Life "After" a Global Crisis

Here we are, humanity, trying to makes heads or tails of the craziest year and a half most of us can remember. 

Did this bring us together, or tear us apart? Did the loss of life, income and opportunity make you bitter or push you out of your comfort zones? 

Are you still suffering? It feels as if most of the planet still is, and that we're really no better off than we were when the news broke. 

I wish I had the answers, but I don't. All I do know is that we have to put ourselves first. We have to take care of our health, our bodies, those things within our control, as best we can. 

We have to let go of people who are toxic and who bring harm in hard times. In the same breath, we need to know the difference between intentional harm and harm as a result of mental distress. There are many good eggs out there who are spiraling through this mess and that spiral looks and feels like something it really isn't if you take the time to see past the rants and look at the person behind them. 

The world is at its highest recorded numbers of mental illness, suicide and addiction use. Keep this in mind when you're operating out in the world. If you have love to give, radiate it. If you need love, ask for it. We're all still in this together, whether we like it or not.

The Shift

It was December 30, 2009.  I had ended a decade long relationship of love and toxic turmoil earlier that year, with a man I *know* I was tied to in a "way beyond this place" planned life.  My pulls are never wrong, ever. 

Since that time, I've treaded lightly in love, from not allowing myself to get close to "what I know" won't last, to cautiously believing in 2015, that I was on my way to a mutually respectful relationship headed towards a "real" marriage.  Instead, my heart was shattered by a coward.  Which, in the big picture, is OKAY.   Okay because my grandmother taught me, there's no room in a woman's life for a man without a spine to do the right thing.  Add to that the deaths of 2 other men I let into my day-to-day art of living these past 8 years, and well, needless to say, I've stayed single. Purposely single. Healing.

I haven't given up on love, on true partnership, on another pull walking into my life and rocking my world.  Just as I never lost the love I have towards the one I had to walk away from.  I will always love him from afar.  I will always be energetically tied to him.  I can tell you on any given day what mood he is in, or even when he thinks about me.  I will always love and appreciate what I learned in my time with him, raising his daughter as my own, enjoying the healthy days of energy between us, and becoming a strong woman walking away from them both (couldn't take her with me) to a healthier life, one free of his sociopathic, controlling, & narcissistic ways. 

God has a way of allowing us to create peace in any pain. We just have to look for the things to be grateful for in the situation, once removed from it. The 20+ years I spent knowing both the pull and the coward, I believe, laid the foundation, for whatever comes next for me. That one day, I'll have what was good and right about both of them, manifested in someone else. One taught me to trust my pulls. The other taught me that someone can and will love my Lipedema body, love me, accept me, with paranormal activities,  and everything that comes along with being a light, and a healer. That I can be me, 100% in my own skin.  A real partner, a best friend. No walls. No boundaries. Just effortless being. Yes, that's what's ahead. And, I'm happy being solo until I get it! Eight years later, I know my worth.  I hope you know yours. You're priceless. Remember that, I love you.

Connecting the Dots 2.0 - The Teachers & The Students

As Spring has began to turn around the mountains, it's a reminder of the Season's renewal.  A reminder of how we must remain steadfast and hopeful for warmer, brighter days ahead.  Especially when we endure the winters of our lives.

Some friends, as well as myself, have been navigating some circumstances in life that for many, could overturn even the most upright ship.  I have nothing but love and gratitude to those who grace my life with their own struggles, who bare their souls wide open, free from the fear of judgment, to connect and share that which pains them.  I think when we share with each other, we allow each other in. Within that mix of coming and going, we learn how to help one another.  That "tribe" way of living can make even the most painful of experiences peaceful one day.

I've been teaching a lot lately about "the dots"....those moments in life that change our course.  The ones that connect later and we see the picture before us of our lives.  The cause and effects of the journey.  Within the work of teaching, I'm reminded of the lessons in my own dots. 

There's nothing more liberating than being distant from those moments that you once thought defined you.  We get to a place where we just learn to be ourselves.  We make no apologies for being human, flawed, emotional and loving.  We don't care if people don't get us because those who do get us, they're worth our time and attention. We become that which we decide to become. We all have free will here.  Why not pick peace in the pain?

So, here we all are.  Enjoying what we can hold onto that's positive of life.  We're fortunate to even have an opportunity to connect those dots.  Far too many people don't get along far enough in life to do so and even more than that walk around immune to the cause and effect tapestry before them.

To each their own. In my big picture they're not present anyway.  :)

As you go about Spring and renewal, remember your own dots and find gratitude for those moments that were once heartbreakingly disappointing.  Without them, seeds wouldn't of been planted for the come back and transcendence of those obstacles.  All pain has opportunity.  We just need to be willing to be open to it.  Remember that.  I love you.

Copyright ©2016 Nita Clewis All rights reserved.  For personal use only.  Commercial use without permission of the author is not allowed.  Sharing with friends and family is warmly welcomed.

Waking Up - Acts II & Acts III

It started just like any other day.  I woke up, I gave thanks, I resonated on the day at hand and then I worked out.  I had my Juice Plus (which is one of my most favorite hacks in life, no, I don't sell it, but I can get you a link to a few people who do), my unsalted nuts as a snack later and I planted seeds for my business and ate leftover Thai for lunch.  I even made sure I had my cold pressed pineapple juice in the morning to get its wonderful anti-inflammatory properties going.  Yes, when it comes to nourishment, I'm mindful.  Mindful because I have this thing called Lipedema.  Mindful because I'm one of millions of Americans uninsured.  Mindful because cardiovascular problems run in my family, as does diabetes and clot problems with the women.  Mindful because I'm anchored to this world by the most compassionate and quick witted 16 year old boy on the planet.

Then I was tired.  Really, really tired.  I thought to myself that my PMS was kicking my rear this month, that I needed to lay down.  So, I did and laying there, I felt dopey tired.  The kind of tired that hits you when you have to take pain medication or you're going under for surgery.  It was heavy and it was instant.  I slept.  When I woke up, I was on my right side.  Normal.  Man oh man did my arm hurt, as did my face on that side.  I must have pinched a nerve.  Why was I so so, so, so tired though?  Why did I feel like I was coming out of surgery?  Having problems rolling over and sitting up?  Having problems staying awake on the john?  What in the hell is happening to me?  I know, I must have pinched a nerve and my hormones must be out of whack.  I'll go pet the rescue feral and bond with him until I wake up completely and get the feeling back in my face and my arm stops hurting. I could hear him scratching at his door anyway.  

I sat with him, reading my friend's messages to me while asleep.  My arm was so heavy trying to pet him.  It hurt so bad.  I was trying to use it to hit the voice to text button on my phone.  It didn't want to do what I wanted it to do.  I tried to talk, I felt loopy.  I could hear the words in my head but I was talking in slow motion.  I told my friend I felt like a zombie, that something was off, that I'd never felt like this before and I felt drugged.  I eventually actually composed a couple of messages and sent them to her.  I walked into my kitchen and grabbed the house phone from the living room to call a friend in the medical profession as she was getting off work.  We talked.  She was alarmed.  I listened.  Then, the most important thing I did was I acted.  I went to the hospital in town.  I was having a stroke. At 40.

