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Wired for Success TV

Mastering the 7 Areas of Life

www.wiredforsuccess.tv Presented by
Melanie Gabriel & Beryl Thomas

[Episode 13] Music Medicine from Sacred Fire

Music Medicine from 'Sacred Fire' [Episode 13] Wired For Success [0:00:12] Melanie: So, welcome to another episode of http://www.wiredforsuccess.tv. Im Mel Gabriel and with me is my co-host, Beryl Thomas. Say hello, Beryl. Beryl: Hi everyone. Beryl: And today, we bring you MJ. And MJ, can you just quickly tell the audience what that stands for? MJ: Its my name. Its Marie Josee. Im French-Canadian. And bon jour. Melanie: OK. MJ: And bon jour. Beryl: Bon jour. Melanie: So we bring you MJ and Dean. Dean: That was an easy one, isnt it? Beryl: Thats the easy one. Melanie: Yeah. So, theyre two musical artists with a difference. Now, their music allows them to be to spontaneously blend together their talents as musician, energy healer, and teacher. And the result is a letting go of that which interferes with our ability to connect to our higher purpose and live it. They referred to these quite spontaneous improvisations as Music Medicine. We caught up with them whilst they were travelling through England. And today, were going to share they are going to share with us why theyre so passionate about sharing the magic of their music and the meaning it gives to their lives. So, welcome and bonjour MJ and Dean. Were so thrilled to have you with us today. Now, you offer quite a diverse experience, dont you? From individual sessions to bigger stage shows and actually, before we start the interview, we just like to give the audience a taste of the experience you offer so they know what to expect. [Singing] [0:01:52 0:03:32] Melanie: Wow! What can I say? That was beautiful.
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Beryl: Gorgeous. Melanie: So question to both of you, could you share with us please how you would describe your work and what it is that you want people to take-away from the experience of your work? MJ: We like to describe our work as music medicine. We offer rebouncing sound, healing, transformative experiences. And what we share comes from our heart, what we share comes from a space of connecting with our intuition and connecting with our highest good and with the intent of guiding people to connect with their sole purpose. And usually, what people get out of it is deep relaxation, connection with their body, mind, spirit, and a sense of belonging often, a sense of oneness and my, I could go on and on. Melanie: So it sounds a little bit to me as though as you get them to sort of connect with connect with their deepest selves, the impression here is that theyre going to be letting go of something that they need to let go of and do you know, this is unbelievable. I forgotten the question I was going to ask you. Beryl: Can I come in here? May I come in here? Melanie: Yeah. Beryl: Im going to take the opportunity, Melanie. Melanie: Yeah. Beryl: And just say that, I met MJ and Dean at one of their experiences. And I went along not really knowing what I was going to, thinking it was going to be a performance. And actually, it was something quite different and it was a spiritual experience and it was beautiful. It was in a yoga center and we just lay down and I couldnt believe how relaxing it was. And it wasnt just I want to say oddly relaxing. It was going into quite a deep space and it was there was I was surprised at how relaxed I was because the music, its not soft always. There was an undertone of softness but Dean can go over on those drums but in the nicest possible way, Dean. And I could I was surprised at this deep experienced that I felt. And at one point, I really felt a resounding in my head not in an unpleasant way but like a pulsating in my head and in my chest space. There were times when I really experienced that. The other thing that was lovely was it was so personal even though there may be about 20 people there. MJ, you would come around to each of us and you seemed to sense what each person needed and you had, apart from your beautiful, beautiful voice, obviously you have your instruments, and you just seemed to intuitively know what that person needed.
