David Carradine's song "BUTTERFLY" - Recorded Live with David Carradine & The Cosmic Rescue Team (aka Soul Dogs) at The Conscious Life Expo, Friday the 13th of February 2009, accompanies Sharon Benson's Butterfly Slide Show with Photos by Linda Sherlin. The Band: David Carradine, Sharon Benson, Bobby Carradine, Leslie Daniel, CJ III, Benjamin Lein (http://www.souldogs.com)
The Story: On the morning of June 8th, 2009, almost exactly 1 month to the date of Spirit Brother DC's passing, Sammy the pup brought a gift, dropped it on the patio and began to bark. Sharon came out and saw this precious creature, curled and wet, and trying to unfold it's wings. She carefully picked it up and immediately it's tiny feet grabbed hold of her finger. It hung there, began to relax, and for over an hour and a half, the drying process took place. Little by little the beautiful Swallowtail Butterfly gained the strength to move it's wings, open and closed, and was eventually strong enough to climb up, stand, and exercise it's wings. Eventually... It happily flew away. Sharon felt David's presence throughout the entire experience.
World Water Day is TODAY, Monday, March 22ND, 2010. Today, and every day, it is crucial to acknowledge the global water and sanitation crisis that effects thousands of people every single day, all over the world. Many World Water Day events are taking place globally. No matter where we are in the world, we can help to bring awareness to World Water Day AND help Protect Our Planet's Precious WATER... Everyday!
This Slide Show Tribute, with Lake Balboa Photos by Linda Sherlin and Sharon Benson's song "WATER" as backing music (Water song lyrics below), was created to raise awareness that WATER IS LIFE. Lake Balboa was created out of farm land in the early 1990s in San Fernando Valley CA, as a recreational park, with abundant fish, birds, mature flowering trees and scenic open and covered picnic areas.The lake is supplied with water from the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant, operated by the city's Bureau of Sanitation. Being that WATER is really our most precious commodity, protecting our planet's water supply seems to be a topic that must be addressed."WATER", was the opening song for the 2008 Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival screening of FLOW:For Love of Water - with live Native American Flute accompaniment by water author, William Waterway Marks, who is also featured in FLOW (FLOW: For Love Of Water). WATER Slide Show by Sharon Benson & inspired by William Waterway Marks, http://www.watervoices.com and his tireless effort to raise awareness about the need to protect Our Planet's water supply.
WATER Song Lyrics. Please feel free to sing along...
Music & Lyrics By Sharon Benson
WATER
Chorus: Water................................... ............ Water................................... ........ Water................................... ........... Water......................Nectar of life.
Creation began in a swirling sea of water. All of our continents joined by water. We enter this world protected by water. Water...................Blessing of life.
We drink, we bathe, we heal with water. We travel from place to place by water . We fill our mouths with food from water. Water...................Blessing of life.
(Chorus)
Its time to wake up, see what were doing. Dumping, polluting, a sin to the One. The One who nurtures and cleans our being............. Without water....nothing will grow.
The most precious gift in our world is water. Everything living resides within water. The fruits of our life wouldnt be without water......... Without water.....nothing will grow.
(Chorus)
The stars, the sun, the moon speak to water. Nature evolves with the essence of water. Our time on this planet depends on our water. Water.....................Essence of life.
Water conductor of energy. Giving birth to you and me. Lets sing Water For All........All For Water! Water.......................Essence of life.
(Chorus)
Water.............Precious Water.........Crystal Clear Water..............Blessing of Life ................... Nectar of Life......................Water Is Life................... Water Is Life
3/22 World Water Day, http://bit.ly/WJOPVfor details Pete Seeger, Sharon Benson, Sheryl Crow sing for H2O. Save a drop and spread the word
Here are some Ways to Protect Water Quality - Clean Water suggestions from UN-Water:
Clean water is the focus of World Water Day 2010. It's important that we each do our part to prevent pollution and protect our water. All it takes are a few small steps to make a big impact when it comes to water quality and sustainability.
-Sweep my driveway, sidewalk, gutters, and patio, instead of hosing them down
-Pick up pet's waste
-Properly dispose of household chemicals using hazardous collection sites when possible
-Find a "green" car wash that reuses the water instead of hosing down my car in the driveway or on the street
-Not litter or pour anything down storm drains
-Not use harmful pesticides and to use fertilizers sparingly
-Not throw my yard and garden clippings in the trash but to compost them
-Participate in city planning by voting for plans with "Low Impact Development"
Sharon Benson with Cecilia St. King's 2010 National Peace Tour
...a Sunday Afternoon filled with Cool Music & Delicious Wine... Join us!
