I've just returned from an uplifting weekend with James Twyman, Gregg Braden, Doreen Virtue and many others who were part of the Universal Lightworker's conference in Palm Beach, Florida. Some of you may remember James -- "The Peace Troubadour" -- from my column last year, and his astounding book, Emissaries of Light. He continues to spread vibrations of peace in Iraq, Ireland and around the USA with his Peace Concerts. The highlight of these programs is his multi-layered solo (ah yes, the miracle of electronic overdubbing) that invokes the power of sacred names and chants from the twelve major religions.

Gregg Braden is best know for his book, Return to Zero Point and as an excellent speaker and workshop leader on Sacred Prayer and the Essenes. He is also an accomplished Native American flute player, and has announced that he, Jimmy and (surprise) Liz Story will be on tour in 1999. Be sure to catch them when they come to your area.

After that non-stop weekend, I visited with the producers of the major event (Day of Awakening) that occurred March 6, 1998. Connie and Jerry Stern (of Universal Wisdom Foundations) are continuing to explore ways to share the light. One of their projects involves the inter-dimensional paintings of Jacqueline Ripstein. You may soon see her poster, Our Lady of the Universe, advertised as part of a fund-raising campaign for children in Bosnia. What makes her work unique is that she has developed a new way of painting involving "invisible pigments." Under black lights, her paintings are transformed in a way that speaks to us on an intuitive level. She is one of the new visionary artists using art to awaken spirituality in those who have eyes to see. For more information about her work and the posters, call 954/454-1114.

I left warm and humid Miami to go to cold and snowy Cleveland for the first annual conference of the newly-consolidated American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and was honored to share research and information with these dedicated professionals.

Connie and Jerry also introduced me to the phenomenal spiritual community in Italy known as Damanhur. I'll be reporting more fully on their work next month, but couldn't wait to let you know that one of the many amazing things that these folks are doing involves communicating with trees in a way that enables the trees to control synthesizers via MIDI. According to what I heard on their CD, the plants actually "jam": they respond in real time to the human musicians. At present, you cannot buy their CD in this country, but you may be able to by next month.

The current philosophy of AMTA is that of "the big tent." There is room for board certified music therapists as well as the more idiosyncratic sound healers. Allow me to clarify: one cannot call oneself a music therapist unless they have gone through the accredited courses and been certified. As you might imagine, there is still a spirited discussion as to exactly what and how to define each of these terms.

On the other hand, it is now recognized that Western European Classical music is not the only music that can be used therapeutically. The long tradition of indigenous sound healers in cultures around the world predates the field of music therapy by thousands of years (which is all the more reason to distrust any author or so-called expert who states that only classical music is appropriate for healing, or accelerated learning, or whatever.

On that note: Dr. Michael Thaut, whose work on the human response to rhythm has earned him international recognition, reported that several labs had duplicated the "Mozart makes you smarter" studies. This documented what I intuited -- and reported to you years ago!

Mozart is not the only composer whose work produces positive results. Selections by several other composers performed as well. Even more astounding: a recording of rain forest sounds yielded the same results as Mozart!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: There's a lot of hype and hoopla out there that bears little connection to the truth.

Setting the Record Straight Dept. (Part II) Look for an in-depth book on the "Mozart effect" by Dr. Gordon Shaw and associates. They are the team that actually did the research. You may have seen Dr. Shaw recently on the Lehrer News Hour. His book is due in the spring, and should be essential reading.

Incidentally, did you see the article in Newsweek (September 21, 1998), "Music is Good Medicine"? AMTA’s newly funded outreach department played a significant role in expanding a one-sentence mention into the full page coverage.

Until Next time, Stay Tuned - and have a wonderful New Year!