No. 345: SING!

No. 345: Colors

No. 344: On Dawning

No. 343: On Purgatory: When "v"oice Meets "V"oice

When the "V"oice

which speaks of Light

and of Infinite Possibility

sings

more loudly

than than the "v"oice

which opposes It

Magic

(which to the Diva/o Warrior means Life)

happens.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 342: An Act of Courage.

No. 341: How to remember...

No. 340: The Hero's Journey.

No. 339: It's not what It's not.

No. 338: Because they ARE.

No. 337: SING!

No. 336: Your Secret Song.

No. 335: You. Are. Magnificent.

No. 334: It is not enough.

It is not enough

to SAY

"Singing is good for us"

Like we say

"Peace is good for us"

Without the possibility

of a WAY

to Voice...

a WAY

to Peace.

Opera Organically is a Way to Voice

(and, in a Way, for a Singer, to Peace)

But, like Peace, we gotta choose Voice--

and know

It's.Chosen.Us.

...

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love,

THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 333: Awe and Wonder

If your singing voice

does not inspire

Awe and Wonder within You

You probably haven't found It yet.

Keep searching:

I believe in You.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 332: How to Start a Conversation With Voice

Voice is like a sweet puppy 

waiting in a corner

for us to wake up.

Most of us don't even see her:

We 'know s/he doesn't exist.'

Some of us see him, but

We've 'heard s/he's bad.'

Still others of us see a monster instead:

'Sing?! I'd rather be dead.'

But if we'd just wait...

and enjoy the Wonder

of being chosen by such a Sweet Beast

We'd want to do anything possible 

to understand It.

We'd Love It,

Come to know It...

That's when the real Magic begins.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No.331: Voice has a Quiet Dignity

Voice has a Quiet Dignity

an All-Being-ness

an All-Seeing-ness.

It's startling in It's Grounded-ness,

in It's Inherent Electric Power.

It Is Our HONOR

to Be in It's Presence:

the Epic Story of Humanity

Is the Quest to Be One with It.

And when S/he chuckles with gentle mirth

at our search for Her 

as S/he dances All Around

and In Us

We hear His sweet laughter 

weaving amongst the heArtbeats 

and breaths 

of Our Life's Flowing Blood.

And if We Are Lucky

before we die

We can Live Knowing

We Are S/he...

S/he Is It...

We.Are.It.

Smiling in the Dignity of Life 

together.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 330: Are we thinking like Voice...?

I am watching the German film Hannah Arendt:

the story of the famous philosopher

and her coverage of the Adolf Eichmann trial in Jerusalem.

At a turning point in the story Hannah writes:

"Das Böse wird gemeinhin als etwas Dämonisches betrachtet,

Eichmann aber kann man beim besten Willen

keine teuflisch-dämonische Tiefe abgewinnen,

er war nur unfähig zu denken."

"Evil is commonly regarded as something demonic, 

but in the case of Eichmann

one could find no such trace of satanic 'greatness',

he was only incapable of thinking."

(my emphasis)

Another title for this post could be:

Awareness of the Great Voice Holocaust.

For with the deepest respect

for my friends, for myself, and for all of humanity
with our ties to all holocausts past and present
which steal Our Earthly Bodies

there is another
certainly related
yet far more deeply hidden
international concentration camp of the soul
which steals Voices.

It is disingenuous, surreptitious.
It creeps up on us in the dark:
It whispers "Go into hiding..."
it yells "SHUT UP"
says "don't even start..."

It draws us into an alternate reality
of definitions
pointing fingers
loneliness
and stares

An unchallenged reality which sneaks into collective thought

telling us some are worth more than others

and mine...?

It must not

be worthy of Life, be worthy of BE-ing.

BE/A/WARE 

where Voices are silenced in the soul

so also They Are 

in the body.

WE ARE THE ANTIDOTE TO THIS MADNESS.

And so, even in the Land of the Free

I stand, a Mother Bear, on the top of the nearest mountain and scream

Every Moment let me BE like Voice!

Let me think like Voice!

Let me LOVE like Voice!

EVEN, and ESPECIALLY, for those who have been silenced.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 329: "Don't hurt yourself..."

Keep searching.

Keep searching.

Keep digging beyond the "fears"

with which our culture frames your singing.

The singing that is One

with YOU

is beyond pain

beyond hurt

beyond fear.

