Happy Full moon!! I am so excited to release another new song!
This song was recorded in the last six weeks on Cape Cod with Jon Evans at Brick Hill Studios.
My good friend and beautiful musician Allison Leyton-Brown is playing piano from afar in Toronto and Spencer Sunshine at The Orange Lounge mixed it for us.
The first verse is about the joy of daily life, the second verse is about being at a kirtan with amazing folks right here on Cape Cod (check out Breath & Sound) and the last verse is about dancing in Ischia with the Happiness Sangha.
No matter what the words say, the music will lift you up and remind you, LOVE IS HAPPENING. even as so many systems are falling apart around us, we have the power to remember the love that we are and the love we can share.
See you on stage in Provincetown soon. GET TICKETS for the conversation with Rita Mae Brown and Felice Cohen
You can purchase and download at my page on Bandcamp
By purchasing this track or sending a little monetary love my way, you are supporting me to create more music which makes me really happy!
You can alsotell your favorite AI helper to PLAY love is happening by Alicia Mathewson
It’s a powerful time of year and lots is shifting for us individually and collectively. Sit back, put on this tune and trust all is well. (even when it feels hard)
If you are looking for support, I have lots of new offerings as a Transformational coach and sound healer.
Happy 3rd week of July! I hope you enjoyed the full moon last night in Capricorn and are finding ways to honor yourself emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually.
I am having an absolutely wonderful summer after a pretty difficult 15 months or so and feel so grateful. Like a beautiful flower that was planted in deep dark soil, I am blooming and allowing myself to shine, receivoing all the love.
I am more than excited to finally release a new single – WOOT WOOT!
Last August 8-9, 2023 I recorded a small of group of songs in Toronto, Canada with my good friend Allison Leyton-Brown on piano (She played on and co-produced 12 Rebirth). These songs are becoming a part of a larger project that I will be releasing in full on 7/7/2025 (more on that soon). In the meantime, I couldn’t wait to start releasing some of the tunes.
8/8 is a powerful symbol for me, like 11:11. These numbers have been present for me for over 12 years and if you are interested in their significance there are lots of folks all over the internet, you can tune into to explore the fun. (Celia Fenn is one of my favs)
For me, 8/8 is connected to the sun and ancient Egypt and the power of the lion and the lioness. It is a time of courage and awakening and remembering that no matter what we may face in our human journey, we are connected to a never-ending fabric of love, peace, and alignment.
This is why I am releasing my song “Everything is Magic” on 8/8. The cover art includes a picture of me, taken recently on my retreat trip to Ischia in Italy with the Happiness Sangha. It is taken at the beautiful gardens of La Martella in the temple of the sun created by Lady Susanna. It was an absolutely magical moment arriving at this place, so it felt perfect.
If you dig my music, dig my vibration, you can help me create more of it, by following me on Spotify or Apple Music or everywhere and anywhere you listen to music. You can also help me by donating directly to my work. I will be launching a kickstarter and streamlining my online presence over the next 6 months or so, so stay tuned. In the meantime, thank you for listening and thank you for sharing.
The weather so far in June in New England has been such a gift from Mother Nature. As I am typing this, it is a perfect Saturday morning with blue skies, a light breeze and sun for days. Last night I took a long walk in Plymouth, where I have lived for the last 9 months, and breathed in the healing salt energy of this ocean. I could feel the summer emerging with the sound of loud motorcycles, families in strollers, and friends with cocktails all out to connect and soak in the happy season of the south shore.
A year ago I got a new hip.
So, taking a long walk on the beach and into town is more of a joy for me now than ever before. It was not the easiest year for me as a human (can you relate?). I had multiple losses and changes, started teaching at a new school and living in a new place, all while allowing this new hip to integrate fully becoming strong and flexible again.
The physical healing actually went incredibly well and I was blessed to have such a smooth and easy surgical and recovery process. The harder journey was internal – mental, emotional, spiritual. It was a perfect storm of so many changes while also moving through the beginning of menopause that invited me into the deepest and darkest place I have experienced yet as a human. I don’t say that to get your comfort. I say that so if you too find yourself journeying through dark places internally, you know lots of other humans are on that journey as well. And you are not alone.
The good news about these cycles in our lives, is that if we really show up for them and ask for the right support, they become the gold mines of our true authentic self.
This past winter in an attempt to sleep and survive, I discovered a new meditation teacher Elizabeth Pyjov (from Insight Timer) and was invited to deepen my self-awareness and meditation practice, opening to self-compassion on a whole new level. Even after 20 years of spiritual and self-awareness work, I had to go back to basics. At the end of the day, It doesn’t really matter what triggered it (though my mind always wants to figure that out), what matters is that I applied practices, reached out for help, stayed connected, and healed on a deeper level creating more resilience, more clarity and more wisdom to share.
