLE Nikki Combs. While I drive they get to play on their mobile devices, kindles, laptops, cell phones, all while listening to whatever book is playing into the car stereo. Listening to audible books is now an addiction for me. Like some folks turn on the TV every night ~ I like to turn on a book while driving. I am not driving now, thank goodness. What I am doing is sitting outside my car (so I can plug in my lap top while I type this) at our camp at the Kaleidoscope Gathering in Golden Lake, Ontario. I am not sure what the temp is but I have on three layers of clothes plus my shark beanie and my pirate coat… and it is August. This Texan LOVES it.<br><br>We are listening to the book <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gods" target="_new">American Gods by Neil Gaiman</a> at the moment. It's not the one we started out with. Before we left I posted the question to my friends on facebook – “What’s a good sci-fi action/adventure book series?” I got lots of great suggestions because I have a lot of smarty-pants on my friend list. I picked one that sounded good. I already don’t remember the title because I got six chapters in and I couldn’t listen anymore. If by chapter six I have to force myself to pay attention when there is only highway to distract me, I am done. And since Lynda and Nikki agreed with this decision, we started searching for other books. It is a good thing we did. “American Gods” has been a magical narration to this tour from the start. Right at the part in the book when they are driving into Madison WI taking exit 14 for Spring Green, we took that EXACT exit to our first stop in Madison, WI for National Women’s Music Fest. Let me repeat – RIGHT AT THE SAME TIME IT HAPPENED IN THE BOOK WE TOOK THE SAME EXIT. What are the odds? We didn’t plan it that way, no, and we had no idea there was any mention of Wisconsin when we chose the book. We let the story run and took breaks when we felt like it just like we always do. Of all the friggin' highways we could be on in the country - we were right where our characters were, quite literally. But I will come back to the book later - just like we do when we hop back in the car - because when we got to the hotel in Madison we hit the ground running! It was Wednesday July 3 and we were exhausted already.<br><br>Let me splain…<br><img src="/files/102438/Packmaster1.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="200" width="200" />We left from Austin on Sunday June 30. We gave ourselves some extra time because the first day you leave for tour is always the most preparation intensive and therefore giving yourself more time to figure out the car/trailer pack is a good idea. For the past two years I had been traveling alone in my car and now I had two more people going with me. I thought, “We can do this…right? I’ll leave my bike behind and that should make enough room for two more.” Oh contraire. On Sunday morning we put our collective stuff in a big pile in Lynda’s garage and immediately started to pull things out because it was painfully obvious it wouldn’t all fit. “OK so we don’t need this, this or this.” And to demonstrate how little room there actually was, we had to leave behind the acoustic guitar. We only needed it for one song so we thought it would be OK. We have come to sorely regret this decision. The resulting pack, however, was a work of sheer mastery. With all remaining items shoved into all remaining space we were off by mid afternoon. This is one of my favorite parts ~ when I don’t have to think about what I need to pack, what time we are leaving, where we are going, how we are going to get there, etc. etc. and we are just driving. From now on all the people and stuff are all in one place as we zoom along the highway and across the country. It’s a scruffy world within a world, making a magical adventure every day. The first day we made it as far as Texarkana where we stayed at our friend Mike Mankins house. The next day, Monday, we drove to Fayetteville, AR so we could rehearse with Jori Costello of <a href="http://http;//www.bigbadgina.com" target="_new">Big Bad Gina</a>. OMG I LOVE HER SO MUCH. On top of everything else she has to do, she also agreed to play drums and sing with Lynda and I at <a href="http://wiaonline.org/" target="_new">National Women’s Music Fest</a> (heretofor called NWMF) where her kick ass band Big Bad Gina was also playing. We only had this one afternoon to rehearse then we were off to visit Lynda’s folks in Kansas. Rehearsal was fabulous and afterward I bolted over for a quick rendezvous with Andrea Sumers ~ fey mama LTD <3<br><br>The next day Tuesday, we drove to Osawatomie KS to have a quick visit with Lynda’s family; mother, father, cousins and great aunt Maxine, who had just recovered from a recent illness. Lynda was feeling very strongly like we should go see her. We were happy she would be joining us for dinner that night. We went to a Mexican restaurant in town, which to our discriminating Texas taste was really pretty good. We were just diving in to the chips when her Cousin Judy arrived and said that Maxine was not feeling well afterall and would not be joining us. That made us sad so we decided to go by and say a quick hello to her after dinner. She lived at a retirement home not far from the restaurant. We each took turns going in to say hello.. Lynda dearly loves her Aunt Maxine, who is truly one of the most precious and hilarious women I have ever known. I watched as she went in. She bent over Maxine and put her head in her hands and told her over and over again how much she loved her. It was a very sweet moment.<br><br>The following day, Wednesday, we started out on the ten-hour ride to NWMF. While driving we got the call. Maxine had passed away that morning! We were all reeling, especially Lynda. This was completely unexpected. Maxine had simply not been feeling well the night before – said her stomach was hurting. Yet all that Lynda could think about was how blessed she was to get to see her beloved Maxine on her last night on earth and tell her over and over again how much she loved her. Not many of us get the chance to do this. If it had happened at any other time, we may have missed that chance. It was a divine affirmation in a BIG way that we were on the right path. We pulled over at the first rest stop, said a prayer of thanks, sent her love and held each other for a moment.<br><br>Several hours later we pulled up at NWMF. Lynda was in a surreal state of shock and we were all exhausted after our fourth straight day of driving. No time to take it all in. We sat quietly in the hotel dining room eating a light dinner. Our biggest show of the tour was the very next day and we needed to get some sleep.<br><br><img src="/files/102458/NWMF1.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" width="100" />Thursday was a brand new day. We set up to practice in our <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/msnwe-madison-marriott-west/" target="_new">hotel</a> room and began to prep for the show. We had a quick rehearsal with Jori and then took our instruments down to the main stage area on a luggage cart for sound check. This is one of the benefits to being at a fest that is held inside a big beautiful hotel. OMG, I am back at National! It was just now really sinking in.<br><br>National Women’s Music Fest is a truly unique and wondrous event. It is the oldest music fest for women. It feels to me like a community cornerstone, a foundation of support and nurturing for so many in women’s music - a place that women can cycle back to each year for renewal and recharge. The line up was fabulous with Cris Williamson, Melissa Ferrick, Jean and June Millington, Laura Love, Big Bad Gina and many more. I was honored beyond words to be there and excited and nervous about my show on the main stage Thursday night. The first show of a tour is usually the warm up - the one where all the kinks get ironed out. I could not afford for this to be the “kinky” show. But Lynda and I were ready and Jori is so amazing. We sounded good at rehearsal (our voices were like butta) so I felt ready. Now if my nerves would just cooperate.<br><br>Backstage before my show I could not help but have a flashback to last year when I was on that very same stage performing for the Women in the Arts Talent competition.<img src="/files/102433/nwmf2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="134" width="200" /><a href="http://barbneligan.com/" target="_new"> Barb Neligan</a> and I tied for the win and were both given main stage slots as a result. Now here I was ~ it was a dream come true. With so much nervousness and excitement running through me I spontaneously did push ups to calm myself. Part of me felt ridiculous but I think it really helped. I was glad I got to listen to Barb Neligan, who was up before me. She made me laugh with her hilarious routine and that helped to distract me. (We still need to have that beer, Barb!) Then it was my turn. The show went very well. I was so proud of both Lynda and Jori, who performed flawlessly – no kinks. I was also happy with my own performance which is rare for me. To cap it off, master African drummer <a href="http://drumwahru.weebly.com/" target="_new">Wahru</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTIW7m5WV2Q" target="_new">Rani Quimba</a> and <a href="http://www.bigbadgina.com/fr_renee.cfm" target="_new">Rene Jansk</a>i of Big Bad Gina all came up and played djembes with us on <a href="./music.cfm" target="_new">Come Down</a> for the finale. After the show, Jori, Lynda and I hugged and hugged and reveled in the moment together. I am beyond thankful and honored to have had the opportunity to play that stage with those amazing women! Thank you NWMF for all that you are and all that you do to strengthen the women's community and its music. High from the show we went out front and watched the amazing <a href="http://www.voicesofafrica.net/2013/05/artistic-bio.html" target="_new">Voices of Africa</a>. We were mesmerized by the drumming and the dancing, the rhythm, color and spirit of their performance ~ beautiful.<br><br><img src="/files/102508/NWMF13.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="121" width="200" />With my show now behind me I could focus on the awesomeness of the rest of the fest. There were so many great workshops, vendors and performers that it was overwhelming in the best possible way. I could go on and on and on about so many different things I experienced there but I would be writing for days and since I am still on tour I don’t have the time for that. So I will stick to the high points. First participating in the drum chorus led by Wharu was fantastic. Her skill and leadership guided our newly assembled group of drummers, who were of every skill level, to sound like we been playing together for years ~ no small feat. Thanks again Wharu for your amazing talent and relaxed method of teaching that had us all sounding like pros. Then there was my Chakra toning workshop. The women who participated had some powerful energy to go with some powerful pipes. We sent a rainbow blast of energy through the fest and even had some very personal moments of healing and revelation. A special thank you to everyone who participated! Also, in celebration of the recent supreme court victories for gay marriage everybody stood up and starting singing “Going to the Chapel” in the lobby of the Marriot. It was a very healthy part of that balanced breakfast. Go my sistahs! And of course there was the Big Bad Gina show during which I did not sit down once (too busy dancin) – except maybe during a slow song or two. Once again I reveled in the sweet music and magic that only they can bring. They possess so much talent and creative genius - It’s a sound that I need to hear live a few times a year or I start to get twitchy. You rock my world my sweet sisters! I love you so! It was so very hard to say goodbye to everyone. I look forward to many more National Women’s Music Fests. I trust you will always be here! We need you!!!