Yes, at 40 years young, I was having a TIA.  One that would leave me with a sore arm, and a novocaine is wearing off cheek that's trying to heal itself to this day.  All tests would show I wasn't at risk.  In fact, I was at lower than average risk.  All those fruits and veggies I love to eat with my sea life and occasional land animals would pay off.  My panels were beautiful and I had no clots anywhere they looked for them.  I don't know what's scarier, knowing you've had a stroke or knowing you've had a stroke but you can't really explain why you've had it and what needs to be done to correct it?  Ummm, yeah.  That was my thought exactly.  Let that sink in for a moment.

Within 48 or so hours, I was home in my bed again, loving on my furbabies and thanking all that is for my place in this world.  Crying over reconnecting with that girl I raised as my own who walked out of our lives.  Moved over my friends and family gathering around to lift me up and see me through it all. Shaken to my very core because......because I knew before it happened that something was coming.  So much so I updated my complimentary estate planning (Will, Advance Medical Directive and Living Will) through my LegalShield provider law firm because I could do so at no cost owning their membership (not to mention I connect others with it and I do have medical bills to pay so if you need help in the USA, let me know).  My finalized documents arrived on Wednesday. I stroked on Thursday.  

I'd heard the whispers in my ears to go on a baby aspirin regimen just because.  I felt the obnoxious pull to get every faucet of my life in order.  I had weird sappy moments of wanting to write letters to every important person in my life "just in case" I didn't get to tell them what they meant to me in this journey (of which I still plan to do except now that urgent NOW is gone).  Anytime I felt like not working out, I felt the pull and kick in the rear to do so and go above and beyond the last round.  I just felt this feeling that something was coming and that I was running out of time.  But here's the thing.  I wasn't worried about it or obsessed about it.  I just had these fleeting thoughts and went about my days, living and enjoying life being of service to others and creating something good for myself and my anchor in this world. 

48 hours grounded me and leveled me.   48 hours woke me up more than I already thought I was awake.  48 hours made me run out of "fucks to give."  Something happens when you think you're young and healthy and the body fires a warning shot.  You're left laying there captive in a hospital analyzing everything behind and ahead of you.  You remember what matters most and what doesn't.

Three things matter in this life.  Connecting with others.  Having stability.  Nurturing ourselves.  As long as we do those three things, we're pretty stress free and content with surviving.  We're actually thriving when we do these things.  Nothing makes me happier than connecting with another human being, whether in friendship, business or in love.  Having a roof over my head and yummy food in the cabinets and fridge that's good for my body and spirit keep me level.  It's been a darn good life, even with all the heartache of loss and changes that come when you grow up and learn to love yourself first. Had that afternoon been my call home, I could of made peace with that, even if I'd of been pissed off to have missed out on the things I have left to do here and the people I have left to love on.  Especially my parents considering their own health problems these last couple of years.  They didn't need that and thankfully, didn't have to deal with such a loss. 

I was high on life and grateful to be in a place to receive so much love.  It's hard for me to allow other people to do for me as I have done for them.  I had to learn to allow people in and to just receive.  I was reminded by a friend in the flow that, "I don't believe it's a consequence that EVERY SINGLE GALAXY is spinning, every planet and star is spinning, every atom is spinning...Hence...What goes around comes around."  I had to allow those whom I've poured into to in turn pour into and do for me.  It was a valuable life lesson for Ms. Independent.  One I'm still doing my best to navigate.  

Then, as I was recovering, I came down with the worst illness/bug I've had in my 40 years of living.  In the middle of the night, I danced with the devil and hit rock bottom in that suffering.  The next morning I was thrown a lifeline by a dear friend calling to check in on me and I picked myself out of the wallows of desperation and into the light of transcendence and surrender.  I was going to get well.  I was going to feel good again.  I was going to live this life.  And most of all, I was going to continue to give thanks to those who are part of my tribe who give me a reason to be here and thrive. 

Tonight, as I pen this draft, I'm on the tail end of that super bug.  I'm focused on healing my mom and son who are now suffering with it, as well as my dear friend who helped me do some driving for my son over the winter break.  I'm a few weeks away from 41 and doing something I love, listening to live music with dear friends, old and new.  My guides and angels are with me.  No matter what comes next, I'm ready.  I'm free.  I carry forward into Act III of this life an overflowing joy and peace at what is and oceans full of hope for what will be.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure they say.  It's true.  Take care of yourselves.  Make right choices.  Find and create joy in your life.  Learn to remove life's stresses and just be.  Stop analyzing what's been or about to be.  Just enjoy the ride and go about the business of connecting, creating stability and nourishing your body, mind and spirit.  The rest is just experience anyway and good or bad, it's all going to serve your greater good.  Remember that.  I love you.

Copyright ©2016 Nita Clewis All rights reserved.  For personal use only.  Commercial use without permission of the author is not allowed.  Sharing with friends and family is warmly welcomed.

Dare to Jump - Navigating the "Perfect Storm"

Earlier this month I mentioned that I would cover an episode of transcendence. I've said before that when I started making Knowing public via this blog that I was doing so pass along the beneficial knowledge of life, to be able to help others.  I never "knew" or thought that it would evolve into what it's morphing into today.  A day to day life of nudges, downloads and occasional visits from entities who have once incarnated here and since gone home to the other side.  I still don't get it or understand it all and I doubt I ever will.  I don't think that's the point however.  As much as we humans love to know answers, I think some answers won't come until we close our eyes that one last time and make the leap ourselves back into full spirit form.  I think the point of these changes in my own journey is to simply hold my attention (short attention span theater say what) long enough to keep me on my toes.  All kidding aside, it takes a lot of removing one's own ego to TRUST what one is receiving for another.  To have the courage to open one's mouth and reach.  I experienced my hardest reach yet and I wanted to share it with you here in hopes that the next time you're on your own self inflicted fence, that you'll act and get out of your own way as I did that fateful night.

What happened was that I found myself in another state and another town "playing team" for an old friend.  Live music at a venue I'd always wanted to get to for other events but that never manifested due to other situations taking the wheel of life.  Even my friend of 19 years who was performing was an important part of what occurred that evening.  Today as I pen this blog, she's performing in New York on their largest bill yet, KROCKATHON.  I was supposed to be at their EP Release in Baltimore at Otto Bar the week after the Baltimore riots and that didn't manifest either due to health issues on my end so this show on June 12th was important in many ways.  The venue.  The artist.  The getting to say congratulations, this EP is magnificent in person talk.  Little did I know just how all be design it really was.  I'd even invited friends to attend with me.  Friends who couldn't come or who had to back out at the last moment, leaving me flying solo with my friend, her band, other patrons and my own thoughts and the nudges that would come later as the evening progressed.  Even her merchandise volunteer didn't show up, which put me in that area for a while and allowed me to fulfill that little need for them while they performed their set.  

