I stood in my living room overcome with angst at the prospect of spring cleaning. “Oh my! The house is in such disarray because I’ve been so busy with Voice Painting™ Class! Where do I start?!?”, I wondered.
I really wanted to give up before I began. “March 20th?”, I thought. “The Spring Equinox? Already? This is a day of wondrous beauty! A blessed day of new beginnings! The return of The Dawn!” My spirits sank as I looked around at the photos and books and papers and books and crystals and books and books and books… I’m bookish, you get the picture.
“Well, gee, my Spring is off to a dismal start.”, I said aloud.
Then I saw it, a white rabbit. “A rabbit in my living room! That’s impossible! True, I’ve been rehearsing Alice in Wonderland with one of my music students. Maybe the stress of the long hours is getting to me.”
“He just ran under the coach! Wait a minute. How did I know it’s a he bunny? Could it be? The ghost of ‘Elvis’? My pet bunny from childhood? It couldn’t be! Elvis, my white rabbit, passed away when I was twelve.”
“Hmmm… Tonight is the Full Moon in Libra. Strange things do tend to happen under the Full Moon. A full moon on the first day of spring is a rare event. It only happens once every 19 years! Maybe it is Elvis after all!”
“Elvis? Elvis, is that you?” , I cried running over to look under the coach.
“Why yes, dear, it is Elvis. I brought him with me so you wouldn’t be frightened.” Startled, I turned my head to see a beautiful blonde lady dressed a long gown of bright rainbow colors, wearing a wreath of wildflowers flowers in her hair and surrounded by an aura of golden light. “Holy Ostara! I mean, Eostre! I mean, Goddess, what are you doing here?”
The Goddess ran her finger over my dusty television set. “I heard you lamenting about spring cleaning. So many people in the northern hemisphere are cleaning this month and you’ve been working so hard I thought you could use a bit of help. I see I was right.”
“Ng, Ah … Goddess.” I said, “I think I need an entire cleaning team!”
“Don’t be silly, dear. It’s just a bunch of papers, books, photos, books, crystals, oh, look more books! Kathleen, it is time to donate. I’m sure your local library would love these! What are all of these anyway?”, Eostre said, picking up and old worn thin booklet.
“Oh, I see ‘Group Voice’ by Bernard U. Taylor. Is that the same Bernard U. Taylor who was once chairman of the voice department at the Julliard School of Music?”
“Yes, Goddess,” I replied.
Turning the thin volume over in her hands the Goddess spoke again, “You have a lot of books about voice training. This one is very old. 1936 it says. Why do you keep it?”
“Because he offers great advice, Goddess. It’s also partly sentimental value. My father studied singing with Mr. Taylor. I met him and his wife when I was a very little girl.”
“Sentimental value, I understand but surely this book is out of date, Kathleen.”
“Oh no, Goddess, not at all, but it is out of print. It’s a rare edition and Mr. Taylor offers wonderful advice I think you will love! Being Goddess of The Dawn, new beginnings and springtime, you might be interested to know that in this very old book, Mr. Taylor suggests using the sounds babies make freely, to awaken and liberate the voice!”
“Really?!”, Eostre exclaimed.
“Yes, Goddess! The yawn, the sigh, the grunt, the groan and so on, are the foundation of this book.” A light bulb popped on in my head. “That’s it! Goddess! We need to get Elvis out from under the couch right now! My cleaning is going to have to wait. I have a blog to write!”
With that, Elvis magically appeared in Eostre’s arms. “Don’t worry about him, Kathleen, my dear. I’ll keep an eye on him and dust up a bit in here for you. You go write that blog about yawning and sighing. I think those exercises are the perfect spring cleaning for the voice!”
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I incorporate embryonic sounds, the sounds babies make, in The Magic of Melody™ Mini Course.
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Isn’t it true, Nancy? We can all use a great reminder of the basics of keeping our voices in tip top shape! Happy Spring Cleaning!
I love this writing style and the stories. So beautiful. Thank you
Thank you so much, Laura! I’m glad you enjoy my Divine Voice Goddess adventures.
We’ve had crazy weather in March, Kathleen. Winter was supposed to be over at end February and then after a few days of charming weather, it returned!
So I’ve got clothes for both seasons out right now. I could use some spring cleaning help!
I started my spring cleaning over the winter. It kept me going until the sun finally remembered to come back out!
I laughed out loud when I read about your dusty television. Yes! I understand. And, books. How do we give up our precious books? Is it possible? I think not! Not this gal, anyways.
You are a very gifted writer. I always enjoy reading the words you weave. Have fun cleaning with Elvis. <3
Thank you so much, CK! I’m glad it made you smile!