The last I wrote to you I was on the brink of my own leap into the great abyss of the Unknown, and initiated my 40-Day Non-Grasping Experiment. My Experiment of letting go of all outcomes continues apace. I've been leaning into every discomfort, and stumbling through...
It may not always seem that way, but you are on a Hero's Quest. We all are. Today is my birthday (46!!), and I am committing today to romance my life like a hero. A creative hero. (Even if I don't always feel like one.) It's part of the human story, our archetypal...
It feels like appropriate timing that this message is coming to you on the first day of summer, when the sun shifts into the constellation of Cancer, the zodiac sign of the Great Mother. The Mother shows us how to receive. (Because we already know how to avoid.) My...
Habits have been my nemesis since forever. (Building the good ones, that is.) We are inundated with ways in which to self-improve our lives, our health, our diet, our mind, our productivity, our practice, our relationships, our accounting, our time, etc. Just about...
One of the most difficult things about the emotional journey of a creative is that sometimes there are simply no logical explanations for your experience. (Kind of like dating. Super fun!) Especially if we are prone to placing the value and acceptance of our work in...
I remember when I was a brand new mom. Oh man, I was having a devil of a time. Personally, I was splintered in a drastically unrecognizable way. I couldn't recognize any rational thoughts from the irrational kind (which were abundant). Enemies were everywhere. And my...
Last summer while visiting my family's favorite spot in Maine, my little one Adrian and I were joyfully clambering over some of those ancient glacier-scraped rocks on the shoreline by our cottage. Alas, we were quite shocked when came upon a dead harbor seal pup who...
Today, February 1st, we are crossing through fire. It is a quiet, but significant, turning point in the year, marking the ancient Celtic feast of Imbolc, as well as Saint Brigid’s Day. It’s so easy to plow through this “dead” time of winter, just keeping our head...
I've been taking some time over the past few weeks and months for some deep internal processing, allowing a great deal of space for a process of "wintering.” Although I would not have called it that, had it not been for Katherine May’s beautiful book, Wintering: The...
It's funny to think about how much time and energy we spend each day avoiding something we don't want to do.Sometimes, I spend months and years avoiding something, let alone a few minutes or hours in procrastination, cleaning my house or whatever busy tasks I...
Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? It's amazing.When I visited a number of years ago, I walked up and stood at the rim, and tears began streaming down my face for the sheer awesomeness of it all.Being there was also like coming face to face with Time. Not simply...
I know I'm not the only person around who wants things.The things that we want come in many different shapes and sizes, but I am talking about the Big Things.The things that our inner being is calling out for. The things that, if we look closely enough, cause us the...
This morning I padded down the stairs with the cats in the cold, pitch black before dawn, filled with a sense of newness and readiness.My inner voice said: go look out the window! On any typical morning, the first thing I opt to look at is the coffeemaker. But I...
I'm sitting in a room full of unopened packing boxes in my new home.It's been a time of rapid upheaval and change in my family's life. My back aches from lifting and my mind is cluttered (just like my new dining room).Yesterday I opened a box labeled "AM Desk" and put...
I know you may not talk about it, but I know you have A Thing that's been on your mind for a while. That quiet vision, that unspoken desire, that shimmering dream, that kernel of an idea, that sticky feeling that you really, truly, wholly want something. Maybe it's a...
The other day my client reminded me of one of the juiciest secrets I keep. (At least, it's not something I put on my resume!) But it's also one of the best memories I have, a reminder of something that made me feel amazing, high as a kite, and wildly happy singing on...
You endlessly compare yourself to others, breeding either an inferiority or superiority complex, setting yourself up for disappointment, and ultimately, holding yourself back from what is truly important to you.
One of my favorite movies of all time is The Wizard of Oz. I even had a mural of Oz painted in my girlhood bedroom! My parents were crazy about classic films, and we had a non-stop stream of movies playing on our television during my entire childhood. But this film...
It was over dinner the other night that Adrian, my darling six-year old, eagerly reminded my husband and I that we hadn't yet asked him what happened at school that day. Well, it wasn't pretty. In a nutshell, he became so frustrated with himself that he couldn't spell...
Tapping into your essence does not have to be a hit or miss situation. It is a radically simple formula and practice to be applied whenever you create the intention to do so. It can be a Thing You Do all the time.
W R I T T E N B Y Allison Mondel No, no, no. Not what you think. Not really, anyway. But why does singing sometimes feel so naked? Especially when you are going solo. Just you and your voice. You and your sound. You and your thoughts. (Oh, the thoughts!) You and...
I remember that time like it was yesterday: it was a frigidly cold January day, and I was equal parts Ready-To-Kill-It and Scared-To-Freaking-Death. For years I had taught singing at Washington National Cathedral, occasionally singing here and there as needed. I had...
W R I T T E N B Y Allison Mondel When I began graduate school I became instant friends with a talented singer who entered at the same time. One afternoon we were leaving class and walking across Harvard Square, headed to our favorite tea café. As we were walking,...
W R I T T E N B Y Allison Mondel I have a bold theory.If it holds true, it can transform your experience of singing. This simple truth can exorcise any negative thinking or fears that keep you tucked away in your mind, and stuck in that old proverbial rut.Here it...
One of my favorite movies is The Wizard of Oz. I had a mural of Oz painted on my childhood bedroom wall. I even had the theme of the decorations for my bat mitzvah reception decked in Oz technicolor. One of the most creative was a "smoky" sign made of wire and cotton...
I will never forget that time when I stalled out and was stuck in a rental car in the middle of a busy road in Limerick, Ireland. I had literally just pulled out of the rental parking lot, on my way to Kildare, driving crossways east across the country by myself. On...
Can you recall a time when you had no idea what you were doing? (I have these moments, like, all the time.) Say you are learning something new, or practicing something, or in a rehearsal, and those dreaded words bubble up from your mind: I have no idea what I'm doing....
I love the 80s. Especially Alf and pop music. (Ah, the music!) My personal Spotify playlist is packed with gems from the 80s, and when I listen to them, I have a smile plastered on my face and feel that all is right with the world. One of my favorite bands of all...
