COLOR ME BLU...SUZI BLU!

Most people in the Mixed Media Art world know who Suzi Blu is, and I’d like to introduce her to you. This lady is full of energy and fun. Her Art Videos and Workshops are sure to grab at the kid in you and bring out the fun artistic side of you. Check out her fun, colorful and unique style.

How are you today Suzi?

I'm good. I just had my hair done so I'm happy. (I'm a Leo. I am nothing without a mane of hair).

Are you working on any special projects at the time of this interview?

After this interview I am scanning in the final sketches for a line of art stamps I am designing.

Then onto filming a few free journal video classes. But thee BIG project is the sequel to Goddess & The Poet. Its called PIETY AND PASSION. But its a secret. I can't talk about it yet. 

So what brought you to this point in life with your Art?

I do the next thing that is in front of me and I don't think about it. That is the only way I can describe how I got to the place where Im living my dreams - making art everyday and getting paid for it. I don't do anything that I don't want to do and that is my best advice. Focus on what you truly love and put all of your energy towards that. Anything that comes your way that has to do with furthering you to your dream goal DO IT. Don't question, "Oh, but can I?" Do it. And if it sucks, do it again until it doesn't. Then go onto the next thing.

What’s a typical day with Suzi like?

My boyfriend should be answering this ha! If you ask me I am not much fun to be around. I have a lot of projects and my day is split up into priorities. Whatever is pressing gets done and everything that is not urgent today doesn't, unless I have extra time and feel up to it. So today that means the stamps have to be finished. Have to. It is also Critique day at my school so whatever else I might have planned, videos, new classes, laundry, none of it will be touched until after I have given full attention to my students work and helped them as much as possible. Then I go on to the next thing on my list. Today that means an art journal video that will take a few days to make so I can fit other things in too, like walking on the beach or going to a bookstore. Because I document my life in my videos I get to do fun things while I'm working because its all part of the whole. But usually, Im hunched over somewhere either editing or getting messy in the art room, eating dinner my sweetheart makes for me, then passing out at 11:00 either watching a movie or playing Paradise Quest on my iPhone.

What types of things motivate you to create?

I could never not create. Something inside of me is unable to do normal things for the majority of the day. Its on a cellular level that's all I can say. DNA. I am incapable of doing anything else because its in my blood, at my very core, I have to express and play and experiment and that is all I want to do. I am quite stubborn and selfish. I take it very seriously that this is 'my life'. I don't waste it. If what I want to do is drip inks onto oil pastels then I will do it. I am in control of my life. At the beginning that meant giving up a lot of things and I was very poor for a long time without any security. I had a lot of problems because of that but in essence I was happy. That is the power or creating. Be it a song or a doodle, its magical and keeps me doing it.

Talk to us about your Art Journal Playshops. These Playshops have not only Art but Inspirational Messages.

This is my philosophy when it comes to dealing with people: whether you are a banker or waitress or financial advisor or art teacher, it is all about giving and receiving love. Getting people to love themselves is what is really going on and the way to do that first is by giving them love. Create a safe place for people and watch them grow. If you are doing something just for the money your customer will feel let down. Put love into it. Make them feel great and watch the results. Encourage people to be the best they can be. That is what is needed before you can even think about teaching or selling them something. Open your heart and then they will open theirs. Then magic can be let it. So when it comes to art I am not going to teach you something if first I don't make sure you are ready to learn. If you tell yourself, "Oh, I can't draw a line. I suck." Then my time is wasted because you aren't going to pay attention to the techniques I show you. My job as a teacher is to make sure you first feel worthy and KNOW you have the right to make your mark, whatever mark that is. Only then will you be able to learn.

Your Art is full of wonderful pictures of soft yet powerful female faces with a distinctive style. Talk to us about that.

Faces interest me. I cannot have an abstract painting without a figure in it. I don't want to paint like that. Art for me is about tapping into the spiritual. Painting is highly spiritual for me and is my church. The figures I create are born from that and are extensions of my feelings about what is god, love, whatever that thing that spirituality is. My paintings are usually not narrative, they tell no story. Rather they are company. Faces staring back at me telling me it is ok, they understand, that there is more to see. They remind me of spirit when I look at them. I think that's what prompts me to create them.

What is the Art Skool Underground about? Can we talk about it?