After their performance, I went to watch the next artist, someone new to me whom I was "pulled" towards by Spirit from the moment they walked in the room for sound check.  Not the "who are you" pull but the "pay attention Nita and listen" pull.  My friend was so excited to see this artist live but she couldn't leave her band duties to go up there so I gladly volunteered and went up to take photos for both of us and see what this "pull" was all about.  Standing there is when I first felt him, someone present from over there.  Someone really strong and really persistent.  I tried to ignore him.  I was enjoying the music, even singing along to songs "as if I knew them" which to this day, I can't really explain.  The energy was incredibly intense. So intense as time passed that it became unbearable.  I had to get back, to get away from where it was directing me.

I returned to the "safety" of the merchandise table and my friend, visibly shaken and a bit wigged out.  I told her what was happening, for I trust her and know she won't make fun of me or judge me on these things I can't explain.  I told her what I was receiving and she turned white and almost started crying, saying, "You don't know, do you?"  "Know what girly?" "........." (what she shared, that I'm holding privately for this blog).  No, I didn't.  Immediately I wanted to throw up.  She told me that she and this artist were Facebook friends and that's how she knew.  She was so shaken she needed a drink and couldn't walk to the bar to get it and I was so shaken I wanted to leave as fast as humanly possible.  I also "knew" that I needed to in some way push myself past my "stranger danger" zone and tell this person I did not know what was happening.  I was terrified.  

I found myself making a very difficult decision.  Next thing I know, they're tearing down their merchandise table and packing up and the person in question is standing next to me, taking on that table to connect with their new fans.  What to do?  What to do?  What to do Nita?  I pulled out my notepad for work and flipped it over and started writing, hand shaking.  Upon finishing the same, I walked over and gave it to him, apologizing that I had to leave, and instructing him not to read it until he left the venue.  I then bolted.  I didn't even get to say goodbye to my friend.  I sat in my car for about a half hour trying to get my energy under control enough to leave, telling the energy on the other side to let off enough to let me do what I needed to do to get home.

I went home and that energy stayed with me all weekend.  We talked some (that energy and I) and I promised to leave a door open.  Within 3 days, I was awoken just before 3am by that energy, to then hear my phone notifications going off.  There he was, that artist, reaching back.  There I was, wide awake, responding.  Time would pass and exchanges would happen.  I then understood.  I got out of my own way, my own fears, my own self inflicted boundaries and "made the jump."  I'm not sure if I would ever do so without a mutual friend (virtual or otherwise) there to build a bridge of encouragement, but I'm grateful that I did so this one time on a warm summer night in June of 2015.  

Not only have I met someone that's part of the extended tribe now (thanks Thomas and David, you're both making me smile big between this one and the last one), I've discovered another rare God given talented artist that's come here to heal and change lives with their gifts.  Someone who needed me in their path that night as much as I needed that exercise in trusting and letting go.  The music is just a blissful bonus that's "here by design" to enjoy and make me smile.

I'm sharing this story because I want you to know what's possible.  To know that your nudges and inspired thoughts are there for a reason. TRUST THEM.  PLEASE.  Listen to them and act upon them.  Don't question the why, how or what.  Just act.  The Universe is doing its thing and we're just all a part of it all on this spinning place we call home (for now).  I know I've said this a few dozen times over, but our inspired actions change lives.  We might not get to see it, but know it's true.  Just consider it a blessing when someone allows you to see a glimpse of what comes from it after the fact.  We're all pulled towards people, places, things and opportunities.  We just sometimes get so caught up in what "we want" that we don't listen to what "the Universe wants."  I've come to think that when we do we're really just following our own intentions and manifestations, as well as being tools used in other people's intentions and manifestations.  

One thing I've learned since losing Thomas is that we must trust the "pulls" in life.  That when we recognize another from "beyond here" that there's work to do.  God/the Universe is good, all the time.  Listen.  Remember that.  I love you.

Copyright ©2015 Nita Clewis All rights reserved.  For personal use only.  Commercial use without permission of the author is not allowed.  Sharing with friends and family is warmly welcomed.      

Meanwhile, a Sweet Angel Needs Us

2011

While in the midst of processing Dave's funeral services my 39th birthday weekend/father's 80th birthday weekend, I was also processing the declining health of my cousin Amy's daughter Kaylee.  Her short six years here with us have been a neverending struggle as a Stage 4 warrior of Cystic Fibrosis.  Amy is the granddaughter of the Lucille and Clifford Long, brother of the woman who helped to raise my dad, Elsie Hinson.  Clifford and my dad grew up together in Cerro Gordo, North Carolina.  I was born when my parents took a last minute trip in my mom's pregnancy to Cerro Gordo to visit relatives.  I came two months early and was born in Whiteville. Today I hear there's some piece of writing my mom did in calligraphy still on the walls of the maternity ward at their new facility.  I'm sad to say I haven't seen it though.  It's on my list for my next extended visit.

Amy Long was one of my best friends growing up.  I so looked forward to visits to the farm to hang out with her, Erin Fowler and Angie Norris.  We'd run dirt roads in bare feet on hot summer days, shuck corn on the side porch, drive "momma's car" up and down the dirt road when older between residences to fetch each other or things our older relatives needed.  We'd bunker down during storms in the unused room in Elsie's house that no one ever went in that had the organ in it, tell stories and laugh until we hurt.  We'd walk to Mary's store for treats whenever the weather was right.  When I started driving, we'd make loops through Whiteville cruising when I would visit and shop at the Family Dollar in Chadburn (I think it was Family Dollar).

Amy (Robin behind her) on the family property.  I was always taking photos.

Amy was always a tough girl. She weathered life's storms and her childhood.  When "momma" passed, she mourned Lucille as if she'd been her momma because their bond was that strong.  To this day she still aches for her.  Amy herself became a mom early on in life with Brooke and then expanded her family close to a decade later when Kaylee joined them.  From day one Kaylee had obstacles with her health but Amy never complained or asked anyone for anything.  She just soldiered on as she always has.

I'd been married and divorced, had my own family, moved a few times to a few states.  I had not seen her for over 15 years when we finally visited briefly in September of 2012 after a house fire wherein they'd lost everything, including the family dog.  Gratefully, they weren't home for that.  I always wish to be there with them, to see their kids growing up, to make dinner and just be grown ups around each other. They are my family and life hasn't been the same without them in the years I have been away from visiting.

Fast forward to this winter and Kaylee's health began to deteriorate.  Thanks to social media I'd been able to keep up with my family down there in a way that was time conducive to Amy who rarely has a moment to herself these days. The new year started out very scary for them.  Hospitalized with 30% lung function and N1H1 was horrific for Kaylee.  As it stands right now, Kaylee's medications are causing allergies, she's not getting results from them and her lung function is not improving. Her doctors aren't pleased and they're concerned.  That in and of itself is enough to scare any parent.  No wonder they're both "out of brave."  In fact, it was the brave dialogue that made me ill to my stomach wanting to do more for them.