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MJ: Well, I think that might be a little bit of what Mel you wanted to express when you were talking about letting go. What we want to do when we do our performances is let go of our ego so that we can simply be a channel so that the universal energies and the inspiration can be that can come from a good intention, from the heart. And it allows us to travel between worlds. And this is what were challenged too which is why we sometimes say that we do shamanic sound healing. We do use techniques like shamanic sound healing techniques that have been used by ancient tribes and shamans from all over the world for many, many, many, many years. And the drums, the drumming, yes, can sometimes cause maybe chaos. Some of the rattles that we use can sometimes be very loud. I dont know if you want to talk about maybe your experience when youre drumming where, which, and what space you are and where it takes people? Dean: Well, its a what I really enjoy about it is that you, in this kind of work, you have to get your ego out of the way. You cant like whenever you try and go, Oh, I think Ill do a triple pair of diddle with a thing on the left and then try to impress. It doesnt you got to get really out of that. So and just let it flow. And sometimes, I feel like Im walking in the forest and Im bringing up whatever the vibe of the room is. But the key is to really just let go and not and just let it flow, which is from an artists side of things, from a creative, its not the easiest thing to do but it really is rewarding at the end because youre in tune with everybody. MJ: I think thats exactly what he said just there being in tuned with everybody. Thats kind of the key for us to be in the non-performance mode. So what we do is we connect with peoples energy, with peoples vibrations. And the way to do this is simply to allow when youre meditating, this is what we do, when you meditate, you just open up and you try not to be hanging on to any thoughts. And whatever comes, whatever is, you just acknowledge it and you say, Well, yes. OK. This thought is here. Well, its the same thing with working with our music medicine and working with people. And if we sense something in the room Ill give you an example. We can be working in a room and we can sense that to start with people that are fidgeting, people that are uneasy. Sometimes, well enter a room and everybody is so open and theyre already relaxed or almost when we start. Sometimes, we get in a room and there are people there who are struggling with health issues. Some people will have extreme physical pain. Some people will have theyll be bothered because they just lost someone or their relationship has ended. So everybody has their stuff, right? And so, we sense this. So its for us just to be connecting with this and then with a blend of sound healing techniques and some massage techniques and pure intuitive music, this is what we allow to come through us. So I think this is what people sense about us. So were not offering a show and hoping that it will sound good because sometimes frankly, especially tough for myself because your drumming is always nice but sometimes with my voice, Ill start singing like a grandma and then I have like we have
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little movies that go on in our heads. Were lucky when we have both the same movie thats going on in our heads, thats great. But sometimes, I have a feeling that there is like an old nurturing grandmother and then Ill start singing and my voice will become old, squeaky, and little later, Ill be talking like this and its like, oh my God. But its so aligned and connected with what Im feeling and my intention is a healing, loving intent. And then when because the sound healing, the definition of sound healing is sound plus loving intention. So sound plus intention equals sound healing, right? So, if we allow ourselves its the question of letting go, its all the same. Being in the now, being in the present, being in the moment. Its all those teachings that all those amazing teachers teach us, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson and [indiscernible] [0:12:05] and all these people. Melanie: So, you must see quite some dramatic transformations in people. And the reason Im saying this is because from the little clip that we listened to at the beginning and just listening to the resonance in both your voices, things are sort of happening inside me and the thought thats coming to mind that it must be for those people who for some people who have this experience, it must be a way of facilitating them to make shifts and changes that perhaps theyve been resisting a lot more easily. Some people, they wait until disaster occurs before they will shift even though the shift they know is for their own good. But the feeling I got from the resonance from your voice in just a little clips of music we were experiencing was that it somehow facilitated in a much more easy and OK, it might create chaos in them but its almost like it gives them permission to move on a lot faster. Is that the experience you have with people who experienced your work? MJ: When for example, we create chaos with our sounds, with our rattles, with our voices, with our instruments, with moving also, we often move and go towards people, we create loud sounds and this will allow people to connect with their tensions and open the door to possibility of releasing their tensions. So theres a double process that goes on. Theres one that its an interesting concept to try to explain. One is sometimes the vibration lets say, you know how people sometimes say negative theres negative energies or negative vibrations so thats one way of singing. So vibration hat would be misplaced or misaligned or out of balance could kind of go through us and with our music and our sound, we are helping, we are tools to help these energies to be balanced. The work is done within ourselves which is more of the shamanic work. So this is where the work is done within ourselves and the people also do the work too. Beryl: Yes.

