Tag: healing

Back on September 1st I wrote about how I used the Law of Attraction and the Law of Right Action to attract legendary singer-songwriter-guitarist Melissa Etheridge.

At that time I hadn’t met her yet or had my songwriting lesson with her.

Well, now I have.

With Melissa Etheridge (!)

As I write this in Los Angeles, I had my session with her yesterday, at her home.

She met me outside her door, hugged me, gave me that Melissa million dollar smile, and said, “I didn’t know you were a fan.”

A “fan” is an understatement.

I’m a fan-atic.

I’ve been in awe of her performing and her music since around 1995.

To be standing with her was surreal.

As it turns out, Melissa is a fan of my work, as well as the work of the rest of the teachers from the movie The Secret. She’s personal friends with Tony Robbins. (Tony introduced ho’oponopono to her and her sweet spouse.)

She reads all the deep-end metaphysical books. She says she began around 2003 by picking up Ken Wilber’s The Theory of Everything, which is like learning how to swim by being dropped in the Atlantic ocean.

Her spirituality and understanding of manifestation has helped her awaken and achieve even greater levels of success in more recent years.

She told me that laying on her back, with cancer, and watching the movie The Secret, forced her to think about what she wanted in her life.

“If I am this powerful being who gave myself cancer and can create whatever I want, then I want healed, I want to make more music, and I want to win an Oscar.”

Of course, she went on and did all of that.

My time with Melissa was about songwriting, but she began it by asking about my life in music, my books, and then showing me her guitar collection.

Her favorite guitars are in the trailer that goes on the road with her. But she has a guitar room with them lining the walls like playable art.

And she has a studio with old and new and prototype guitars. (Ovation is releasing a ME electric in January). She also has more guitars in storage.

In Melissa’s guitar room in her home

Of course, I related, understood, and told her of my own collection, which she says she wants to see one day.

We went in her home studio to focus on my actual lesson.

We each had a guitar. I had my songbook, where I jot ideas and snippets and songs. She said the songbook is sacred. (Later, I had her sign mine, making it even more priceless to me.)

Melissa wrote this in my sacred songwriting notebook

From there she had me pick a song idea. She wanted to know the why for writing a song.

“What’s important to say in the song? Why do you want to write it? What’s the intention for it?”

She told me how she wrote some of her own songs, first thinking about why she wanted to write them.

She explained that for her song, Pulse, she wanted people to know that the person who went into a nightclub and shot dozens of people did so because he was in pain.

She also explained that for the Al Gore slide show about global warning, she wanted people to know that “I have to change,” not anyone else.

I found her to be a deep thinker, cutting to the core with her messages.

I told her about wanting to tell people how they could be happy now, and manifest their lives using the Law of Attraction, and more.

She nodded, accepting my reasons.

From there, for Melissa, it all begins with what I call a brain dump.

“Just write words,” she said. “Let it be okay whatever comes.”

She also advised to “fall in love with words.”

She uses a paperback thesaurus to look up other words, so she isn’t using too common or too cliche of words.

While I had been using Masterwriter, a popular software for songwriters, I found using a printed thesaurus slower but more enlightening.

The time spent looking up a word gave my mind time to think, and the alternate words were often surprising and triggered other thoughts.

We began with me wanting to write a song about Miracles, since my new book is titled The Miracle.

Melissa and some of her guitars

But within minutes the song became about The Great Something, a concept I write about in my book The Secret Prayer.

Instead of saying God, or Divine, or Universe, I refer to the super power behind all of life as “The Great Something.”

Melissa loved “The Great Something”‘ because it made you want to know more.

In a song, it would make you want to listen.

I got excited watching the song unfold with Melissa’s help.

Melissa often writes pages of words and phrases, knowing that later she will edit them.

“Editing is the fun part,” she told me.

She pointed to the back cover of my album, One More Day, to the line, “Self-help messages in 3 minutes or so.”

“That’s the challenge,” she said, smiling bright. “To condense pages of ideas into a three minute song.”

“That’s why I’m here,” I said. 🙂

Her songwriting template, more often than not, is to write a verse, then go right to the chorus, then to a versus, chorus, bridge, and chorus again.

“It’s stating the problem in the verse, and often a solution in the chorus,” she explained. “The next verse might spell out the problem more, and the chorus will again offer the upbeat solution.”

One of the biggest insights for me was the idea of writing in the first person.

Melissa says that first person songs are more personal and hit home with people.

Second person, or ‘you’ oriented songs, are one step removed from the listener and have less impact.