    

Again, my cousin asks for nothing. Her only quests in life are to be successful, to provide for her children, to have them with her healthy and whole, and to be a good mom and nurse.  She's a simple soul.  She knows what matters and what's important.  Kaylee's dad helps to support his family and thanks to him, they haven't lost everything yet.  Yet is the hard word to accept.  Amy can't work when she's caring for Kaylee.  They're not together and he works out of the area as most do in Columbus County.  That's just how it is in that area of the country for employment.  Many leave those they love to be able to care for them and provide basic needs.  Darrell is doing his best to try and make sure Amy doesn't lose everything, more than he's required to do for Kaylee as well.  Amy's income alone dropped 75% from 2012 to 2013 just because Kaylee was sick.  Yet they all carry on and you'd never know they've endured so much by just looking at them.

Kaylee & Momma

Amy, when Kaylee is healthy, works full-time in Urgent Care and goes to school to further her medical education.  She's never stagnate.  When Kaylee isn't well, she doesn't have a moment to breathe sometimes. Most days are run around trying to work, medical appointments, school and parenting.  She does as we all do, she goes forth into the world, smiles and pushes on for her family.  Amy doesn't put herself out there and she doesn't talk about her problems unless you ask or you're family that she's comfortable with.  Amy is one of the sweetest and most hard working people I know.  If I myself had full-time income right now, I'd be down there at least one weekend a month just being around to spread sunshine and do for them.  Go to the store, sit with them, make them laugh, give them good memories together, let her rest, etc.

January 2011, a prior hard winter in the hospital

I'm not though and because of that, when my heart dropped reading those words about bravery, I knew I had to do something.  ANYTHING.  I reached out online to my own family and friends on my private Facebook.  I asked Amy if I could go public with what was going on though, if I could seek information about survivors, what worked for them, what's working in care for pediatrics, who can help be a light, lighten the load, etc.  She was open to every person who wants to bless them.  A prayer.  A kind word.  A sweet gesture.  A survivor story.  A reminder to be hopeful.  A blessing.  Whatever God puts on a persons heart you know, just as it was put on my heart to have her cloaked in love not facing this alone.

January 10, 2014 being admitted to isolation and pushing through

So, I did what I knew how to do.  I created a Facebook community page to encourage them and surround them in love.  In a week, 800 beautiful souls have joined as one to do this work of Healing for Kaylee Meares. I'm in utter awe and have fallen in love all over again with my hometown.  Fire departments, sheriff's office personnel, moms, dads, pastors, medical personnel, realtors, and the like have come together to carry them through and Kaylee reads every word of it.  This sweet, sweet angel wanted to know all of their names so that she could pray for them too.  Amy, you've done good girl.  So, so good.

Brooke & Kaylee

Brooke is an amazing sister too.  She's your normal teenage girl with a tough upbringing.  She's been taking on as much as she can to help and be a light to her mom when she's not stressing about the situation with her sister and trying to remember to be a teenager with her friends.  She goes out and has a good time but by no means is her life easy.  She worries for her mom, something no teenager needs to do.  Teen girl life is hard enough.  She tries to never complain.  Indeed Amy, you've done really well girl with them both.

Brooke & Kaylee

This Valentine's Day, think of them and send them some love.  If you want to join her community on Facebook, follow the links herein.  One can never have too much love to see them through.  Remember that.  I love you.

https://www.facebook.com/HealKayleeMeares

Copyright ©2014 Nita Clewis All rights reserved.  For personal use only.  Commercial use without permission of the author is not allowed.  Sharing with friends and family is warmly welcomed.

Following One's Way - The Teacher

I know the will of my soul.

The act of being brave has paid off a few times over these past 38 years.  Life often has a reciprocity of said things.  By trusting and following a new path in life, I left behind the known that wasn't working in my life for the unknown of endless possibilities.  I was at a crossroads in 2009.  By fall 2010 I'd created this sacred place of renewal, of hope and of strength going forward.  This was the time period when Knowing started as well.

Although I was broken into a few pieces following years of mental anguish, I was whole enough to carry forward, to remember who I was before that pain.  That light pushed out the darkness and once I was free again to thrive, I started making choices that would serve my highest good.  In that like attracts like, it was only fitting that it is at this time that my closest friend would appear and become my greatest teacher in remembering.  That move away from what wasn't serving me into creating a healthy environment of what would serve me set into motion a series of events that have given me some of the best years of my adult life.  As a result of that about face on the journey, I made choices that would allow me to cross paths one night with my first teacher of the metaphysical.

I was at a function for work, an exercise in commitment to myself to leave no stone unturned.  I was doing as I was asked to do, plugging in and playing team.  Interesting about that evening was that I almost didn't go.  I remember sending a message stating that I would be arriving late and apologizing for the same.  I'd been at my mom's in Rappahannock that afternoon helping her and my grandfather.  A perk of living where I live is that I can be there when it matters within minutes.  Just a desire to give back that which I've been given.

I arrived late, walked in and towards the front of the room to have a seat in front of someone I'd not seen there before.  That person is Thomas Grant, IV.  A young man who introduced himself after the meeting and whom I would develop a working relationship with in the near future.  I remember sitting there as if it was just hours ago, feeling his energy, knowing him from before our physical form.  I've met very few people this lifetime who I resonate with from the first moment we see each other but when it has happened, they've always played a roll they were meant to have.  Thomas was one of those people. 

From that chance meeting, a friendship would build that would warrant itself one of the bests of this lifetime.  I say chance because it was an odd night for him to get out of his regular work in the city and make it out here for an evening event.  Oh yes, chance.  The one thing I've learned really doesn't exist.  :) 

All because I dared to jump.  All because I chose to believe.

Yesterday we suddenly lost my friend Thomas Grant IV.  He was my confidant, a frequent fixture in my home.  He was the trusted kind of friend, the kind you don't even question giving an extra house key to.  Once a colleague and eventually a brother.  A light of wisdom, a seeker of truth and a lover of music.  A man who despite his long physical suffering strived to grow and become all that he could.

His mission was to be and by becoming he passed along what he learned on the path.  The last year of his life we took it to another level, meeting each week to do focused work in expanding our highest selves.  Who I am today as a person, a writer and an intuitive is connected deep in the knowledge gained through our friendship and our weekly metaphysical class.  Who he was when he departed was a man of deep gratitude to all who served as his teachers as well.  That was the beauty of our friendship, of our times together.  Everything we exchanged was electric and of a magnitude unlike any other.  The people in our circle are just as in tune to what we're doing.  We will each carry his torch forward through the pain of the physical loss and remember all that we learned because of our bond.  The work is not done.  Thomas is simply now participating from the other side and in the end, that may be his greatest gift yet.