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MJ: Sometimes, its very easy for them. They just some people fall asleep. Some people really fall asleep and the work gets done at a very deeper subconscious level. Beryl: Another level. MJ: And sometimes, theyre very, very well-aware. Theyll say afterwards, Oh my God! I was my back hurt and then I move this far and then I started dancing. Some people stand up and dance while others snore besides them. So we have different ways of so its about releasing the tensions, creating space for bright, new, healthy energies to flow within themselves and then have an opportunity to be more at ease and more balanced and then working on all the energy levels. So, on a physical body, all the bodies, physical body, emotional body, mental body, spiritual body enhance the oneness. And the connection part is connecting to our soul with guided visualizations. So Ill often you dont mind me talking like that for hours and hours and you not saying anything? Dean: Do I have a choice? Beryl: Its in the genes, MJ. Carry on. MJ: Yeah. So we do guided visualization which is more my part of the so Ill keep on talking here. Dean: Yup. MJ: And so, some concerts and some sessions have a lot of guided visualizations in them, some have hardly none. We never know. Its always improvised. But when we have that then people really journey and they actually have a verbal guidance to make some to become conscious of certain things and also, to get some healing that really at another level. Dean: Im going to elaborate a little bit. What Im always blown away what I really like about this work because I played in a lot of rock bands for many, many years and its fun. Youre doing your thing and your thing is loud. But what is really rewarding about this is generally at the end, if its a small enough group like obviously if there are 400 people, we cant necessarily do this, but we have a sharing afterwards and its it just happened once but over and over and over again, people are having a profound revelations about themselves and that is really rewarding. That is like thats like, OK. Yeah, Im doing my purpose. Im doing my dharma. We had people and it seems like a little surreal like somebody in one of our events was saying that it was the first time they hadnt had this leg pain that theyve been I forget what they had. And theyre like, oh yeah. And you feel like, well, Im not like an evangelist healer or anything but and then somebody else came at a different time with another long-term ailment that they said they didnt have tinnitus in the ear. It was
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gone for the whole we get comments on the CD that we have that one woman is going to I love this one. Shes played it a lot but shes going to have it playing when she delivered her baby. Things like that. MJ: Thats an honor. Dean: And we dont know this person. They just so it makes me really feel that theres a connection going on and its doing some good. So yeah. Melanie: I think I was inadequately trying to express that kind of experience on me although it was just a short snippet at the beginning when my brain went blank. But its all been filled in now. Youre going to say something, Beryl. Beryl: Yeah. I just what Im enjoying hearing here is that the reason youre doing this is because its what you love. And in doing what you love, in living your passion, its creating wonderful things for other people. And I want to say, all youre doing but its not all youre doing. But youre not having to try, let say you dont have to try. Youre just going with this flow of perhaps, youd just like to share your story about how the two of you even met because thats a lovely synchronicity. Melanie: Yeah, and the path thats led you to this. Beryl: Yeah. I mean that was a lovely I love that because you didnt even have to audition Dean, did you MJ? Dean: No. Beryl: It was a magical story. Melanie: She kidnapped you. Beryl: Yeah. Share that one if you wouldnt mind. MJ: Do I know the story? Do you want to tell the story? Dean: Sure. MJ: Go ahead. Dean: Well, in a town we live in, MJ just moved from Quebec. She didnt really know many people. Were at this outdoor festival kind of thing. Its like a famers outdoor folk fest kind of thing. And I was friends with the sound engineer there and long story short, MJ was at the front of the stage. She was doing audience participation. She had a few jam bases beside her and she got some audience members up, one on either side of her and they were OK. They werent that great. There was a full drum set at the back of the stage and MJ was facing forward because you cant really turn around but and so
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I thought, OK. Im just going to jump in and give her a hand. So, I ended up playing for ten minutes jamming on the song. And again, she couldnt really see who was doing it because she had the mic and she had to keep directing. And then I had to leave right after that so I just left. So we never actually met. MJ: And I have to jump in here and I have to say that I had been since I had moved from Quebec to British Columbia, I was by myself and I was kind of rebuilding my career and nobody knew me there. And I didnt have any musicians to play with. I didnt have any drummers. And I was praying and I was really, really calling for a drummer, a male drummer to do this work with me and to travel the world and to give rebalancing music concerts and all of that. So I was really praying for one. And then so just so you know. OK. You could go on. Dean: And so we never met. And then about two months later, were both at a chiropractic office. And I said, Hey, I know you. I weve jammed when youre doing your thing and MJ: And then I lost it. Dean: And it was like, oh. MJ: I was totally flabbergasted. I said, Youre my drummer. And then I started with all the passion that I hold, I have this project and its called Chants and Drums. At the time, it was called Chants and Drums and now, were Sacred Fire. And then I said, Im looking for a drummer and I want someone who is improvising all the time and its spiritual work and its healing work and blah, blah, blah, blah. And then he listened to me like this very calm. He was very calm Dean that he is and he looked at me and then I just said, Are you free? Are you interested? And he just looked at me and he said, Sure. And then two weeks later we were playing together. We did a sound healing meditation and weve never stopped since and weve been together since. Beryl: And you missed a bit out there because you have been looking for him and you knew that he played and youd been asking around, who was he and he was like, he was like this phantom drummer. MJ: Yeah, yeah. After I got off stage and I was asking everybody and I was asking, Did you see who was the person playing drums behind me? And everybody was like, No, no idea. Didnt see anybody. I said, Yeah, yeah, I heard drums. At a certain point, I thought I had just imagined, I was hoping for it so much. Beryl: Angelic presence. MJ: He was playing the drums.