More often than not, she writes in the first person.

Melissa showing me her all-time favorite guitar, a Fender Telecaster. “If there’s a fire and I can only grab one guitar, it’s this one.”

I started to play with the idea of writing The Great Something song in the first person. I instantly felt more connected to the song, and felt more power in the message.

I also saw myself get more excited and inspired.

“Always write from inspiration,” she had told me earlier.

“Get to that place where you have tingles of excitement for whatever you are about to write,”she added. “Never write without the tingles.”

She doesn’t meditate but often walks in nature, looks at trees and flowers, reads some poetry, reviews songs from people she admires, from Bruce Springsteen to Neil Diamond, all to ignite her inspiration.

I told her I smoke cigars.

She didn’t seem to relate to that.

Of course, she lives in a state where cannabis is legal.

Later she asked me to sing for her.

Now try to imagine that.

I’m a star-struck beginner at singing, sitting in the home studio of a rock and roll legend who has the most soaring voice of all time, and she says, “Sing for me.”

That’s like having Elvis ask you to sing.

Well, I did.

Melissa showing me her rare Rickenbacker “Cadillac”, an electric 12-string that can be turned into a 6-string with an awkward device

I played a snippet of my song One More Day, off my One More Day album, and a snippet of my song Today’s the Day, off my Strut album.

I also played a little instrumental, to give her a sense of what Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon and I create.

I was off key, out of step, and out of tune, but I did it anyway.

Melissa smiled big and said she bets the recorded versions with the band are stellar.

I then asked about singing advice.

Melissa took a breath and gave me a long, wise, hypnotic answer about watching the Ed Sullivan Show on TV and being influenced by Tom Jones, Janis Joplin, Robert Plant and others.

She noticed their joy in singing was what was so captivating.

Melissa showing a “Mustang” guitar given to her by the Ford Institute

She went on to say she wanted her music to be ballsy, not girlie.

She didn’t want to sing head voice, though she could.

She wanted something deeper and harder.

I related and told her I often felt more comfortable singing with a baritone guitar, which lowered my voice into my chest.

“That’s a good place for your voice,” she said. “It’s at home there.”

She also gave advice on performing.

“Never perform sitting down,” she said. “It cuts off your breathing.”

“And always eat, be hydrated, and get plenty of rest, so you can deliver your performance with full power.”

I’ll be processing my time with Melissa Etheridge for the rest of my life.

I found her open, loving, generous, spiritual, fearless, talented, present, friendly and wise.

Thanks to Melissa, my new album has a new title

She even invited me to speak on her next cruise ship concert. (!)

I was a fan (fanatic) before meeting her in person.

Today I’m in love.

Hey Melissa, I want to come over – again!

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – Please note that whenever you have an expert coach you, your experience and expertise leap in incalculable measures. Melissa Etheridge heard a limiting belief come out of my mouth that I didn’t hear and I was the one who said it. We all need a coach. Consider Miracles Coaching.

Motivational songs?

Yes.

Why?

Because everything programs you.

You don’t have to be consciously focused on conversations around you, or the media blaring news over TVs in a bar or restaurant, or billboards in your field of vision as you drive, or even the music playing in the background as you work, walk, rest, exercise or lounge.

It’s still all programming you.

Your mind is picking up around 40,000,000 bits of information in every second.

Even right now, as you read these words.

You’re not aware of it all, thank goodness, because another part of your mind is filtering it.

That other part lets you become aware of only what is necessary to your goals and survival.

But that other part is also receiving all that other programming.

My fifth and most recent singer-songwriter album

When it comes to attracting more of what you want using the Law of Attraction, you need to become aware of this hidden programming, and consciously surround yourself with what supports you.

And that’s where I want to talk about motivational songs.

Music can program you for lack and limitation.

I’ve written about this many times, explaining if you can’t seem to get what you want today, it could very well be due to the Rolling Stones singing “You can’t always get what you want” into your brain since the 1960s.

Great song.

Lousy affirmation.

What we need to do today is carefully choose what we allow into our heads.

We have choice.

You can still listen to the Rolling Stones, or any other band you love, just with an awareness of the lyrics and the consciousness to prevent any limited thinking programming.

You can also search for more upbeat, positive music.

For example, more and more music is being called “healing music” and “self help” music. It’s music intentionally created to motivate you, inspire you, or even enlighten you.

