Never Before Released Material from Betsy Grant

"A Friendly Place" from Betsy's CD The Listening Heart

"Nature's Bounty" from Betsy's CD The Listening Heart

"Remember" Track #4 from Betsy's CD Love Heals All

"A Heart Is Sacred" Track #6 from Betsy Grant's CD The Listening Heart

"Meeting With The Master" Track #7 From The Listening Heart CD by Betsy Grant

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Workshops Online For Artists

Click on the post title to view this link to workshops online for artists

"Necessities" Track #5 from Betsy Grant's CD The Listening Heart (check out the music videos on my blog The Learning Heart too!)

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More Music By Betsy Grant

The Piano Music of Betsy Grant

Another View of Piano Music From Betsy Grant

A CREATIVE VIDEO WITH MUSIC BY BETSY GRANT Click on the following link to view:

art is a process: wing dress update: ready for love: back in may 2007 i had gone to see a nine inch nails show it was so impacting i felt compelled to do something myself yes, that was the...

Buy Betsy's Music

http://www.tarniusmusic.com/BetsyGrant

http://www.amazon.com

http://cdbaby.com/cd/betsygrant

Quote For A LIfetime

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice" - Meister Eckhart

Happy New Year!

One of My Favorite Comedy Moments

Listen To Betsy's Music

Listen to samples of Betsy's performance of her compositions:

http://youtu.be/4KebBDZLSyc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVEqJN74OWU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_8gtLweQPc http://youtu.be/T8rzCYShfe0

Values Before Education

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.
C. S. Lewis

See Through The Disguise

This enjoyable blog by a fellow blogger has a great little video posted on it. Here's the link: http://dustyducktales.blogspot.com/

Evaluating Our Decisions

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever." - Keri Russell

Wonderful Sand Animation To The Music Of Vivaldi's 4 Seasons "Autumn":

About My Music

(click on the post title to link to my website and hear my music)

Appreciate What You Have

"For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Attention, Purpose, and Consciousness

Everything we do has a purpose - unconscious or conscious. We are Soul, divine beings. The way we view life has a profound affect on how we experience it. If we strive constantly to tune into the very highest part of our self (the divine), our experience is from that standpoint. If we are concerned and occupied constantly with material and emotional comfort, are attention is riveted to that aspect (the temporary passing show) and we begin to feel identified with that aspect of living rather than seeing the body, emotions, and mind as a house for Soul (the divine aspect). Am I caring for the well-being of my body so that I can be of greater service to life? Are my actions designed to give me the opportunity to give more light and love to others? Or I am simply and purely concerned completely and totally with self and it's physical, mental, and emotional comfort?

Be True To Yourself

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Self Observation - An Instrument For Awakening

"Self-observation brings man to the realization of the necessity of self-change. And in observing himself a man notices that self-observation itself brings about certain changes in his inner processes. He begins to understand that self-observation is an instrument of self-change, a means of awakening. " - George Gurdjieff

Purity Of Expression

One of the most important things in an artist's work is the need to protect his/her purity of expression, and not allow promoters, or society's expectations, or the lure of money to taint what the artist truly wants to express. This isn't always easy, and requires a considerable degree of self-honesty. However, the experience of freedom and joy that comes with a pure expression of the artist's love is well worth the sacrifices made, and benefits the viewer/listeners in a more substantial way.

Making Time For Gratitude

With the tempo of life as it is today, it is sometimes difficult to find time for a sincerely spiritual activity. Making time for recognition of the Source of all the blessings in our life becomes increasingly difficult - and simultaneously more important. The world pulls at us from every direction, leaving us spiritually destitute if we're not careful. An easy exercise to counteract the distractions from our attention to Spirit is simply to be very grateful for every thing in our life - to say nothing of the gift of life itself. That we have existence is, in itself no small miracle, if we stop to consider the complexity of even a single human being - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically.

A Post About Meaning

click on the following to view: http://sivers.org/meaning

Our System Of Economics & Happiness

An interesting (short) video on the Economics of Happiness : http://youtu.be/t5Xjr0gqJK0

A Love Story

Following is a wonderful example of what it means to put your heart into an act of love. Click on the following: http://spiritclips.com/page/stories/read?story=400#.Tj8SsHfkqEw.google

ART NOTES: ANGEL OF THE MUSIC ARTS

I was inspired to post this lovely work of art on my blog. It seemed to belong there. Click on the following: ART NOTES: ANGEL OF THE MUSIC ARTS

oceanoazul.sonhos: esta noite tive um sonho...

This is a wonderful poem by a fellow blogger - originally in Portuguese - that is still beautiful when translated to English oceanoazul.sonhos: esta noite tive um sonho...: "Sonhei que me tinha encontrado com Deus, num jardim florido, com leve perfume a rosas silvestres, onde pombas brancas voavam em paz. No..."

Liberation

Here is a wonderful poem by a fellow blogger. Click on the following link: silver glimmer dust: Liberation: "We are the divine among the divine Lion cubs separated from the sheep Refusing to succumb to the bleating Somehow buying into the manifol..."

