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The Mindful Bard loves music inspired by literature almost as much as literature inspired by music, which is why William Susman is one of our favourite composers, so adept is he at paying homage to language with his mesmerizing sounds. … Continue reading Collision Point: William Susman and Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
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Was delighted to meet Ben Cumming (AKA Becoming) last week and get a chance to listen to his masterful guitar and amazing, wide-range voice. Ben is from Australia and is touring the world sharing his songs, and we’re blessed to … Continue reading Becoming
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Monday night I met the singer, guitarist, pianist, writer, deep thinker, blues zealot, and all around amazing Sarah Roubato– just a week before she was getting ready to board a plane back to France. Oh, well, guess I’ll just have … Continue reading Sarah Roubato
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Gilbert Cantin has just released a digital album of some of the songs we’ve written along with Chantal Lepage. Check it out here, and if you like the music, please support us! ~Wanda Continue reading Bad Words
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Originally posted on Wanda Waterman:
Dervish Soon to Hit the Crossroads I’m ecstatic that Guernica Editions has decided to publish Dervish at the Crossroads, my book of creative nonfiction about my experiences as a music lover and journalist. The book… Continue reading Soon to be released . . .
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Wanda Waterman Only art penetrates what pride, passion, intelligence, and habit erect on all sides – the seeming realities of this world. There is another reality, the genuine one, which we lose sight of. This other reality is always sending … Continue reading The Monthly Mindful Arts Consumption Report
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Everyone should be respected as an individual but no one idolized. ~Albert Einstein Rapine, avarice, expense, This is idolatry; and these we adore; Plain living and high thinking are no more. ~William Wordsworth The practice of idolatry harks back to … Continue reading On Ending Idolatry
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. This quote from the Declaration … Continue reading Bringing Principles to Life With Vision
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Wanda Waterman A writer’s desk is her planet, I’d mewed, Hands on my hips; that’s how I’d sparked the feud. Thus my defense: No place to write– It leaves the pen a vagabond: sad plight! To come to … Continue reading My Desk, My Planet (poem)
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Money rules us when we sacrifice our highest callings to it, and we rule it by putting it to work in the service of our highest callings. Continue reading Escaping the Tyranny of Mammon When You’re Poor
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Wanda Waterman ‘How do you know when the gold is purified?’ we asked him, and he answered, ‘When I can see my face in it [the liquid gold in the crucible] then it is pure.’ ~ Amy Carmichael Marital counselling … Continue reading The Gift of the Crucible
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Wanda Waterman In one of the final scenes of the brilliant documentary Latcho Drom the gypsy chanteuse known as “La Caita” sings “The Blackbird” before a city: Why does your wicked mouth spit on me? What harm is it to … Continue reading Gypsies in the Digital World
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Wanda Waterman You can either be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasure. It all depends on how you view your life. ~ Paulo Coelho The state of deliberate victimhood has much to commend it. … Continue reading The Unexpected Perks of Victimhood
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“Don’t write too well. Sure, you know that eloquence will improve the company’s brand and ensure customers take them seriously, but your clients can’t grasp that and you’ll just make them feel stupid.” Continue reading The Mindful Bard Guide to Writing for Business
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Wanda Waterman I suppose there hasn’t been a single month since the war, in any trade you care to name, in which there weren’t more men than jobs. It’s brought a peculiar, ghastly feeling into life. It’s like on a … Continue reading The Existential Crisis of Unemployment (and How to Survive It)
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I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me … Continue reading Five Fibs from the Book of Job That We Just Can’t Seem to Get Rid Of
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Wanda Waterman Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. ~Laozi In my early teens I became obsessed with macramé, knotting belts, bracelets, and purses like the future depended on it, relying on a library book to teach … Continue reading Zen and the Art of Going With the Flow
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Wanda Waterman Whereas the free market contributes to global warming by transporting food to us from all over the world, be it resolved that we will grow and purchase most if not all of our food near our homes. Whereas … Continue reading Twelve Resolutions for Limiting the Harm of the “Free” Market
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Humanity can be roughly divided into three types of people: treadmillers, recliners, and time lords. In the first category we have people who are endlessly busy, who can never get it all done, and who long for a few extra … Continue reading Doctor Who and the Astonishing Ductility of Time
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What I’d like to see take off is a movement for a new goodness, one that cherishes and preserves the most excellent moral ideals of the past while taking into consideration the deep lessons we humans have learned on our long, blundering journey toward the ideal of a just society. Continue reading Follow the Drinking Gourd: Call to a New Goodness
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Positive emotional states give us the gumption to grow and achieve, and cultivating them is essential to a life well lived. But there are risks involved in chasing down those good vibrations and holding them hostage. Continue reading Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing: The Downside of Positive Feelings
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Jack’s Cats: The State of Swing 2019 Jack Malmstrom: Bandleader, reeds Phil Small: Piano Gretje (Kitten) Angell: Vocals Blake Handler: Vibraphone Mark San Filippo: Drums Bryan Dedlow: Guitar Marcus Buser: Bass When I heard that “Ain’t Gonna Be Blue” was … Continue reading Jack’s Swing is Alive and Well and Living in L.A.
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It’s easier on your friends if you just believe in yourself. Continue reading Poet Maeve: Rejecting Rejection
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Wanda Waterman The first time I saw Mangeur de Rêves was in a laid-back little bar in Villeray in 2017. They hadn’t been together that long and thoughts of studio time were still a vague and distant hope, but even … Continue reading Mangeur de Rêves at the Verre Bouteille
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A brilliant new album from Belarca Continue reading Duo Zuber: Blackbird Redux
