09. AUGUST 2008: DESTINY, THE LIVING AND THE DEAD... OR

The other night, I dreamt about my grandmother and my grandfather (paternal and maternal). They have both passed on. I also dreamt about my siberian husky, Varga, who died not so long ago. I dreamt about someone who is still alive, but not doing well. The point of the dream was that they were all together, as if they were intimately connected. It dawned on me that they were a part of what so many of us know as soul groups. And as they were now in that other world, they watched over us, the living, protecting us, guiding us. I woke up saturated with the feeling of the dream.

Makes me think...

How many of our decisions are stimulated by supernatural advice, resonating deep within our subconscious minds? It makes me feel less alone in this world. And it makes me realize that destiny is something we share among us. It is not just a point towards which we are helplessly moved. Destiny is a puzzle in which we are all important pieces, it is a responsibility we must face, and always do our best to uphold. Realizing this makes me feel that life itself is truly sacred. A gift to protect and cultivate, and a gift to share.

01. JUNE 2008: BACK FROM NORWAY

I am sitting by my window with a cup of Yerba Mate, listening to the birds singing outside in the early summer warmth. I am recovering from a slight case of jetlag as I just returned from my first trip to Norway in almost two years. May is one of my fave months over there, as this is when the sun rises at three in the morning and the air is crisp and clean. Father Sun was out everyday which inspired long walks in the forest and by the ocean taking in all the raw beauty of Mother Nature.

I stood looking at the Sun and said to my dad that it was so bizarre how we often just take that for granted. I am sure it´s not just me who have looked at the sun and not really thought beyond it being there. Not actually telling myself, THAT thing over there is actually the SUN! As we live and get preoccupied with silly stuff, such as careers, and entertaining ourselves and stuff, we don't stop to think that it is not just a representation of the Sun as if we saw it on TV or in a picture. IT IS THE SUN and it is RIGHT THERE! Okay, I'll speak for myself! But I found it quite remarkable, how we sometimes pick the mundane over the cosmic, because that's how our lives are, and what we have grown accustomed to.

The whole of life is pure magic from start to finish. That's it.

During my trip I got to spend some very good times conversing with my brother, Hogne, who wrote the excellent dream article in Issue 1. These conversations inspired me tremendously and reaffirmed that we are closer to infinity than to any other activity we can engage in on earth, and it that it is silly to get too worked up over trivialities that happen in our lives. We have to keep focussed on working on- and improving ourselves.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Oliver from Sleepyard. We went for a walk in the forest discussing music, childhood, spirituality and that we both need to get into better shape! City life!!!

The last day, driving from Bergen to Stavanger, I spoke to Gunilla Sussmann who told me she would be coming to perform here in the US next year. I will of course be posting news about that when the time comes, but if any of you have the chance to go see her, don't miss the opportunity!

The morning wind is blowing in through the window now. It's a beautiful day, perfect for a walk in the forest. My wife and I have a place where we love to go walking. This spring we were there to feel the earth awaken from a long and dreary winter.

Never forget that even when we sleep, Mother Nature doesn't. She is always awake somewhere, WORKING FOR US, providing us with a life time of experience and opportunity. Don't forget Mother Nature!

Oh and in Norway, everybody kept asking me how it is to live in the United States, and I am quite happy here, despite the current crisis in the world, the wars and so on. But we must not forget that governments and the things they do don't always actually represent most people. People are people, no matter where you go.

Bard, Chicago, June 1 2008.

27. APRIL 2008: FINALLY!!!

After a lot of work, we have finally completed Solar Angels volume one.

CONTENTS:

Gunilla Sussmann: Master pianist Gunilla Sussmann talks about the potential and power of music.

Alla: Recently signed to the Belgian label Crammed Disks!, Chicago's Alla are preparing to release their magnum opus Es Tiempo! in June. Mastermind Jorge Ledezma talks about group´s debut album, synchronicity, his early years in music, travelling the world, Scandinavia, peace, love and much more!

Sleepyard: One of the most interesting groups today has been called "Euphoric ethereal art-pop, dreamsicle choruses that don't need verses, chanted mantras that sooth any troubled soul." A mutual exploration of the innocence of childhood, cold war and musical liberation. Sleepyard's Oliver Kersbergen opens the door to his universe.

Marisol Vaca: Poems of peace and reflection by this unique Chicago artist. Let her words soothe and inspire your soul!

Daniel Vitalis: "Water Priest" and Chocolatier extraordinaire gives us an inspirational glimpse into another way of living, of rediscovering our closeness and beauty of nature. Water is the most common substance in our world, yet do we give it the recognition this noble substance truly commands?

Hogne Titlestad: Get ready for a remarkable journey into the dream world. Based on his years of research into lucid dreaming and the dream world, Hogne Titlestad discusses the physics of this mysterious world, dream characters and theories of what dreams really are.