Indeed, this is just the beginning.  Not just for this chapter but for all things Knowing going forward.  I've longed to bring to you the lessons of class, of what truths we are being enlightened to, of the lessons we are learning in our own journeys.  Thomas always supported this and was a large part of the tech side of my vision here as well.  So, as I give thanks to my teacher and best friend expect to get to know him more going forward.  There's so much to write about and share.  Tonight is about the gratitude, about taking the love and the lessons forward.  Tonight is about saying thank you to my fellow teacher.  I will forever be indebted to him.

In closing this introduction to Thomas, I want to share with you what we touched on in our last class.  It was a follow up to a prior discussion about the Hawaiian saying Ho'oponopono.  It literally means (as written from my notes) "I love you. I'm sorry.  Please forgive me. Thank you."  I have included a hyper-link at the word Ho'oponopono above so that you can learn more.  Another seminar of the speaker at the link was actually one of my last shares from Thomas as well.  Incredibly grateful to be able to share it now with you.

I love you.

Thomas making us laugh after class
as we celebrated Josh's birthday this summer.

Copyright ©2013 Nita Clewis All rights reserved.  For personal use only.  Commercial use without permission of the author is not allowed.  Sharing with friends and family is warmly welcomed.

     

Songs are Stories 3.0 - #BeyondTheMusic

The interview of Donald "DC" Carpenter, lead singer of Eye Empire, came via the flow, through the trusting and listening to the inner guidance that is "the knowing" in life.   Asking for him to be a part of the follow-up blog to Songs are Stories was outside of my typical mode of operation.  I've never interviewed anyone for it.  However, not doing so would of been an injustice to the process that is "inspired thought."  Having the opportunity to enter into a personal conversation with someone I knew of but had not met yet was an exercise in expansion.  

What would come by trusting the same would be so incredibly moving.  It got me thinking, aren't all "acting on inspired thoughts" moments an exercise in expansion?  Hello....we don't get to the best fruit in life unless we're willing to climb to the higher limbs and reach out for the same.  The risk of reaching is what always leads to the reward.

The forty minutes of humble answers to some tough questions were worth it.  I could not of asked for a more meaningful interview for our Knowing community.  It is my hope that when you're done reading this, that you'll take with you even a sliver of what I did walking off of that rig.  It is my hope that you'll know you're not alone, and that others out there "get it" like we do and are passing it forward to make a difference.  Enjoy this conversation with DC and when you're done, go out and make your own Impact on the people in your world.

It is evident in your band's Facebook posts that a sincere desire to positively influence others has birthed itself onto the rock n' roll stage, utilizing the platform you have with your fans.  You stated on the band's biography page that, "For me, it is something I feel is needed in the overall picture. Three Simple words that say so much: Embrace Love Not Hate & Judgment. Respect Everyone no Matter Race, Creed or Preference and Support Each Other by Being Present & Active. If you are at an Eye Empire Show, then we are all there for the same reason."  I first saw the Beyond The Music hash tag last year in November, at about the same time you posted a video opening up and inviting in others to be inspired.  You shared it on your band's Facebook page and that in turn lead to Songs are Stories being written here.  That gesture opened a door wherein your fans could reach out to each other and to you for love, respect and support.  You were home at the time from the road and working to implement a connection with everyone to be informed of the writing process of the upcoming record.  What manifested that into your life at that point DC, do you remember what was going on?  

DC:  I don't know, I guess it's part of a natural evolutionary process that takes hold at a certain point in the journey.  For this band, and for me as a front man, I'm kind of a philosopher.  I'm the one that has to come out and go beyond the music at the shows, to embrace the communication factor.  

Over the years as we evolved through our previous bands, through our experiences, you go through these different phases.  You go from being overly aggressive to being compassionate and then kind of being sheltered and walled in and shut down.  I think you get to this point.  My experience coming into this band early on and seeing what we were able to create with our fans, and then getting through a year and a half of touring, is something.  When we took that break we were already at a place where we were deep into the rigors of touring.  We were coming out here and seeing what works and what really moves people and what we can do as a band.  When I got home, it gave me time to reflect on that and evolve through that initial touring experience.  

I went up to Atlanta to record for the second record, flying up the day that Newtown happened.  We spent the next three days like everybody else, following all of the news stories and at the same time trying to record this record.  It became this very reflective experience where I started to think and came to this realization that "that young man could of been an Eye Empire fan."  I realized that a lot of people look to bands when they're struggling or their searching, or when they really don't have a lot to lean on.  In the same sense we're a band that goes out and looks for those types of people because we want to comfort them, we want to bring them a reliability.  I felt like it was time for me to tear down some of those walls, and just opened up myself a little more with being a little bit more hands on about trying to take a proactive approach and making an impact on people's lives.  

Speaking of making an impact, Eye Empire participated in the Battlefield of the Mind project, a film from Fran Strine about our homeless and PTSD veterans.  You have a history of service yourself and understand on a deeper level what these men and women go through.  I've seen your love of this project and giving back to our veterans. Is this your singular focus at the moment or are there other issues pulling at your heartstrings?

DC:  That's just one thing that's been an opportunity that's been afforded to us early on.  Right now, it's really hard to have a singular focus or a certain soap box.  It's really a juggle right now for us.  When you tear down those walls and take upon more responsibility, there are just so many issues that start to come out.  As soon as I opened up that door, there were cancer struggle issues or people in financial situations right now in these tough times.  You roll that in with the war scenario and the revolution that's going on, there are just so many aspects that are key and dear and right now it's a juggle.  It's about trying to find a balance in how we do that.  It's also a time sensitive thing.  We have to grow to a certain point before we can really start addressing some of these things and take it a little further.  

Coming into this band as it was evolving, joining BC and Corey, having evolved on your own journey as a singer and being a part of this brotherhood, how have they made an impact upon you? 

DC:  I don't know, it's a tough question.  It's one of those things where you're in the midst of this struggle.  We're kind of like the guys from Alive (the movie) where you get stuck out in this survival situation.  It's an interesting question; it really does make me reflect.  Right now, it's just really great to be around people that have a lot of respect and appreciation for what everybody does.  

There's a lot of arrogance and ego when you go into these scenarios a lot of times and very quickly certain resentments can build up.  There are these different underlying issues that you're dealing with, wherein you're walking on eggshells where you don't have the ability to really communicate and effectively evolve and communicate together as a group.  It's always difficult but with this band it's different.  I'm not saying it's any easier, we've had some crazy times out here where it got a little difficult but we've been able to push through those moments and become stronger--that's unique in itself.  A lot of times bands don't make it this far; sometimes in bands it falls apart long before it ends.  Many of these bands will spend years just bitter, not even talking to each other until they're on stage.  Music always brings us back together at the end of the day no matter how tough it has been.  It's a pretty beautiful thing.  