A quick search brought up these top motivational songs:

• What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
• Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor
• Over The Rainbow – Judy Garland
• Beautiful Day – U2
• Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye
• Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles
• Imagine – John Lennon
• Walking On Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
• Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel
• Let It Be – The Beatles
• I Feel Good – James Brown
• Heroes – David Bowie
• Heal The World – Michael Jackson
• Get Up Stand Up – Bob Marley
• Walk – Foo Fighters
• Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
• Dream On – Aerosmith
• Perfect Day – Lou Reed
• Lovely Day – Bill Withers
• Smile – Nat King Cole

You can of course create your own playlist of self-help or motivational songs.

Meanwhile, let me share some of my own adventures in making motivational music:

Back in 2011, when I began recording my first album, I consciously decided to make it a “meditation meets the blues” recording.

I brought in my muse and support at the time, Sarah McSweeney, and together with producer Daniel Barrett, we created Blue Healer.

We also recorded it in record time (no pun intended), so I could be on the cover of Austin All Natural magazine announcing my first ever music album.

We succeeded, too.

My famous band

My next album in 2012, was my first singer-songwriter one.

I knew I wanted to create songs that helped me feel inspired and motivated. The album title track, Strut!, was a rally call for people to “strut around” when they felt down.

It’s the positive psychology principle that just smiling, even when you don’t feel like it, will change your internal state.

Fake a smile to feel a smile.

Strut to feel like strutting.

My first major music video from the Strut! album became, over the years, my all-time most watched video. You can still see “Everybody’s Going Through Something” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzT_yljj-SU

At this point I’ve recorded five singer-songwriter albums.

I’m going to record album six in January, after my private songwriting lesson with the legendary Melissa Etheridge next week. (!)

I’ll again attract my all-star band back into the studio:

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer Joe Vitale (yes, same name as mine),
• legendary bass player Glenn Fukunaga,
• Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon,
• and of course my producer, Daniel Barrett.

Together we’ll make more motivational songs.

But I’m not the only one creating music to help people.

Free book at http://www.healingmusicbook.com

In the last few years of making music, I’ve met many other artists creating their own forms of motivational songs, or healing music, and self help music.

For example –

• Jana Stanfield, another great singer, told me about a group of singer-songwriters who were all making positive music. Called EmPower Music & Arts and it’s at https://www.empowerma.com/
• Bob Baker, well known for his books on how to market music, dropped by one day and gave me a copy of an album he created with Pooki Lee. I listened and loved it. Opening Up to the Good is all about feel-good music you feed your mind. Check it out at https://soulmassage.bandcamp.com/
• Ruthie Foster, a Grammy nominated blues singer I adore, made an album with me (!), and Daniel Barrett, called Stretch. We call it musical medicine. Details at http://www.transformingmusic.com/
• And of course Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon and I have recorded several instrumental albums, many of which are bestsellers for us. Almost all of them are inspired by the Hawaiian spiritual healing system called ho’oponopono. You can read about those albums and others at http://www.allhealingmusic.com

I could go on.

Obviously, you have choice in what you listen to.

The Jive Aces, a really cool swing-jump-jazz dance band from the UK, has a video that makes me smile whenever I watch it. Over 2,000,000 have seen it. It’s “Bring Me Sunshine” and you can watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXvJ8UquYoo 

The point of this post is to help you remember to consciously guard the roads into your mind.

Whether it’s audio or visual, you want to feed your brain what will nourish and support you.

Listening to the right music is one key way to do it.

Meanwhile, dance, sing and strut your stuff!

Ao Akua

Joe

PS- A list of my singer-songwriter albums is here at CDBaby and almost all of my albums so far are listed at http://www.allhealingmusic.com

Member BBB 2003 – 2017

When you combine the Law of Attraction with a new way to pray, the results are miracles.

But how do you pray for a miracle?

My latest book, “The Secret Prayer,” is an Amazon #1 bestseller, attracting 5-star reviews, and getting high praise from experts like this —

“‘The Secret Prayer’ holds the key to fulfilling your heartfelt dreams, goals, and desires. I love this book. Read it and use it. It will change your life!” — Dr. Susan Shumsky, author, ‘Instant Healing’ and ‘Miracle Prayer’

“Joe Vitale’s book is stimulating you to pray again with gratitude for who you are and what you have.
In his own unique style, he gives you new tools to revise and deepen your connection with the Universe. This book touched me deeply.” – Marie Diamond, Global Transformational Leader, Speaker and Author, Star in ‘The Secret’

“Joe did it again!! I love his new book. It’s inspiring, filled with practical wisdom and massive insight!”
– Janet Bray Attwood – New York Times Bestselling Author ‘The Passion Test’ and ‘Your Hidden Riches’

