GNOSIS THROUGH
VOICE | SOUND | PLAY
Welcome fellow explorer! This site is a living organism, a work in progress that will evolve with my consciousness.
I believe we are our own greatest teachers. For that reason, throughout these pages you will find invitations to explore your own self. I encourage you to participate and experiment with an open heart and spirit. Who knows what you might discover?
The Vocal Voyage
The Vocal Voyage is a philosophy and a practice. It is my process of deepening my relationship with myself through my own voice and synthesizing those experiences and learnings into offerings for others.
The voice is a fractal of the whole, an ever-changing fingerprint of the universe. As such, it is both infinitely complex and incredibly simple, a sandbox of unlimited possibilities.
The voice cannot be developed by force. It teaches one how to flow through life with balanced engagement that is neither passive nor overly effortful.
The voice is truth, as nothing can hide from those who know how to listen.
The voice is creation. When we are no longer attached to producing sounds as we think them, a world of endless possibilities opens up. We can experience that which we could never have dreamed of, let alone thought up.
The Vocal Voyage is a personal journey. And it is available to anyone at any moment. For the voyage is not one that can be provided to you by another. It is truly a devotional practice. It is frustrating at times, challenging, and nonlinear. Chances are high that our paths will be different, but we can still learn from each other and support one another as we venture out ever deeper into the unknown.
If you feel the call, come play with your fellow travelers.
The Vocal Voyage
The Vocal Voyage is a philosophy and a practice. It is my process of deepening my relationship with myself through my own voice and synthesizing those experiences and learnings into offerings for others.
The voice is a fractal of the whole, an ever-changing fingerprint of the universe. As such, it is both infinitely complex and incredibly simple, a sandbox of unlimited possibilities.
The voice cannot be developed by force. It teaches one how to flow through life with balanced engagement that is neither passive nor overly effortful.
The voice is truth, as nothing can hide from those who know how to listen.
The voice is creation. When we are no longer attached to producing sounds as we think them, a world of endless possibilities opens up. We can experience that which we could never have dreamed of, let alone thought up.
The Vocal Voyage is a personal journey. And it is available to anyone at any moment. For the voyage is not one that can be provided to you by another. It is truly a devotional practice. It is frustrating at times, challenging, and nonlinear. Chances are high that our paths will be different, but we can still learn from each other and support one another as we venture out ever deeper into the unknown.
If you feel the call, come play with your fellow travelers.
The Self as Sound – Part I
The musician
Human beings are musicians. It doesn’t matter if you own an instrument or know what a scale is, you are a musician. We are here in the human form to play!
A jazz pianist sits with her fingers resting on the keys. She plays a simple chord progression and then begins to deviate. She loses herself in tension and release, in harmony and dissonance, and creates a world within a realm of sound.
A child sits in the forest. He runs his fingers through the dirt. Then he stands and walks through the underbrush. The trees become giants and the wind lifts him into flight and he is lost in the wonder of the world.
INVITATION
Set a timer for 3 minutes. Make continuous sounds for the duration of the time. Hum, grunt, groan, sing, laugh, cry, speak words (real or made-up). Whatever wants to be expressed. Just don’t stop. Observe the evolution of the process. Notice any resistance or self-consciousness and if/how your thinking mind tries to make sense of or control the experience. What happens when you surrender?
“The Masters of the secret teachings say that the truth learned from another is of no value, and that the only truth which is living and effective, which is of value is the truth which we ourselves discover.” – The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects, Alexandra David-Neel and Lama Yongden
Offerings
I am not here to teach you. My intention is to support you in guiding yourself as you discover novel ways of experiencing your own expression through your voice. I support a wide-array of clients – from those who wish to find greater ease in speaking their truth to those who desire to tap into the bottomless well of sound, vibration, tonal quality, overtones, and musicality that lie within the voice. Our work together is a collaborative creative expression.
While there are an infinite number of approaches, my preferred pedagogical paradigm is focused on weaving together technical practice and creative play. The focused practice allows for priming our awareness of the somatic experience of the voice. The creative play then allows for spontaneous discovery and integration to occur. It is through this interplay of technique and experimentation that we transform intellectual understanding into embodied knowledge.
Offerings:
1-on-1 mentoring (in-person & online) – 60 & 45 minute sessions customized to your vocal interests
1-on-1 extended vocal voyage (in-person only) – Multi-hour deep dive exploring the voice through altered states of awareness
Group voice workshops – 90 minute to multi-hour workshops customized to specific groups and usually following an intuitive flow
Group vocal voyage – Multi-hour deep dives playing with the voice in a group setting and exploring altered states of awareness
The instruments that I use for therapeutic and meditative purposes distill the essence of harmony, in the purest sense of the word. As the harmonic series that occurs naturally in the world around us is amplified in overtone-rich instruments, we too can begin to attune to and entrain with it.
For me, playing instruments such as symphonic gongs, antique himalayan singing bowls, the monolina, and many others is a practice of deep listening. The more that I can be present with and fall into the sound, the more intricate and exquisite beauty reveals itself to me.