The supportive, beautiful and amazing families at home are aware of the unending sacrifices they make as you travel and build the dream.  We know you couldn't do it without their love and support.  They say technology is supposed to make it easier.  Being away from your families, what has the impact of their support while on the road been for you?  

DC:  That's what funny, they think that technology has made it easier but it doesn't.  It's another one of those fallacies of the age we live in.  Nothing substitutes being there, being a part of your children's lives and of your family's life, especially when you're the supporter.  It's something that our families have been a part of this since the beginning. It's something that we made a commitment together from the beginning to stick it out.  I think more than anything that's what keeps it together is knowing that we involve them and they're inclusive in this entire process.  It helps you to go through the struggle.   

It reminds me of the military, of the family and friends who have to go overseas or on assignment and of those who travel for a living in general.  It's a hard burden to bear.  It's a sacrifice and because of their support you're able to do what you do.

Yes, everyone is in it together.  That's exactly how those military families are.  Those wives at home are just as supportive as the buddies on the battlefield.

It's good to hear that you have this circle of support and commitment, not many bands out here have that gift.  Speaking of love and support, how does this circle pour into your creation of music?  We can hear it in songs such as the acoustic "I Don't Wanna Leave" on YouTube. 

DC:  It's always there.  It just so happens that during this writing session that I was writing my own tunes, writing my own reflective tracks.  I reached out to Corey and said I had a song about my family, that it's about my love for them, it's a love song.  In the same sense, as I was writing it, it became about our musical family.  I started envisioning at the end of the night having that song playing.  

You start to realize being out here that it's not just a rock show for a lot of people.  Sometimes it's their birthday, somebody's anniversary, or their first rock show ever.  We hear these stories every night and at the end of those nights, even if it's a first date, you get that sense where you just don't want it to end.  It's been such a good evening, you're having such a good time, and you just look at each other in the eyes and "I don't want to leave, I don't want this moment to end" and that's something that we get caught up in often leaving our families.  They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and we're always reminded of how special our relationships are a little more frequently than others. 

Mike Adam, who recently passed to cancer, Leanna Kossack, who passed in January to cancer, Silas's cancer story that swept the nation, as well as the happy news for baby Nash Luker who's now in remission, there are just a few of the lives you've supported and touched within the Eye Empire community.  What are you taking forward in life from their lives and that involvement?  Have you had a chance to reflect on it?  Honestly, it's been overwhelming in my opinion.  So many beautiful people and their loving supportive friends and families were involved.

DC:  It's a deflection thing, I never really like to interject myself as anything into it other than a facilitator to what's natural to begin with.  This should be a natural process. There are no instigators.  It's just something that should be, just a community of people who care about each other, who are just willing to take five to ten minutes just to leave some insightful kind words.  

A lot of us love to turn a blind eye, and like to act like we cannot empathize or be compassionate, or we think that we have to of experienced it ourselves in order to console this person.  I just don't think that's true.  There's a basic understanding that we all need.  We all need to be consoled, we need to be loved, we need to be empowered and we need to be encouraged, supported and acknowledged.  Everyone is at different points in their journey.  For me, if I take anything away from it, it's enlightenment, it's getting closer to our true selves.

I can see what the impact has been upon you with the brotherhood and sisterhood on the journey.  As you say, the revolution of what's to come.  There's a lot of information out there to filter through. 

DC:  It's very hard out here to try and maintain a sense of enlightenment, that's for sure.  You have to try to generate as much positivity as you can.  Coming out here every night, being able to talk to soldiers that are in attendance, I've had some crazy moments with these stories that have come out of folks about what the music does for them.  That really keeps you going.   

What lessons about life are you most compelled to share with the Eye Empire community?  As a vocalist you're often the mouthpiece of the band.  Others are represented in interviews and connect with the fans but more often than not you're the connection to the Eye Empire community.

DC:  I know with my previous band's experiences, I always thought it was a little restricting not to ever really show what you truly were, say politically or spiritually.  All these things to me that matter more than anything, there was always this political incorrectness that was attached to it, that if you ever went there it was career suicide or it would create this mayhem that was unwanted.  I wanted to try and find a way with this band to incorporate a little more who we really are, how we view the world, and what we bring into it.  

There are some enlightenment things in there, some spirituality things in there, and some political things in there that we touch on, but I'm trying to do it in a way to where it's respectful, not overbearing and not too one sided.  Really, we should just be communicating and discussing and no one should have a certain stance one way or another.  The discussion should be open.  I think it's going to be an evolutionary process over time where I think we're going to be able to push those issues a little more as the Empire grows, as a society we start to awaken a little more and we're a little more willing to have these conversations.  Hopefully we'll position ourselves to be one of those bands to be right in the middle of the discussion. 
  

To me it sounds like your own evolvement has gone in such a way that you're not operating from ego.  At Knowing we talk a lot about removal of the ego, so it's good to hear that you're in tune with what is versus what we often struggle with, the idea of what we think should be.  Coming from that perspective, what lesson would you like to share with your fellow tribe of musicians?  You're out here on the road touring with different bands on various runs; you're in locations that sometimes have local musicians opening for you. You're out here doing it on your own; you're a self-built band from the ground up, going out there and finding people to help you create the dream into fruition.

DC:  It's one of those things where you're supposed to just be an example.  You don't really come out and say I have all of the answers.  You just show by doing, you are the example.  You can't say this is how you do it.  Everyone is going to have their own way and their own personality with which they do things.  

It's a tough question.  I don't like to say here's the answer or we have the answer or even come to us for advice.  We try to put ourselves into a position where we have a lot to learn.  That's the main thing, to just be humble.  Always know that you have a lot to learn and be willing to take the lead from a lot of these guys out here who might be trying to set an example.  For us, we've learned how broken the local music scene is.  We just want to be encouraging these guys to be making music in general and hopefully they'll grow and have another opportunity to come out and play again.  

During your downtime you decompress with movies, ball games, visiting friends, that kind of thing.  Do you read on the road?  Does anyone else read on the road?  If so, what are you currently enjoying?  

DC:  We read different things, I read different stuff.  There's a lot of blogs online, a lot of good stuff online.  Nietzsche was the last guy that I was really reading.  I've got some stuff in my bunk right now.  He's gotten a little heavy for me right now with my enlightenment thing so I had to put him to rest until I discover a little more.  Most of the time, we're pretty well consumed with what we're planning next in our Eye Empire world.

We were touching on earlier the mental and physical toll taken on the road.  You said a lot of times just getting back up on that stage at night brings you together and gets you centered.  In addition to that, are there any other things you employ and take with you on the road to try and keep your sanity about you?  They say it's tough out here.

DC:  I practice meditation and I do yoga every day.  Health in general, I think a healthy body is a healthy mind.  It's really hard if you're out here and you're putting a bunch of chemicals in your body, and you're drinking a bunch of alcohol all of the time and partying it up, it's hard to keep your sanity out here.  You can see how people can lose touch with themselves.  You hit the nail on the head, every night it gets brought back to perspective, it really is that music.  I have really bad days out here.  You just get out there and you see these folks who bring you into their world.  There may only be 15 people out there but you understand that even if just one person needs it out there, you just have got to go out there and give it.  It brings you back to reality. 