<br><br>OK so back in the ca<img src="/files/102585/HOTRVIOLIN.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="150" width="200" />r… and back to American Gods. Decompression from an event like National takes some time. So what would be the perfect world between worlds to do this? ~ the <a href="http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en-CA&q=house+on+the+rock+wisconsin&gbv=2&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ei=OaQRUsPCJLH8yAGMtIFI&ved=0CCwQsAQ" target="_new">House on the Rock </a>of course. In the book, the Gods were meeting there and we were only 30 minutes away! We could not miss the opportunity to experience in person what Neil Gaiman’s character Wednesday calls 'a real place of power, a window to the eminent, a call from the void to recognize your truly transcendent self'. The House On the Rock, according to Wednesday, is one of the many American road-side attractions built in response to that call. In my experience, there is not another time when I am more consistently transcendent than when I am on the road; on tour for long miles and days, experiencing people and places I never would otherwise, seeing things I never would seek out by themselves. I am constantly amazed, entertained, surprised and expanded by the experiences that happen in this unsolicited way. So off we went, to meet our spontaneous destiny. And as it happens we got to the House on the Rock at about the same time of day as our characters. They were only selling tickets for about another half hour since it takes two hours to see the whole thing and they close at 5. “Two hours?” I thought. From the looks of things at the entrance, there was no way there was that much to see. Oh contraire. There was WAY TOO MUCH to <img src="/files/102461/HOTRCarousel.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="150" width="200" />see and we didn’t even do the whole thing. Inside this maze of hallways that go up and down and in and out of different rooms, there was the most amazing collection of everything collectable from the mid19th to early 20th century; among them the world’s largest collection of mechanical player instruments as well as cars, planes, model ships, guns, masks, dolls, advertisements and dental equipment; a giant sea monster battle, hot air balloons, ornately carved carriages along makeshift brick streets where shop windows display puppets and carved tusks among jillions of other things. If there is something coin-operated from the early 20th century it is there and if you have a coin you can make it work. We got our fortunes told by one of those coin-op fortune-tellers like in the movie “BIG”. And my passion level was measured on the Throne of Passion. I think I was “WILD!” We took thousands of pictures in the worst possible light. You couldn’t use your flash cause everything is behind a glass so none of them came out very good. Then we got to the spot we had been waiting for - the world’s largest carousel. This was the place where our characters could take a ride and access the dimension where the Gods were coming together to meet. This was my favorite part of the “house” and I could have tripped out in there for hours. Alas this was not to be cause they were closing and we had to make the drive to Cleveland.<br><br><img src="/files/102449/foxdalejpg.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="150" width="200" />Back we were in the car. After House on the Rock we wanted to go back a bit in the audio book to hear Gaiman’s description of the House on the Rock from a now familiar perspective. He has such a beautifully poetic yet straight to the heart way with words. We stopped at the <a href="http://wearytravelerfreehouse.com/" target="_new">Weary Traveler</a> in Madison for dinner (we picked it because we identified with the name) then headed out to Cleveland. We knew we were going to stop for the night somewhere along the way since we were getting a late start and we had four gigs ahead of us that week. No sense in pushing it since we had an extra day. Looking along our route I noticed that we were going through Chicago, my birthplace. Lynda made a joke that we should find a hotel in my old neighborhood. Well it turns out that is exactly what we did. In the morning with the aid of a street name and our GPS we found ourselves driving slowly down my old street looking for the house where my parents first brought me back from the hospital, and where I lived until 6 years old. Here I was again, face to face with my spontaneous destiny and it was shaking me to the core. I looked left and right as we drove slowly down the street and suddenly there it was. I didn't know the address, but I knew the house. It was an emotional experience for me. Just the day before I had no idea we would be doing this. I found It makes a significant difference when you don't project your thoughts onto an experience for days ahead of time; For example if we had planned this trip and I had spent days imagining driving down that street and how it would make me feel. This way I was more open to the moment when it happened. I was truly moved by being there in ways I can't fully put into words. My inner 6 year old was bouncing up and down and my current self felt a bittersweet longing for what would never be again. <br><br>From there we Headed out to Cleveland. <br><br><br><i>Coming up: more about Cleveland, Brushwood and Canada in part 2 and part 3 of Spontaneous Destiny </i><br><br><br> GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/695792012-12-30T07:45:00-06:002013-08-26T09:55:49-05:00New Century Weapon Awareness - Enjoy the right, Accept the responsibility <img src="/files/80125/122412_mural_1024.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="199" width="300" />If you’re like me, the events of Newtown Connecticut were the last straw. <br><br><i>“As a nation we have endured too many of these tragedies.” Pres. Obama. </i><br><br>
I agree and I am compelled to act. <br><br>
I have not been able to stop thinking about what can be done to respond to this crisis. I want to help and I do not like feeling helpless. The children of this world are my responsibility, our responsibility. How could we let this happen? I set to thinking about what to do, researching and hashing out ideas. I am not an expert on anything except perhaps my own music. I have no experience at putting an organization together or starting a political movement. There are millions of little details that have to be worked out and mountains of red tape to be cut. But at least I can put my ideas on paper and that is a start. It is my intent to put my thoughts out there, to run it past my network for constructive feedback, and to fine-tune a proposal to be submitted to those who do have the experience and resources to make implementation a reality. <br><span style="font-size: medium; "><b> <br>
I started to think…</b></span><br><br><b>We are wasting too much time and energy arguing about gun laws</b>. It's getting us nowhere. But does having the right to bear arms mean we should do nothing about the problem of mass shootings? I believe in the human ability to evolve, expand and create change that can lift us to greater heights. We must use our intelligence, our hearts and our astonishing ability to adapt and work together to find a solution. <b>With the right to use such deadly weapons must come the enormous responsibility of protecting our children and each other. </b><br><br>
It is certain that no law will make a difference without an evolved shift in cultural attitude anway. This is not the America of 1776. Our culture is changing and evolving at a staggering rate. We must adapt our perspectives at the same rate if we want to keep from destroying ourselves in the process. This applies to so many things but for now I want to focus on the problem of deadly weapons and mental health. And to start, we must look deeper. <br><b><span style="font-size: medium; "><br>
…and a picture began to take shape </span></b><br><br>
This is a very different world than it was 200, 100, even 50 years ago. It used to be that kids who had trouble with social interaction had fairly uneventful lives (books, model airplanes, one or two TV shows if any) and they would be more inclined to step outside and find a friend or die of boredom. But no more; from a very early age and on a daily basis we are exposed to vivid images of hard-core violence from the iconic TV and Movie superstars that have become our role models, as well as news reports and online videos. We can watch movies any where, any time, and over and over again. We marvel as our heroes fly through the air firing dozens of rounds from high powered guns in both hands, always hitting their mark and always getting the girl (or boy). People of all ages can live their fantasy in virtual worlds, playing at shooting games and battle scenarios for hours every day utilizing all kinds of modern and fantasy weapons; never needing to step outside, never needing to show their face, never needing to make a friend and never refining their social skills or learning to interact with or understand themselves or others. <br><br>
Meanwhile mental illness is on the rise and sophisticated assault gear like semi automatic guns with high capacity ammunition clips and body armor make killing a lot of people relatively easy. Don’t get me wrong - I love video games and action movies. I am just pointing out some things I see that are shaping our minds and our culture. We need to take these influences into account because when you add a sick, troubled mind to this mix innocent people die. <br><br>
Below are seven ideas I have roughly outlined for solutions. I submit this for honest constructive feedback. I ask for your help in making these concepts work – or telling me why you think they will not. If you have a criticism, I challenge you to offer a solution. My hope is that these ideas will lay the foundation for change that will save lives – even one life – even your life or the life of your children. <br><br><b><span style="font-size: medium; ">1. Promote a more educated, aware and mature culture surrounding gun ownership and safety for the 21st century. <br></span></b><br>
