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The unnatural nature of Resistance.

The unnatural nature of Resistance.

by | September 14, 2022 | CREATIVITY, HEARTCENTERED, SACRED VOICE, VOICE JOURNEY

The unnatural nature of Resistance.

I know it may not seem that way, but we are constantly in effortless motion.

Every day we are spinning around the Earth’s axis at about 1,000 mph.
The Earth is currently hurtling around the Sun at 67,000 mph.
The Sun and Solar System are whipping through the Milky Way at 448,000 mph.
The Milky Way is whizzing through our local galaxy group at 70 miles per second.

So why, then, does it seem that everything we want take so LONG to hurry up and change?? And why is it so easy for these celestial bodies to travel so effortlessly?

For one thing, Planet Earth is not worried about what we worry about.

I’m pretty sure she is not thinking:
WAIT! I’m not sure I’m ready! or
WAIT! I don’t know enough! or
WAIT! What will people think! or
WAIT! I’m not good enough for that.

No, that script is just for us.

Planet Earth is just herself, a miracle of creation, fostering life and sharing her beauty and bounteousness.

She has surrendered wholly to the unseen force of gravity that not only connects her with all life in the universe, but was the primary cause for her creation. She is, shall we say, going with the flow.

It’s funny how it is part of our nature to resist motion, evolution, and change, even though the laws of gravity are as relevant for us as everything else in the universe.

Why does it seem that when we want something to happen do we then kickstart our Resistance that tries to stop time and keep us from moving ahead? 

Because we fear change. We fear the unknown. We fear that we will lose our controlover what we have, even though we want more than our current situation reflects back to us. 

Why?

I believe it is because our desires are so very precious to us. And we have not been taught how to honor our desires, nor how to understand how they shape our lives.

So when we finally come face-to-face with the actualization of a desire, we kinda freak out?

We want to stop moving. We want to pause Time and halt Gravity so we can properly evaluate the situation: am I safe if I realize what I desire for myself?

Listen, I know that Resistance so well. We are besties. I can smell it a mile away. It is real and uncomfortable. It is a very effective tool for your fear.

But ya know, you are still moving. You are always moving. You are part of nature.

You are a kindred spirit with the Earth, Sun, and Milky Way, all made by a loving Creator, and (sigh) subject to the laws of gravity and motion.

The next time your Resistance kicks up a fuss, just take a notice, and allow yourself to surrender to the inevitable change.

Your life is the vehicle.
Your desires hold the rudder.
And your heart is the compass.

Godspeed!

 

Prompts for Moving Through Resistance

Take a moment to breathe, center awareness within the heart space, and enter into a state of stillness.  Allow these questions to guide your higher mind into clarity.

What is one Desire that is calling to you at this time?

Notice your inner response to this Desire: your thoughts, your physical body, your breath?

Do you notice Resistance, Fear, Excitement, or something else?

Take a calm breath and ask yourself: what is the true, underlying cause of my Resistance?

CHALLENGE: Let yourself soften as you acknowledge the Resistance. What would happen if you surrendered to the flow of Life? 

 

A Prayer for Your Desire

Dear Creator,
Make me ready to realize my desire for my life, art, and work.
Help me to know my true nature as a being of Love.
Help me to acknowledge my inherent part of this beautiful world.
Help me to surrender to the natural flow of Your Universe.
I pray for your blessing on my desires. 
May I honor them.
Help me to release the grip of fear and loss of control over how my life is unfolding.
Stoke my faith as I surrender to my unfolding of purpose.
Strengthen me with courage as I step into the unknown with a whole heart.
Melt my resistance so I may rise into my calling, in service to You and the world.
And so it is. Amen.

Love,

Allison

 

About Allison Mondel
Transformational Voice Coach, Singer, Teaching Artist, Director, Mentor, Speaker

I am a visionary artist, educator, and voice coach whose work stands at the intersection of vocal wellness, spiritual wisdom, and personal empowerment. With 25+ years of professional experience as a performer, teacher, and mentor, I empower others to access their innate vocal gifts through a holistic process, and ascend into their personal greatness. I have helped hundreds of students access their voice and step beyond their doubts into joyful, courageous, and purposeful self-expression. 

