The Field

Every once in a while, something special comes across your path that touches you deeply and that makes its mark on you in a way that is going to last a lifetime.

A few months ago, a day after wishing in writing for an opportunity to write a song for a new client through my “A Song Just For You” offering, I was contacted by a kind and “tuned in” woman named Elana Cohen. Elana’s husband, Howard Richmond (Dr. H) was getting set to release his new book, The Healing Field, and they contacted me to inquire about me writing a song for and about the book. Through a series of Yes’s to life and unfoldings beyond my control or planning, we were brought together. Elana’s assistant Joni, another sweet & magical being, had received an invite to a house concert in Encinitas I was going to be playing at, landed on my website and discovered my song commission offering a day after they had been discussing their desire to find someone to write a song for them. What’s even more amazing is that the house concert was born of a last minute “YES” to playing music at the All In for All Life retreat in Ojai, thanks to a loving and welcoming invitation from my dear friends Adelle Juliet & Cory Tanner Glazier.

The synchronicity that marked the beginning of this journey and my invitation into the world of “The Healing Field” was undeniable and my connection with Dr. H & Elana was instant. And so it was, I was to write a song intended to capture the essence and heart of this magical story and its equally powerful message. Although Dr. H only asked me to read a few chapters to familiarize myself with the key parts of the story, once i began reading, I could not stop and I ended up reading the book from cover to cover within 48 hours of receiving my copy. Stories like the one told by Dr. H in The Healing Field, and characters with the depth and relatability such as himself and Lori, the heroine, are not common and when they come along, both in real life and in art, I pay attention.

To say I was moved deeply by the book’s contents and the lifetime of lessons and rich experiences, both painful and uplifting, contained in it, would be an understatement. There were even moments when I was sitting down to write the song, poring over key moments in the book and tapping into the emotions of the main characters, that I was moved to tears.

I can also say that my interactions with Dr. H in our ongoing dialogue about the song I was to create and his direct transmissions of the subtleties and importance of the book’s message were spirited, passionate, healing and highly transformative.

“The Healing Field” is a treasure that was written from the heart to the heart.

I am grateful to have been found and touched by it and to have had the opportunity to contribute my heartfelt response to its legacy and journey in the art form that I live to express in and through most.

To mark the completion of our journey and the magic of our collaboration, one last beautiful piece to the puzzle fell into place this past weekend. I was once again playing a house concert in Encinitas, this time with my soul sista Jess Johnson, and Dr. H, Elana & Joni, all dear friends of our host for the evening, were in attendance. It was that the very first time I was going to play the song, The Field, live and it was to be in their presence, along with the amazing community who brought us together in the first place. How does it get any better than that?

And so, it is with great pleasure that I now share this labour of love with you.