Warm greetings and blessings to you, dear Friend!
May you be filled with lovingkindness.
May you be safe and protected from all inner and outer dangers.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
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MONTHLY THOUGHT
On May 31st – 5 days after I sent out my May Newsletter –
I was “caught” trying to cross the border into the U.S. without a proper work visa.
(I had been doing so for about 8 years.)
As a result, I was banned from entering the U.S. for 5 years.
(There IS a process to reverse this, AND I can’t initiate it until May of 2017.)
For years, the focus of my musical career has mostly been on establishing and building relationships in the U.S.,
so this news came as quite a blow…
It also brought about the undoing of my relationship with Jana Stanfield, who is now based in Denver, CO.
On May 31st, as I moved through the 5-hour process of my car being searched, of being interrogated and of being sent back home, I kept repeating an Emma Curtis Hopkins affirmation that I learned from my dear friend, Rev. Terry Shea: “This too is Good. This too is God. This too is for me. I demand to see the blessing in it!”
Since then, with the help of many loving souls, I’ve been re-building my professional and personal life, one day at a time: finding new opportunities to serve with my music, processing my feelings about all that’s happened, and discovering the blessings in it.
The blessings (so far) are:
1) Noticing that what was behind the border incident was old feelings of unworthiness. (“I’ll get my work visa when I start making REAL money in the U.S.”… “Don’t mind me, Mr. Border Guard – I’m just going to visit some friends and play a little music at a church or two. I’m not worth worrying about.”) It’s time for me to stand tall and affirm that I AM, and always have been, WORTHY.
2) Thanks to Sam Keen’s book “Fire In The Belly”, noticing that I’ve been asking two key questions – “Where am I going?”, and “Who will go with me?” – in the wrong order. (Since I was a teenager, my life has been defined by my love relationships.) On August 1st, I made a commitment to live for a year as a single man, so that I may more fully discover who I am.
3) Noticing that what’s required is to let go of this old thinking – through FORGIVENESS – so that I can be free to move forward.
I love discovering that something that I’m experiencing is also “in the air” and moving through many other people.
A dear friend of mine recently sent me this newsletter from a Shamanic healer. Let me know if it speaks to you:
https://thepowerpath.com/monthly-forecast/november-2016-monthly-forecast/?mc_cid=ca504c10cc&mc_eid=2cea808616
(As I write this, it’s only a few days after the U.S. election – and this message seems even more relevant.)
So – with gratitude and curiosity – I say yes to FORGIVENESS.
In honour of Forgiveness , I offer you a link to my song “To Love”; may it serve you well.
https://soundcloud.com/nathen-aswell/to-love-1
(You can find the words to “To Love” here: https://www.nathenaswell.com/lyrics/).
How about YOU, dear Friend? What’s most resonating in YOU these days?
WHEREVER you are on your journey, I’d love to hear from you. Please e-mail me at nathenaswell@me.com; we’re all in this together, and we have much to learn from each other.
(BIG THANKS to all of the kind souls who respond to my newsletters; reading your comments is always a highlight of my month.)
REPORT
A lot has happened since May, so I have MANY souls to THANK:
Rev. Brian Fraser, and his community at Brentwood Presbyterian in Burnaby;
Revs. Austin and Mary Hennessey, and their community at Unity of Vancouver;
Rev. Terry Shea, and his community at CSL White Rock;
Rev. Karin Wilson, and her community at CSL Yaletown;
Rev. Scott Turnbrook, and his community at Northwood United in Surrey;
Sandy Gale, and the community at Unity In Action in New Westminster;
The community at Unity of White Rock;
Sami Ghawi, and everyone at the West Beach Bar and Grill in White Rock;
Philip Aguirre, and everyone at Bistro 72 and Espresso Café in Surrey;
Moira and Corsin, for the great pleasure of performing at their wedding reception at the Brooksdale Estate in Surrey;
The vendors and customers at Ambleside Farmers Market in West Vancouver, Tsawwassen Farmers Market in Delta, and River Market in New Westminster;
The staff and residents at Rosemary Heights Senior Village and Pacifica Retirement Residence in Surrey;
Shauna Grinke, and all of the amazing and talented folks at Friday Night Live in North Vancouver;
Yvonne McSkimming, and everyone involved in making Just Singing Round (in Vancouver) the powerful monthly event that it is;
Everyone for whom I had the great pleasure of performing on the White Rock promenade (on most sunny days between early April and late September);
Jim Meyer, for organizing another successful Vancouver Stick Seminar;
Andrea Menard and Robert Walsh, my fellow “Music Messengers”;
Gabriel Mark Hasselbach, and the rest of his excellent smooth jazz ensemble;
Kelly Brock, and the rest of the members of “Happy Days” (a great 50s-60s “cover” band);
Rev Nixon, and the rest of the members of “The Country Bumpkins”, for initiating me into the annual Pumpkin Patch ritual (!);
Joe da Silva, and the members of the Toastmasters “Just Pros” chapter in New Westminster;
Joyce Mahy, and the members of the Toastmasters “Advanced Leaders Lab” chapter in North Vancouver;
Ryan Zokol and Himanshu Narang, and the members of GoGetters Vancouver;
Kathy Sparrow, Don Schiff, Cory Bretz, Molly Lord, and Sherry O’Hara, for being guests on my “Small Steps Big Life” Podcast (you can see the shows here: https://www.nathenaswell.com/category/video/);
Bobby Lee and Drew Johnson in Eugene, OR,
and all of the men at the Spiritual Center for Positive Living in Cameron Park, CA;
All of people with whom I connect on a regular basis –
Deb Gauldin, Vicki Hannah Lein, Harold Payne and Freebo in my MasterMind group,
Andy Bryce (http://www.tappingthrough.com),
Andy Harrison (http://www.andyharrisonmusic.com),
April Bosshard (http://www.deepstorydesign.com/),
and Becca Palm (http://www.beccapalm.com/) –
for helping me to process my feelings, think clearly and be accountable.