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Dean: And so, it worked out because I was doing a project called Song Life where I was putting together my music with spiritual teachings. So and Ive actually done one of those like four years earlier, a thing called Kwan Yin, the goddess of love. And so, I was deciding to do this and right when I decide to do that and get this together because normally as a drummer, youre always relying on the other band members to write songs and I put in many years of that and I had all the stuff inside me so I ended up going, No, Im done with that. Im just going to do my own thing and follow my passion. So as soon as I started writing and started creating this, we met. So the two of us now have MJ was doing with her sound meditations and what I was doing with my more, a little more, I dont want to call it pop but more electric and acoustic spiritual music. And then now, were melding them together. And so, I feel very lucky. Beryl: And when I met you, it was at that evening with you, but I remember thinking was what a lovely blend because MJ youre very feminine and Dean, youre very masculine. And it just felt like a really lovely balance there. MJ: Well, I had been playing percussion and seeing with women mostly. I have played in bands where they were dudes. And usually, musicians who make it professionally and often drummers are men for the simple reason that men have more time on their hands because the women will be taking care of the kids at home, right? Theyll be taking care of kids. So usually, its the men that make more of the career. And so, I dont know if its for this reason but I had been working a lot with women, with the feminine energy and connecting with the earth because when youre connecting with the earth, youre connecting with the elements, youre doing I was doing music which had spiritual connotations I guess I would say or healing and thats usually women who are more into this. But I did really, really feel the calling that if my work is a rebalancing work, I need to be in balanced and the music needs to be in balanced and it has to have that male/female component to it, which is great because ultimately, now I have it in my personal and emotional and love life too. So its great. Beryl: Perfect combination. Melanie: Yeah. Dean: And we feel very lucky about that. We dont take that for granted. Beryl: Nice. Melanie: So what so now that both of you have been making sweet music together, what is the transformation for yourselves in the way you yourselves have been developing that you can share with us, thats safe to share with us?
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Dean: Well, the first thing that came to mind was trusting. When you make those decisions like me to give up all the other music stuff and just do my own trusting after all these years like people saying, You should get a day job. You should do all this and they saying stuff. And just trusting in something that isnt tangible like its just the trust and thats been proven to me all over and over again. And so, thats probably the biggest transformational like believing more. MJ: Ive had its the same for me. Ive always wanted to play music. When I was young, I remember being in front of the mirror with a hairbrush and I was on stage in front of thousands of people and I was singer. And I also wanted to help people and I wanted to travel. And those days, we wanted to be missionaries in Africa, if you really wanted to help people youd go to. And so, I had that dream of being music and doing music traveling, helping, healing, eventually became a healer myself and a body and mind therapist practitioner, studied sound healing, got attuned to Reiki, opened up channel. And then but this is all as a result of parallel to this, I was hoping to be able to have that 9 to 5 job life. I was really, really trying very hard to I was a community support worker so I was helping people. I had that. I was doing music on the side. It was a sideline. It was my but I always felt like I have this underlying kind of this yearning, I want more music in my life but I couldnt deal with the fact that, Oh no, I dont want to be like a pop singer. I dont have that aspect of me. But its when I decided, Yes, I can. I can. Its that point where I said, Yes, I can have music and earn a living and work. It blended this music in my work and then I found my own way because Im not a music teacher. I do give intuitive singing workshops. I sing what Im Im good at manifesting. I teach intuitive drumming. This is what I teach. But its also self-help and energy work at the same time. So blending, yes, I can do the music and I can do it and the teaching, the community work and the healing and the helping aspect of it. So the three blended together, Im complete. I feel complete. I feel like Im aligned with my truth because Im not denying an aspect of myself. And being a very emotional being and having suffered from a lot of trauma-related body, physical pain and emotional pain, finding ways to transform this and to shift this, shift the darkness into the light and bring this and share it with others and I profoundly believe that its by sharing our gifts that we really, really accomplish our missions in ourselves and what we have to share is what were ultimately passionate about. And this is what Dean and I share is were both passionate about music and then the way that we both live our musical lives are different but for me, the result is the same. Melanie: So youre actually living what youre sharing. MJ: Yeah.