There is an incredible amount of research on the benefits of working with sound. It can facilitate relaxation, softening into one’s emotions, quieting the mind, and accessing altered states of consciousness. And while sound is universal and vibration is the basis of existence, one’s relationship with sound is extremely personal. Therefore, I encourage you to engage with the process for yourself and draw your own conclusions.
Offerings:
1-on-1 sessions (in-person only) – 90 or 60 minute sessions customized to your intentions
1-on-1 extended sound journeys (in-person only) – Multi-hour deep dives into the self through sound and altered states of awareness
Group sound meditations (privately organized or publicly ticketed) – 1 to 3 hour sound meditations for groups
Group extended sound journeys – Multi-hour deep dives into the self through sound and altered states of awareness
The Self as Sound – Part II
The instrument
Human beings are instruments. And I don’t just mean that humans are producers of sound, though I do love to sing and every now and then use my body as a drum. No, when I say that human beings are instruments, I mean this through and through. We are here in the human form to be played!
Picture a cello. Upright, firm, steady. It is primarily a resonating chamber constructed of wooden boundaries ready to vibrate with strings waiting to be bowed. It stands at attention in silence. But it is not an empty silence. It is full of potential. For all it takes is the pluck of a string or the running of taught hairs across their surface or perhaps a gentle breeze, and that potential, potent silence transforms into delicate, delicious sound.
Picture yourself. Upright, firm, steady. You are primarily a resonating chamber constructed of flesh, bones, water, blood constantly vibrating with a consciousness always ready to be stimulated. You stand at attention in silence. But it is not an empty silence. It is full of your beating heart, the whirring of your thoughts, the pangs of your emotions. And all it takes is a word, a sound, a touch, a scent, a memory, and you are transformed.
INVITATION
Close your eyes (after you finish reading) and say the following aloud: “I am my own guide.”
Speak it as many times as you feel called, pausing each time. Notice the sensations in your body, any tensing or releasing. Listen to the cadence, the pitch, the tonality, and the resonance of your voice. If you’re here for a return visit, notice what is different today.
Some variations of phrases you could try:
“I trust myself.”
“I give myself permission to chart my own path.”
“I have everything I need.”
Or try your own that feels most resonant for you.
Who am I?
I see everything I do as an experiment informed by study and inspiration, and always with the acknowledgment that there are deeper levels of awareness and understanding.
Voice, music, and sound have always been a part of my life. When I was little, my dad used to drive me around and play me opera to fall asleep. When I was a bit older, I had the privilege of singing in the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus for three years. My theater and performance studies continued in middle school and at NYC’s LaGuardia High School for the Arts.
But performing alone wasn’t me deepest calling. With diverse interests and a strong desire to have a lasting impact on the world, I studied a mix of psychology, communication, journalism, and computer science at Stanford University. After graduating, I worked for half a decade at the University’s virtual reality research lab (check out my VR portfolio if you’re curious to learn more). And while the academic route satisfied my mind… my heart and spirit urged me to keep seeking.
In 2017, a shamanic journey showed me the potential for voice and sound as portal ways to self-exploration and altered states of awareness. I experienced resonance in my being that I could never have conceived of up until that point. And I felt as though the whole cosmos was singing through me.
Two years later, at WOOM Center in NYC, I took part in my first sound meditation facilitator training – led by David Shemesh, Elian Zach, Alexandre Tannous, and Mitch Nur. For the next year 58 weeks, I assisted and then co-facilitated 3-hour sound journeys every Friday night at WOOM. That experience alone taught me more than any one-week training could ever give me.
Since then, I have been traveling globally to deepen my practice and to learn from and collaborate with vocalists and facilitators from a wide-variety of musical traditions and backgrounds. In 2022, I began studying collaborative vocal improvisation with various teachers and groups in Hawaii, New York City, Italy, France, the UK, Brazil, and Canada. My voice teachers and mentors include Rhiannon, Neal Harrelson, David Jones, and Istvan Sky.
In addition to facilitating voice and sound workshops around the United States, South America and Europe, I also now teach at sound facilitator training immersions. I lead classes on voice and instrument playing techniques and have mentored close to 200 students across 10 different retreats.
It has taken me a long time to give myself permission to chart my own course in life, to pathfind. I always longed for there to be clear answers and for someone else to be able to give them to me. Now as an explorer of worlds, inner and outer – of voice, music, sound, mindfulness practices, creativity, community, consciousness – I collect experiences, tools, and techniques for tapping into gnosis, the universal wisdom that emanates from within.
Let me close by saying that I am a forever student and I know that I have but scratched the surface of life. And while you now know a little bit more about my background, the irony of me describing myself to you is that the more I define myself, the further I get from the truth of who I am.
I believe that we are so much more than, or perhaps less than, our stories. Therefore, I encourage you to schedule a call with me so we can connect.
Who am I?
I see everything I do as an experiment informed by study and inspiration, and always with the acknowledgment that there are deeper levels of awareness and understanding.