When Candice Lightner’s13-year-old daughter was killed by a drunk driver she founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a nonprofit organization that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and overall push for stricter alcohol policy. Alcohol is a problem but certainly making alcohol illegal is not the solution. MADD and other organizations like it helped to change our attitude and promote awareness through things like public service announcements and placing crosses by roadsides and effective preventative options like offering free taxi rides to people who have been drinking and much more. Their work helped to develop a culture around drinking and driving that made things like designated drivers and taking car keys away from friends who have been drinking too much, acceptable and common place behavior. <br><br>
I think we can do the same thing when it comes to the mix of mental health issues and deadly weapons in modern America. It’s time for us to educate ourselves, admit that we have a problem and work together towards making a solution.<br><br><span style="font-size: medium; "><b>2. Educate the public on the warning signs that have become a very real pattern in mass shootings and create avenues of effective preventative action for parents, teachers, counselors, friends and if need be law enforcement. </b></span><br><br><b>In most cases of mass shootings there are behavioral warning signs; a pattern has emerged: </b><br><ul>
<li>
<b>Columbine</b> - According to journals, notes, and videos that [killers] Klebold and Harris left to be discovered, Klebold had been thinking of committing suicide as early as 1997 and they both had begun thinking about a large massacre as early as April 1998 - a full year before the actual event. Klebold and Harris were angry teenagers…. As early as spring 1998, they wrote about killing and retaliation in each other's yearbooks, including an image of a man standing with a gun, surrounded by dead bodies, with the caption, "The only reason your still alive is because someone has decided to let you live."</li>
</ul><ul>
<li>
<b>Denver Theater Shooting</b> KMGH-TV reported that a university psychiatrist, Dr. Lynne Fenton, reached out to campus police in June partly because James Holmes talked about killing "a lot of people." It said she opted not to place him under a psychiatric hold because he was leaving the school. A university spokeswoman said she could not comment on the report.</li>
</ul><ul>
<li>
<b>Virginia Tech Shooting</b> - Cho, a senior English major at Virginia Tech, had previously been diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder. During much of his middle school and high school years, he received therapy and special education support… Because of federal privacy laws, Virginia Tech was unaware of Cho's previous diagnosis… Cho was accused of stalking two female students. After an investigation, a Virginia special justice declared Cho mentally ill and ordered him to attend treatment. Lucinda Roy, a professor and former chairwoman of the English department, had asked Cho to seek counseling.</li>
</ul><ul>
<li>
<b>Newtown Shooting -</b> “This was a deeply disturbed kid,” a family insider told the Daily News. “He certainly had major issues. He was subject to outbursts from what I recall.”Lanza, who friends and officials said suffered from Asperger’s syndrome or a personality disorder, had a tortured mind. He was socially awkward and at times unstable, but also extraordinarily bright.</li>
</ul><ul>
<li>
<b>What a deadly combination:</b> Tina Burgess Examiner.com regarding Adam Lanza - A child with an emotional pain that is stronger than any physical pain, a lack of support by the local school district to attend to any emotional, psychopathic, sociopathic, or other kind of disability, a lack of social interaction, a most likely excessive interaction with computers, nothing to have to work for, and then given training in how to shoot.</li>
</ul>
In a Huffington post article entitled “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother”, Liza Long writes terrifying accounts of her son’s disturbing behavior - threatening herself and her other children. “When I asked my son’s social worker about my options, he said that the only thing I could do was to get Michael charged with a crime. “If he’s back in the system, they’ll create a paper trail,” he said. “That’s the only way you’re ever going to get anything done. No one will pay attention to you unless you’ve got charges.<br><br><b><i>Liza Long's son could be our next mass murderer. She is warning us right now. There should be something we can do. </i></b><br><div> </div>
<span style="font-size: medium; "><b>3. “Citizens Defense Council.Com” </b><span style="font-size: small; "><i>(arbitrary, non existent name)</i></span><b> Create a network of information and resources for people like Liza Long, and a fund to help promote and implement it to the public. </b></span> <br><br><b>Provide a website to go to, a place for her to call, steps for her to take…</b><br><ul>
<li>Call on behavioral specialists, psychiatrists, social workers, educators and law enforcement to get together on effective steps that responsible citizens, school kids, mothers, fathers or neighbors could take when they see this pattern emerging or get wind of a potential attack. For every person that we know about who saw some warning signs, there are surely more we don’t know about that might have come forward.</li>
</ul><ul>
<li>This network/website/organization could generate things like an anonymous hotline for people to call, public service announcements, effective plans for school drills, public education and awareness services and more.</li>
</ul><ul>
<li> If we have an interactive network to gather our collective resources for solutions, more solutions will reveal themselves.</li>
</ul><br><span style="font-size: medium; "><b>4. Make a Mental Health Class part of school curriculum at every grade level</b></span><br><br><b>These classes could include such things as:</b><br><ul>
<li>Learning to effectively and safely express difficult emotions</li>
<li>Exercises in compassion</li>
<li>Learning to make friends</li>
<li>Tools for managing disagreements and keeping friends</li>
<li>Self esteem building exercises</li>
<li>Fun Physical Group activities – participation with classmates could be homework</li>
<li>Diversity and tolerance training</li>
<li>Education and response to bullying</li>
<li>Once a month, or a quarter, have one class that parents attend and participate in,</li>
<li>Encourage parents to participate in homework for this class.</li>
</ul><br>
There are a lot of privileged angry young people out there. They are not poor or abused and come from ‘good’ homes. They have an education and all the possibilities for a bright future. Why are they so angry? Why do they hate so strongly? Giving kids mental health tools as a part of their curriculum in school not only addresses some of the root causes of the mass shooting crisis, but will build a stronger, healthier country all the way around, cut crime and save lives.<br><br><i> “You know what I hate? Star Wars fans: get a friggin life, you boring geeks. You know what I hate? People who mispronounce words, like 'acrost,' and 'pacific' for 'specific,' and 'expresso' instead of 'espresso.' You know what I hate? People who drive slow in the fast lane, God these people do not know how to drive. You know what I hate? The WB network!!!! Oh Jesus, Mary Mother of God Almighty, I hate that channel with all my heart and soul”<br></i><br>
<i>Columbine mass murderer, Eric Harris </i><br><br><span style="font-size: medium; "><b>5. Encourage residential security education and non-lethal options for home defense. </b></span><br><br><b>It is my hope that more effort will be put into developing effective non-lethal home security weapons. Also that self-defense education, including home invasion drills and training in the use of single shot firearms and non-lethal weapons; i.e. tasers, stun guns and mace will be more widely available and implemented.</b><br><br>
How many people who have guns in their home for protection have the training to use them effectively in an intruder situation and under intense emotional duress? If you decide you need to keep a lethal weapon in your home, you should at least give yourself and your family the training to use it wisely in an intruder situation. Here are some instances where training might have saved lives. <br><br><i>“FREEZE!! I HAVE A GUN!!!”</i><br type="_moz"><br type="_moz"><ul>
<li>New Orleans, Sept 12, 2012 - Charles Williams was mistakenly shot by his wife who thought he was an intruder.</li>
</ul><ul>
<li>Connecticut, Sep 28, 2012 - A man responding to his sister's call for help during an apparent burglary at her home next door, shot and killed a masked intruder who turned out to be his own teenage son.</li>
</ul><ul>
<li>Rochester, Dec 11, 2012 - A 61-year-old man shot his granddaughter at the patio door of his home late Monday night, telling police he had armed himself with a pistol to investigate a suspected intruder, police said.</li>
</ul><ul>
<li>Alabama, Oct 14 2012 - Jesse Rainey, 15, was shot in the head by his friend when he played a home invasion prank on him.</li>
</ul><br><span style="font-size: medium; "><b>6. Encourage people to store lethal weapons outside of the home. Store semi-automatic rapid-fire assault weapons and ammo at gun ranges, gun clubs, lockers or special storage facilities. </b></span> <br><br><b>This is a tough life. Even a normal well-adjusted person can snap in an emotional crisis. If you have to drive somewhere to get your gun, maybe by the time you get there, you have calmed down just enough to keep from killing yourself or someone else. </b><b>I am not suggesting we make this a law but simply encourage this as a part of a more enlightened attitude about these types of weapons.<br></b><br><b>Some personal experience:<br></b>
<ul>
<li>I was a victim of a home invasion by two masked gunmen. They burst through the door with guns aimed directly at myself and two friends who were watching TV. A gun was held to my head as they demanded money. I thought I was dead. I am very lucky to have survived. If I had had a gun I would not have been able to get to it. I was tied up shortly after they broke in. </li>
</ul><ul>
<li>During an argument a friend of mine’s husband grabbed his gun and shot himself in the head. He died right there in front of her.</li>
</ul><ul>
<li>My brother killed himself by a shot to the head with his 12 gage hunting rifle.</li>
</ul>
According to several statistical websites, there are an average of 600 accidental shooting deaths a year. About two-thirds of accidental shooting deaths happen in the home. In 45 percent of the cases a child shoots him or herself. And in the remainder of cases friends or family members pull the trigger.<br><br>
I believe it's time to admit that on the average, many folks in our culture are not responsible enough mentally and emotionally to keep deadly weapons in the home and innocent people are dying as a result. We did not have kids killing kids in schools 200 even 50 years ago. We have look at how our attitude contributes to this lack of responsibility. We have to look at the solutions to these problem and gun laws are just a distraction from the real problem. I believe home security education and training along with non-lethal weapon development and implementation is a better solution to personal safety then simply owning a gun<br><br><br><span style="font-size: medium; "><b>7. Require a license to sell guns – period. Unlicensed gun dealers found at gun shows are not subject to, or give, background checks.</b></span> <br><br>
