speaking in tongues

Lost languages may be old news for many of us. Or we may just be too distracted rejoicing over English as the universal language.

Fueled by the popularity and accessibility of the internet when instead we should be more vigilant about preserving linguistic diversity.

A still from El Primo Amanecer, a short film narrated in Huichol, an indigenous language of Mexico that UNESCO classifies as "vulnerable." The film will be shown as part of a Smithsonian festival about endangered languages this week. (Courtesy Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage)

In February 2017, Kat Eschner published an article in the Smithsonian magazine on what happens when a language is lost.

1. We lose “The expression of a unique vision of what it means to be human”

Languages have naturally risen and fallen in prominence throughout history. What makes this different is the rate at which it’s happening and the number of languages disappearing throughout the world.

2. We lose memory of the planet’s many histories and cultures.

When people settle in a new place, they begin a new life, complete with new surroundings, new traditions, and, yes, a new language.

3. We lose some of the best local resources for combating environmental threats.

Indigenous languages and their speakers are rich sources of information about the world around them and the plants and animals in the area where they live. In a time of mass extinction, that knowledge is especially precious.

4. Some people lose their mother tongue.

The real tragedy of all this might just be all of the people who find themselves unable to speak their first language, the language they learned how to describe the world in.

Many now find their language in grave danger as the result of a campaign by government to stamp out their cultures. Will we have to resort to glossolalia instead? Fluidly vocalizing speechlike syllables that lack comprehended meaning? 

What can be done about all this? Educate yourself, to start with. The Smithsonian's annual Mother Tongue Film Festival takes place every February in Washington, D.C. 

Projects like National Geographic's "Enduring Voices" are a great place to learn about endangered languages and their many speakers, and UNESCO's own website is another resource.  There's still hope for some of these languages if we pay attention. 

magical music master | Thomas Workman

The New York Open Center has started a sound lab for graduates of the Integrative Sound and Music Program (SMI) - a nine month certification course in sound healing that has been running for ten years now. 

The alumni sound lab is a supportive gathering of SMI graduates who share with other alumni how their applied knowledge and practical application of integrative sound impacts their personal and professional day to day practice.

On May 17 we held our fifth session with multi-disciplinary artist, sound healer, teacher, instrument builder, performer and musical virtuoso, Thomas Workman - the founder of Ancient2Future Sound Healing. 

Thomas Workman’s explorative path of sound and music focuses on traditional folk instruments crafted throughout the ages by indigenous tribes in their natural habitat and using local materials. 

Didgeridoo, flutes of bamboo, bone and wood, nose flutes and whistles (apitos), conch shells, n’goni harps, berimbão, mouth bow, Maori instruments, Brazilian percussion, fujara, hulusi and khomus are among his many wind, string and percussion instruments. 

"I like to say that a musical instrument is the ultimate multi-disciplinary object, because so much human knowledge coalesces in an instrument. . . physics, history, culture, sculpture, art, design, etc. Your instruments extend this quality and raise the bar to a very high level." ~ Thomas Workman

Distracted by all his tools and toys, we barely had time to explore his intuitive process in sound healing and inspired compositions. Where he demonstrates how overtones are as magical as rainbows!

Take the time to visit his website at thomasworkman.net to pursue a deeper dive into these rare gems and journeys of discovery. 

a celestine vision

Celestine Prophecy is a gold standard oldie right up there with such New Age classics as A Course In Miracles or You Can Heal Your Life.

The official author page of James Redfield states, "A new spiritual awakening is occurring in human culture, an awakening brought about by a critical mass of individuals who experience their lives as a spiritual unfolding, a journey in which we are led forward by mysterious coincidences." 

Synchronicity is the entry point connecting the spiritually conscious. Collecting enough tiny everyday miracles to stockpile and generate a perpetual state of ready expectancy. A state of flow that taps directly into Source, augmenting and expanding oneself beyond personal bounds.

If you count yourself among those who believe things happen for a purpose and are in our lives for a reason, then The Celestine Prophecy is perfect for you.

Try out their 12 Insights and test them out for your Self.