“Few people truly ‘get it.’ Joe gets it, he got it right in The Secret, and he totally nails it in the The Secret Prayer. This is the book that will lift people out of misunderstanding prayer, invites them to take responsibility for their divine inheritance, and thereby unleash their unimaginable power over all things. A book that can put any life on a fast track to greater happiness and fulfillment.” – Mike Dooley, NY Times Bestselling author ‘Infinite Possibilities’ and ‘Leveraging the Universe’

Go get “The Secret Prayer” on Amazon today for your Kindle or Kindle reader (it’s a #1 bestseller in 3 categories) –  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XV1Q9JG

OR go get the audio version of the book, read by me, at — http://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/The-Secret-Prayer-Audiobook/B00XWDOBCA/

OR you can get the beautiful printed paperback at – http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Prayer-Three-Step-Attracting-Miracles/dp/1512264156/

Get copies for yourself, family and friends, and clients and others that you care about.

What if we could change ourselves and the world with the right prayer?

What if it really works?

Expect Miracles.

Ao Akua,
Joe

PS – Maybe the greatest praise came from my niece, who texted this to me:

“I must say it opened my eyes and my heart. I have to thank you for writing it. I never even thought about the things you said in this book. I plan to use your three step prayer from now on.”

That one touched me.

Please see — http://www.thesecretprayer.com (where you can hear me lead you through The Secret Prayer for free

Thank you
I love you

***********************************************
Dr. Joe Vitale     “Aude aliquid dignum” *

Author of way too many books to mention,
including the bestseller “The Attractor Factor.”
Recent: “AT Zero” and “The Remembering Process”
Brand New: “The Secret Prayer”

A star in the hit movies “The Secret,” “The Opus,”
“The Compass,” “The Tapping Solution,” “Leap,” etc.
Coming: “Quantum Prosperity”

Voted #1 singer-songwriter by Reverbnation
New: “Reflection,” “432 to Zero,” “Invoking Divinity”
Bestseller: “One More Day: Life Lessons in Hypnotic Song”

Creator of Miracles Coaching, Hypnotic Writing,
The Secret Mirror, and The Awakening Course
Coming: “Hyper-Wealth: The Fourth Dimension Process”

See it all at http://www.JoeVitale.com

Member BBB 2003 – 2016

* 16th century Latin: “Dare something worthy”

Note: This is a commercial message.

Three times.

That’s how many times I’ve watched the Netflix documentary, Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru, which was released on July 15, only days ago.

I’m in the movie The Secret and I haven’t watched that film three times in ten years.

Watch spellbinding Tony Robbins Film

So why am I so captivated with this film about Tony?

It’s raw but real.

Hard-hitting but healing.

Profane but profound.

I found myself crying throughout it.

I found myself having internal breakthroughs just watching it.

I found myself relating to Tony’s inspired approach to change.

The film captures Tony’s closed-door week-long event called Date with Destiny.

In some ways the event reminded me of the old Werner Erhard est program, and to today’s Landmark Forum.

This film puts you in Tony’s secret space, much like Luke Rhinehart’s The Book of est puts you in an est event.

In both cases, you can safely observe the sometimes rollicking emotions people experience.

And in both cases, you can experience transformation just by going for the ride.

All you have to do is pay attention and feel.

Oh, there are holes in the movie.

Tony says change happens in a moment.

Yet later in the film, when he’s asked how he changed, he says there was no one moment.

Tony comes across as the trigger for change and not any method or principle.

Yet if Tony is needed for change, then methods don’t exist; there is no method. It’s him.

But I’m not a critic of the film; I’m a fan.

That’s why I’ve seen it three times – so far.

I let any holes or inconsistencies slide by as I focus on the good in the movie, the breakthroughs, the insights, the energy, the sharing – all of which act as a catalyst to awaken viewers who aren’t even physically in the seminar room with the giant king gorilla.

This makes the film itself a tool for transformation.

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore told Joe Berlinger (the director of this film on Tony), “I believe it will actually save lives.”

I believe it, too.

A few more reasons why I love the film –

Tony goes past the little problems people offer and goes deeper, to the operating system under what they present.

When a 19 year old says her problem is her diet, Tony digs deeper to discover her issue is with her father, not her diet.

The movie helps prove why we all need coaching; without a trained person’s objective feedback, we will continue to blame our problems on others or on little things and entirely miss the big hidden operating system below our conscious awareness.

And I love statements such as, “You know what your biggest problem is? Thinking you shouldn’t have any.”