On Trying To Be Perfect

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That's how the light gets in.
~Leonard Cohen

There's Room For Failure

Click on the following link to see: http://inspirationalvideos.net/2008/08/life-risk/

A Moment Of Humor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oHBG3ABUJU&feature=youtu.be

Wisdom Of Will Rogers

Will Rogers, who died in a 1935 plane crash with his best friend, Wylie Post, was probably the greatest political sage this country ever has known.

Enjoy the following:

1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.

2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.

3.. There are two theories to arguing with a woman . . Neither works.

4. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

5. Always drink upstream from the herd.

6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back into your pocket.

8. There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.

9. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

11. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.

12. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

Seeing Through The Eyes Of Soul

"Shakespeare says a poet's function is to reach to heaven for ideas and bring them down to earth. It is true that thought does not originate with man, but in heaven. Where did Beethoven go to find his Fifth Symphony? Did Jesus originate the Sermon on the Mount? When great poetry and great music inspire you, what is conceived, gestated, and born of that? You can choose between noble and ignoble. You understand poetry and music. Love them, and let them flow into your consciousness. So you see that we are all linked to the sun, moon, and stars. We can lift our consciousness to higher planes and see from above, as if from the masthead of a ship, the past, present, and future, all in a moment, through the eyes of Soul." - from"The Spiritual Laws Of Life" by Harold Klemp

Light Changes Everything

Click on the following link: http://inspirationalvideos.net/2010/03/light-changes-everything/

Life's School

"Soul's single purpose in life is to come into harmony with Spirit, " he added. "Life's school of hardship buffs smooth the sharp edges of bitterness, anger, passion, miserliness, pettiness, scorn, dishonesty, small-mindedness, perversion, lust, meanness, poverty of Spirit, corruption, vanity -and every other negative trait that comes to mind. " - (excerpt from the book "Soul Travelers Of The Far Country" by Harold Klemp)

Virtual Time Travel Over The Earth

http://vimeo.com/5273209

This creative video gives one the feeling of traveling over the earth without the constraints of time. Click on the link to view.

How To Stay Out Of Negativity

There is always something left to love. And if you ain't learned that, you ain't learned nothing.

- Lorraine Hansberry

Seeing In Color

Click on the link below:

http://www.greatdanepro.com/Just%20Colors/index.htm

Cherish The Gift Of Life

"Creative people who cherish the gift of life often slip into the secret chambers of the creative mind. Their solutions are well-rounded, more sensible than those of people who rely upon reason as their mainstay. Gratitude unseals fountains of creativity, because a grateful person is relaxed. This allows him to take stock of his circumstances with an objective mind. A creative person often gets three-dimensional answers to his problems." (from the book "The Language of Soul" by Harold Klemp)

Painting On Water

I love creativity! Click on this link and see one man's version.

http://biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=21674

A Fellow Blogger's Creative Project With Music By Betsy Grant

Please enjoy this beautiful example of loving creativity by a fellow blogger, with music by me! Click on the following link to view:

art is a process: wing dress update: ready for love: back in may 2007 i had gone to see a nine inch nails show it was so impacting i felt compelled to do something myself yes, that was the...

How the Book "Ignore Everybody" Helps the Artist

What is an artist? I say it's someone who expresses themself creatively. In his book "Ignore Everbody", Hugh Macleod includes references to the creative person (artist in my terminology)in a broader sense which includes the creative person with a new idea to express, wether it be an idea for a business, a painting, a piece of music, a dance...the list could go on and on. Macleod is a cartoonist, though he wasn't always one. In a sense you could say there's an artist (or aspiring one) in all of us. We all have talents and skills of various kinds. The difference lies in what we choose to develop. Two ideas from this book stand out especially to help the artist/creative person. The first one he recommends is to not quit your day job, if you are starting a new creative project/idea, and the other is to keep your joy. He also shares his experience of well-meaning others in his life who tried to steer him in directions he didn't feel right about going. His concern was that following their suggestions would take away the simple joy he got from drawing his cartoons. This is always the concern of the truly creative person, in all walks of life is to maintain one's interest and spontaneity in their creative endeavor - even if it means keeping your day job.

Art and The Planet

The recent oil spill is a reminder to not be so careless with this planet we live on. As artists, some of us seek to capture the beauty of the planet, while others are recklessly ignoring the part they play in imbalancing it's delicate state. It's this way with some artists too, who's art expression is more designed for it's shock value rather than it's appreciation of the beauty that already exists in nature, architecture, and human beings. It would be interesting to see what would happen if people would spend a little more time caring about how to protect and appreciate the beauty and resources of the planet rather than always seeking to take without thought of what they can give back. The same goes for artists who's art only chips away at man's love of harmony, form and beauty. The outer reflects the inner.
(Written 5/8/10)

Today's Thoughts

Difficult Days
Sometimes we can have very difficult days in our life, despite our best effort. That's when it's time to be very, very grateful...even for the thing that seems to be difficult. Past experience would remind us that difficult experiences often lead to greater depth, understanding, wisdom, compassion, and empathy. These qualities are good for anyone - including the artist.

