The Magic of Folk Music


Today’s post is dedicated to the folk music movement that enjoyed great popularity in the 60’s and 70’s. I grew up listening to the Beatles and Pete Seeger.  The Beach Boys and Arlo Guthrie.  So as you can see, it was Rock and Folk back then. Folk music is the music of the people. It’s lyrics deal with poverty, injustice and suffering.

 

I went to a Pete Seeger concert and took my husband, we sat in the grass and the entire audience sang with the band and the birds joined in with enthusiasm. We felt connected to every other person we could see. Pete has passed now but the beauty of his music endures.

 

Folk music deals with the lives of  “the masses”. The lyrics dealt with the coal miners, the railroad workers, the poor and the ill. It deals with those who are out of work and hungry. Those children who quit school to go to work to prevent the family from starving.

 

It also celebrates every life, big and successful or small and difficult. Folk music sees us all as equal and essential to the life of this planet. We are all one human species, and dwell upon this planet without borders. What effects you, effects me even if I don’t realize it. I am sure you know many of these songs and I hope you might enjoy singing along.

 

There is no difference between religions, skin color, ethnicity or how much money you have. It may seem like there are differences, but there aren’t inside where “we really live.”  Inside we are all the same, the children of God. We have bodies that work the same and we are all loved by the Divine. Folk music promotes peace and the atrocities of war. I hope you enjoy my offering today.

 

 

PovertyisAWeaponofMassDestruc

 

 

 

 

 

 

Khalil Gibran's heart

 

 

WeCon

 

 

photographed and copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2015

Photographed and copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2014

 

HarmPosi

Fleetwood Mac


This is the video from the Fleetwood Mac tour we went to see last night. Rhiananon is my song and has been since the seventies. It is my fall back song during trying times and what makes me lift my voice in joy. Everyone who is at all musical has a song, I think. Music is important to my life. It is the soundtrack for my bio. I love many kinds of music. Classical, blues, jazz, Zydeco, Swing and rock. Classic rock, hard rock and hair bands. But this song touches my heart every time I hear it. Musician friends have often played it for me. Music is part of the beauty that I incorporate into my life’s journey.

My first Beatles concert was when I was 13 and music renews me and keeps me young at heart. My inner child is alive and well according to my grandkids. My inner child still loves the rock concerts and I can scream and sing with the best.

I don’t think we need to completely grow up to be responsible adults. Love is one of the best reasons not to. Too many adults have forgotten how to laugh, love, and accept the events in this life which we cannot control.  This love helps us not to see the differences in people, but to lovingly include them into our friendships, families and worlds. It doesn’t matter what is beautiful to you, just surround yourself with what works for you and share it with all of the people you meet. Love is the glue of the cosmos and available to everyone. Thanks for letting me share my concert with you!

The idealistic teen years

Don’t ever lose your joy in life

Jimi Hendrix quote

Jimi Hendrix quote

I will be back in 2 weeks


I wanted to tell all of my readers that I will be away for 2 weeks. My oldest grandson is graduating and I am going to watch all of them while my daughter finishes her work for the year. I will try to blog while I am away but I will be busy. I wish you all a wonderful Memorial Day.I will be looking forward to reconnecting with my WordPress family.

Babies are not born thinking others are different.

Babies are not born thinking others are different.

The picnic

The picnic

We are all brothers and sisters in this life journey

We are all brothers and sisters in this life journey

Van Gogh

Van Gogh

spring popping up everywhere

spring popping up everywhere

All Mother’s on this Planet Have a Day Even if They Aren’t Aware of it.


One Woman, One World, One Family, unending love.

One Woman, One World, One Family, unending love.

Mother’s Day is huge here in America .This is nice. Flowers, candy, going out to dinner, a new plant for the garden. These make up an American Mother’s Day. I would like to remind you that Mothers are in every country and being  a Mother is quite different than it is here.

Mothers in other countries don’t have a day or even an hour where they feel especially loved and appreciated. Mother’s in other countries face tragedies we never even can imagine. Many mothers continue to die in childbirth, many mothers don’t have milk to feed their babies. Many mothers can’t dress their babies up really cute because there are only rags to dress them in. I guarantee you that some mothers, on the American holiday, will be watching their babies die of starvation and diseases such as Malaria.

Most of the mothers around the world will be required to leave a girl baby by the side of the road because of misogyny and some are trying to heal the faces of daughters whose boyfriend threw acid in their face because they turned down a marriage proposal. The boy throws acid in her face so no one else will want her. This is classic power and control. Some mothers will be assisting a medicine woman to hold down her daughter so genital mutilation can occur just like what was done to her. In some countries, if a girl has not had this done, no one will marry her.