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How to define your voice.

How to define your voice.

by | September 7, 2022 | PURPOSE, SACRED VOICE, VOICE JOURNEY

How to define your voice.

Think back to the last time you were about to start singing something. 

What was the first thought that came to your mind?

I hope this comes out ok.
Don’t do it wrong.
What will they think of my voice?
Is there enough ________?
Am I doing all the things right?
At the same time?
Is that the right pitch?
I hope this is right.
Don’t mess up.

For about one million years, I was obsessed with being and doing things “right.” Because that was my experience of singing: make sure ya do it right or suffer the consequences.

And what exactly were the consequences of not doing something right, but actually doing something wrong?

Rejection. Embarrassment. Shame. Admonishment. Public admonishment. Belittling. These consequences were unmistakably painful and punishing.

So what about those thoughts? The ones riiiiiight before you are about to sing? 

Your thoughts are going to define your experience in that very moment you are about to create something with your voice. 

If the nature of your thoughts are undefined, they will be rooted in your unconscious experience (for better or for worse).

Let me say that another way: your singing—and your experience of your voice—will be defined by what you unconsciously think.

Until you get wise and shape the dialogue. 

Dear << Test First Name >>: if you do not want to walk around unconsciously dreading the worst, then you must define your experience of your voice and the music you sing.

Why?

✴️ Because you will be able to tap into your innate musical and physiological capacity, creative intelligence, and true, authentic voice.

✴️ Because you will co-create a divine and powerful current of transcendent, electric beauty.

✴️ Because you will consciously invite, experience, and know the very best of your voice.

The key is to define your experience (and grow aware of vagueness).

My inner dialogue is like quicksilver, so I have to be on the watch for sneaky thought-bubbles like “don’t sound like sh*t or you could be ejected.”

It takes more mental effort, self-love, and resolve to start instead with…

This is an offering of love.
I am centered and grounded.
My breath is relaxed and deep.
This ________ (onset/moment/note/word/phrase) will go like this.
I have enough breath to last a lifetime.
I am a vessel of amplified, sacred power and it’s freaking intense but I’m sticking with it.

You can see how something like “don’t mess up” seems a bit, um, lackluster?

Your thoughts define your experience. And thoughts come in many forms.

They will work wonders for you, if you choose them wisely.

 

Prompts for a More Sacred Vocal Experience

Take a moment to breathe, center awareness within the heart space, and enter into a state of stillness.  Allow these questions to guide your higher mind into clarity.

What are your unconscious thoughts right before you sing?

What is driving those thoughts? Why?

What do you choose to allow instead?

What would it take to instill these thoughts the next time you sing?

Are you willing to try?

 

A Prayer for Your Voice and Mind

Dear God,
May my thoughts be peaceful, loving, and wise.
May I allow only the highest thoughts to accompany my voice.
May my mind be spacious and clear so that my thoughts may be turned to You.
May I be guided by my inner truth towards that which I am here to truly express in this world.
May I be wise to confusion, vagueness, and misdirected fears.
May I rise into the true nature of my voice as a divine instrument: capable, worthy, and sacred.
May I be courageous as I step into new life with my voice, conscious of my own power and my capacity to co-create with You whenever I choose.
Thank you for my voice. Thank you for my mind.
May I be a wise steward of my voice and mind, in service and devotion to You.
And so it is. Amen.

Love,

Allison

About Allison Mondel
Transformational Voice Coach, Singer, Teaching Artist, Director, Mentor, Speaker

I am a visionary artist, educator, and voice coach whose work stands at the intersection of vocal wellness, spiritual wisdom, and personal empowerment. With 25+ years of professional experience as a performer, teacher, and mentor, I empower others to access their innate vocal gifts through a holistic process, and ascend into their personal greatness. I have helped hundreds of students access their voice and step beyond their doubts into joyful, courageous, and purposeful self-expression. 