In the days following the Tucson shooting that left six people dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in critical condition, New York City sent undercover investigators to an Arizona gun show to explore how easy it was to buy weapons without a background check. Just 15 days after the shooting, and just over 100 miles from where it happened, the investigators bought a Glock and a 33-round magazine — with no background check. In two instances, the New York undercover officers specifically said before buying a gun, "I probably couldn't pass a background check," but were still sold guns, city officials said. In a third case, an investigator bought a Glock pistol and two high-capacity magazines like the ones used in the Tucson shooting. Such purchases were made without any background check but were perfectly legal.<br><ul>
<li><a target="_new" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/14/the-japan-lesson-can-americans-learn-from-the-country-that-has-almost-zero-gun-deaths/">Compare Japan's Gun policy to American gun poilcy in this Washington Post Article. Japan has almost no gun deaths each year </a></li>
</ul><br>
Ok. This seems like a big enough bite to chew on for a bit. I am interested in your responses. I call upon the divine spirit in each of us to shine through and remember the innocent victims of these tragic shootings, to shed a light on the way to help us work together and to protect one other from people who abuse guns and are careless with gun safety.GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/2431822012-10-30T07:00:00-05:002013-08-23T17:31:55-05:00Bear Country <br><img src="/files/75384/bearactivity.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="142" width="250" />I had a couple of days until FPG begins so I thought I would take the opportunity to enjoy some peaceful alone time in nature and camp nearby the fest. So here I am. I am writing this (on my phone) from my campsite in the Ocala National Forest, which I found out is Black Bear Country. I'm not sure how big this bear country is but I do know that I'm dead center of it. (I really shouldn't use the word dead here). <br><br>
I have to admit that I have thought about "Grizzly Man" more than once while out here. If you haven't seen it, <a target="_new" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312">"Grizzly Man"</a> is a documentary about a troubled guy who finds peace communing with grizzly bears in the wilds of Alaska. He camps alone out there for months and much of the footage they use is his. He holds the camera on himself as he hikes around looking for bears. Then when he finds them, he gets as close as he can and films them. He’s given them names and truly believes that they are his friends and that they know he will never hurt them. Without giving anything away I'll just say that, and with all due respect, it did not end well for him. They have audio of the bear attack that killed him because his camera was on but they don't play it out of respect. They show the filmmaker listening to it instead - almost more gruesome that way imagining what could be going on. <br><br>
So now I’m thinking about that damn documentary again, and in even more horrific detail then was ever actually in the film. The sun is going down in my camp now and the bears are out there, watching me type this and its making them angry. I’m going to be eaten and it's all your fault! If I didn't feel the need to blog *FOR YOU* I would be sitting in my car right now, slightly more safe from the bears, watching Netflix on my phone instead, which thankfully has good signal out here. I guess I could be sitting in my car while blogging this as well - but WHATEVER. They could smash the glass to get to me. I have seen it in my visions. <br><br>
Let me backtrack a bit. I'm concerned about the bears because when I entered the park I saw a sign that read: "Due to recent bear activity, camping in tents or softsides is prohibited." Bear <i>activity</i>? Don't they mean bear <i>claws</i>? The sign should read: Due to bear claws and teeth and the fact that they have been slashing and tearing away at tents and softsides makes camping in such things suicide! ( I probably shouldn't write signs for the park) Further down the road there's another sign that reads "Safe Camping in Bear Country" then proceeds to give you a list. Don't they mean "Things You Should Do in this Bear Infested Campground Now That You Are Being Stalked As Prey!!!" <br><br><br><div style="text-align: center; ">
<img src="/files/75385/Bearcamping2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_middle border_" alt="" height="197" width="350" /><br>
</div>
<br>
One of the items on this list reads: "Your daytime clothes may smell like food to a wild animal." This statement prompts many questions from one such as myself. Does this mean the clothes I am wearing <b><i>right now</i></b> (because its daytime) smell like food to a wild animal? And why didn't they say "bears" here? Do the clothes I’m wearing during the day smell like food to *all* wild animals? - i.e. squirrels? raccoons? coyotes? owls? snakes? birds? butterflies?<br><br>
Ok so I have to figure this out. Is this because the clothes I wear during the day could come into contact with any number of food sources that wild animals prefer such as plants and berries, rabbits, mice, insects and/or donuts? Or is it because *I* have been wearing the clothes *all day* they that they are now considered tasty by all wild animals? If this is the case, then isn't it just *me* that smells like food to all wild animals? Or could it be that daytime attire is simply more delicious? If that's true, and I wish to survive out here, should I just cast aside my nature-ific, camp-tastic, well coordinated ensembles del dia and head out on the trail tomorrow wearing naught but my slippers and jammies?<br><br>
I think so. Nothing would give me greater pleasure (well maybe a few things). But hiking in my pajamas seems like the perfect day to me. Look for me out there folks - I'll be the one in the woods with the Starwars jammies and fuzzy tiger slippers. If the ranger asks what I am doing I will tell him I am protecting myself from bear attack. ;) GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/2226352012-09-30T15:05:00-05:002021-09-19T13:58:38-05:00Quest Logs Explained Well now I just looked at my blog and realized that I had not given it any love whatsoever since spring. (Accept to change the name of it 14 times) Ain't it just like a hippay? <br><br>
I imagine people reading the quest logs and saying - damn she is on some seriously heavy-duty drugs. In my defense: the fact is, I am not on ANY drugs, because if I was I would never get anything done and I would never come to your town and play, and you would never hear any new music, and see new videos and a bunch of other stuff too!!!! I am a very hard working hippy! But that doesn't mean I'm not cool. Which I am. I am a cool cat hippy man. I mean hippy ........ man. <br><br>
So let me splain about the quest logs for those of you who don’t know, or ARE on seriously heavy drugs and don’t remember. The logs make much more sense if you had read them back in the winter and early spring of this year when I was doing my fan funding "quest" to raise money to produce my new album From Love to Love. This was a huge success and lots of fun for me! For those of you who have come to read this blog I will give you the super secret link to the old fan funding web page (which I did not have the heart to destroy only remove) so you can look at it. (I do this myself from time to time for old time sake) But first a little background. I was thinking about the "theme" of the fan funding campaign for my album, and what people would receive in return for donating at different levels, when it dawned on me. From Love to Love is the name of a song but also can be viewed as a journey. Certainly the making of it loomed in front of me as this massive quest yet to accomplish (I admit I spent days overwhelmed by it - and there would be times I felt I could never finish) And then BAM!!! It hit me like a ton of bricks. Why not make it like a gaming quest; each donation helping me to get to the final level and beat the game? It would be an adventure which would take place on the Island of Albumdor. There would be mythical creatures, monsters and guides all paralleling the actual album production in "this world" . And at certain donation levels people could even join me on that Quest. And people did. I was writing entries in the quest log to give updates about my progress, and this would be displayed on my quest map. Those that donated at the level where they could join me could choose to give me the name they wanted to use for their character. I would then write them into the “Quest Logs” in the developing saga of my Album Quest “From Love to Love” on the Isle of Albumdor - Check it out here – it will make more sense if you look at this link. This is the actual page people were sent:<br><br>
http://www.gingerdoss.com/albumquest<br><br>
What is viewable here is the last story I wrote. I had so much more I was going to write about. Damn was I ambitious!!! My island adventures were meant to parallel my encounters with each song in the studio and the process of writing it. I wrote about Ma Belle (meeting her on the beach) and Warrior (manifesting as a fight with a Dragon) The songs and their parallel adventures on the Isle of Albumdor are symbolic to me on many personal levels. I wanted to write an adventure with every song on the album (11 songs) and end with the completion of the quest. But what I failed to consider was the fact that I would have days and days of 14 to 16 hours straight in the studio working constantly on this record to make my deadline. I had to finish before I left for Europe, a trip that was scheduled the previous year. In order to make my deadline I had to let go of the quest stories and commit %150 of what was left of my energy into finishing the album. This was sad to me! I was absorbed into the stories and they were flowing out of me so effortlessly! They felt very alive to me.<br><br>
A note on my album production – I don’t know how many of you out there have made an album but it’s A LOT of work. No – you don’t understand - A LOT OF WORK!! Now…. it’s a lot of work if you have a band and you record your band playing and singing their parts. Its even MORE work if you don’t have a band and you have to write all the parts and play and sing them yourself. IT’S EVEN MORE WORK when you are also the engineer and track and mix it yourself. Am I painting and adequate picture? No, I don’t think so. But that’s OK. At least I tried. ☺ <br><br>