If you have been to any formal art class then you know how it feels - stiff. Hard chairs, fluorescent lighting, it feels defeatist before you ever put pencil to paper. Even in 101 classes in a Community College teachers promote competition. If you don't come in with natural ability then you are discouraged to continue. I asked my teacher if I could be a 'real' artist and she said I don't think so. She said I worked hard though so you never know. There is a lie that is being spread in the art world, perpetuated by the people in it. I say Art 'Skool', purposely spelled wrong because I want people to know off the bat that mistakes and being a beginner are allowed. Not only allowed they are encouraged. Case in point, I was so excited when I created my first online class, and hurried to make it's content, that I did not proofread pdf's before I posted them. I spent hours making them visually striking and the words meaningful, I did not care about the spelling.
And well, there were a lot of mistakes in there. No one cared. They laughed and cried and it was the content that mattered. They said it felt like a note from a good friend and in notes spelling doesn't count. That is the informal and emotional environment I want in my classes.

How you feels matter more than what you do. And it's easier to do things in a space that isn't scary.

You do a lot of workshops. And fun Videos. I’m curious, what is the youngest student you’ve had? How young were you when you realized ‘This is it?’ I mean as far as the Career was Art?

I have students whose kids love Suzi Blu and want to create. My youngest fan was a boy 2 years old who would mimic what I said in the videos to his cat. As far as for me and this is it, this is not it. I have no idea what IT is. I know I want to create fabulous art journals with personal writing and publish them. That would be it for me, I think. But who knows. I have dreams of a real school. One with walls and a bell and where everyone can wear pink wigs. Like everything else that big I don't know how it will happen. For now I'll just keep doing the next thing in front of me that leads me to my goals. I could never not do art all the time though.
I just can't. It never was an option to do anything else.

What is SuziLand?

A place where my free videos are so when life is getting on you, doesn't understand you and is mean, you can go to SuziLand and feel warm. I love the idea that I have control over a space and fill it only with love.

Your Art is unique, touching. Is there a very personal element to it?

I can't not be authentic its just who I am. You may not like where Im coming from or how I am behaving but Im truthful about it. My gifts and my faults, I lay them out side by side. Although by teaching I have learned to be professional, I do not burden students with my trivial things, it hurts me to not connect with people. Which makes me insecure. I do want you to like me and try not to take it personally if you don't. It never stops me from putting it out there though.

I know you have a lot of fun your Art and your Blogs show that. What kinds of fun do you have with your Art?

With all of my projects its easy for the fun to turn into work, which is why Im going back to free videos in addition to my classes. All work and no play is bad for me. I started all of this as creating a space for myself that was fun, as an outlet for full time school. I want to go back to that feeling. Creating workshops for a year, while is fantastic, I had to concentrate on making quality products. I miss things that don't mean as much. Where I can just let off steam and make fun art without worrying whether its explained. I want to do both.

Look for my line of Stamps, I will be selling them on my website in March. And free tutorials as well. I will also be in the book "Art At The Speed Of Life" by Pam Carriker. It comes out December 10. And all new online classes. 

What a busy Artist! Thank you so much Suzi! We will look forward to your stamps and the Book!  Find out about Suzi and her workshops at http://www.alovelydream.com/site/Welcome.html

A Style of His Own. Randy Chiurazzi

San Diego-Based guitarist Randy Chiurazzi has created a style of music that’s his own. With his guitar he creates a unique sound of western and eastern flavor for children and adults. He also focuses on creating interactive learning songs for kids which they love and he does fun live performances and weekly BlogTV. His music is fun and touching and definitely adds sunshine!

Randy, what was your childhood like and did it have any influence on the style of music you play now?

My childhood was very typical in many ways. Not a lot of musical influence in my home, but great parents who encouraged me to travel, and keep an open mind.The part that influences how I play now was my young adulthood. I spent two years studying Guitar Craft with Robert Fripp in Europe. 

Your songs are very unique, do you write all of your own songs?

Yes. I have always wanted to write my own songs.

These songs have a lot of personal feeling to them. Are they emotional for you? What inspires you to write?

I love to get behind the song and make it everything it can be when it is performed so I focus on getting into it emotionally.I am inspired by things that strike me as phenomenal. Sometimes, they are things a lot of people think are amazing, and sometimes not. I like it when a phrase or concept enters my mind that makes something mundane seem amazing to me. I also like when a concept enters my mind that makes something amazing seem mundane and commonplace to me. 

Most of your music is based around your guitar. Do you play other instruments?

I play all of the instruments on my Children's CD, "Let's Go to Africa", but it was difficult. So, yes, but with a lot of effort.

I went on a mental vacation when I heard “Brush Strokes”. Where does that song come from? What made you name it ‘Brush Strokes’?