I look forward to sharing in the months and years ahead through new music, meditation offerings and multiple books.
Meanwhile on planet earth….It’s PRIDE month and I am watching (mostly online) as joy and celebration happens along side protests and demands for more equality and freedom for all beings. It’s a lot to take in and I find being with nature and being present where I am is what helps me feel most at peace and open to honoring the legacy of so many activists and pioneers that paved the way for me and so many others to be OUT and PROUD.
I remember when I went to both the March on Washington PRIDE in 1993 and NYC PRIDE in 1995. It was a revelation for that 22-24 year old and so important to the development of my own sense of self, community and creative expression. The energy and freedom through the multi-layered manifestation of so many different humans was life-changing. It was inspiring and empowering and opened me to parts of myself I had hidden or was afraid to share. I also found my voice playing guitar and protesting at a variety of events for women and the queer community. I am grateful for all of those experiences and honor the fact that now as many are preparing to march in Boston this morning, I am sitting alone in my apartment writing this.
Whoever you are or wherever you are, I hope you allow yourself to open to what helps you be YOU and feel safe to connect and express. If you are someone who uses their voice and body to create more freedom for others, THANK YOU. If you are someone who sits and meditates on well-being for all, THANK YOU. We need all expressions of freedom and peace and I honor all the choices folks make to bring this forward.
Happy June! Happy Pride month! Happy birthday to my hip!
Please send me a message or leave me a comment and let me know how you are , what’s happening in your world and if I can serve you.
I am in the process of upgrading my online presence on all levels and will be sharing downloadable products – both audio recordings and written material. I will also be offering one-on-one coaching and healings over zoom as well as group offerings on zoom and in person, so stay tuned!
Tomorrow is the official holiday in the Unites States honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. I have so many mixed feelings and not many words that feel necessary. I usually share the song I wrote in the summer of 2016 called Freedom is an Inside Job at this time.
It feels more right though to share this classic from Sam Cooke originally released in 1964.
Some songs feel sacred to me. This is one of them.
May sacred songs of love and truth and justice and peace and unity rise up for all of us as we continue to walk forward imagining a better future.
Madam Vice President Kamala Harris, thank you for being you.
May the Light of all Lights be upon you and all those you serve.
This time of year I usually share my song Be The Light. I love this song and this recording and the video I made in 2019. During this time of the shortest day here in North America, the idea of Being the Light really resonates for me. Many cultures have rituals this time of year that remind us of Light even in dark times – whether literal or figurative.
This year, however, I am hearing a new message: Be You.
And in Being You, we become a better Us.
How is this different from Be the Light? For me, it is the practice of holding the paradox. What if the amount of so-called darkness and light is exactly as it should be. What if no one or even the world needs me to “be the light?” What if what we all need and what the world needs is for each of us to take time to really KNOW ourselves and then practice being That with courage, clarity, love and joy.
What if we all spent less time trying to convince others of how they should be and really got to know ourselves on a deeper level. Through this we become more open to receiving new people in our lives that also know themselves more deeply and we open to co-creating NEW experiences, NEW systems, NEW villages and NEW moments that feel authentic, life-giving, inclusive and harmonious.
These are some of the things I have been thinking about as 2020 comes to a close. I will be chanting on Sunday (tomorrow) Dec 20, 2020 at 5pm on Zoom. I would love for you to join me.
EMAIL me here if you would like the Zoom information. You can also make a donation of $10-20 through PayPal or Venmo and I will send you the link.
My prayer for myself and for all of us is that we take the time and have the courage to go deep deep inside right now allowing ourselves to know (yet again) who we truly are and how we may best share that vibration with others.
If you, like me, are feeling something new coming but not quite sure what it is, while also grieving for a sense of things lost – whether named or not, know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
All is Well.
I have lots of music that can support you, wherever you are on your journey. Walk your Way on Through from 12 Rebirth is always a favorite for times of transition.
To celebrate my favorite time of year on Cape Cod, I have decided to create Sweet September: 12 Days of 12 Rebirth.
In this series I will be sharing a track from my recent Album 12 Rebirth, talking about its creation and also linking it to an earlier song of mine. Read more about why I am doing this at Day 1.
Day 11 of 12 Walk Your Way on Through and Winds of Sinai
It feels amazing to be writing this blog on 9/11 – the 18 year anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center inside the loving and peaceful vortex that is Creacon Wellness Retreat. I was living in Brooklyn on 9/11/01 and was temping on a top floor of Rockefeller Center when the attack actually happened. It was a powerful experience to be in Manhattan at that moment and living in Brooklyn for the months that followed.