I preserved what was written in the Quest logs in my blog. So now you know what the hell those pesky Quest logs are all about! I don’t have the heart to delete them. It is my dream to one day actually finish the Quest Story and write the remaining adventures of each song. HA!!!!! But seriously – I could do it if someone else was managing my career, booking my shows, handling my online marketing etc. (then all I would have to do is write and perform). This is also a dream. I see it and I am thankful for it!!! In the meantime enjoy what I was able to accomplish with my Album Quest. I did!!! <br>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1517572012-03-27T05:52:13-05:002012-03-27T05:52:13-05:00Quest Log - Entry 8 Tumbleweed was not as fast as Forte but could stop on a dime and actually did once we got where we were going. We almost went tumbling head over but managed to hang on. She also veered off towards a flowerbed along the route but Isabella was quick to correct. <br>
“Sorry about that” said Isabella referring to our abrupt stop. “She’s trying, brave girl. Tumbleweed is more of an adventurer, not a battle horse.”<br>
I didn’t have time to answer. Ellen, who had just joined in the battle, was riding with Anina circling the dragon. He spread his enormous wings and with a fierce gust of wind was up in the air. When she saw me, Ellen signaled for me to follow. I looked at Isabella who had just dismounted. <br>
“Take Tumbelweed!” Isabella shouted over the commotion. “I want to examine Forte.” <br>
I turned and rode towards Ellen, who along with Anina headed for the trees. We met up just inside the tree line. <br>
“Ellen I’m so glad you’re here!” I said relieved to have another warrior. <br>
“It’s no problem.” She said with a smile and then handed me my shield. <br>
“You found it! Awesome!” I said, and slid it over my arm. I looked up but could not see the dragon. <br>
“He circled back behind us,” Anina said, reading my thoughts again. “He’ll be back soon.” <br>
I smiled at her ability to answer me before I could ask. “No doubt,” I said. pulling my quiver around to look at my stock of arrows. “How are you guys on arrows?” I asked. <br>
“I’m out” said Anina <br>
“I’m good,” said Ellen. <br>
“I’ve got plenty,” I said. “Let’s divide them up so we at least all have the same number.” We began to divvy up the lot when Aninia saw something. <br>
“LOOK!” she exclaimed with a huge smile on her face. It was Isabella riding up with Forte. <br>
I could not believe my eyes. Isabella was smiling big, with a twinkle in her eye. “You should not be so surprised.” She said laughing. “Forte is strong. Also I had placed protection charms from the faeries in all the horse’s saddle bags right after Cybra brought them to us. He only needed to be reminded by them that he is ok!” Isabella had a special connection with the faeries and could summon them in an instant. I slid down off Tumbleweed who seemed happy to see Forte too. I walked over and ran my hand down the length of his nose, and patted his neck. “Hello my friend,” I said. “I thought I had lost you.” He snorted in response but our happy reunion was suddenly interrupted by a foul screech that pierced my ears. <br>
“He’s Back!” shouted Ellen pointing up to the dragon, who was circling down for a landing. She quickly re-strapped her quiver and grabbed up the reins.<br>
“Lets ride up towards his back together. Stay in close in case he breathes on us,” I said, checking the grip on my shield. “Then when we get there, split up and ride as fast as you can in a circle around him.” I explained, It seemed a logical plan. If it worked once it would work again.<br>
“He’ll be expecting that!” said Anina. “We should try something else. Dragons are not stupid.” <br>
“This one doesn’t seem so smart to me.” I speculated. “…but maybe you’re right. Let’s try coming in on both blind sides at once. The only problem with this we’ve only got one shield.GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1467432012-03-10T06:45:06-06:002021-06-23T10:05:26-05:00Quest Log - Entry 7 True to his warrior nature, Forte reared back but flexed for battle and did not run. I should have been blank, overwhelmed with the scope of what was in front of me, but the adrenaline made my mind clear and sharp. A plan was forming and I was ready to move. I called out to Ainia and Isabella, “Come close!” The horses that had been delivered from Cybra suited each one of us well. Ainia had a white quarter horse named Spirit, and Isabella had a buck skin named Tumbleweed. They rode up to me and leaned in. The dragon stayed focused on us, looking angry and growling, but he had yet to make a move. <br>
“What do we do?!" shouted Isabella over the loud rumbling emanating from the throat of the beast. <br>
I untied the fasteners that mounted the shield to my saddle and slipped my hand through the enarmes. It fit well on my arm and felt good there. I raised my voice to be heard above the dragon. “I have a plan,” I said. <br>
As if in reaction to this, the Dragon took a huge breath and then exhaled with a earth-shattering roar, unleashing his flaming breath directly on top of us. Instinctively I raised the shield, feeling as though it would be my last act. My arm was instantly burning hot, but to my surprise I could bear the heat and was able to keep my hold on the shield. Isabella screamed and Ainia cursed. I pushed back from the shield and looked over to each of them. I was amazed to see that the flame had not engulfed them but remained blocked by an invisible barrier that extended from the edge of the shield. The entire area where we stood with our horses was protected. The barrier moved with the shield as I pushed it further out. Finally his breath ended and the flame was instantly gone. <br>
“SCATTER!” I yelled, and without delay Anina bolted to my right and Isabella to my left. The Dragon was momentarily distracted by this movement, so I took the opportunity to head straight for him. As long as I had the shield, I had the ability to get close. Forte lived up to his name and charged forward at incredible speed. It seemed as though he knew my thoughts and all he needed to act was the smallest signal from me. Another wall of flame engulfed me as I came closer. I was thankful that the Dragon took a particularly long inhale as a warning before he unleashed his fire. Even though riding at such a high speed made maneuvering difficult I was able to position my shield above me before the fire hit, protecting both Forte and myself. When the flame stopped I was along the right side of the enormous beast and quickly moved behind him. If Forte could keep me close in to his back side and avoid the swiping range of the spiked tail, I could get my bow ready for a shot at the heart. I watched the Dragon as I strung my bow and reached for an arrow. He was slow and awkward, which would be to my advantage.<br>
Forte was an exceptional horse. He knew where to go without much guidance from me. I tied the reins to the saddle horn with plenty of slack, notched the arrow, held up the bow and then squeezed hard with my legs signaling him to the left. Forte moved quickly in perfect alignment to the Dragon's chest. I took aim and was promptly knocked off my saddle by a swipe of the Dragon’s massive claw. I had under-estimated his range. I was in pain but conscious and able to move before his giant mouth closed down on me. I ran around to his backside and caught my breath, which had been squarely knocked out of me. Forte was there a moment later and I jumped back into the saddle. <br>
This time I was angry. I was no longer afraid but ready for this bastard to be gone. I pulled out the short short from my saddle bag and threw it as hard as I could at his back. It stuck, just to the right of his spine. There was a deafening roar as he cried out in pain and struggled in vein to reach the sword. I rode quickly towards his front and shot another arrow, which missed the heart and stuck low at the ribs. In an instant I was knocked off my horse again… this time I was paralyzed faced down in the dirt, unable to do anything except pray that he would not grab and eat me. Just then I heard the wrenching cry of Forte somewhere above, then a loud thump in front of me. The thought of my horse in trouble sent shock waves through me. It was awkward but I was able to move again. <br>
I looked up to see him laying still in front of me. My heart broke. I cried out. “NOOO!” I turned to see the dragon facing away from me and breathing fire at something. I looked around for my shield but could not find it. I was blind with rage. The sight of Forte laying there was almost more than I could bare. Just then Isabella rode out from a cloud smoke behind me and offered me her hand. I took it without hesitation. She had removed her own foot from the stirrup so I could step in and raise up into the saddle. We rode fast towards the tree line. I looked behind as we went. Ainia was engaging the dragon with a spectacular display of riding! She was running in a fast circle around him and you could see that he was getting dizzy and unable to keep up. We got to the trees and stopped. Isabella offered me water and I took a long drink. We turned to face the dragon. Ainia had managed to get two more arrows into him. He was beginning to look like a pin cushion, but didn’t seem too bothered by it. <br>
“That bastard got Forte,” Isabellla fumed. “He’s gonna pay!” She added, never taking her eyes off of him. It was her turn to drink and she gulped down the last of what was in her water bag. “Are you OK?” she asked me and I nodded. "He's gonna be sorry he messed with us! I got friends in the Faery world and we got ways of dealing with the likes of him! " Isabella snapped. <br>
“Lets go back!” I said. I was anxious to help Ainia even though she didn’t look like she needed it. It actually appear as tho she was having fun. She had this crazy grin on her face. <br>
“Come on Tumbleweed!” Isabella urged. He reared up with excitement then took off towards the action. <br>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1451702012-03-04T07:55:00-06:002021-04-12T16:26:01-05:00Album Update<div style="text-align: center; "><img src="/files/58631/the%20one%20smaller.jpg" class="size_orig justify_textTop border_" alt="" height="267" width="200" /></div>
<span style="font-size: large; "><b><br></b><span style="font-size: small; "><b>Greetings everybody!!!</b><br><br>
I have wanted to update you on progress of my Album Quest for some time now but have been so busy with production on it that I have been reluctant to stop and take a breath lest I break my stride. “BIG BREATH* AAhhhh. It’s been an enormous undertaking and thanks to your generosity, I am ¾ of the way to my goal!!!! I will never be able to completely express how much it has meant to me and how overcome with gratitude I am. My heart is overflowing! With your help I am making this dream of mine come true!!!!<br><br>
Back in January when I wrote my first note announcing the beginning of the Album Quest, I had two more songs left to be written. My goal was producing a twelve song album packed with brand new material. I was uncertain whether I could do it in time. I am happy to announce as of two days ago they are done!! Here is the album song list as it stands now <i>(not necessarily in this order)</i></span><span style="font-size: medium; "></span><span style="font-size: medium; "></span><br></span> <b> <br>
Song Name – When it was written</b><br><br><b>From Love To Love – 4 years old<br>
My Own - 4 Years old<br>
