Solstice Circle A Great Success

Hi There Fellow Fluties,

The Solstice Gathering was a great success and proved to be a very transformational event for everyone who attended. About 20 people came to share the first gathering for the Northern NSW Flute Circle. Eve's 15 month Daughter Leela, the youngest member of the circle was keen to take part and played Eve's flute for us which was a blessing. Many other interesting people of all ages and backgrounds joined as we found together what it was like to be part of a Flute Circle.

We spent about 2 hours on the grass in circle which began with centering meditation by Sayahak and then some voice toning by amazing Sante, which really helped to set the energy. Then as the sun went below the mountains around 5 pm the prepared bonfire was lit, and once it was going well, which didn't take long at all being Camphor wood, we ate and socialised at the house before returning to the fire to sing songs and warm our bones.

The fire was a great idea as was the Spiral Mandala Walk, a meditation of prayer of our future journey's to the Creator, that all were keen to take part in. During the Spiral Mandala walk, a circle of glass candle lights placed in a spiral and a larger one at the center where you can then stop and pray before returning, flute songs were played to enhance the energy and healing. After we then returned to the fire which at this point was seriously raging and putting out a lot of heat, and continued our connections with each other, ourselves and our flutes.

On a whole it was an absolutely amazing event that all insisted they would attend next solstice as if there would be something wrong if we didn't do it again. So We surely will. What a great way to start a new group on a Winter Solstice, it was the most fertile time for us to come out and do this and assures a great power and future for this great sharing journey together. AHO!!

A big thanks to all those who attended and to Anna for generously welcoming us all to her place, thanks also to Eve for her committed help and beautiful energy, whenever I struggled Eve offered at least one suggested solution but usually many.

Enjoy these photos and please feel welcome to make comments on this blog.

Sante playing the flute

Me playing a tune.


Me, Eve, Cristiana. The group practicing a few new techniques like the trill, embellishments, tonguing, and flutter tongue etc.

Yu demonstrating her fantastic playing skills with Ben observing.

Ben accepts the offer to Play Yu's Lovely Drone.


Yu, Myself, Wan and Kaori share a group picture.

Anna's Friend, Anna, Eve and Cristiana.

The Fire.

Sahayak playing Cristiana's lovely snake medicine flute.

Sahayak in the moment with Sante looking on in awe.


Kaori and Yu, full tummies and empty plates.

Tending my fire keeping responsibility and enjoying the atmosphere of being amongst good friends.

Click here to see a video of Yu and Matt playing thier flutes around the fire after most people had left, a very special monment.

We welcome the help of those who would like to either help with the organising and admin. Work of future circles or those who would like to help by donating items to our raffles. The raffles are to raise funds for charity. Our current raffle is for an amazing collectible autographed flute and 3 Cd's, all the information including photos and sound sample are in the previous post down the page, titled What is A Flute Circle. Our current charity is Hands With Hands click here to see the website.

The next circle will be held in the lovely month of September. Details for next Circle will be available in late August. Again all are warmly welcome so please strongly consider joining us if it is possible to make it. I look forward to seeing you then. I will continue to post fortnightly so please do save this blog to your favorites and come back soon.

I'm off on a journey to the US shortly so wish me well and I wish you well on what ever you get up to until we join again next time.

Blessings on the journey

Matt

What Is A Flute Circle?

Hi again,

I must admit I think I am addicted to blogging, I am so new to this and so definitely hooked.

I thought I would post some interesting and exciting info that is on my mind. Also information about what a Flute Circle is basically about for those not sure.

This post covers these topics.

• What is a Flute Circle?
• How can our group contribute to charity's?
• Current Flute and CD Raffle.
• What to expect on this Blog.
  
• Start your Own Blog.

What is a Flute Circle?
A Flute Circle is a group of Native American Flute enthusiasts, of any level, who meet regularly to share their Spirit Songs, and support each other on the journey to becoming more experienced players. Beginners and those wanting to experience what it is that we do together, and the magic healing sounds of the Native American Flute are very welcome to join us. We also share a social aspect to our meetings and great food as everyone brings a plate. Our focus is to have fun and further the appreciation of this great instrument.

How can our group contribute Charity's ?
As we will be coming together as a group we become a powerful instrument for our own self empowerment and also to bring change around many issues affecting the world we live in.

Fund raisers and donations to charity are a great way to do this. Also we can use the circle as a place to birth other great ideas we have to bring change and share our gifts with others who may be interested.

Eve has suggested that we nominate a People, a Land, a Land Animal, and Sea charity and spread the funds we raise between them. I think this is a fantastic idea. We can alternate between different charities. We will update here when the charity's have been nominated.

If you have any ideas for charity fund raising or have a goods for donation for our next raffle then please email us at northernnswflutecircle@gmail.com

Current Flute and CD Raffle.
I have donated a signed flute and have 2 signed CD,s donated by supporters of the circle that will be raffled over a 3 month period. It will be drawn at our gathering in September.