Voice, music, and sound have always been a part of my life. When I was little, my dad used to drive me around and play me opera to fall asleep. When I was a bit older, I had the privilege of singing in the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus for three years. My theater and performance studies continued in middle school and at NYC’s LaGuardia High School for the Arts.
But performing alone wasn’t me deepest calling. With diverse interests and a strong desire to have a lasting impact on the world, I studied a mix of psychology, communication, journalism, and computer science at Stanford University. After graduating, I worked for half a decade at the University’s virtual reality research lab (check out my VR portfolio if you’re curious to learn more). And while the academic route satisfied my mind… my heart and spirit urged me to keep seeking.
In 2017, a shamanic journey showed me the potential for voice and sound as portal ways to self-exploration and altered states of awareness. I experienced resonance in my being that I could never have conceived of up until that point. And I felt as though the whole cosmos was singing through me.
Two years later, at WOOM Center in NYC, I took part in my first sound meditation facilitator training – led by David Shemesh, Elian Zach, Alexandre Tannous, and Mitch Nur. For the next year 58 weeks, I assisted and then co-facilitated 3-hour sound journeys every Friday night at WOOM. That experience alone taught me more than any one-week training could ever give me.
Since then, I have been traveling globally to deepen my practice and to learn from and collaborate with vocalists and facilitators from a wide-variety of musical traditions and backgrounds. In 2022, I began studying collaborative vocal improvisation with various teachers and groups in Hawaii, New York City, Italy, France, the UK, Brazil, and Canada. My voice teachers and mentors include Rhiannon, Neal Harrelson, David Jones, and Istvan Sky.
In addition to facilitating voice and sound workshops around the United States, South America and Europe, I also now teach at sound facilitator training immersions. I lead classes on voice and instrument playing techniques and have mentored close to 200 students across 10 different retreats.
It has taken me a long time to give myself permission to chart my own course in life, to pathfind. I always longed for there to be clear answers and for someone else to be able to give them to me. Now as an explorer of worlds, inner and outer – of voice, music, sound, mindfulness practices, creativity, community, consciousness – I collect experiences, tools, and techniques for tapping into gnosis, the universal wisdom that emanates from within.
Let me close by saying that I am a forever student and I know that I have but scratched the surface of life. And while you now know a little bit more about my background, the irony of me describing myself to you is that the more I define myself, the further I get from the truth of who I am.
I believe that we are so much more than, or perhaps less than, our stories. Therefore, I encourage you to schedule a call with me so we can connect.
The Self as Sound – Part III
The audience
Human beings are audiences. We purchased a premium ticket the moment we came into our human body (or perhaps before). And while form and repetition would have me explicate the parallels of theatre-goer and watcher of life, I think at this point you can use your imagination to fill in the gaps. We are here in the human form to watch, observe, experience, and delight.
“Now, actually, this world is not complicated at all. It is perfectly simple. It’s only complicated when you try to think it out… Because every nerve end in your body is alive and aware, every organ is functioning without your thinking about it. And that’s you.” – Alan Watts
Scheduling
I look forward to connecting. If there is little or no availability, check back soon for last-minute openings. If there are no times on my calendar and you would still like to connect, please send me a note. I would love to hear from you.
For our first meeting, please book a 60-minute window.
Thank you!
Send me a note
The Self as Sound – Part IV
The whole
We humans have the extraordinary privilege of being the musician, the instrument, and the audience all neatly wrapped into one perfect package. Though in daily life we frequently silo ourselves into only one of these components.
Perhaps we fool ourselves into believing we are solely the musician. We get caught up in trying to control ourselves and the world around us. Obsessing over the details and fretting when we think we’ve played a wrong note.
Some days we see ourselves as nothing but an instrument. Like a boat out at sea, tossed by waves and fully at the mercy of beings and circumstances more powerful than us.
And then there are the times when we take comfort in simply observing our life as an audience observes a play. Watching it race by. Scenes playing themselves out as if we were not even a part of them. Here there is a certain calm in the eye of the storm. But it is still incomplete.
When the aspects of self are separate, we are caught in an illusion. It is when we fully experience all of the self in perfect balance and harmony that we embody the exquisite nature of our true reality. We become aware of ourself as the observer of the sound within, emanating from source vibration. We become one with the orchestra of life.
Suddenly the expanse of unpredictable possibilities and permutations that was once overwhelming and incoherent becomes a playground. Someone plays a note – jubilant, melancholic, soft, overpowering – and we play the next. Perhaps we stay in the same key or we modulate. We harmonize or we decide to play all the notes at once so that the tune is indistinguishable. It doesn’t matter. It’s fun to explore. There’s no going back to the start, so we just keep on playing. Adding, rearranging. Creating motifs and flourishes. Finding strength in the pianissimo and tenderness in the forte.
INVITATION
♥ Phone a friend! ♥
Trusting our inner guidance doesn’t mean that we have to live isolated and alone.
On the contrary, I find that community and connection reminds me who I am.
It’s not about turning to someone else for the answers. It’s about being held with love as we explore ourselves.
And connecting with others is always rich in opportunities for us to practice using our voice!