~ Sunday, March 7th, 3:30 PM at Crescent Heights Methodist Church~
1296 Fairfax, West Hollywod, CA 90046
And check out this video, shot by our Water Bro, William Waterway Marks, of Cecilia & I playing at the Central Park Bandshell for the 2009 Vigil For Peace & Ecology:
This Slide Show Tribute, with Lake Balboa Photos by Linda Sherlin and Sharon Benson's song "WATER" as backing music (Water song lyrics below), was created to raise awareness that WATER IS LIFE. Lake Balboa was created out of farm land in the early 1990s in San Fernando Valley CA, as a recreational park, with abundant fish, birds, mature flowering trees and scenic open and covered picnic areas.The lake is supplied with water from the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant, operated by the city's Bureau of Sanitation. Being that WATER is really our most precious commodity, protecting our planet's water supply seems to be a topic that must be addressed."WATER", was the opening song for the 2008 Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival screening of FLOW:For Love of Water - with live Native American Flute accompaniment by water author, William Waterway Marks, who is also featured in FLOW (FLOW: For Love Of Water). WATER Slide Show by Sharon Benson & inspired by William Waterway Marks, http://www.watervoices.com and his tireless effort to raise awareness about the need to protect Our Planet's water supply.
WATER Song Lyrics. Please feel free to sing along...
Music & Lyrics By Sharon Benson
WATER
Chorus: Water................................... ............ Water................................... ........ Water................................... ........... Water......................Nectar of life.
Creation began in a swirling sea of water. All of our continents joined by water. We enter this world protected by water. Water...................Blessing of life.
We drink, we bathe, we heal with water. We travel from place to place by water . We fill our mouths with food from water. Water...................Blessing of life.
(Chorus)
Its time to wake up, see what were doing. Dumping, polluting, a sin to the One. The One who nurtures and cleans our being............. Without water....nothing will grow.
The most precious gift in our world is water. Everything living resides within water. The fruits of our life wouldnt be without water......... Without water.....nothing will grow.
(Chorus)
The stars, the sun, the moon speak to water. Nature evolves with the essence of water. Our time on this planet depends on our water. Water.....................Essence of life.
Water conductor of energy. Giving birth to you and me. Lets sing Water For All........All For Water! Water.......................Essence of life.
(Chorus)
Water.............Precious Water.........Crystal Clear Water..............Blessing of Life ................... Nectar of Life......................Water Is Life................... Water Is Life
A musical celebration of the life of famed Luthier, Stuart Mossman, the most influential acoustic guitar maker of the past three decades. Starring David Carradine in his last film - with Keith and Bobby Carradine, reminiscing, playing and singing and joining with the spirits of David and Stuart.
Santa Barbara Film Festival Screening: Sunday 7 February -- 4:45pm Metro 4 Theatre IV Tuesday 9 Februry -- 4:00pm Santa Barbara Museum of Art
A documentary by Barry K. Brown The-Legend-Of-Stuart-Mossman on Facebook Brillig Productions, Inc brillig@dock.net
THE UNIVERSAL FLAG... A Resource for Peace & Prosperity By Lexi Soulios
Change can be simple... and it needn’t take heroic effort on any one of our parts to help the world spin in a more positive direction. Just think of all the issues that you would like to see resolved… poverty, hunger, violence, cruelty, greed. At the root of them all is one very simple,yet powerful belief: that we are all separate — that we are separate from the source who created us, and that we are separate from other beings and other things.
If we want to experience real peace and prosperity in our lifetime, we need not take it upon ourselves to change the entire world. Instead, we can simply embrace and share another belief, a different vision of reality — one that affirms our inextricable connection with all of life.
Together, we can recognize every living being, idea and energy form as a valid and worthwhile part of our own life experience. From this position, we become powerful, inclusive of that which may have once scared us, and we align ourselves with the monumental forces of Grace. When we do this, the world may seem to change before our very eyes.
Consider some of the great philanthropists of our time — Oprah, Bono, Bill Gates. Rather than living from a tiny, fragmented place of isolation, these humans extend themselves from a larger impulse of the heart, reaching out to those in need.
Their fundamental sense of connection with the world not only calls them into service in the first place, but it connects them with a larger flow of love bringing to them everyone and everything they need in order to be effective.
With each being they help, a bold and fearless statement is made, reminding us all that our world is beautifully connected and in that connection, it is sacred.