18 years later. Wow. That is hard for me to fully believe and reminds me of my song 11 years later that I wrote for 12 Rebirth.
1 + 8 = 9. Completion. It is my prayer that the most quantum healing that is possible for each being hurt by that experience come into full awakening and completion. And that we as a collective Humanity begin awakening more and more, so less and less unnecessary suffering must happen.
The other thing I am contemplating right now is that the two twin towers when standing made an 11 and how I have come to resonate with the energy of 11:11. What I have learned over the last 18 years in a very real way is that suffering is real and all humans will experience it, no matter where they live or how much money they make. And in that human reality, there is great spiritual possibility for joy, love, healing, celebration and collective change that can help eliminate a lot of unnecessary suffering.
It is time for all of us to awaken out of material greed and conditioned fear and come into Unity, Trust, Cooperation, Connection and Love.
These two songs help support this process in me individually and in our collective. I wrote Winds of Sinai in October of 2006 when I went to Egypt for the first time and did a two week pilgrimage with a group of extraordinary people. I was 35, my head was shaved and my mom was still alive (though she would die within the year). What a blessing those two weeks were!
I wrote the lyrics of this song in the Sinai desert. As a part of the pilgrimage, we spent 2 days in the desert, riding camels in between the two evenings of our camping. We travelled and ate with the local Bedouin and ultimately dropped into total silence. It was a beautiful experience and the lyrics came to me during that time. I wrote the music a few days later in a hotel in Luxor.
To this day, when I sing this song, I feel an amazing vibration move through me.
While in the Sinai desert I felt the connection between the three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. I felt how the human stories of each of these traditions are rooted in the same land. Winds of Sinai is about Unity – finding peace within ourselves and building peace in our communities, nations and world. What a perfect intention on the 18 year anniversary of 9/11.
Walk Your Way on Through has become one of the favorites from 12 Rebirth. Different people are experiencing it in different ways, which I love as a songwriter. For me it is connected to Winds of Sinai because in a way it feels like a song about initiation and inviting myself and others into a higher version of who we are.
When I went to Egypt later in my journey in 2009 and lived there, I had many challenges. Those challenges continued as I taught music in Beirut, Lebanon the following year. Even though I had received many high vibrational teachings and healings, I was still struggling to fully inetrgrate it all in this one human body known as Alicia. This struggle would often manifest as anxiety or depression or conflict in relationships.
This song reminds us all that we must keep walking our way on through no matter what is in front of us. Keep walking forward. Keep walking and trust. What I have truly learned over these last 18 years is that even when we feel we are alone, we are not.
I wish you all a beautiful Sweet September day! Thanks again for reading and listening. If you are interested in more play and joy check out my new Patreon Page. I will be uploading an exclusive chant this weekend for the full moon.
I will leave you with one of my favorite sayings through this picture taken today.
I am writing from Cincinnati, having settled in here for about a week. After all the traveling, it has been nice to land. Preperations are under way for the first ever Gaia’s Love Festival and I am beyond grateful to be here offering my music and supporting the vision of my friend Vivienne Gerard, There are still some tickets left, so if you resonate with the energy, be sure to register HERE.
Before I got to Cincinnati, I completed my journey through Canada, came over the border at Detroit, had a brief stop in Ann Arbor before arriving in Cincy. So let’s rewind a little.
Last place I mentioned was Brittania Beach in Ottawa, Ontario. What a cool spot. I met some wonderful sound and yoga practitioners and they have invited me back to play at their Bhakti in the Woods Celebration – maybe August of 2020. That would be fun. Here is a picture of Rebecca’s apartment and all her Gongs. No matter where I travel, the Universal Energies always make sure I am give the opportunity to retune myself as much as I like. I am so grateful for the many Beings on this planet using Sound to awaken and balance themselves and others. What a gift to be one who creates Conscious Sound.
From Brittania Beach, I made my way to the Algonquin National Park, stayed at an air BnB in in Whitney, ON just at the edge of the east entrance to the park, hiked and swam my way through the park and then landed at my Friday Jim Grant’s home for a couple days. What a gift this time was. I joked I was going to write a blog called “How mosquitoes are enlightening me”, but will save that for another time.
For now here are some pics of the beautiful land I was blessed to experience. I sang the Algonquin Water Song often. You can hear it at the beginning of my song I am the Ocean. Or watch this extraordinary video of the Grandmothers. listen to the sound as you look at the pictures.
love seeing these
Being with Jim and Betz and fellow friends Ellen and her family was truly nourishing and inspiring. From fresh baked breads (check out The Oxtongue Baker), to ice cold micro brew on the dock, to beautiful deep conversations about why we are here and how best we can become our truest and most peaceful selves.
aaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuummmmmmm
Thank you Jim and Betz and all at Chape Inn. I hope to be back soon.