Tony goes on to explain that problems are gifts.

I don’t know Tony personally — we spoke at the same event in Chicago years ago, but hours apart, so we have yet to meet* — and I get nothing for endorsing this film from him or the director or anyone else.

But I urge you to watch it and let it stir your soul.

See https://www.netflix.com/title/80102204

Expect Miracles.

Ao Akua,

joe

PS – My own television show, all fourteen episodes, is edited and in the hands of Amazon. Stay tuned for details. Meanwhile, go watch the film about Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru. It’s stirring, soulful and spellbinding.

* You can read about the event where I spoke on the same stage as Tony, Trump, and others at http://blog.mrfire.com/a-tony-robbins-first/

Member BBB 2003 - 2016

I’ll be 62 years old (young) at the end of this month.

While that means I’m a member of AARP, I can get discounts at certain stores, and my remaining hair is turning gray, it doesn’t mean that I have stopped growing.

In fact, I’m aging backwards.

I’m youthing.

In the last year alone I —

— attended a strongman training and bent a horseshoe, a steel bar, and a nail, all with my bare hands, and drove a spike through a board with my fist. I was the oldest person in the room, even older than the instructor, and probably the most inexperienced when it comes to feats of strength. But I attended anyway. I learned a lot, too, including the fact that virtually “Nothing is impossible.”

Bent and straightened this horseshoe

— attended an advanced guitar camp with legendary player Tommy Emmanuel. I was one of the oldest in the room, was surrounded by players far more advanced than me – including a 14 year old girl who dazzled everyone with her skills – but I attended anyway.

— attended an online class to learn how to play the baritone saxophone, wrote an article about playing for a sax mag, recorded an entire album of saxophone music, hired Grammy nominated sax sensation Mindi Abair to perform for me and tutor me, and more.

— discovered a synthophone — an alto sax turned into a midi instrument — and bought one and learned how to play it, using it to help make another healing music audio with Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon, called The Enlightenment Audio.

– went into the studio with one of my favorite singers in the entire world – Grammy nominated Ruthie Foster – and producer Daniel Barrett and created an album called Stretch! with me writing lyrics, playing baritone saxophone, and singing with Ruthie. Talk about a stretch! But I did it.

Daniel, Ruthie and me Stretching

— traveled to Kuwait to speak to people interested in self-improvement and curious about positive psychology, but also traveled to numerous domestic spots, as well, including to one where we discussed my having my own television show in 2016.

— despite having written more books than most people read in their entire lifetime, I released several more, including the best selling The Secret Prayer and volume 3 of The Miracles Manual. And I just signed a publishing deal for my next book, coming out April 2016.

— and even though I’m an author of books designed to help people, I’m still buying and reading other people’s self-help books, too. I’m always searching for new authors, new voices, new books, new material, to help me expand my thinking and my life.

Why?

Why do I continue to invest in courses, books, audios, coaching, classes and more?

Why am I continuing to do this as I turn 62?

Because I’m still learning, growing, improving, stretching and discovering myself.

Because I don’t know it all and am eager to discover more about myself and life.

Because as long as I keep moving forward, they won’t throw dirt on my face.

I have no idea your age, and it doesn’t really matter.

My father is 90 and still enthusiastic about life.

He gets up earlier than you or me or the sun every morning and wallops a standing dummy five hundred times.

And that’s before he does light weight lifting, walking, and other exercise – with a hernia.

Actor Dick Van Dyke is 90 and still dancing.

Turn on the right music and he’ll start free styling it without a word or a prompt but with a gigantic bright smile on his happy face.

I’m sure you are younger than 90.

I’m reminding you to think big, do big, and move forward in big ways, no matter what your age.

Or, drop the “big” and just think, do, and move.

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” ― Sophia Loren

It’s the end of this year.

The new one is firing up.

Ready or not, here it comes.

What would you like to accomplish in 2016?

You can begin right now by signing up for a course, or a class, or coaching.

The idea is to joyfully experience life.

It’ll keep you young, bright, happy and healthy.

“You’re never too old to become younger.”  – Mae West

And isn’t that what life is all about?

Happy Birthday to me.

Happy New Year to you.

Let’s make this new one rock.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — Consider my father. He’s 90 years old. He still gets up every morning and works out for two hours. He also is the primary caregiver of my ailing, bedridden mother. And, at 90, my father became an author. His book, The Most Contented Man, is on Amazon. He’s starting another book. He’s ninety. I’m sixty-two. Do you really have any excuses not to stretch and grow, learn and do?

Member BBB 2003 - 2016