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A solution to transcend worry.

A solution to transcend worry.

by | August 31, 2022 | FEAR!, SACRED VOICE, VOICE JOURNEY

A solution to transcend worry.

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 those contents into grateful drawers. Ah, that’s better. Now where were we? Oh, yes, creating a sacred life!

Duh!

Amidst the outer clutter, I recognize something important: chaos in the form of unpacked boxes is nothing compared to the chaos of the mind when it has succumbed to fear.

Because in time, the stuff in the boxes will be put away. I will find the perfect bookshelf. I will replace the broken lamp. I will receive my new recycling bin. I will weed the garden. I will organize the knife drawer.

There is a solution to every lingering question. 

I am not afraid. I am not worried. A little ungrounded? Sure. But unpacking is definitely an unfolding process. I can roll with that. 

But what about those bigger questions? What about something that is less tangible? Or more important? Or less clear? Or more pressing?

You know… life questions, art questions, work questions, people questions.

Not Knowing the solution to a problem can carry a great existential weight. It drives us to distraction, and is deeply uncomfortable.

I have a workaround. Let me introduce you to one of my favorite practices: asking a Sacred Question. 

A Sacred Question differs from a regular question in that you believe and trustthat there is a Sacred Solution.

I believe and trust that my recycling bin will arrive on my doorstep.

Do I believe and trust that I will fulfill my purpose? Or create something new? Or clarify the details of my new program? Or choose the perfect songs for my performance? Or meet the right person to help me with a task? Or live a prosperous life? Or find the right community?

Or know what I want to know instead of living in this state of Not Knowing which is causing me to suffer, worry, and procrastinate?

When you do not know the answer, ask a Sacred Question. Write it down. And let it be. Do not force the solution, nor demand that the Universe supply it instantly for you. 

The Sacred Solution is literally one moment away. But you must practice:

1) having faith that there is an aligned answer.
2) trusting the process that will yield that answer.

If you are grasping for a solution with your mind, you will not get the answer you need.

If you allow the question to percolate in a space of divine co-creation, it will appear with ease.

If you want this Really Important Thing to work out, you gotta practice Not Knowing the Answers.

Ask a Sacred Question instead. The solution is already on its way.

Prompts for Not Knowing

Take a moment to breathe, center awareness within the heart space, and enter into a state of stillness.  Allow these questions to guide your higher mind into clarity.

What is weighing on you right now in your life, art, or work?

Why is this important to you?

What do you fear about not having this figured out? (Name that fear!!)

Do you believe that there is a solution to your problem?

Can you write down a Sacred Question and see how this will play out?

 

A Prayer for Sacred Solutions

Dear God,
Thank you for the unfolding mysteries of my life.
Thank you for the experiences I have had which have granted me wisdom.
Help me to accept that which I do not yet know.
I pray that I may see past the barriers of my mind.
I pray that I may believe and trust in the infinite possibilities that are available to me when I lay down my worries and choose to co-create with You.
Give me strength and courage to acknowledge my grasping fears.
Give me grace to accept what I do not know.
Give me the will to let go of control.
Illuminate my inner knowing, that I may recognize the Sacred Solution when it is placed right before me.
Help me to enjoy and revel in the mysteries of my life and relieve all worry and suffering.
And so it is. Amen. 

Love,

Allison

About Allison Mondel
Transformational Voice Coach, Singer, Teaching Artist, Director, Mentor, Speaker

I am a visionary artist, educator, and voice coach whose work stands at the intersection of vocal wellness, spiritual wisdom, and personal empowerment. With 25+ years of professional experience as a performer, teacher, and mentor, I empower others to access their innate vocal gifts through a holistic process, and ascend into their personal greatness. I have helped hundreds of students access their voice and step beyond their doubts into joyful, courageous, and purposeful self-expression. 

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What is your *real* voice lesson?

What is your *real* voice lesson?

by | August 10, 2022 | PURPOSE, SACRED VOICE

What is your *real* voice lesson?

Sometimes I joke that everything I have learned about life I learned from singing.