Don't stop singing 'til you find this Place

then keep singing 'til the Whole World 

knows IT.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 328: How to snuggle with Voice

In our black and white world

it's sometimes seems hard

to get close to Voice.

But if we're brave enough

simple enough

brazen and honest enough

We can find OurSelves

in the Embrace of an Absolute

That IS Who We Are:

Bliss, Peace, Joy, Eagerness,

Glowing Quietude, All-Encompassing, Ever-Present LIFE:

This Experience Is Voice.

Snuggle in there

and know

NO ONE

can tell You 

You have no Voice

Because YOU. ARE. IT.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 327: Quote of the Day: "You would be amazed..."

"You would be amazed who people are once you know yourself."

~Byron Katie

Translated to Opera Organically Talk:

"You would be amazed at other people's Voices once you know your Voice."

In community, finding Voice is about us--and it's about everyone else.

This is the magic that changes the world, one Voice at a time.

THIS is Life. THIS is Love. THIS is Opera Organically.

Come join us!  In person or online.

No. 326: Opening to Life

No. 325: Windows or walls...?

No. 324: Quote of the Day

"Labels lead to self-fulfilling prophecies."

~Marshall Rosenberg

Every. One. of Us 

has the power to define

Voice

or no Voice.

BE WATCHFUL OF Y/OUR WORDS.

TAKE ABSOLUTE RESPONSIBILITY FOR Y/OUR POWER

to KILL Voice

or BRING IT to LIFE.

When We Truly See Our Power

to exact the Life or Death of Voice

the sweetest grief will emerge from the depths of Soul--

And THERE We Meet

Voice 

Which Is All We ARE.

Let's go there.  Let's Be there.  Heal Y/OUR Voice.  Let's change the World.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 323: Not One Left Alone.

Not One Seeker

Will Be Left 

Alone

in Hopeless

Voiceless

Despair:

In the Search for Voice

We Are All.One.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 322: The Awesomeness of YOU.

Don't stop

The Search

until you know

The Awesomeness of You

and then

mine YourSelf

like a crazed Being

thirsty 

for Gold and Diamonds

of the most Magic

Compressed Love.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 321: Do.Be.Sing.

No. 320: Mother Nature's Main Event.

No. 319: to What Are We Do/Be/ing?

When we experience solo singing

as a response to a collective event

("V"oice singing through US)

suddenly It All becomes impersonal.

The solo singer, aware of this Largest, Collective "V"oice

And the perhaps more rare listener who also knows It

intuit

that What We Are Being

and

What We Are Doing

has everything--and nothing--to do

with our unique individual bodies

at once.

This is the Wonderful Mystery Which Keeps Singing Alive,

Keeps Us Thirsting for Truth,

Connection,

Flow,

Authenticity,

Balance...

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

©Opera Organically 5/21/14

No. 318: Quote of the Day

"The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe,

to match your nature with Nature."

~Joseph Campbell

Substitute "voice" and "Voice" and we have Opera Organically.

THIS is Life.  THIS is LOVE.  THIS is Monday Morning :)

No. 318: Voice Conservancy, the Beginnings of a Dialogue

What is Voice Conservancy?

Voice Conservancy is a perspective of Voice which,

going beyond, yet including tactile experience,

acknowledges the communal act of singing--

even and especially while singing 'solo'.

Voice Conservancy acknowledges

that the individual Human Voice Experience

is not complete until Every Human Voice,

past, present, future--in the NOW--, is honored and heard.

This is the beginning.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 317: Introducing the Voice Conservation Institute™

While reading The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony

I realized that Opera Organically 

has always been the vision

of a "Nature Conservancy" for Voice.

I cannot shake the idea that Voice is an Entity:
a Beautiful Creature, a Life Force

that exists only to be expressed

through those who are ready and willing

to allow It to BE: 

complete, whole, wild, strong, true, free, and aware.

I also cannot shake my deep conviction

that, in the right environment

with the right tools and time,

ANY Voice can be allowed to thrive.

 Like the Conservancy Lawrence Anthony created in South Africa,

the Voice Conservation Institute™ holds 

an infinitely strong boundary of Absolute Love, safety, and integrity:

We honor ALL Voices, like all elephants and wild creatures, as integral

to Life Itself. 

The VCI™ is intended to be a community, 

a conservancy, a place of rest and renewal,

a space where we watch, observe, and honor Voice

as It Is Already.

From the Heart School of Singing™ is VCI™ "Junior":

Together, we create a wonderful world for Human and Voice!