In 2006 I attended the INAFA convention at the University Notre Dame In California, there I exhibited some of my flutes and bags. Besides donating a flute and bag to the INAFA raffle during the convention. I was inspired by Geoffrey Ellis and Geoff Ball's idea to get signatures from the many performing artists and attending flute makers on a flute for a raffle. So I donated a flute to the same idea and planned to bring it back and raffle it at a Flute Circle. It has since been neatly tucked away and thus has become a very collectible item, with over 20 signatures including, R Carlos Nakai (6 time NAMI winner and Grammy nominee) Peter Phippen, Gary Strousos, Hovia Edwards all Canyon Records recording artists. Kathleen Joyce Grendahl - of INAFA, Robert Gatlif – Flutetree and INAFA Board member. Coyote Oldman - AKA Michael Graham Allen, Vince Redhouse, Ash Dargan - dIdge artist from OZ, Sherry Kuhl – First flute circle, Ken Light – Amon Orlin Flutes and many others. This flute will be the first prize, there are also two Signed CD’s for 2nd and 3rd prizes that were donated By Gary Strousos titled - Echoes of Canyon De Chelly. And By R. Carlos Nakai with Keola Beamer, titled – Our Beloved Land. A big thanks to them for their support. So it’s a big raffle to start us off. How exciting!!!!

We welcome your help to sell tickets please ask Eve at the circle or email northernnswflutecircle@gmail.com Tickets are $5 for 3 and you can buy them from Eve at the circle or by email, we accept online bank deposit or Pay Pal using our email address, but prefer bank deposit as it is free - more money to charity not multi-nationals.

Here is a picture and sound file for the flute.

This flute is made from famous Plum pine Podocarpus elatus, (see the woods page on my website www.spiritsongflutes.com.au for more info) native to Australia's Northern NSW Rain forest Region also known as the Rainbow Region. The wood was recycled from a property near my home at Kyogle by a local wood recycler named Ron Allen. It is one of my favorite woods for flute making but sadly so rare and endangered.
It has a great tone, and is very playable as well as collectible. The bird is made from American Walnut also a lovely flute wood. The flute value would be above$750 now

Here is a sound file: http://www.zshare.net/audio/1302835225e4b4c7/

What to expect on this Blog.
This blog will serve as a place to promote the Flute Circle and its upcoming gatherings, news, fund raising and my personal journey with the flute. I urge others to start their own blogs and we can link up, ask me for help or direction if you are interested by email. Blogs are a great way to publish information quickly and they are totally free!! Setting one up is quicker than reading this page and so simple. Why not just do it, then you can keep all your friends up to date with what you do in your life and what’s important to you as they just visit your page just like you are doing now.

From time to time I will post info on other groups and people who are on interesting journeys as well as people, causes and businesses that are worth supporting and just about any info that I think is important to publish.

Start your Own Blog
Don’t write off starting a blog today, it’s a great idea.
See this site to start one www.blogger.com

I hope you enjoyed reading this post

Many blessings on the journey

Matt

Welcome To The Circle

Hello Everyone,

I'm Matt Shooting Star,

This is the Blog for the Northern NSW Flute Circle.

We are currently organising our first meeting. Dates will be posted soon.

The vision for this circle has been with me for a long time and inspired by many others in North America like Sherry and Gary Kuhl who I was lucky enough to meet in 2006 at the INAFA convention. Sherry started the first Flute Circle in America and was the inspiration for many hundreds more to follow.

It's very exciting that we are birthing this baby now. The reason it has taken so long was I needed to find those committed people that were just as keen as I to see this great vision birthed and going in this part of Australia. That happened recently when Eve Glimma put her hand up, well both actually LOL. Without Eve's help and enthusiasm my vision would just be an unfulfilled idea yearning for attention in the back of my mind. I thank Eve for the encouragement that made me feel at ease and for her generous offering of the hard work that is necessary to get this off the ground and keep it going. Thank you EVE!!

This circle is about; Sharing, learning, healing, love, YOU and of course the Native American Flute, and you are welcomed with love to become part of this new energy.

I, on behalf of all the other members and future members, would like now to welcome YOU to this circle.

We are going to have a lot of great fun and joy together.

There are so many of you that have put your hand up and said you'd be there when we got this going and in the next week I will be emailing and calling you to tell you the great news, I can't wait to meet you all again and meeting new people interested in connecting with our group.That's right Our Group, every ones input will be valued and honored. Without it OUR group can't grow.

We plan to meet at different members houses on a Saturday afternoon every month in the Northern NSW area. We will aim to make this location central to our members.

Please email us if you have any questions regarding the circle or our next meeting.

northernnswflutecircle@gmail.com

Thanks for visiting and bye for now,

Matt
Spiritsong Flutes