As you wrap up this tour in the next week, week and a half.....(DC: 9 days).  Nine days, the final countdown to home.  You're turning your attention to finalizing your next album, to putting out the material you recorded.  In that you're continuing to build this from the ground up I suspect you'll be touring again soon.  This time next year, what's the vision for Eye Empire?

DC:  Yes, it's a never ending cycle.  We have our strategy down.  Now we have our numbers, we have a long progression, period of time that we can judge, where we can say this works, this doesn't work, what's our strategy going forward as far as touring.  We're leaning more towards supporting.  We finally earned enough credibility to where we can start to garner some of these larger tour numbers.  It's what really helps a band grow early on.  That's key, that was a key step to get to.  

Obviously, another key step is new music.  Something we can start from scratch and say this is the one and only version of this album, with this set up to it, with everything being proper and aligned with each other.  That's something that's already being put together right now.  Once we finish in the next nine days it's going to be at least two weeks of nothing.  Corey is going to spend a couple of days getting the studio set up and that's when we're going to go in and finish the last 30, no 10%, well I say 120% is what's put into a record so yea, we'll go in and put that other 30% in and get it done.  August 17th should be our first show back out.  Then we will have some shows tying us into Seether and Ten Year's run from August into September.  Then we just got added to that The Aftershock Festival in Sacramento.  

Wow, awesome.  That will be wonderful.  That's some serious exposure right there.  That's huge.

Yea, one of the biggest ones of the year.  We had a couple, we had some really good festivals this year.  We missed being at the main day for Carolina Rebellion, and we didn't get in on the one in Ohio, Rock on the Range.  Hopefully next year we'll be able to get there.  Bit by bit, it just takes time.

Then there's that buzz to get you onto ShipRocked. 

Yea, everybody's buzzing.  That's bittersweet.  Everyone wants us to do that one but I'm not a fan of being on a boat in the middle of the ocean, I'm just not.  I don't know if anyone is keeping up with it but the track record right now is not the best.  It's interesting.  There's a lot of interesting things out there as far as opportunities.  It's hard to get people out to live shows.  They really are having to adjust their priorities right now.  Putting a nice big package together to get folks out is pretty interesting. 
  

How has the music evolved in the songs that you've tracked?  Do you think they are similar?  Heavier?  There's been an evolution out here on the road, an evolution of where your inspiration comes from, an evolution of your "self."  How has all of that poured over into that writing process?  We've heard some tracks that you've shared online.  

DC:  I think it's awesome.  I think everyone is going to be really happy with it.  Obviously you want people to be excited.  Our main goal is that we don't want anyone having any expectations.  We just want them to be up for the journey and be willing to grow and change with us.  

So, with that in mind, we did have to push the boundaries a little bit, to bring some different sounds in.  For me vocally, what voices did I not explore, what voices are possible to explore?  We messed with that.  In the same sense, we listened to what people were telling us when we're out here on the road.  What they miss from the first record, what they enjoyed about our previous bands that they might like.  I know one for me was the falsettos that I used in Hollow back in Submersed.  I would love to hear that a little more.  I tried to keep that in mind when I went back and incorporated some of these vocals.  

Lyrically, everything is deeper.  I feel there is a lot of room to grow there.  I'm not the best lyricist in the world.  A lot of the people that I look up to are very inspiring right now.  Cornell and all these guys out here that are amazing writers, they're putting out new records, like they used to when I first started out.  I'm actually inspired by music that's going out there, it's inspirational all around.  

Most importantly, I was able to tell some stories that are going to cut deep.  There's some stories for the soldiers on this record. There are some personal pain stories from my life that I have the guts to tell now.  As I hear them played back, I can just realize how deeply they are going to affect somebody else.  That just makes me fall in love with the process even more.  There's this snowball effect that never really ends.  It's the flower of life, it's eternally blossoming.  

You did touch on what gets you centered, which is good.  As you travel, home is always "it"...it's always the foundation of what is.  Is there anywhere you've traveled, and you've been all over the place, are there any places that you've traveled where you just felt amazing energy from being there?  I don't necessarily mean crowd energy either.   We both know from traveling that there are places we'll go, places where we show up and we just feel something here.  You know of these places that feel different, where you feel alive.  You currently make your home in Florida, I lived there for a year.  I get it.  There are just some places we "know" we have to go to, places we take our families to.  Is there anywhere you've thought of taking your family back to?  For instance, some say the energy in Arizona is different, same with Florida.  Then there's Colorado.  Anywhere you would like to go back to with your families to discover more? 

DC:  Yea, it's funny, because that's my dream, to be able to take my family with me.  I would never need a home, if I could just take my family with me.  I could tour forever.  I would never have a problem with it.  I always plan; I'm thinking of "where do I want to go back to," just like you said.  

For me, it's more beauty and nature.  It's our dream to have our own farm and have our own ranch, to be self-sustainable.  I always look for these areas that are of that nature.  Up around Wisconsin, around Madison and all these organic areas, they're amazing; it's an amazing part of the country.  I tell you, Missoula, Montana was a place we ended up.  It's just a place in this valley out in the Northern part of the Rocky Mountains.  I grew up going to Colorado as a kid; it is just one of those magical places that I always swore I'd end my life (living) in Colorado.  I ended up in Missoula, Montana and it's just the blend of everything that I like.  It has taken it even a little further then Colorado did.  I think I would probably pick that spot.  I would love to go up there and maybe even get some land up there and start my farm; but it is Montana and it gets hammered with snow in the wintertime.  The only time I'd ever really heard of Missoula was by looking at the minus 42 on the map, when it's freezing in the wintertime.

Is there anything you'd like to share with the Knowing community regarding the lessons you instill in your children?  You've mentioned farming, being sustainable, being organic, that those are important things.  Being educated, not being stuck in a box, you've mentioned these things on Facebook as well.  

DC:  For us, we personally see a flaw in the system.  How we raise our children in the sense of schooling, of educating.  Not just in the sense of teaching them math, but in also teaching them about the world, their fellow human beings in the Universe, in the spiritual universe.   A lot of times we leave that up to a religious structure, that's guided by a single voice.  Or, we leave that up to an educational structure that's regimented and subjugated.  For us, we wanted to create more of a world that was about growing as a spiritual being and not being regimented.  Really evolving and finding what makes you special as a spirit and a being and how you can contribute to the world around you.  That's something that we're working with our kids as beings.  

It's really not something you can put into a how to list; you can't make people do things.  It's a personal thing, it's a personal journey, it's a personal sense of enlightenment.  People are going to learn, they're going to go through their own path regardless.  So, I think it's pretty fundamental, that it's pretty basic, and it's blatant and it's right in front of your face what's going on.  We, just through living our life, we try to educate by being an example rather than trying to cover the bullet points.  It's "hey, come be a part of our lives and be inspired, these are the things that matter to us and we think it makes the world a better place and our lives happier lives."  