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 316: Embrace the Weird.

No. 315: Honoring It All.

No. 314: Just As We Are

No. 313: True Voice is Expansive.

True Voice is Expansive.

It is not cramped, tense, scared, or shy.

It IS brave, vulnerable, sensitive, 

aware, flowing, clear,

pulsing, ALIVE.

(*Add yOur Own words here

to describe Bliss*)

And, carry on yOur Search for Voice

settling for nothing less

than THIS.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love. THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 312: What can Heart and Community do???

THIS:

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.

THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 311: Hmmm?

No. 310: The Resonance of All We Are

When we listen to singing

with All Our HeArt

there is no "good"--

there is no "bad."

There is only singing which resonates

All We Are

and singing 

which resonates

less

of All We Are.

Who or What defines the difference?

***pssst--a secret***

To sing with the resonance of All We Are feels like Heaven.

This is how we know.

...

(The trick is not stopping the search 'til We experience It.)

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 309: Voice is not Voice

An adaptation of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116...
The deepest bow to the Great Bard:

Voice is not voice 

Which alters when it alteration finds, 

Or bends with the remover to remove. 

O no, it is an ever-fixed mark 

That looks on tempests and is never shaken; 

It is the star to every wand'ring bark, 

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. 

THIS is Life. THIS is Love. THIS is Opera Organically. 

No. 308: Do not accept...

Do not accept 

anything less

than a total

transformation

into 

song.

Unless, of course, You Know You Are One with Music already--

then 

carry on...carry on!

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

307: Let IT!

No. 306: Voice is far too exquisite

Voice is far too exquisite

to belong to one person, or a select few.

Voice Is Who We All Are.

This realization is like resurrection:

a deep reality

so blinding in It's Truth

we are almost afraid to believe It.

But when we do...oh, when we do...

Life opens up:

and Hu/wo/mankind

becomes an Easter Lilly Blooming.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 305: Love is a KittyCat.

Love Is: 

Waking up in the corner of the bed because a KittyCat took the middle. 

What if we could learn to look at Voice like a KittyCat?  

Could we learn to honor It?  Give It what It needs...?  

...Even go so far as to listen to what it WANTS...?

As I write this, said KittyCat seems to approve.

Indeed: Let It. Be. So.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 304: Despair Is Easy.

To despair you have no voice

is very easy.

To Be In Joy

that You ARE Voice

can be a little harder.

But just sink into It...

Try It on for size... ...

It's fun.

:)

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 303: R/evolutionary Power.

No. 302: Never Alone.

No. 301: Voice Is...

When We follow Voice

Long enough

Deeply enough

Broadly enough

Completely enough

We See It

Is

A Destination

AND

A Journey.

It's never taken alone

It's never exclusive

It's Mysterious

and yet

Simple

All at Once.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 300: Can you wake up...?

Can you wake up

WANTING
to sing?

When We Know

We Are Singers

We See

that singing can be like breathing...

And wanting to do it

a gentle,

simple, yet dramatic choice

to open Our senses:

Does the HeArt keep beating?
Do the Lungs keep breathing?

Do our Bodies keep singing?

Consider Who or What Is behind

What Keeps US Alive,

What Keeps US in Love,

and We will know

what it means

to WAKE UP

singing.

No. 299: BE It.

No. 298: It's an ANIMAL...!

You are in relationship with your voice.

Right NOW.

What is the quality of that relationship?

For instance:

Do you let your voice love you?

Do you let yourself love your voice?

Do you think this all is crazy?

Then you have not yet experienced a relationship with Voice:

It is sweet, like a kitty cat in your lap.

It is tempestuous, like an opinionated steed.

It is as free and as powerful as any roaming wild animal.

It is asking for your respect--for your attention,

for your PRESENCE.

When will you begin

to listen, to see, to BE what It needs YOU to be...?

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 297: Guest of Honor

Is Voice a Guest of Honor in your life?

If we could grasp

each Moment

ALL

of what Voice IS,

We would fling wide every door,

pull out all the stops,

and throw the biggest Par-TAY

in honor

of this Beautiful Guest

(which in fact *shhhhh* is the Beauty of Who We Are--

but don't tell--

or the Par-TAY won't be a surprise!)

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 296: "Namaste"

In the Opera Organically Community

We've begun to say "Namaste," (a form of greeting in parts of South Asia) to one another,

Meaning "The Light within me bows to the Light within You."