From there I made my way to Toronto for a night. It was incredibly hot that day – remember that crazy heat wave that was everywhere, so I mostly walked around a lot drenched in sweat. I did have a wonderful conversation with a local bartender, originally from Hawaii, who wanted to buy me a shot because he was so enjoying our conversation. He told me our time together helped him feel much better about Americans. I am happy to serve. 😉
From there I drove through some beautiful farmland of Canada, spent a couple days in the Niagara-On-the-Lake area, mostly resting and staying cool. This place made me a little home sick for the Cape, I must admit. Around this time I was really longing for magical swim in Barnstable Harbor.
And then off into the absolutely sweltering heat of the tunnel from Windsor, ON to Detroit Michigan. What an experience!
There was a LOT of traffic and I was asked many many questions as I re-entered the US. I realized after the fact, that the nice man just couldn’t quiet understand why I was driving so much and travelling by myself as a woman. sigh.
He literally said to me, “Next time you should bring a friend.” I told him I had my music.
Pretty sure this was like driving to the Cape on a Saturday around noon. OOPS!!
After that somewhat annoying journey through the tunnel and over the border, I arrived at a most magical air BnB in Ann Arbor Michigan. The funny thing is when I arrived there was no power in much of the city. Remember that crazy weather….
The good news was I had a grand piano just steps from where I was sleeping. What a treat! I even wrote a few tunes. I had forgotten how inspiring it was to write on a grand piano. so fun!
My final leg landed me in Cincinnati on Sunday night staying with my friend Tera for a few days, then another friend Alice in Northern Kentucky, and then eventually landing at Viv’s on Thursday. We all enjoyed a super fun house concert on Friday, celebrating the Galactic New Year and completing the celebrations of my new album 12 Rebirth.
While I was with Tera, we made a trip to see Serpent Mound. Very cool.
Serpent Mound
It has been wonderful reconnecting and hanging by the pool with Viv and her family, allowing myself to recharge and move a little slower after all that driving and traveling. And I had another wonderful experience with gongs, not soon after I arrived, again feeling the grace and gratitude for how healing sound is always present in my vicinity, kind of like Magic.
Now, I am enjoying the energy build to Saturday and performing at Gaia’s Love Festival. To learn more about this festival and how it evolved from Viv’s book One Day Gaia’s Gifts, visit her website.
While driving around Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, there are many bridges. It seems no matter where I go, I end up on some highway and crossing some part of the river somewhere. This had me thinking about bridges this morning.
View of Cincinnati from Kentucky
Right now, I feel like I am halfway across a bridge. I can still see where I came from – the known place I had been living in and being me, as well as the place I am going – a little less known and unclear. What is it like to be half way across a bridge? How do we trust we can keep going and not turn back towards what is familiar?
Imagine if the bridge wasn’t solid. Like in that scene from A Wrinkle in Time, where the staircase only appears when she takes a step into what looks like nothing.
This is where we are now. At least that’s what if feels like to me.
Tomorrow is a new moon and mercury goes direct.. Then we head into what is known as the Lion’s Gate energetically.
There have been many moments in which I half found myself throughout my human journey halfway across a bridge. The last time I felt this much excitement and unknown at the same time was the summer of 2009, before I moved to Egypt.
The Sun rising at the Pyramids in Giza on 11/11/2009
hmmmmmmmm.
In past moments, I have not always had the courage to take the full leap into the unknown and see what happens. This time, however, I have never felt so ready or so joyful to keep walking step by step allowing the bridge – the LIGHT BRIDGE – to appear moment by moment.
I can’t believe it’s June 1st. Wow! The May 17 Official release concert in Brooklyn was so fun and it is so thrilling to have this new music out in the world and be hearing back from some of you about what you are liking and what is resonating. Have you heard the CD? Or received it in the mail? Send me a message and let me know how you are listening and what you are loving. Those little messages mean more than you think and help keep me going.
TONIGHT I will be enjoying a beautiful experience at the Harwich Cultural Center with a local group of Cape musicians backing me up. so so fun. Catie Flynn, who sang on the record will be in the house along with her band mates Aaron Mayo and Karl Hoyt. Rich Buck will be on drums which is such a treat.
There will be more to announce in the next couple weeks about dates in Canada and the midwest, but for now, I wanted to say THANK YOU and if you have not taken a moment to tune into 12 Rebirth, I encourage you to. It is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon (among other platforms.)
You can go to Queen City Records and see all the lyrics and cover art as you listen.
It’s an amazing time to be alive and creating music and I am so grateful to have you with me on this journey.
May All Beings in All the Worlds be Happy and Free.
Alicia Mathewson 