Travel

I am passionate about traveling, and in the past few years have been to Turkey, India, and Sri Lanka - studying, performing, and adventuring. I have also traveled extensively in Morocco and Europe.  I learn things from traveling that I do not learn anywhere else, about myself and about the world.

When I am traveling in countries that are very different from the U.S. in terms of language, culture, societal customs, lifestyle, belief systems, and basic orientation to life, I have the opportunity see things from a different perspective.  I find that I have to let go of what I think is real and solid and important, and to experience things in a new way.  Traveling challenges me to leave the comfortable world inside my home, and to find my home out in the world.

Unencumbered by the details of a busy life, my heart and mind are so much more free and present.  When I meet people in this state of openness, I am amazed at how different and how connected we are at the same time, how we can understand each other with little or no common verbal language.  The challenge is how to keep this openness and presence in my busy, everyday life. 

Snakes

I have always been fascinated by snakes.  They are beautiful, mysterious, and powerful.  A few years after I started bellydancing, I had a dream about dancing with a snake, who would also be my teacher.  I would learn the secrets of moving in his slow, sensual, and other-worldly ways, not realizing that he would also teach me about patience and presence, about being authentic in relationship, and the power of stillness.

What strikes me the most in the six years of caring for my snakes, is the profound sensitivity and vulnerability they possess.  Saadiq, a seven-foot Columbian Red-Tail Boa, and Zohar, a four-foot Royal Python, are extremely tuned in through all of their senses, and are easily impacted by physical and psychic energy, and by their environment.  I am inspired to protect and defend these very sweet and tender beings!

I have also seen my snakes act as ambassadors from the serpentine world, which is so often feared and misunderstood.  They have charmed many people who previously had negative feelings about snakes.  They are wonderful with children, who tend to be delighted by them, free from the fear that adults have learned over the years.    

Music

I have been a singer since I was very young, training classically for many years, then exploring jazz, pop, and Middle Eastern music.  Finding an original and satisfying outlet for my singing has always been one of my greatest desires.  It is the most vulnerable and powerful form of creative expression that I have experienced. 
  
I am happy to say that I have recently gotten involved in a new musical project that feels very promising.  We do open improvisation and play with various modes and structural techniques, then go back and refine what we’ve done, creating songs and compositions. 
Check back soon for music samples!

Poetry

Writing poetry is like walking through a doorway that leads to an unknown place.  Peering in, I see hallways and more doors.  I venture through the first one, wondering where it will lead, what rooms I’ll find, and where I’ll end up…

I’ve been writing poetry for many years, mostly in my journals, for my own exploration of self.  Occasionally, I share them with others, or put them into songs.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Scarlet Silk
crimson flows across her throat
coursing in ripples between her breasts
lying, arms outstretched
eyes misted with transcendent visions

her limbs flow with languid ease
as gently unwinding, she removes her final garment
and laughing, lets the scarlet-colored silk
crumple to the floor

Pamela
she appeared in my dream
long brown hair flowing
face radiant
blue eyes shining
dressed all in white
which she never wore when she was alive

i cried, and clung to her
holding tight
and she said,
life is not just the sorrows