You've touched on parenting, on the compassion you have for these people you're teaching and sharing a life with.  You've talked about the effect a tragedy such as Newtown had on you.  When you're on the road, you share your families with us when they join you at events, when things like BC's birthday happen and "best wife ever" shows up surprisingly with their daughter.  It's easy to see the effect that these people have on you, to see how they make your lives better.

At Knowing, we talk often about our intuition, our ideas, our trust and sometimes we just have to act on things in life.  We'll get an inspired thought and we have to act on it--if we don't, we don't get the effect of it.  Is there anything real significant that you can think of, a  story you're willing to share from your life?  Maybe something that over the years you've looked back on and reflected and said I'm glad I did that because it lead to?  

DC:  I've had to make a lot of tough decisions based on mistakes in my life.  My record is far from perfect that is for sure.  It's funny; it's really funny, because the new Superman movie, it's very inspiring to me.  I found it to be a very spiritual movie.  There's a part in it where Superman is questioning who do I help, do I help my Krypton brothers or do I help the earth beings.  He doesn't know which one to trust and his dad just gave him advice, "sometimes the trust comes later."  You have to take that leap of faith first and the trust comes after the leap.  It was funny because it made me think about back before Eye Empire came along.  

In my life, I'd gone through this humbling period.  Coming out of the first band, which was going to be the last band I was ever going to be in, I was so sure, I was so certain of the future, I really had reevaluate my life and I went through a very humbling period.  I was working for the Lightning and working 80 hours a week and getting paid 40 of them.  It was affecting our family.  That's when I just made a leap and started working for $1,000 a month at a fish house cutting fish three days a week fourteen hours a day just so that I could be with my family, simplify my life.  If that's the way it was going to be, I just wanted to be happy.  I knew that would allow me a little more time to open myself up to the Universe and possibly bring in another opportunity in my life to make music again.  It wasn't three months after I did that that Corey randomly reached out to me on MySpace, this is before Facebook, and it's been non-stop pedal to the medal ever since.  My life has completely changed.  

It's been one little epiphany.  More in the last year it's been that spiritual enlightenment; that journey that's taken me even further into the world of manifesting your own dreams and your own realities.  The way you worded it, it makes me laugh because it's another example of, it's just the Universe affirming once again, and it's with clear word for word verbatim.  This isn't anything getting distorted, manipulated or something that I want to see.  It's very blatant how the Universe works, especially once you're awake.  When you can see it happening it's almost overloading, watching it happen.  

When Knowing came, it was because I felt that beneficial knowledge needed to be passed on.  There were so many people out there in tune with what is.  People who use their voice.  You echo that with some of the content you post, some of it I share over at Knowing's Facebook page.  You share a lot of  what I term "Universal Knowledge."  Yet we both are still dumbfounded when we see it happen (manifestation), no matter how many times it happens!  We're on this journey and we're becoming enlightened and we see it manifesting in our lives.  It's crazy and at the same time it's so humbling.

The irony is that we're so detached from our natural being that we don't even know what it is to experience our natural being.  When it happens, or when you speak of it, it feels right.  You sense it.  I sit down and talk to my kids about it, just as in depth and deep as Deepak Chopra and they get it.  They feel it.  My son will sit there and talk to me about the light and all these things.  They're here to save us all.  

It's a pretty cool thing; I do see the power of music.  I do see and understand about frequency and how it brings us all, how it all comes together.  Whenever you are in tune with that, whenever your power of intention becomes greater, when you go out there at the end of the night and you combine that with frequency and music, it's a little overwhelming and you do see it make an impact.  It affects people's lives.  It's a special thing.  

You've overcome challenges on this journey.  I think the process of facing the challenges you have, is your tenacity to stick to it, and to stay positive, I think that's a good legacy going forward.  And as you've said, your humbleness and being open helps as well.  Learning from your mistakes going forward, it's all relevant.  As for where you are in gratitude, your gratitude roll call if you will, I know that's a part of your life.  It's a part of everyone's life out here that's a part of this, to keep your mindfulness and sanity on the road.  Tell me DC, what are you grateful for?

DC:  Family, definitely family.  Family is what keeps me doing this and at the same time causes me to resent myself for doing this.  I just want to be there with them more.  A calling, like a reason, I'm very grateful to understand or have a feeling of why I'm here.  To me that runs deep and it helps with a lot of different things in my life.  I am blessed with certain people that have really supported me through a lot of struggle.  

I'm a bi-polar personality, so it took me a long time number one, to live with that illness affecting every facet of my life for so long before I learned about it.  Then I had to live with it, and you grow through that.  There are certain people who have come and gone along the way but there are those few folks who have always stayed with me.  It's really not possessions or anything like that, it's more those relationships, those people that grow with me, that help me as a spiritual being through life.  That's what I'm more grateful for than anything.  That goes for my band, and for some of the extended family that sacrifice with us out here.  You develop some pretty special folks out here. 

In closing, to summarize, as you think about the things we've talked about today, what is it that you're passing forward? 

DC:  We're at a turning point right now.  You either know it or you just choose to ignore it.  Know what I'm saying?  That goes spiritually, and holistically with mother earth, politically, there's just so many things that are at a tipping point right now.  Like I said, we're trying to slowly evolve with our fan base, to be able to push these types of things that we know we need to stand behind.  

With specificity of this blog, the main point is that we're here to inspire enlightenment.  We're here to try and inspire a change in this world to where people can come together and realize that we are all one consciousness.  There is no separation.  When we go out here every night and as I look into people's eyes, I'm seeing my own reflection and once we really start to understand that, we can come together beyond the music.  Then, that's when we're going to really start seeing real change.  We're going to start seeing these "miracles" that we never knew were possible, this manifestation that we were talking about, we'll start to see it start to make a real difference.  For us, it's like I said, we've got to take our time, we've got to grow a little bit, we just can't come out and pull people along.  You've got to be that example.  That's what we're trying to do, to at least set that tone for a real revolution.  

Thank you.  Thank you for opening up to everybody.

You can connect with Eye Empire directly at:

http://www.eyeempire.com
http://www.twitter.com/eyeempire
http://www.myspace.com/eyeempire
http://www.youtube.com/eyeempire
http://www.instagram.com/eyeempire
http://www.reverbnation.com/eyeempire
http://www.flickr.com/eyeempire
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Eye+Empire

**Special thanks to Six Seasons Photography for taking photos of the show that night after the interview.  From our preschool days to adult life and parenthood, Amanda, owner and head photographer, she has always been there in my life.  I've long used her photography for this blog too so to ask her to take on this event was no different.  She definitely made me proud with the moments she captured.  Additional images of the concert that night are at her Facebook page.  

Copyright ©2013 Nita Clewis 
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