Shadow Puppets - Jan '11<br>
Ma Belle - Spring '10<br>
Highway Hippies - August '11<br>
Warrior - Dec '11<br>
My Key - Jan '11 <br>
Run Little One - Jan '12<br>
Ganesh is Fresh - Cover<br>
Wild Child - 4 Years Old<br>
Thankful - Feb '12<br>
Urban Elements - Feb '12<br></b> <br><b>“Thankful”</b> is the direct result of the explosions of gratitude that have been rocking my heart daily since the beginning of this quest. I am truly blessed by the all the people who have given so selflessly. It has filled me with a sense of responsibility to all of them and to everyone that will hear this record. I am working very hard to do my best for all of you! It is my sincerest wish that this record will bring joy, healing and inspiration to all those who hear it for years and years to come. And I am truly thankful!<br><br><b>“Urban Elements</b>" I let a groove move me through a poetic expression of each of the four elements. As I write music I am often taken to another place – the place where the song lives. During the process of writing “Elements” I was often dancing with friends around a fire. Something I have not done for years; I have been drumming. This was a return to the dance for me. As the words came they were taken from a very personal place; my own experience with fire, water, earth and air, as a child of the 20th century. <br><br>
Now here’s the challenging part. I have to finish this! Here is my schedule – which looks fantastic on paper. All final tracking and production to be finished by March 12th; which is at the mercy of: creative genius kicking in on command, various hippy musicians and their schedules, my ear, nose, throat and hands cooperating. Mixing is to be done by March 23rd, which is also the Album cover deadline. Oh yeah - got to design the cover and layout as a lil side note there. ;) <br><br>
If I am unable to stick to this schedule then it will not be the end of the world. In other words, people will not die and the world will not explode in an epic Hollywood fireball. I will allow my control freak to freak for a minute then forge ahead and try to get it done as soon as I can and as close to this time line as possible. I would like to get the completed work to the duplicator by April 1st. No foolin. ;) So pray for me - and these songs. They *so* want to be born into the world and delivered into the hands of all those who are waiting so patiently and beyond!<br><br><span style="font-size: medium; "><b>MEANWHILE BACK AT THE QUEST!!!</b></span><br><br>
The quest to finish this album is happening in two planes of existence. In one I’m in the studio creating music, which catapults me from frustration to utopia and back again in a heartbeat. I have profound moments of divine inspiration and connection and other times I am crushed by my own self-doubt. Sometimes my fingers work so well it is beyond my ability to understand how, and some days they just don’t cut it. Sometimes I sing like a bird and some days I sound like a dead frog. Just so you know, in order for a dead frog to make noise it needs to be a zombie – so I sound like a zombie frog; on my bad days that is. Zombie frogs of the Mississippi - “rip –it, rip-it, rip your head off to eat your brains” (is what the zombie frogs would say – should I really be explaining this?) I digress… horribly.<br><br>
In the other plane, my companions and I are questing to complete the album on a island filled with wonder. There, I am meeting the songs of the album and the adventures they bring me- head on. Amazing and scary things are happening. At the moment we are battling a fierce Dragon. He’s a mean one and my heart is broken because he just killed my horse (or so it would seem!) You can read all about my adventures in the quest logs. The most current log is always posted on the <a href="./albumquest.cfm">Album Quest "base camp"</a> page. The previous quests that tell the full story are in my <a href="./3blog.cfm">blog</a>. I invite you to experience this with me and to share this with your friends. There is still a way to go and many adventures to come! <br><br>
I cannot thank you all enough. This record and quest has become more about my tribe than any of my undertakings thus far. Without you I could not and would not be able to go forward. To be a lone gypsy is not an easy road – but you have shown me I am not alone. Your generosity both financially and spiritually has renewed my energy and given me strength when I have doubted. I send blessings to you all from the core of my being and stand tall knowing my tribe is with me!! I ask that you count me in your numbers as well. I am always honored to serve and I've got your back! <br><br>
Blessings of abundant and eternal love and gratitude,<br>
Ginger<br><br>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1433832012-02-27T06:30:04-06:002012-02-27T06:30:04-06:00Quest Log - Entry 6<div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; font-style: normal;"><br></span></font></i></span></div>
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<img src="/files/54119/warrior_angel.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="135" width="100" />Have I not told you about my guide? She is a transient entity who has been with me since the beginning. Appearing to me as both angel and friend; as the notion on a breeze or a melody in my head; she takes on many forms and goes by many names. Currently she is my guide on this quest and goes by the name Cybra. I love this current form. Moving seamlessly between the worlds she is able to bring me supplies from base camp using pure energy exchange. If it were not for the invaluable provisions she has brought me on this journey I would not have made it this far. And it is to those who have given them that I owe everything! <br><br>
Yesterday she appeared in a radiant glow, mingling with the amber light of the early morning sun. We talked for a moment and she warned me about a difficult test to come. She explained that I should head for the eastern mountain pass and that soon my skill as warrior would be tested. As she faded from my sight a massive black charger appeared in her place, groomed for battle and a shining shield hanging from his saddle. I stood in awe of him for a moment then moved closer. He stood calmly as I approached and I stroked his neck as I introduced myself. I locked eyes with him and suddenly there was nothing else to do but ride. <br><br>
I was glad the stirrups were at the right height to climb easily into the saddle. He was a massive animal. I leaned down and patted his neck a couple of times. “Lets go,” I said, and without warning, he bolted. I was caught off guard by the suddenness of it. At a full run we headed toward the mountains. It took a moment for me to sync with his rhythm but once I locked in, the ride smoothed out. There was intensity to his speed and direction - it was like he knew where he was going and wanted to get there fast. I didn’t care where we were headed. I just wanted to go and urged him on faster. I closed my eyes and lowered my head closer to his neck letting him lead for what seemed like a long time. I was loosing track of myself and surrendered completely to the sensations of the animal beneath me. I began to sink into a dream. This horse and I had ridden together before, fought together. Forte was his name. <i>I know him.</i> Then I heard something; something very loud, and very angry. It yanked me from my dream and I shot up in the saddle, pulling abruptly to a stop. <br>
<br>
What I had heard was not like anything I had heard before. It sounded like every animal on the island suddenly screamed for their life; the last scream just before death takes them. Forte and I were still breathing hard from the exertion of the full tilt run. I had the reins gathered up tight and turned him hard to scan quickly in every direction but saw nothing. Then a shadow passed overhead. I looked up and could not believe my eyes. Fear shot through me. I had never seen a living creature that big, much less flying. It circled once then landed directly in front of me. It stretched its enormous wings out then folded them behind its thorny back. It had silver scales and an elongated serpentine body with a long tail and neck. By my guess it stood 25 ft tall. It had a wide head and dark red eyes. Its mouth took up most of its face, and its sharp teeth took up all of its mouth. I could feel heat emanating from him even though he was at least 100 yards away. Smoke swirled around his head and the drool dripping off his chin set the ground on fire. It was a winged dinosaur; a seething demon; a dragon - and it was there for me. <br><br>
more later... <br><br><br><br>
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GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1353002012-01-22T07:52:56-06:002012-01-22T07:52:56-06:00Quest Log - Entry 5 By the time I arrived at my boat the first hint of dawn had become a distinct glow that highlighted the features of the beach clearly enough to allow me to begin my search. What I was looking for wasn’t quite so clear. I began to question trusting my gut on this one. But there was something in her eyes, the eyes of The Lover’s Dream. Something sparked within me when she sang to me the words of my own song, Ma Belle. How could she know them? The answer had come to me the night before, some where between sleep and meandering thoughts. The dark haired beauty was a song of the sea, the incarnation of the lover’s dream. And Ma Belle is a song of the sea. I hadn’t thought of it as such, but the vision of a beach just like this was clear in my mind when I wrote it. Not only does she know the song, but she is born of it. <br><br><div style="text-align: center; ">She stirs on my ocean, a hot storm is brewing, my passion,<br>
the kraken, releasing, consuming</div>
<br>
I began to sing the song again. The memory of the vision I had while writing it came vividly to my mind, seamlessly melding with the scene around me. I scanned the horizon for her. Nothing. They tide was very far out indeed and left a large section of beach exposed that I had never seen before. Letting go of reason I walked, allowing my instinct to guide me. I continued to sing the song hoping it would conjure her… or perhaps her footsteps in the sand? I could feel her taking hold of my heart as I thought of her dark beauty and the way she had looked at me. Just then a warm hand lay gently on my shoulder and before I could react, the words “You’ll find me. I know that you will,” were whispered upon warm breath in my ear. I turned to see her for the briefest moment. Then she was gone. <br>
My heart jumped. She’s here, I thought. <br>
I looked down and saw footprints in the sand that led from beside me and off down the slope of the exposed beach. I quickened my pace and followed them. They came to an end at a wide canal full of water left by the receding tide. It wound like a river along the shoreline then merged back into the ocean in the direction of Albumdor. Looking further off in the same direction I noticed the rocky reef, a large portion of which is usually covered by water at high tide, now towering exposed above the ocean. From where I was standing the details of the rock formations were more distinct. I could see a section where there was a large opening, like someone had pushed aside the bars of a prison cell. At the top, the rocks still clung tightly together but they curved apart in an archway at the base. There was enough water flowing through the opening that it looked as though I could make it through in my boat. But I would have to hurry. The tide was coming in and it would not be long before that whole section would be submerged. I ran back to my boat. I would have to drag it by the towline a good distance but I hoped the wet hard sand would make things easier. <br>