For those of us who may see ourselves now as having far less resources to work with than Oprah or Bono, we can still begin where we are. We can start right here by committing ourselves to the higher truth of life’s interconnection and sharing this understanding through a symbol that embraces us all, the Universal Flag.
Rather than representing any one group, race, creed or religion, the Universal Flag is a symbol that includes all of life. Without discounting the value of diversity and uniqueness, the Universal Flag elegantly beckons us to a higher way of living and being in our world.
Since its creation several years ago, people all over the globe have taken ownership of this symbol, proudly flying the flag in their homes, schools, offices, churches, and community centers. It is flying at the Center for Spiritual Living in Las Vegas, with Kaiwa in Uganda, in the town and provinces of Freetown, Sierra Leone, and with a man named Fred who teaches soccer to homeless orphans in America. And recently, its vital message of Oneness has even inspired the creation of a theme song.
Sharon Benson, a renowned songwriter, musician and lead vocalist of her band Soul Dogs (a.k.a. The Cosmic Rescue Team when the late legendary actor David Carradine took the stage), has teamed up with friend and fellow musician, Michael Zephro to write “The Universal Flag.” The song celebrates the flag’s message of Oneness and invites us to fly the flag for peace, unity, equality, diversity and harmony.
Benson and Zephro make it clear that the process of change is in our hands and that it needn’t be difficult. As we listen to the calming, sultry backdrop of jazz instrumentation, we can hear their invitation to a new paradigm and begin considering how easy it just may be to come together.
In addition to her work on “The Universal Flag” song, Sharon collaborated with Susana Bastarrica, founder of the Vigil for International Peace & Ecology, in order to bring the Universal Flag to the Peace Vigil during this year’s United Nation’s International Day of Peace celebration in Central Park.
In 2001, the UN unanimously passed a resolution designating September 21 as an “International Day of Peace,” with the intention of urging the entire world to observe a full day of “global cease fire and nonviolence.”
In support of this objective, Bastarrica’s Vigil for International Peace provides a venue for the people of New York City to come together and demonstrate the power of prayer and intent as a way to heal and empower.
It is a one-day event that took place this year on September 19 with art, music, dance, peace meditations, talks by international and local peacemakers and representatives from world religions. All day long, thanks to Benson’s inspired efforts, the Universal Flag was also there, flying high right alongside the flags of many nations.
The vigil culminated in the evening with a grand finale celebration, which included Benson performing “The Universal Flag” to the entire crowd. She was accompanied by water activist, William “Waterway” Marks on the Native American flute.
Sharon Benson’s involvement with the flag came out of a conversation with Brian McClure, founder of the Universal Flag Foundation. The two share a deep comprehension of the underlying reality of life’s inherent holism and a passion for helping to create a more peaceful, prosperous life for everyone on our planet. They both understand how important a tool the Universal Flag can be in our times of political, financial and social upheaval. The flag can help us focus attention on what we want to create, rather than who is to blame.
McClure is excited to see so many people beginning to recognize the flag as a means of empowering themselves. As he says, “When we begin to see everything in our world as interrelated, our hearts begin to open and we find ourselves in a world of infinite possibilities. Positive change becomes a natural, organic outpouring of that.”
This is the kind of transformation he hopes to be a part of, where individuals around the globe change the world through a simple shift in their thoughts, an opening in their hearts.
We can each be a part of this forward evolution by realizing that the Universal Flag is a symbol for us all; it is a resource to help lift our spirits and raise the consciousness in our homes and communities. Every time we raise the flag or display the symbol, we send out a signal of love, a beacon of hope, a call to imagine the infinite possibilities that are available if we begin seeing our lives through the eyes of Oneness. And this is what will ultimately heal the world.
So in the words of Sharon Benson and Mike Zephro, “Let’s raise the flag, the Universal Flag... fly it high for everyone to see.”
Universal Flags can be purchased at the non-profit Foundation’s website, www.universalflag.org To have Brian speak at your event: please call Steve at (818) 848-3213 or email: thebusinessmuse@gmail.com
N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9 A W A R E N E S S M A G A Z I N E / 31
Visit Awareness Magazine here: http://www.awarenessmag.com/sepoct09/so09_page_one.htm http://flipflashpages.uniflip.com/1/19152/40407/pub/index.html Vigil Grand Finale Photo by Lysiane Ribeiro, MD, MPH http://asseenbymephotosbylee.blogspot.com/2009/10/peace-day-in-central-park-9-19-09-part_16.html