The Power of Music
Listening to music that is written and played from the heart is a powerful way to chase away undesirable thoughts and emotions that temporarily cloud one's outlook on life.

2010-03-22
Freedom
We complicate life and create problems for ourselves when we take away someone else's freedom of choice...
We sometimes even think we're being "helpful", but if we force them to do it our way without asking their permission we create more problems...
We can offer our thoughts, but then let them have their freedom...

2010-03-21
Insightfulness
This day is full of lessons, gifts and love if we learn how to teach, appreciate, and love ourselves and others...
2010-03-20
Inspiration
There's a reason why all the great spiritual masters have taught that love is the key to truly living...
I'm not talking about selfish or controlling love, that's not really love...
I'm talking about the kind of caring that turns a blank canvas into a painting of the Mona Lisa, or that turns an awareness of mold into life-saving properties for mankind...
Or the kind of caring that takes the time to be kind to a child who needs it...


2010-03-17
Moving Forward
Moving forward in life may mean leaving something behind...
We want to have our cake and eat it too...
Letting go can be one of the hardest things to do...

2010-03-15
Forgiveness
If I forgive you today, it will be easier to forgive myself tomorrow, and vice versa...
After awhile it becomes a habit, and pretty soon you find there's nothing to forgive...
Understanding has replaced all need for it...

2010-03-12
Life's Gifts
It is possible to have the experience that every human being we encounter (online and off) is a treasured gift if we look to see what the gift might be...
Some of the gift's others bring are obvious, some are not...
The enjoyable experiences are obvious, the others may take some time to place the value on...these are the ones we usually learn the most from...

2010-03-11
Why Are We Here?
I know I'm on this earth for a reason as are you...
If you don't know, look to Mozart, Abraham Lincoln, Edison, Einstein, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and other great souls and see how they answer that question, both in words and deeds...
Then notice which you remember more, their words or deeds...
2010-03-10
Men and Women
If my masculine and feminine sides are in harmony, then I'm less likely to react to unwanted influences from either sex in my outer world...
Working to create balance in my art and life is the way of the artist...
It takes effort, that's why its called a WORK of art...

2010-02-25
Passion And Drive Or Love and Commitment?
What to you is passion and drive is to me intensity of love and commitment to my art form...
Paradoxically one can be simultaneously intense and serene when practicing one's craft...
Just as there can be both self and others...

2010-02-24
Life Is A Gift
True joy and freedom come from appreciation of the gift of being alive...
That I can think, feel, and know is a gift...
We lose our joy when we forget to be thankful for the gift of life...

2010-02-23
Everyone Has Their Own Truth
People generally aren't interested in your truth unless it agrees with theirs...
If you tell them your truth and they haven't the experience, they'll think your mad...
Experience may one day show them a different truth...

2010-02-21
Self Assertion Or Self Expression?
The true artist is never concerned with self-assertion, but rather self expression...
The real artist is grateful for his craft - his vehicle of expression...
The artist seeks a way to thank life for his artistic ability through his art form...

2010-02-18
Selfishness And The Artist
The selfish person is afraid...
The artist uses his fear to create something better...
The petty person is also afraid...
The artist never allows himself to become petty...

2010-02-17
Recognizing The Creative Spark
It's easy to forget that within each of us lies the spark of creativity that is capable of greatness...
Some of us can see it in ourselves but not others ...and vice versa...
In this world of immediacy we overlook the possibility that the creative spark is creating something that is not immediately obvious...

2010-02-16
See It Through
The darkness is always before the dawn...
One must survive the night in order to see it...
The caterpillar knows nothing of its future life as a butterfly...

2010-02-15
Love Is Always In Style
Love is something people will always need...
It will never go out of style...
It is always available, though sometimes you have to work at seeing it.

2010-02-13
The Artist's Journey
The artist's love for his craft drives him ever onward to new heights...
He/she is always on the look out for new ways to express that love...
The artistic journey is continuous...

2010-02-11
Humility Is A Requisite
The true artist knows there's always a greater level of skill and mastery beyond the one that he or she is at - thus the learning never ends...
When learning a new level of skill, patience is required...
One must first recognize that one doesn't know something in order to learn...

2010-02-10
The Artist's Experience
The artist allows himself to experience/see life in his own unique way regardless of being outnumbered by opposing views...

2010-02-08
Winning And Losing
Sometimes to win something of real value, it may appear to others that you are losing...
True humility comes with a price...
It may take a long time to realize that your losses are actually getting you closer to winning something of greater value...

2010-02-07
Treasures
The gift of love from the heart of a child is more precious than gold and silver...
Remember to cherish your loved ones no matter what their age...

2010-02-09
Acceptance
Some days despite yout best efforts, your feet just seem to drag, so we do the best we can and learn to be kind to ourselves...