Yesterday, I exchanged services with high school classmate and friend, Kathleen McGinley, who is a Shamanic Practitioner and Coach I received an on target, amazing Sacred Path Card reading that could not have been more precise! On that eventful eve of the first day of autumn, how appropriate that my ‘lesson to be learned’ was demonstrated in the Shaman’s Death card! Letting go, endings, death and rebirth – with a theme of “Returning Home to the Place of My Heart”!

This has been a time where the ‘Inner’ Carol is finally starting to return. Magic is happening, doors are opening, my heart is joyful with the return to the things that I love to do! Feng Shui is one of those things, and another is playing the Himalayan Singing Bowls. With a world fraught with chaos, I am prepared to lead people to a place of calm.

In our exchange, I provided Kathy with a Himalayan Singing Bowl Sound Escape. Little did either of us realize that her beloved dogs would want to join in!  They snuggled up against her and settled in for the journey! Afterwards, Kathy’s comments about the experience: “I flew over mountains and oceans. I not only felt the Universe – I felt that I WAS ONE with the Universe. It was expansive and yet relaxing at the same time!”

Apparently, the puppies felt the same, too. A few hours later, she tagged me in this photo with comment: “Thank you, Carol Cannon, for the lovely session with your Singing Bowls this morning...I am still feeling relaxed as well as blissful!...and the dogs are, too!”  

A final note: Kathy did not tell me until after her session, that she had pulled a card for me before I arrived. The card pulled was “Medicine Bowl”. How awesome is that? She did not know, but I explained, that traditionally, Monks used the Himalayan Singing Bowls for begging, eating, and….preparing medicines!

To experience the bowls yourself, please check out my event page and/or contact me. I might be playing near you, or, we can always arrange to do that!  I’ll look forward to leading you to calm waters!

On this U.S. holiday of Labor Day, thoughts are coming to me of the efforts my ancestors made to come to America to work.  My maternal side of the family has a longer history in the US than my paternal side.  The tracings that I have are that my Great Great Grandparents travelled across the country from New York to Wisconsin, in a covered wagon.  Somewhere I have a photo of that - I'll have to post it when I unpack that box!  They built a beautiful log home, and brought with them many fineries in that wagon.  Yet they toiled hard to make their life work.  Just thinking of the thrill of leaving and going out into the world with no true idea of where one would land is exciting to me.  I think I inherited those genes!

My Great Grandfather, maternal side, was a builder.  Hmmm...more inherited genes?  My Mother has records of who owed him what during the Depression, and she reminds me that he was kind and not demanding of people for payments.  Apparently my Great Grandmother was also a self starter, and she was involved in direct sales - imagine!  This, too, must be in my blood with my love of all the fabulous organic, sustainable, fair trade lifestyles that I encourage the world to embrace!

My maternal Grandfather was an electrician early on in his career, then became a minister in midlife.  It is interesting that my own Father was also an electrical engineer, and, that through Building (Bau) Biology, my focus for many years was on the electro-magnetic radiation and now, the magnetic fields emanated from Himalayan Singing Bowls.  For the past year+, I have also been a Prayer Chaplain at Unity Lehigh Valley. Whew...this is getting eerie - can it possibly be just coincidence that all this background has merged into what I pursue today in my own work?

Paternally, my Grandparents were the first of their family to come to the U.S.. Sent here, without their family, by their parents, at a young age.  I believe my Grandmother was barely a teenager when they married and she started having children (while working!).  Her life was more challenging than my other set of Grandparents, having 8 children (losing 1 at a young age), working, cooking, and a husband who also worked. They both worked in factories, and toiled long and hard.  I can hardly imagine what thoughts they had of work.  I think what kept them going was family.  Work was just a means to an end.

Today we live in a country where people still give up much to come to and live the American Dream. Many Americans are wondering just what happened to their own dream.  I always believe that things happen for a reason.  It seems to me that what has happened economically in our country created a realignment of values.   The happiest people that I know are those that appreciate everything that comes to them in their lives.  Including their jobs.  Which brings me back to today. Today let's honor all who work, and want to work.  Be thankful for what you have and help out your fellow American when you can.  Happy Labor Day!