Why is all of this happening?  It is because women and girls are second class citizens and have no rights and no power to protect them legally in the systemThey are owned, used, punished, tormented and often killed.
My request is that from now through Sunday you would all pray for the mothers around the world. Pray for them to be protected, pray for healing and food, pray for an end to human traffakking. Please pray that some day millions of women around the world will understand that mother is a term of  love, support and pride. Pray that a year will come when all women will be able to hold their heads up and walk with pride and dignity.

National Organization of Women

National Organization of Women

Hug someone today and everyday

Hug someone today and everyday

Mothers unite to help each other and the children. Make Mother's Day really mean something to a mother somewhere in the world..

Mothers unite to help each other and the children. Make Mother’s Day really mean something to a mother somewhere in the world..

.


The Dalhai Lama and his wise and love filled words.

The Dalai Lama and his wise and love filled words.

Ghazal of Hazrat Inayat Khan

“Thanks be to God, the very world that birthed us
now is bathed by wondrous Nature
in a rapture of her glorious light:
the splendor of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, now revealed.
And humankind, highest of creatures, endowed with Intellect’s might
so that all the beasts, wing’d and hoof’d
are place under his command
And Adam’s veins are filled
with Art, Science, Faith:
he knows the sciences are clear
but music is the weightiest
as a surging ocean
outweights the very world through which it flows.

If he whose heart’s been moved
by the science of Music’s world effect
Were offered the pleasure of emperorship,
he’s certainly ignoring it
for Man is not alone in his delight
at that sweet sound
since even animals have sacrificed themselves for it.

More stubborn than a donkey,
he who holds that Music’s “impure”;
Ignorant of beaty,
how clain acquaintance with the Lord?

Creator!

The ocean surges!
Permit my skiff to reach the shore
-King!
I beg what kindness thou canst afford.”

—-Hazrat Inayat Khan, founder of Chisti Sufi Order

what a wonderful gift

what a wonderful gift

Have you heard the music of the spheres?

Have you heard the music of the spheres?

Open air amplitheatre at Chautuaqua Institute, NY. Photo copyrighted in 2001 by Barbara Mattio

Open air amplitheatre at Chautuaqua Institute, NY. Photo copyrighted in 2001 by Barbara Mattio

She Walks in Beauty


She Walks in Beauty (By George Gordon, Lord Byron)

She walks in beauty, like the
night
Of cloudless
climes and starry
skies;
And all that’s best
of dark and bright
Meet in her
aspect and her
eyes:
Thus mellow’d to
that tender light
Which heaven
to gaudy day
denies.
One shade the
more, one ray the
less,
Had half
impair‘d the
nameless grace
Which waves in
every raven trees,
Or softly
lightens o’er her
face;
Where thoughts
serenly sweet
express
How pure, how
dear their
dwelling-place.
And on that cheek,
and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm,
yet eloquent,
The smiles that
win, the tints that
glow,
But tell of days
in goodness spent,
A mind at peace
with all below,
A heart whose
love is innocent!

When ill or injured, I find poetry to be a soothing balm. I will be in the new walking boot for two more weeks and then I will begin PT. It could have been much worse. It could have caused more pain but I was blessed. This poem is one of my favorite ones and it was also Jacqueline Kennedy’s favorite poem. I like to read it when life challenges me. So I wanted to share it with all of you. Thank you for all of your kind wishes. I know I will have a speedy recovery. The gift of my heart is these  images I am sharing with you tonight.  Blessings, Barbara

Garden of solitude

Garden of solitude  Photograph copyrighted by Barbara Mattio  2013

Surrender yourself to peace.Photography copyrighted by Barbara Mattio

Surrender yourself to peace.Photography copyrighted by Barbara Mattio  2013

We Did It !!!! Don’t Hit a Woman, Now it is a Crime Once Again


This is the Cycle of Violence. Do you see someone you know in it?

This is the Cycle of Violence. Do you see someone you know in it?

Thank you Congress for keeping all women safe

Thank you Congress for keeping all women safe

It will now go to President Obama who will sign it into law.

It will now go to President Obama who will sign it into law.

"Now

Never let a man slap, kick, punch, push, verbally insult or demean you. Call the police. It is a crime!

Never let a man slap, kick, punch, push, verbally insult or demean you. Call the police. It is a crime!

]America, stop teaching that violence against women is allowed. America, stop teaching that violence against women is allowed.

The Violence Against Women that Just passed the Senate and now the House will be signed into law by President Obama.

The Violence Against Women Act that Just passed the Senate and now the House will be signed into law by President Obama.