Hi Everyone –
Warm greetings and blessings to you all!
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.
I love being “on the road”. Life is very simple: eat, perform, rest, repeat. (Okay, there’s some travelling and e-mail in there too!). For years, I’ve wished that my life at home could be that simple – more time spent on playing and writing, less time spent on everything else – and have felt VERY judgemental about those “everything else” moments.
Last week, in a course that I’m taking with my dear friend Rev. Terry Shea, I learned that Benedictine monks make FIVE vows: poverty, chastity, obedience, stability, and conversion of manners. The last two were news to me, and the first of them – stability – has been much on my mind since learning of it.
Thomas Merton, in his book “The Sign of Jonas”, writes: “By making a vow of stability, the monk renounces the vain hope of wandering off to find a ‘perfect monastery.’ This implies a deep act of faith: the recognition that it does not much matter where we are or whom we live with… Stability becomes difficult for a man whose monastic ideal contains some note, some element of the extraordinary. All monasteries are more or less ordinary… Its ordinariness is one of its greatest blessings.”
Bingo. Extraordinary vs. ORDINARY.
I struggle with ordinary! I want to be unique, stand out from the pack, be SEEN… AND the reality is that my life, for the most part, IS pretty ordinary…
SO – I hereby commit to explore the blessing of ordinariness, and grow in my appreciation of it…!!!
AND SO IT IS!
How is YOUR relationship with ORDINARY? I’d truly like to know, so please e-mail me at NathenAswell@me.com and share it with me – we’re ALL in this together, and we have much to learn from each other. 🙂
P.S. BIG THANKS to my dear friends Thomas Moore (medical intuitive) and Rita Britnell (emotional intuitive), who made short order of my last round of candida and taught me some important things about my body. You can learn more about the loving work that they do at http://www.thomas-moore.com/
REPORT
Here are my highlights from the last two months or so:
1) Performing:
– in Florida with my dear friend and talented singer/songwriter/guitarist Glen Roethel. Glen and I are known for heading up jam sessions at the Posi Awards in Orlando that last until no one is left standing but the two of us (!), and it was a great joy to spend a whole week with him. BIG THANKS to all who made that possible: Elaine Mahon and Cathy DeWitt (in Gainesville), Lisa & David Petrich (in Jacksonville), and Sue Riley (in Clearwater). XOXO
– in Eugene at two centers (CSL Eugene and Cascade CSL) and a conference (FAR-West), as well as attending Arts Northwest – all in the same week! BIG THANKS to all who made that possible: Rev. Linda Finley, Matt Treder, Chris Ward, Shelley Dill; Jean Davis, Bill Smith, Bitsy Bidwell; Chicago Mike Beck, Dana Charnofsky, Mike & Debbie Morales, Bill & Micki Lippe, Mark Kaufman, Russ & Julie Paris; Rev. Stana Knez; and ALL of my fellow performers, for inspiring me with their songs and stories. SPECIAL THANKS to Lisa & Skip McFarlane, for allowing their home to be MY home for the week! XOXO
– at Saltwater Unitarian Church in Des Moines, WA with my good friends and fellow singer/songwriters Sue Riley and Richard Mekdeci. The three of us had a lot of fun performing “in the round” (taking turns playing one song each), and talking late into the night after our show. THANKS, dear Sue and Richard; a LOT of great things happen when I’m in your company! XOXO
2) Co-writing with Sue Riley (FL) and Glen Roethel (NY), and with Jennifer Ferren (GA). THANKS, dear friends – creating together sure is FUN! XOXO
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
BIG NEWS:
– I’m very excited about the road trips that I’m planning for 2012. So far, my itinerary looks like this:
January – Atlanta and Orlando, Snohomish and Seattle
February – Portland
March – Montreal
April – Phoenix
May – Kelowna
June – Seattle
September – Eugene and Kansas City
More details in coming newsletters!
SPECIAL EVENTS:
– In the last few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of being interviewed by two great men: Neil Scott, producer and host of “RECOVERY – Coast to Coast” (Clear Channel AM 850, Seattle, WA), and Dale Worley, host of Unity Online Radio’s “Music Speaks Louder Than Words”. Mp3s of both interviews are on the “Audio/Video” page of my web site, https://www.nathenaswell.com/page3/page3.html
– On the HOME FRONT, I’m delighted to report that our local Kirtan nights are proving to be quite popular, and that my dear friend Rev. Terry Shea is beginning a monthly Satsang. (Details are below.)
I’m also looking into being of service at my local hospital.
Here’s what my ENTIRE CALENDAR looks like in the next month or so. I’d be honoured to see you at any of these events. (AND please remember that I welcome any and all opportunities to serve you with my music; just e-mail me with your ideas at NathenAswell@me.com.)
November
16, 7:00 PM – Centre for Spiritual Living White Rock (Semiahmoo House, 15306 24th Avenue, South Surrey BC) – Satsang – Details TBA (www.csl-whiterock.com)
19, 7:00 PM – Kirtan evening in Tsawwassen with Sandra Dawn Nash and Frank Methuen – $15-$20 sliding scale. (For more information, including the location, please e-mail Vivienne Grace at heartalchemist@hotmail.com)
20, 10:30 AM – Centre for Spiritual Living White Rock (Semiahmoo House, 15306 24th Avenue, South Surrey BC) – Church Service (www.csl-whiterock.com)
27, 11:00 AM – Unity of Vancouver (5840 Oak Street, Vancouver BC) – Church Service (http://unityofvancouver.org)
December
3, 8:00 PM – Yoga on 7th (156 East 7th Avenue, Vancouver BC) – Universal Kirtan (Chanting) with Amir – By donation
4, 10:30 AM – Centre for Spiritual Living White Rock (Semiahmoo House, 15306 24th Avenue, South Surrey BC) – Church Service (www.csl-whiterock.com)
NEW WEB SITE CONTENT
As well as updating my “Calendar” and “Blog” pages (https://www.nathenaswell.com/page7/page7.html and https://www.nathenaswell.com/page8/page8.html), I’ve:
– added a few places to the “Recent Performances” list on my “Bio/Press” page (https://www.nathenaswell.com/page2/page2.html), and to my Bio on the “Services” page (https://www.nathenaswell.com/page6/page6.html);
– added mp3s of my two new radio interviews (with Unity Online Radio and with RECOVERY – Coast To Coast) to my “Audio/Video” page (https://www.nathenaswell.com/page3/page3.html);
– added the words to a new song, “River Song”, to my “Lyrics” page (https://www.nathenaswell.com/page4/page4.html);
– added photos of my trip to OR, my trip to FL, “Heart Sing” #2, and a great poster to my “Photos” page (https://www.nathenaswell.com/page9/page9.html);
– added new comments (THANKS, dear Russ & Julie, Neil, Lynn Rauma, Lynn Walker, Vivienne, Rev. Linda, Miriam, Michael, Russ Hammock , Martha, Jennie, Jason, Soyeon, Andrea, Liane, Bruce, Rev. Dorothy, Brock, Joy, Teri, Wendy, Trinity, Sandra, Christine, Ben, Rita, Scott and Shelley – I greatly appreciate EVERY word!) to my “Praise” page (https://www.nathenaswell.com/page10/page10.html).
Happy ORDINARY November, everyone. Go with LOVE!
With love and gratitude,
– Nathen
www.NathenAswell.com
www.Facebook.com/Nathen.Aswell (I’d be honoured to have you as a Facebook friend)
www.MySpace.com/NathenAswell
www.SonicBids.com/NathenAswell
http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/bands/Nathen-Aswell