Still breathing hard from the run I grabbed the towline and pulled at the boat. I turned it around with some effort but once it was sliding bow first down the slope the going was easier. I made for the canal hoping the water would be deep enough to carry the boat the rest of the way. I looked toward the opening in the rocks as soon as it was in sight again. It was smaller now. I would have to move faster. I tied the rope around my waist and dug deeper into the sand to move as fast as I could. When I got to the canal I threw the tow line in the boat and pushed hard from behind. The current was moving quickly. As the boat edged into the water I almost lost hold of it but managed to keep a hand on the stern and hoist myself in. Suddenly I was drifting and fast. The canal was just wide enough to allow the boat to pass and it drifted effortlessly. Ahead, the canal would open to the sea. I would have to steer skillfully to make it through the rocks. <br>
By the time I passed under the rocky archway the water level was high enough that I had to bow my head to pass through. Once on the other side there was nothing to keep me from reaching the main island. I breathed deeply and smiled. <br>
“Thank you, Ma Belle” I whispered.GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1338972012-01-15T14:54:17-06:002012-01-15T14:54:17-06:00Quest Log - Entry 4 Last night I was dreaming that I heard a woman crying somewhere on the island. I searched and searched but could not find her. I woke suddenly and realized I could still hear her. I got up and began my search again, this time while awake. It was very dark and I found it difficult to navigate through the thick vines and undergrowth. I was relieved when I saw the flicker of a small fire in the same direction as the woman's voice. Focusing on the small light I made my way carefully trying hard not to make too much noise. I came to the edge of a clearing where I found the woman and stayed hidden. She sat next to the fire, still sobbing, with her head in her hands. With her was a burley looking man, possibly a sailor, and a beautiful dark-haired woman. The man was mumbling and laughing to himself while whittling away at a large piece of wood. The dark-haired woman sat quietly gazing into the fire. I watched them for a while, trying to gage the situation. I sensed no danger and after a time felt compelled to reveal myself. I walked over to greet them but when the sailor saw me he bolted up and exclaimed, "Are ye the one on the quest to Albumdor?" <br>
I was startled by this but answered calmly. "Ah... yes. I am on a quest. And who might you be?" <br>
He smiled and straightened himself. "I am the stories the sailors tell." He looked toward the crying woman and then back at me. "She bears the grief of the ships lost at sea." Then he widened his smile and looked at the raven haired beauty. "And she..." the sailor continued, "is a lover's dream."<br>
I nodded, trying to absorb what he had just said to me. "Ah," I said, at a loss for words. I surveyed each of them now that I had a better view. The crying woman was very old. I could not see her face as she kept it covered by her hands and the hood of her worn cloak. Her sobs were low and rhythmic and seemed to fade now into the sound of the waves crashing in the distance. The other woman was a stunning beauty. Her long black hair draped across her back and her dark eyes remained fixed on the flame. She had taken no notice of my approach or any of the conversation. She sat with her arms wrapped around her knees and stared into the fire with a look of happy longing. <br>
"We are the songs of sea," the sailor went on. "We know ye are bound for Albumdor and have more songs yet to finish for your quest. We would like to come with ye." <br>
"How did you know I was here?" I asked, feeling as though I was still dreaming. <br>
"The muses have been singing about your quest. They tell of songs that you have yet to make and the battles you have yet to fight. We could help, you see. Help ye to find your way. We could fight by your side as you battle the many beasts of the island. This land is our home, and we know it well. All we ask in return is that you write our songs. Tell our stories. It has been too long since we were remembered." <br>
"I would be grateful for your help, but I cannot promise what songs will come from it. There is much of my story that longs to be told as well. What I really need is to get to Albumdor. I have been watching the tide, but the water has yet to cover the rocks and make the way for my small boat to go over undamaged. I have to hurry. I am running out of time."<br>
It was then that the dark-haired woman began to sing, "Though starless skies cannot guide, I wait for low tide. Your footprints appear by my side." She looked at me and smiled, and then rose and ran toward the sea. <br>
"WAIT!" the sailer called after her and began to follow. <br>
"No. It's alright," I said, putting my hand on his arm to stop him. "Those were my words, one of my songs she was singing. I think I understand. She wants me to follow her at low tide." I watched her for a moment. "From what I have seen, the tide will be at its lowest at dawn. I will go then." <br>
The sailer looked angry. "It's not wise to follow such a dreamer. I have many stories of those who went to their death following a woman such as this!" <br>
"You say you know this land. Do you know another way?" I questioned, dubious. <br>
He shook his head, then answered,"We journey upon the voices of the bards that sing our songs. I know no other way." <br>
"Then how could you have helped me on this quest? How could you fight?" I exclaimed. He gave me a blank look. "It seems you have made me an empty promise for your own gain," I said confident of this realization. "The lover's dream has given me hope. I will follow her at dawn in answer to my own words. It is the only true guidance I have at the moment." I turned to look at the sea where the woman had gone. I thought I saw her shape moving along the shore. I turned back towards the dwindling fire. The old woman was gone, her crying now silent. When I looked to where the sailor had been he was gone as well. Suddenly I was alone. <br>
I wandered back toward my camp The closer I got the more uncertain I was of the events of the night. I was thankful for sleep, which came quickly.<br>
I woke just before dawn, packed my things and made my my way to where my boat was waiting on the beach.<br>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1334022012-01-12T06:34:37-06:002012-01-12T06:34:37-06:00Quest Log - Entry 3Rough Night... A bad storm blew in from the east around 2am. Driving wind combined with strong storm currents pushed me off course. Thankfully I was able to make it to a small island just off shore. I rowed like hell, pulled my boat onto the beach and took shelter under the tarp covering my supplies. If it hadn't been for my protection charms I am certain that I would not have made it to this island alive. From here there is not far to go but I can see the rocks the captain warned me about barring my way. It must be low tide. I will watch the tide cycle today and try to gage the best place and time for my landing. Meanwhile there is a very brave seagull who thinks he is clever enough to figure out how to open my food pack when I am not looking. I have run him off at least 5 times. To my credit I did tell him if he brought me some fish I would trade, but I don't think he gets it.GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1326792012-01-09T06:40:00-06:002012-01-09T06:40:00-06:00Quest Log: Entry 2Thanks to some supplies that just came in I was able to lower away my boat and shove off a little while ago! The Quest has begun! My ship mates seemed relieved to see me go. They were worried that my presence on the ship would attract some of the island demons but I assured them that we were too far out. I am hopeful that they will wait for my return as they promised. Its taking a bit to get use to the swell of the sea now that I have left the comfort of the huge ship for this tiny boat, but I am managing. I had to shift the bulk of my supplies around to create more balance and keep from tipping over. The captain said if i catch the tide just right I will pass easily over the rocky reef that juts out into the inlet where I am due to land. I will know soon enough if my timing is right. I thought I saw something move in the water a moment ago. It was pretty big but maybe my eyes are playing tricks. I keep getting sprayed by the sea and it momentarily blurs my vision. More later....GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1323722012-01-07T09:48:11-06:002021-12-23T16:01:13-06:00Quest Log: Entry 1I think I have everything I need to start the journey: my master keys to unlock whatever doorways I may encounter along the way; my drum for guidance and strength; my recording devices to capture the four elements of my music – melody, harmony, lyric and rhythm; my vision and my voice to bind those elements; my rituals for focus, protection and energy; and most importantly the will to persevere no matter what I may encounter with divine love as my ultimate source. I take this long and challenging journey so that my new songs, the sacred children of my soul can be set free into the world. Deep within my soul I know this quest to be worthy, perhaps the most worthy I have yet to undertake and there is far to go. The elements must be found, captured, and then forged into the entities they will be forever. Only then can they be released into the world to weave their magic and do honor to what I have come to know as my purpose upon this earth: Spiritual Bard, Artist and Compassionate Warrior. I can only carry so much ashore on the small boat that has been provided to me. I will need help once I make it to the island. I could do this alone but there is a chance I might not make it in time. With help from my tribe I know I cannot fail. If they assist me on this journey by providing the supplies and warriors I need to get From Love to Love, I will know I will make it!GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1323632012-01-07T08:15:00-06:002017-01-13T18:03:58-06:00The Fan Fund Quest Begins<br><img src="//gingerdoss.com/files/FLTL%20Treasure%20map3.