For Us, the meaning is even expanded:

"The Voice within ME bows to the Voice within YOU."

When we see solo singing as a unifying act,

rather than a skill which constantly separates us,

everyone is strengthened and encouraged.

Voice in ALL of us is honored,

and EVERYONE thrives.

Isn't this what we all want, deep down?

NAMASTE Friends, Singers, and Voice-FULL Ones!

Organically Yours,

Rebecca

No. 295: Getting to know YOU.

When was the last time you spent time with Voice?

Without judging

Without wanting

Without even delighting or despairing...

When have you just watched and listened and...noticed...

that IT

IS.

HERE...?

NOW...?

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 294: Question Those Thoughts.

Question ALL your thoughts on Voice.

Question every thought you've heard on Voice.

Until You reach the place and space 

of Absolute Vocal Freedom...

Question the Thoughts.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 293: Until We Know

Until We Know

We Are All Singing 

One Voice

singing will be painful and frightening.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 292: Listen Carefully.

Listen Carefully.

Voice is All-Ways T/Here.

It'll tell You

What It Needs.

Allow this Connection to the Depths

of Who We Are

And We'll Know

We Must Have Ears

as Large

as Our HeArts.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 291: Any Resistance

Any resistance to Voice

is resistance to Life...

resistance to Love...

resistance to Being Real.

*Hmmmm...*

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 290: Down and Dirty

No. 289: Be Superbly Aware.

There is A Voice

Which whispers

(And sometimes screams)

"Let Me Be Me."

As Singers

This Voice

Is Our Greatest Friend.

Follow Only the Path--

Stand

Only in the Space

Where a Golden Thread Leads

To and From Who We Are.

Have you tried to dance on this Thread? It is the Ultimate Adventure.

This does not mean

Staying completely comfortable--

At times allowing Voice to flow feels like surgery,

re-birth, absolute aloneness

or ultimate anxiety.

Be afraid (for FEAR is sometimes Voice's only way to reach Us where we're at)

But know

that

False

Evidence

Appearing

Real

Is not All Voice--(Listen Deeply and This Will Be Clear).

It DOES mean redefining

Stretching and expanding

Our ideas of What it Means

To Be

and To Become

Singers...Human Beings...Light...Love...Awareness...

US.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

Dedicated, as always, to Opera Organically Singers, 

Who, in their bravery 

and Being-ness 

stun me often into tears. 

(:~Becky

No. 288: Love Letter to Reality

"Reality has a way with it--as opposed to imagination." Byron Katie

In all our striving, in all our climbing and becoming,

The. Magic. Is. NOW.

Music is now.

Love is now.

Connection and Community are now.

Voice is now.

Showing up to IT is now.

LIFE is now.

It's all available NOW...

WOW.

THIS is Life.

THIS is Love.

THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 287: What chisels You down

No. 286: The Only Valid Reflection

No. 285: Learning to SEE(ng)

No. 284: Be a Voice R/Evolutionary.

Do you sing to be better than someone else?

Is your impulse only to be "the best" of all those around you?

Or can you see the Path to Voice as something much deeper,

Something much more meaningful than competition or comparison?

Opera Organically acknowledges

That learning to sing

Is learning to BE

All We Already Are.

Realizing this, we create a R/Evolution

That resonates 

The most exciting and affirming aspects

Of LIFE.

THIS is Life.  THIS is Love.  THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 283: A Sunday Dance

No. 282: An Invitation

Dear Opera Organicallies (yes, that's YOU!)

In honor of this MLK weekend, I propose the following:

The Number One Foundation in O.O. is that when ONE Voice is strengthened, All Our Voices are strengthened. 

Singing organically is not just about a pretty sound; it's a way of life. We are living to strengthen hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits. 

Therefore I invite us to use this O.O. Page to celebrate OUR Steps of Strength.

What I do is made easier by what you do...and vice versa. WE define what's possible, together!

Every step you take, like: TODAY I RAN 2 MILES AND JUMPED ROPE FOR 20 mins (yes!) or whatever...post it HERE.   You will be celebrated and help someone else open their own doors to becoming all they are.

REMEMBER: Voice work-outs at my studio Monday-Friday 6:45-7:15. Come in person or virtually!

Organically Yours,

Rebecca

Happy Weekend!

No. 281: Ageless and Timeless

No. 280: Choose a different reality.

No. 279: Trust.

No. 278: The First Step