I went to a drum circle last night. 100+ people gathered in a circle, beating on their drums, chanting in unison. 100+ people gathered together to use the rhythm of the drum as a means of creating community.

It was powerful and fun and enlivening and very very joyful.

Judy Atkinson, founder and guide at Circles of Rhythm, has been creating drum circles for over 15 years. Every Friday night, she brings in drums and music makers and shakers and invites anyone and everyone to come join her in the circle – ” To create expansive and improvised music, to awaken consciousness and to provide a Cosmic Musical Journey into the Unknown.” — as her website states.

And she does. Create joy and wonder and an opportunity for people, individually and collectively, to find their beat and pound it out, dance to it and smooth out the ridges of their day (and world). Judy inspires people to create harmony in their soul that ripples out into the world in a never-ending song of joy and celebration.

Judy Atkinson is a hero.

On Thursday night, I was one of four women gathered together to talk about Peace. Calgary’s Summer of Peace 2012 to be specific. Founded in the inspired thinking of Calgary-based life coach, Kerry Parsons, Summer of Peace is intended to create awareness, and synergy, within our hearts and minds and souls where we consciously choose to Act In Peace in all our circles. Summer of Peace is connected to a global movement ignited by Barbara Marx Hubbard and the Shift Network.

What a powerful circle — Judy Atkinson was part of the circle which is how I was inspired to drum on Friday night!  Kerry’s spirit is a bright beacon of hope for peace in our city — and our world. In her vision, we are a world at peace, given to peace, created by peace, driven to peace. In her dream which she is setting into motion, we are a world where each individual invests their life force in creating the one thing that will overpower war, and hatred, and famine and sorrow and a host of other human anxieties that disrupt our lives — PEACE.

Now is the time. Peace is the way. Kerry Parsons is a hero. 

(More on Summer of Peace 2012 coming up soon!)

I have been listening to some amazing music for the past two weeks. I can’t remember where I found the link — I am grateful to the person who connected me to it. (If it was you, please drop me a note so I can personally thank you!) Miracai Ceiba  is a duo consisting of guitarist/singer Markus Sieber and singer/harpist/keyboardist Angelika Baumbach. They come from different parts of the world. Markus is East German. Angelika was born in Tucson, Arizona, and grew up in a small village near Mexico City, the daughter of a Mexican mother and German father. They tour the world sharing their engaging new style of world devotional music blending Gurmukhi mantras from the Kundalini Yoga tradition with original songs in English and Spanish that reflect a Native American influence and also draw words of wisdom from Rumi, Thich Nhat Hanh, Guru Nanak and Yogi Bhajan.

They are amazing and listening to their music creates peace in my heart. Miracai Ceiba are heroes as are all those who use music to awaken our spirits to the call of Love, Joy, Harmony and Peace.

To inspire you on this rainy morning in Calgary, here is a video of Miracai Ceiba chanting the healing mantra — Sa Ta Na Ma