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="218" width="300" />Self-producing a full-length album as songwriter, musician and recording engineer is a formidable quest. You must be prepared traverse through quagmires of creative quandaries and battle many monsters of technical mayhem. For example, the dread Lyric Leeches will keep you from figuring out the last line of the last verse, or suck the life out of your enthusiasm for the chorus hook. And then there’s the Technical Pterodactyls that will swoop in when you least expect it, causing shut-downs and system errors that aren’t even physically possible. Not to mention the Attention Deficit Demons ( A.D.D’s.) who will make it impossible *not* to answer that last text even though the perfect chord or string arrangement was about reveal itself. And you know what that means. Yes, I’m afraid so. You could become trapped in the dessert sands of social networking, wandering aimlessly through inane comment threads, tweets, blogs, vlogs, youtubes, emoticons, hyperlinks and meta tags, all of which are not helping you achieve your goals today Ginger! But don’t give up! Because when you make it to the end the treasure awaiting you will exceed your wildest dreams. Best of all its bounty can be shared throughout the land. So if you can make it to the valley of divine inspiration, refresh yourself from the spring of effortless creative flow and dance with the elves of epiphany (they do exist, I swear… they’ve got these great hats), you will renew your strength and obtain all that is needed to pass through the Lair of the Dark Lord of Delayed Deadlines – I can’t even talk about him yet… oh, but I must. If I tried to do this alone I would never make it through the dark lord’s lair in time – and you know what that means. Yes, I am afraid so. No new album this spring to bring to you all on my travels this year. ♪Dahn ….dahn …..DAAAAAAAHHHHN!♪ AAAAAAAUGHAAAAAAUGH!!!!!!!!! This is why I must put out the call to you, my tribe.. Across the web of the world that connects us all there is a way that you can help. Along with my instruments, I have a map, a little bit of food and one fairly good dagger. I will need better weapons, more supplies and help fighting many battles along the way. I have set up a ALBUM QUEST BASE CAMP (see link below) on my website where you will be able to watch my progress on the map, read about my adventures in the quest log, and send me messages and critical supplies if you are able. Those with lust for adventure can come with me. Those who cannot come along but have a little bit of magic in their pocket can help from afar. Together we can make “From Love to Love”, my next album, my next and brightest dream, come true. I’m so very excited about this Album!!! Here is the list of songs as it stands right now: From Love To Love My Own Shadow Puppets Ma Belle Highway Hippies<br>
Warrior<br>
My Key<br>
Run Little One<br>
Ganesh is Fresh<br>
Wild Child<br>
New Song<br>
New Song<br><br>
As you can see there is TONS of new stuff and still more to write. My schedule goal is to have the album written, recorded, mastered and the cover layout finished by the end of February when it will be sent to the duplicator so it can be released in March. My financial goal is to raise $4K to pay for studio time, mixing, mastering, duplication, graphics, posters, t-shirts, digital distribution, the Highway Hippy Video and auxiliary musicians in the studio. I will do my best to achieve this and at the same time I must be prepared to use my powers of flexibility or else the tentacles from the Titan of Tension will coil around my spine, lodge in my brain and cause my head to explode (it’s not pretty folks).<br><br>
Enough of my rambling! I am waiting on a ship just off the shore of the Isle of Albumdor. When the first supplies come in from <a href="./fanfundquest.cfm">QUEST STORE</a> I can begin. Visit the <a href="./fanfundquest.cfm">BASE CAMP </a>often to watch the progress and see who has joined the quest! I will be posting updates to the quest log with adventure details as I go!<br><br><br>
Love, Blessings and Abundant Gratitude<br>
ginger<br>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1321112012-01-05T09:45:00-06:002012-01-05T09:45:00-06:00A fire in Winter Part 2 - Album UpdateOK so I did\<img src="/files/54114/keyboard.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="141" width="250" />n’t get to the second song right away. Warrior keeps calling for production. I laid some drum tracks via my Stylus loop plug in and some bass; fine tuned the melody and phrasing of the lead vocal and re sang. Laid in some sound pads and even got a loop of me tapping my pencil for the groove on the verse. I am happy with it but I don’t like the way I sing the chorus. I had a blast singing to the top of my lungs (wondering what the locals thought – if they actually heard anything) but I need a more dynamic tone I think. Also need to figure out the chorus harmony. It’s not there yet. It’s too – predictable. Looking for what might end up being a counter part there. <br><br>
I’ve been recording song ideas every chance I get on whatever medium is available; Pro Tools, Garage Band and on my phone while I’ve been out and about in the world and not able to take the time to finish a complete song idea. I have to lately because the creative flw coming out of me is a torrent. Every time I sit at the piano – just playing around or to practice before a show - a song snipet comes out and I like it too much to blow it off. And sometimes, like when I’m sitting in traffic, the song of the century pops into my head and I have to save it. I’ve accumulated quite a few of these little 30 sec recordings and I review them each time I am ready to begin work on a new song. The first one of these that I reviewed became Warrior (the song I just finished) After finishing it, I went back to the snipet list for another tasty morsel. I opened a file called “run little one” A wee bit of verse with chorus and a few lyrics. It’s starting out as a visitation of the inner child. I listened back to it and the inspiration came immediately so I began to work. <br><br>
The first thing I noticed is that it was too high. I loved the piano and melody but I could tell I was straining to sing that high on the rough recording and needed to drop the whole thing down a half step. Then I had a revelation while considering the lyrics and where to go with this idea of a song for the inner child. My girlfriend Andrea is working on a children’s book series called Ima Gene Imagines. And there you have it. The song is now called Ima Gene and is about what she imagines *and* (naturally I have to go here) symbolizes our potential as co-creators with the divine. I am paralleling her story ideas for Ima Gene but not exactly. I have the 1st verse (ish - need one line before the chorus – and it needs to be a doozie – which is why I don’t have it yet – I could go on forever with the dash thing here – but I’ll just stop now – cause they are not really necessary in the first place) and am starting the 2nd verse but its giving me trouble. <br><br>
Anyway finally back to the cabin now. Christmas in Texas was sweet with a little bitter sprinkled in as sometimes family will do. I came out of my writing den to hang with the them and I’m glad I did. I love them so. I had the most unbelievable News Years Eve/Day with Big Bad Gina and friends. Now I’m getting ready to launch my fan funding campaign (or should I say quest). I’m a little nervous about it – but I feel Spirit saying “yes” so here I go. Wish me luck! If it all goes smoothly it will help the progress of the CD tremendously.<br>GIngersoll Dosstag:www.gingerdoss.com,2005:Post/1293582011-12-19T16:55:00-06:002011-12-19T16:55:00-06:00A Fire in Winter Part I - Album Update<img src="/files/53352/2011-12-20_00-04-25_472.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="141" style="width: 285px; height: 165px" width="250" />I wasn’t sure how it was going feel to be there, alone, far out in the country in a land strange to me. But here I was driving out to my temporary writing retreat in the woods. I like to call it “the cabin,” but it’s not. It’s a lovely loft house with all the comforts. But it feels like a cabin – heated with a wood stove and surrounded by an enchanted gray maze of twisted, leafless trees. I’ve always dreamt about a cabin get away, and I often imagined it in the winter for some reason. It is the safe place I visualize in meditation. It’s the place between worlds where I sometimes rendezvous with the incarnate over-soul of all the women I have ever been with. It is the place I calmly long for, especially when the music is clawing at me, trying to get out. Six songs are done and mostly recorded for my next album and 5 more have yet to be written. Hense the "Get me out of here!" mentality. I can't write that many songs in a row over a short period of time and still be a part of what for me is normal society - which isn't normal at all thank god (that's another blog) but still. My songs are loners when they first arrive in the world. They don’t like to come out when there are people around; those first melodies I sing as the piano takes a song’s first baby steps. Alone I am at my most creative. No one is here and that’s perfect. <br><br>
As I began to carefully unload my studio gear (minding the still-healing broken ribs), a sense of sheer bliss overtakes me. Could this be another manic high that would not last? I don’t consider myself manic, but this year has been full of unpredictably changing sates of mind - the roller coaster of a life in extreme transition. We’ll see. Hmm. Why don’t I set the keyboards facing the fire place? And set the computer facing the window that looks out at the forest. Oh, yes and oh… wow. Still blissful? Completely. As I settle in I keep shaking my head and saying, “Thank you.” Everything is just right. I feel a bit like grizzly hood. I don’t identify as red riding… but I could work with grizzly hood. I work to start the first of many fires that would warm my nights and pacify my love and my ancient ancestral need for a glowing hearth in winter. Little did I know what the magic and intensity of the fire would do for my writing. Among other things, it’s been blazing a focal point for my eyes so my heart could be cathartic on the sly, without this psycho Aries ram having constant ADD episodes or manifesting a convenient writer’s block to avoid any unpleasant subject material that’s trying to be expressed ‘cause it’s “just too hard to go there.” Oh spirit, what have you done to me now? Bam. Three days and the first song is done, start to finish. And I even left for an overnight Big Bad Gina excursion to Eureka Springs. (HOT as always.) The song is called Warrior. I can’t wait to play it for everybody. I am considered uploading my rough piano & vocal to audioboo. But because of my cold, my M’s and N’s sound like B’s and my raspy throat sounds like a mating swan. You like that? Mating sawn – better than the dying goose analogy but the sounds of it are just as bad, I’m sure (even tho I confess I have never actualyl heard a mating swan - and neither have you). <br><br>
One down and on to the next song. And again, thank you – to the owner of these fine digs (who will remain anonymous here) and the folks who helped get me here. It’s one of those Kevin-Bacon-degrees-of-dominos-falling-just-so type scenarios that includes many people I love and events as minute as a leaf blowing across a parking lot somewhere, I am sure, but all spirit and all magic as I realize I am where I have been before, this time for real.GIngersoll Doss