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Melanie: And it sounds effortless. And of course, my interpretation of what youre sharing is enabling people to come more from the heart space. And of course, when you can do that on a more consistent way, youre raising your vibration and of course, while youre raising a vibration, youre changing your thoughts. And as you do that, youre going to be a different person. Youre going to be more compassionate, full of gratitude, and all the things that bring love on to the planet. MJ: Yeah. Melanie: So it sounds beautiful what youre describing in yourselves. MJ: Ultimately, when people just ask us what our goal is and we only have one or two or three words that were allowed to say is we want to bring peace and harmony. And so, if we help people be at peace and be in harmony within themselves, they ultimately affect the world around them so in their family units, in their community, and then ultimately, on the plant and then in the universe. Im a dreamer. Beryl: Oh, Im very glad that you are. We are very glad that you are. And it would be really lovely at this point I think as were mindful of your time to ask you if you would be willing to share a little bit of your voices now? MJ: OK. Beryl: Would that be OK to ask you to do that for our audience? MJ: Sure. Dean: Sure. MJ: This is what we do, spontaneous and improvise. Beryl: Yeah. What is coming up for you right now at the end of this fascinating interview? What are you tuning into? What does our audience need right now wherever they are and wherever theyre listening from? MJ: Yes. So I dont know about you, what Im getting is support and guidance in order for people to really, really tune in and listen. Really listen to their soul. Really listen to that voice inside that says, Thats where I meant to be going or thats what I And so, Id like to maybe improvise on that theme about tuning in and opening up to what is. Does that sound OK? Beryl: That sounds Melanie: Brilliant. Beryl: magical.
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MJ: So does that sound good to you? Dean: That sounds good, yeah. MJ: So, well do voices only. [Singing] [0:32:36 0:34:08] Melanie: Lovely. Beryl: That gave me goose bumps. Melanie: I know. It transported me somewhere. Im not quite sure if Im back yet. But it was lovely. Beryl: Thats magical. Melanie: Thank you. Beryl: Guys, people are going to want to know more about you, where they can get your CD, where they can connect with you, they can come to some of your improvisations, where is the best place for them to find you? Dean: Our website is sacredfiremusic.com and our Facebook, were on there. MJ: Sacred Fire Music. Dean: And we also have Twitter which is MJ: Sacred Fire Music. Yeah. Beryl: No confusion there, Sacred Fire Music. MJ: These are on CD Baby and Dean: Yeah, it would be great if you want to just keep in touch. You could sign up to our newsletter that we put out about once a month. MJ: Yeah. And we offer all sorts of experiences from very, very large audiences. We work at the Deepak Chopra-led Seduction of Spirit Retreats that are organized by the Chopra Center in the US and in Canada and elsewhere. And those we know are larger crowds and so and we are most happy to travel the world. And we also do yoga studios, support music for yoga classes. And we also do ceremonies so name-givings, celebrations of life and funerals and anniversaries. And so, people hire us for private concerts also. So theres
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Dean: And retreats. We have retreats. MJ: Oh yeah. Dean: We have one coming up so you can check out our website. MJ: Barbados. Dean: Yeah. Beryl: And you have a CD with David G., Great Meditation. MJ: Yes. We are privileged and honored to be recording a CD. Its going to be a guided meditation and music medicine CD. Its going to be a double album, extremely powerful and very deep and profound and transformative with some healing tracks also. So Dean: And a link to his site, if you want to know more about him, is on our website as well. So, he worked with Deepak Chopra for years. Beryl: Well, this has been just magical. Thank you so much. Melanie: It has been. Beryl: It was just such a synchronicity that I should come along to that evening and met you and here we are. So we all just trust it. MJ: Thank you so much for inviting us. And you seem to be living your passion and thank you for sharing and thank you for sharing your gift and your light. Dean: Yeah. Beryl: Oh, thats very lovely of you to say. Thank you so much. Dean: Youre doing service as well. So thank you so much. Beryl: Were certainly having a lot of fun. Were having a lot of fun. Melanie: Yes. I was certainly inspired by you today. Beryl: We are, we are. And others will be too and thats why were here like yourselves. We just want to offer a platform for people like yourselves to be able to share what youre doing because we know its going to enhance many peoples lives. So thank you everyone for tuning in to todays episode of http://www.WiredforSuccess.TV. We would just like to mention before we wrap up that if
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youre watching this episode on our site, then please comment in the box below and leave any thoughts and questions there MJ and Dean will come along and answer them for you. If youre watching this on YouTube, then please subscribe to the button above and if youre listening to this on iTunes, please subscribe to our podcast channel https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/wiredforsuccesss-podcast/id566108797 free to post a Review there. and feel

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