But it’s so true!

It has been quite the journey, though. Sometimes it was pretty tricky, sticky, and ugly. But then also wildly illuminating, crack-you-open joyful, and triumphant. 

The lessons I learned include how I do my work in the world, what I am here to share, and how I love and value my voice—and myself—at all costs.

I had to let go of needing my voice to be something I thought it should be. I had to let go of a career trajectory that I thought was what you’re supposed to do. I had to let go of fear of the unknown. I had to let go of control. I had to let go of unworthiness. I had to let go of fear and trauma that were obscuring my future.

I thought that my voice was supposed to sound great, be likable, and get me somewhere. No errors, no weaknesses, no troubles. I thought that all I had to do was be as technically proficient as possible so that I would be safe. 

But you know what? None of that matters nearly as much as my true life lessons. My real “voice lesson” has been about cultivating love, trust, and wisdom, and creating a sacred and wholehearted life. And my actual voice?

It is more brilliant than I could ever have imagined possible.

Dear One, I want to invite you to see past the surface for a sec. What has been your experience? What have you known?

Your experiences and circumstances are utterly unique. But I also know (because you are human) that there are places in your relationship with your voice that keep you locked up.

They are sticky spots around your singing, or your musical or creative life, that fall under the category of either “things to fix” or “I am broken forever.”

But in my experience, these are the signposts that, if you are willing, lead to sacred illumination and the unfoldment of your genius, purpose, and true joy.

It does not matter how old you are, how small you seem, or how scared you feel.

It takes courage to look inward. It requires a willingness to grow and to stoke the inner fire of your heart. And it takes quiet to listen, observe, and respond.

If you can muster the chutzpah to look deeper, your voice will reflect your most important life lessons. And (God willing!) help you realize that those lessons will illuminate the core truths of your life, and the purpose of your voice in the world.

No joke.

So what does your voice have to teach you today?

Prompts for Voice Wisdom

Take a moment to breathe, center awareness within the heart space, and enter into a state of stillness.  Allow these questions to guide your higher mind into clarity.

What do you believe that is holding you back around your voice?

What experiences have shaped you?

What is your headspace about your voice?

What is your spirit longing to bring forward?

What is the higher truth that you are meant to know?

 

A Prayer for Your Voice

Dear God,
Thank you for my voice.
Thank you for all that I am, all that I have learned, and all that I have been.
Guide me now into true wisdom, and the purpose and place for my voice.
Illuminate the inner places where I have grown small.
Grant me courage to break through the false ceiling of limitation, so that I may rise into the fullest potential of my voice.
Give me strength to look inwardly, so that I may know and understand the lessons of my experience. 
Grant me wisdom to know that my experience is the key to my healing, my purpose, and my ultimate joy.
May I raise my voice without censor, without shame, and without hesitation.
May I join my voice with the heavenly chorus who praise You in sacred harmony.
May my voice be blessed, may it be loved, may it be shared in safety.
Thank you, dear God, for my voice. 
And so it is. Amen.

 

Love,

Allison

About Allison Mondel
Transformational Voice Coach, Singer, Teaching Artist, Director, Mentor, Speaker

I am a visionary artist, educator, and voice coach whose work stands at the intersection of vocal wellness, spiritual wisdom, and personal empowerment. With 25+ years of professional experience as a performer, teacher, and mentor, I empower others to access their innate vocal gifts through a holistic process, and ascend into their personal greatness. I have helped hundreds of students access their voice and step beyond their doubts into joyful, courageous, and purposeful self-expression. 

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How to decondition bad habits

How to decondition bad habits

by | August 3, 2022 | SACRED VOICE, VOICE HEALING, VOICE JOURNEY

How to decondition bad habits

For a very long time, habits have been my nemesis. I have read many books on the topic, chasing the “good” ones and disdaining the “bad” ones…

When we are young, we have no capacity to discern between them. And so they settle in, for better or for worse. We follow them unconsciously for a while, until one say we say…

“If only I could be better at establishing good habits!”