MUCH LOVE TO EACH OF YOU! XO
WHAT’S COMING / WHAT’S ONGOING
– PERFORMANCES (for more details on any performance, please visit https://www.nathenaswell.com/events/ and click on the date in the calendar)
in Vancouver, BC (“Jazz Vespers” at St. Andrew’s-Wesley, with Andrea Menard and Robert Walsh) on Sunday, November 13th
in Vancouver, BC (“iHope Benefit Concert” at the Vogue Theatre, with Andrea Menard, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Susan Aglukark) on Thursday, November 17th
in Burnaby, BC (“Jazz Evensong” at Brentwood Presbyterian, with LJ Mounteney) on Wednesday, November 23rd
in White Rock, BC (Church service at Unity of White Rock) on Sunday, November 27th
in Port Moody, BC (annual Christmas Concert at the Inlet Theatre, with Tom & Georgina Arntzen, Joani Bye and Shawn Soucy) on Wednesday, November 30th
in North Vancouver, BC (Christmas caroling at Capilano Mall, with Joani Bye and Janet Warren) on Thursday, December 1st
in Vancouver, BC (Church service at Unity of Vancouver) on Sunday, December 4th
in Vancouver, BC (Church service at Unity of Vancouver) on Sunday, December 11th
in Vancouver, BC (“The Magic of Christmas” at Unity of Vancouver) on Friday, December 16th
in Vancouver, BC (Candlelighting service at Unity of Vancouver) on Wednesday, December 21st
in White Rock, BC (Christmas service at CSL White Rock, with Neerava/Sandra Dawn and Shawn Soucy) on Thursday, December 22nd
– VIDEOS
In the coming week, I’ll be editing 3 new performance videos. I’ll have more details about them in my next (December) newsletter. (BIG thanks to Shawn Soucy, for helping me to shoot and edit video; our latest effort, of my Keynote Concert workshop “Small Steps Big Life: Overcoming Overwhelm”, is on the “Home” page of my web site, https://www.nathenaswell.com)
– MUSIC
My very dear friend and song co-writer Becca Palm has just released “Community Songs”, a songbook/CD package of 23 songs which includes 4 chants that she and I co-wrote (“Ho-oponopono”, “Listen”, “Small Steps” and “Turning Within”). To get your copy, please visit http://www.beccapalm.com/community-songbook-cd. (You can also listen to and/or download the songs here: http://www.beccapalm.com/listen-buy.)
***HOLIDAY SALE ON MY CDs!***
From now until December 31st, buy EITHER of my CDs “Little By Little” or “YES” for $15, or BOTH for $25, and I’LL pay for the shipping (anywhere in North America).
To order, please e-mail me directly at nathenaswell@me.com
(You can listen to any of the tracks on both of my CDs here: https://www.nathenaswell.com/music-store/)
– PODCASTS
Blab, the format on which I created my “Small Steps Big Life” podcasts, is no more… AND, I’m happy to report that I’ve been asked to host a new weekly show on Self Discovery Radio (https://selfdiscoveryradio.com/). The show will begin on Tuesday, January 3rd, and I’ll have more details about it in my next (December) newsletter.
(All of my “Small Steps Big Life” podcasts can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoUkG1mTtiXTGe0Ccbv6054CkLJ09hvGY
All of my “In The Center of the Circle” podcasts can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoUkG1mTtiXR22U7PbgbimmsCYYkNfafh)
– MEN’S GROUPS
Thanks to Skype and Zoom, I continue to lead a men’s group in Cameron Park, CA, and to stay connected to men in Eugene, OR for whom I led 2 men’s retreats. If YOU are part of a men’s group, or know of one that could use some support to get started, please e-mail me at nathenaswell@me.com – I’d love to help.
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As a very dear friend in Montreal once said to me, “All I can offer you is my experience”.
My sincere desire, in every one of my newsletters, is to offer you Experience, Strength and Hope.
Much love to you, dear Friend. May you allow yourself to FORGIVE, and may you go with LOVE.
– Nathen
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