As Dawn greets us with sunshine and gifts us with new opportunities, many find their hearts clouded with thoughts of impending rain. This is a time of great change, worldwide. Societies are in painful transition and, like mice scurrying around the feet of wandering buffalo, we must plan our own steps very carefully. For some, if not most, this will be season of sacrifice and change in ways that are beyond our present imagining.

For me, today began as an introspective day. Dawn found me prayerfully searching the horizon, watching and listening for signs. Nature always has a lesson if we only pay attention! The sky was overcast, so searching for a message in the sun was in vain… The insects sounded muted and distant. Even the grass seemed too timid to have dew.

Just about then, a sign came to me in the form of a tiny mosquito… I watched her as she hovered above my garlic scented skin for almost a minute, wavering and hesitating, then sat down resolutely and began to drink with a shudder as if to say, “Regardless of how it tastes, I have to do what I have to do.”

I agree. We all must do what we must do. Which is why I killed that mosquito, who died with honor like a warrior.

From small things sometimes come big messages.

Creator, Open Our Eyes That We May See

AHO!

Just Because

Just because my understanding may be different
from yours, do not assume I have NO understanding.

We just come from different experiences.

Just because my vision is different from yours,
do not assume I am blind.

We just see things differently.

Just because you disagree with my words,
do not assume you are the only “good person”
in the conversation.

That is called prejudice. The mother of hatred.

- VoGE 2002

Another home and launching pad for VoGE meanderings is over on MySpace. With over 20 songs, plus photos, videos and many recent blog entries… Please join me there at www.MySpace.com/SteveCoxMemphis.

I have to admit, I’m having fun posting my music videos to YouTube.com. I was hesitant at first, not wanting to repeat my very disappointing experience with MP3.com when they suddenly went out of business… I had spent 3 years building an MP3.com niche on the web for VoGE music to be heard, only to have it disappear with less than two weeks notice. Ouch.

YouTube looks to be a whole different situation though. It looks like it’s going to be around for quite a while, especially with the $1.6 Billion dollar infusion it got from Google. I just hope all the murky copyright issues get resolved. The web NEEDS a central place for all of us to share video. It is an essential function of the Internet that stands to truly benefit humanity as a whole. And yes, I know that some will abuse it. That’s just the way it goes with all things involving humans and we’ll find ways to handle it. We always have in the past. But, in search of these corrections, let’s not get over zealous and choke the life out of the toddling concept… In spite of its (and our) imperfections, we need this conduit for inter-human communications.

With that said, I’m off the soapbox and sharing the first in a series of videos I have placed on YouTube.com…

This video is an excerpt from an afternoon music session with my good friend Andy Tate. He and I are performing live around the region and this is a small sample of what we’ve been playing. Many more videos to come… Stay tuned to the Talking Stick!

AHO!

…VoGE

Hello family, friends, and neighbors…

It’s been far too long since I’ve posted here and for that, I apologize. In fairness, I have been very busy… The 1001 details I will spare you, but the good news is that some of my busy-ness involved music… and I’m sharing it with you via online videos and mp3 links!

So let the fun begin. First of all, I’ve been very busy producing videos for myself and others for the last couple of years some of which you can check out via my video production site, AnotherGulliverProduction.com. Currently the lineup includes three VoGE streaming music videos online (in stereo even!):

SISTER MOON MEDICINE SONG (in Stereo)

NIGHT DOG SPIRITS (in Stereo)

CHICKASAW BLUFFS (in Stereo)

That should keep you busy watching for a bit. I have also posted quite a few videos on YouTube, but that’s a topic for another post… Which I will put together very shortly, I promise. Those of you who like to read ahead can go to YouTube and search for VoGE. I hope to see you there!

I had a conversation with an old and dear friend the other day. His heart was troubled by the world he saw around him. His faith gave him a type of strength, but it also robbed him of hope. He had been sold “Heaven in the sky” and was convinced that everything about this world was evil and corrupt.

My heart ached for him as I realized how little he knew of Grandmother Earth and Her wonders.

A family man, honest and caring about others, he was haunted by the terrible visions that filled his eyes and his TV set… The cruel deeds of his fellow men… The harsh realities of a world unbalanced. As his words unfolded I saw creases of pain that had been etched into his heart by negative experiences.

I shared his concerns, but not his anxiety and depression, for in my view, this is supposed to be a place of transition and change… An opportunity to grow as spiritual beings! It is only thru heat that steel can become tempered and strong. This world is a spiritual proving ground filled with the seeds of both Hell and Heaven. It is for each of us to decide which will flourish and grow in our own heart.

I tried to convey to my friend the wondrous visions Grandmother Earth bestows on those who will simply look… The nurturing of Spring babies, winged, furred, scaled, and naked… The gathering of the rainbow across the land as bare branches burst into celebration… The awesome spectacle of Sunrise, bringing with it another day full of possibilities yet undiscovered… But, his mind was closed to these wonders and they brought him little joy. Like a man riding backwards on a horse, he saw only the rutted, crapped-on path behind him.

He clung to his holy book like a shield against all pain. But in the process he also blocked out Creator’s healing Light!

I left my friend knowing that I had not reached him. His faint parting smile told me he thought me some opto-mystic fool with my head in the clouds. As I contemplated all we had shared with each other, a prayer for us both echoed through my spirit…

“Creator, open our hearts that we may feel… The possibilities in every moment… The miraculous in the commonplace. Creator, open our eyes that we may see… Beyond our pain… Beyond our perspective… Beyond the horizon. And let us always be open to the blessings you bestow upon us EVERY step of the way!”

AHO!