It applies to:
vocalizing
(things that happen *while* vocalizing)
dish-doing
meditation
cat medication
journaling

But then there are those more toxic habits. They are like unconscious snakes in the grass, waiting to snap at your ankles when you least expect them.

This used to happen to me while singing. They were Thought Habits: conditioned responses to any situation in which I was to share my voice.

My thought habits were pretty insidious. They had settled into my practice for a long time, and I had no idea how full of snakes my untidy lawn had become.

It is typical that in order to finally change our ways, we hit a breaking point. (Or something actually breaks.) I was so done with the thought landscape of my voice that I swore off my bad habits and, well, everything in my life did a 180°.

I believe the reason why identifying, setting, and establishing “good” habits is so freaking difficult:

You don’t know who you will be on the other side of the habit.

And at the core of this fear surrounding the dissolution of (crappy, unhelpful, potentially self-destructive) habits is that we are too afraid to claim our own divine potential and true worthiness.

Who ARE you when you are prepared, timely, well-rested, creative, calm, and happy? And your cat is thriving, too?

Who are you when you become a grounded, integrated, focused, divine messenger of love, rather than an overthinking, unhappy, spiky, self-doubting soprano?

Changing your thoughts and actions requires a shift in consciousness. And you have to re-learn what to think and do.

But it only takes a small, simple moment to recognize that you are in a habit rut.

Any habit will begin to shift with recognition. Know when you are engaged in an unhelpful habit. Your understanding will begin to crack the veneer of whatever safety mechanism that habit was engaging for you.

Next comes the will to change. The will to embrace not only higher consciousness, but frankly, a better way. Whether in your singing, or art, or just life in general. 

It all begins with what I call a Sacred YES.

It is your call to action, your divine vow, your stepping through the threshold of fire that says, “I am willing to step into my greater potential (even though I am scared and I don’t know what I’m doing).”

Habits are mutable. They are changing, just as we are. Unconscious thoughts and actions based in fear and ignorance need not run the show. 

When you realize that this is no longer working for you, then make the first change: say YES to a better way.

And from one friend to another: I know that you are worthy and capable of amazing things.

Are you willing to claim that for yourself? 

Prompts for Embracing a Better Way

Take a moment to breathe, center awareness within the heart space, and enter into a state of stillness.  Allow these questions to guide your higher mind into clarity.

Is there a pattern in your life, art, or work that you would like to change? 

Why is this holding you back?

What is the source of this habit, pattern, or behavior? Why does it continue?

Are you willing to change? Yes or no?

If no, what is holding you back?

If yes, are you willing to make that Sacred YES right now? 

A Prayer for Personal Growth

Dear God,
Help me to choose a better life.
Help me to rise into my personal greatness.
Help me to loosen the binds of fear that keep me trapped in the spinning wheel of false safety.
I pray that I may be strengthened in mind and will to make sacred change in my life. 
I pray that I may taste the beauty of my precious life when I embrace my true gifts.
I pray that I may embrace my sacred worth and know my infinite potential when I am aligned with You.
Steady my hand and stand at my back as I walk through the sacred portal to claim the potential of my life, and in doing so become more alive.
And so it is. Amen.

Love,

Allison

 

About Allison Mondel
Transformational Voice Coach, Singer, Teaching Artist, Director, Mentor, Speaker

I am a visionary artist, educator, and voice coach whose work stands at the intersection of vocal wellness, spiritual wisdom, and personal empowerment. With 25+ years of professional experience as a performer, teacher, and mentor, I empower others to access their innate vocal gifts through a holistic process, and ascend into their personal greatness. I have helped hundreds of students access their voice and step beyond their doubts into joyful, courageous, and purposeful self-expression. 

You may be interested in…
What other people think.

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...

read more
The poison of competition.

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...

read more
What is creative vocation?
What is creative vocation?

I define a creative vocation as The Thing you are called to do for 1) your own specific, conscious reasons and 2) the will of creative consciousness, otherwise known as Life itself.  Creative vocation is the meeting place of Your Will and Divine Will. It is the...

read more

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