Just came back from Golden, BC where I enjoyed a spiritual retreat at the Quantum Leaps Lodge.  The retreat included a fire walk, sweat lodge, shamanic drum circle, and various forms of meditation , the likes of which were, by and large, brand spanking new to me.   I was well outside my 'comfort zone' much of the time.  All in all, I would highly recommend Quantum Leap Lodge to anyone willing to discover the real meaning of 'willingness'.

This spiritual retreat was well-timed as I was quite 'done-in' by the CD release, and very much in need of getting a new perspective on All Things, not just music.  My prior intention was quite clear, or so I thought:  to get some clarity about my next 'career move', musically and otherwise. 

Instead I was shown, in no uncertain terms, that the spiritual paths we tread have nothing to do with linear logic, chronological time, nor project-management style thinking.  I became quite disoriented, and all intentionality and goal-driven plans were blasted into another dimension.  In more earthly terms, I  felt like a chicken shot out of a cannon.

And so, as I sit here watching my words skitter across the page, I am reminded, once again, that the age-old adjuration to "Know Thyself" is the highest and best responsiblity, a responsibility without which there can be no freedom;  and without freedom no peace would be found, nor any music created.  With Love and Peace, Jay