On that day, I liked the tone quality of the strings when my fingernail brushed across them; then, the main riff of the song started to take shape. I took the time to develop the idea into a song because I wanted something instrumental to play on stage. I am inspired to write instrumental music. I have written a score for a play, http://setinvenice.com/music.htm so I was glad that Brush Strokes came along.

Did you write all of the music for ‘Set in Venice’? How do you get there in your head? I don’t think I could ever sit down and connect the music with the scenery as you did.

I wrote all of it. I spent some time studying music composition at Duquesne University and Carnegie Mellon University music schools in Pittsburgh. I developed a love for composing and have been listening to a lot of modern symphonic music ever since. I developed an approach to instrumental music that I explain at my website http://randychiurazzi.com. When the Setinvenice writer, Greg Hohman said, 'I want you to really explore the ideas you have on your experimental music page', I was inspired to spend the many hours it has taken to realize the score.

What is ‘Let’s Go to Africa’ about?

That is how I combine my love of teaching and music. A friend of mine said, ‘you should write children's music'so I did! In fact, "Let's Go to Africa" is the first episode of a children's music video show. I made a low budget version of the show so potential producers can see the concept. The videos are on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/thegoshowonline. My dream would be to host a travel show where I write and perform music with and for kids. I have performed the show at schools and parties with puppet man Scott Masters. At the website you will find the lyrics and ideas for making instruments.

Where do you perform live?
I perform at an Open Mic on Tuesday nights at a fantastic Portuguese restaurant called Portugalia in San Diego at 4839 Newport Avenue, San Diego, CA 92107

It is hosted by excellent San Diego songwriter and promoter, Jefferson Jay-jeffersonjay.com. I play longer sets in the showcases that Jefferson puts together. 

What Inspiration would you offer our Creative Souls out there?

I would say to get the most enjoyment out of your art. Learn how to relax about your technical level at any given time. Learn how to play at that level with the highest quality. Anyone who sounds great is doing just that, no matter how technically brilliant they are.

I have been very fortunate to study with some of the best teachers in the world. That is the best training I have received from them.

Be sure to check Randy out and http://randychiurazzi.com and live on Blog TV at  http://www.blogtv.com/people/randychiurazzi   

Thank you so much Randy. We wish you a fun and musical Journey. 

PAUL SPENARD, MIND BENDER

Remember Paul? I interviewed him several weeks ago. Paul Spenard

Paul has shared his wonderful magic with us :-) Check this out!


Pin vs matchbox from Paul Spenard on Vimeo.

Thank you Paul! I can't wait to share more!

Dreams -Photography by Kate Magendie

Previously I interviewed Wordy Goddess, Kate Magendie. I have to tell you that this lady is one of those people that enriches life by her very presence. Aside from being a sensitive and enticing Author she is also a wonderful photographer.

Take a break and let this beautiful photography work its wonder on you!

http://www.kathrynmagendie.com/

Musically Speaking - Elise 5000

There are some people so dedicated to their dreams and so focused that you know without doubt they will accomplish what they set out to do. This young lady, Elise 5000 is one of those people. According to Elise she was born to do music. She is full of energy and music and definitely heading in the right direction.

Hi Elise. So let’s start with how long have you been singing? 

I've been singing for quite some time now since childhood and participated in the honor choir in elementary school which was audition only as they picked all the best singers for the entire county to compete on state and national levels. I've been a recording artist since I was 16. I had a deal with an indie label. There I learned how to produce music and record in a professional studio setting.

Elise how old are you and where did you grow up?

I'm 22 years old going on 14!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I grew up in the middle Georgia area in a small military town called Warner Robins GA!

Who were some of your influences growing up?

My influences are Jodeci, Aaliyah, Al B Sure, Michael Jackson, Mary J Blidge, SWV, Timbaland, Missy, The Neptunes, Zapp, Dru Hill, Teddy Riley, Brian Alexander Morgan, Mariah Carey, Beyonce/Destiny's Child and many more.

Was it always your dream to be a Music Star?

Yes! ALWAYS! I cant imagine doing anything else.

 What was it like when you realized this was really happening?

It was amazing! Before I decided to go hard at this music, I was depressed and I couldn't figure out why. It had been months since I had written a song and I was just going to settle for a career in radio which was the easier choice. Well, I broke up with my boyfriend (thank GOD) and finally had time for me. I locked myself in my room with my keyboard and started writing and producing. I felt like I was coming back from depression. I felt alive again. So I traveled to a friend’s studio to re-produce my composition on a Digital Audio Workstation and recorded the record. That was the turning point in my life that pulled me out of depression and taught me about myself. That was the birth of Elise 5000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


What inspires you to Sing? 

I have no idea! Well, lots of things inspire me. The movie Avatar inspired me a lot! Listening to other great artists, visiting a new and exciting place, good vibes and energy, happiness, beauty, art, emotions, feelings, moods all inspire me. EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN inspires me! Good books, new thoughts that I may acquire. Anything and Everything. But I think it is GOD touching me. A fragment of the Universal Mind speaking to me and sharing with me pieces of the universe! Each and every song is a gift from God. Once I'm finished making a song (especially a really good one) I say "Thank you God for that gift".

This is one of the headlines I found about you? “Elise 5000 Named Cakewalk’s “Your Music: Anytime, Anyplace” Songwriting Contest Winner!!!” Talk to me about that. Did you amaze yourself by beating out over 4000 other contestants? 

I did amaze myself because I totally didn't expect to win. I just entered something in just to be doing something. I'm glad I did too! ;)

I listened to ‘Star’ and actually danced my way around the laptop and had to come back after the song was over LOL. I got almost a funky disco pop snappy thing going! What would you call your style of music?

I haven’t really thought about what I call it. Hum....Let me make up something now! Um... Well it is really like a funky pop. The "Star" record is meant to be sort of electronic pop, experimental, but with an urban flare! I try not to categorize my music. I hate being in a box!

You also have a song called ‘Everybody Else’ featuring T-Pain. Did you write that song? What was it like collaborating on that?

No I didn't write that record. A very talented songwriter called Secret Da Songwriter wrote my lyrics however I did write my part of the hook: "huh?, Yeah, foreal?, Ok, that's whats up" If you wanna consider that writing! It was fun working on that record I had a blast vocally arranging that one. It’s so me and I was in the moment with that record! Shouts to T-Pain! He's a beast! I can't wait to work with him foreal!!!

What’s in the works for you?

Major mixtape coming up! I’m so excited about it! Album coming soon! More hot singles! More hot music! I just want to make people happy with my music!!

 You do Elise. And I’m sure they’ll be happy about it for a long time. Thank you!

To learn more about Elise and her music be sure to visit her website www.Elise5000.com

D. Gulley, America's Discount Trendsetter

D. Gulley Trendsetter, Fashionista, Celebrity Wardrobe Stylist, Host of The Discount Trendsetter Show. This busy lady is a bundle of motivation, advice, experience and inspiration for all. Her experience fuels her show and she gives creative and inexpensive instruction and tips for living in style without spending a fortune. She covers everything from meal tips to fashion tips and more.

Hi D, thank you for giving this interview. Is the Trendsetter Show your Dream path in life? What lead you down this path of Creativity and wanting to provide people with valuable Discount information?

Yes, The Discount Trendsetter Show is my dream job and career. When I graduated from college with a degree in Accounting, I actually wanted to be an Actress. I eventually moved to California to pursue this goal. Along my path, I felt God's calling to do something that would motivate, inspire, and encourage individuals to succeed in life. Over time, I created The Discount Trendsetter Show to serve as an outlet to bless people through financial literacy and money-management.

Where did you grow up? What was the Fashion Trend like when you grew up?

I grew up in Arkansas. Let's just say the fashion was very southern. Everything had to match. For example, my mother would wear a red suit, pair it with a red purse, red shoes, red gloves, red panty holes, and red makeup. LOL

My son was very serious about his appearance as even a very young boy. And still carries on that way. (Secret, transferring an Alligator from one shirt, does not a LaCoste make. He knew at 5! LOL)

Were you a creative and/or fashionable child?  In what way?

Yes, I was always a discount fashionista. Since my mother was so colorful with her garments, I always kept my fashion style modern. I would wear a lot of natural colors like: browns, blacks, blues. By the time I was twelve, I was making my own clothes. I also would save my money and buy designer items on sale.

What experience do you have in the area of money management?

As a former accountant, I know the importance of money-management. I am a firm believer that it's not how much money you make but how much money you save that makes you a true Fashionista. I shop for bargains for everything I need in life. Rather it's shoes, clothes or groceries.

You have episodes from Saving Money on Make up to Closet Organization.  There’s even an episode on turning a Pillow Case into a Drawstring Skirt! Where do you get your ideas?

I get my ideas for The Discount Trendsetter Show oftentimes from my own life. The information I share on the show is from experiences I gone through or things I know other people have made mistakes on. Just recently, I watched a reality show and a young lady was being interview for a job with her breast hanging out. This inspired me to do some upcoming episodes entitled, ‘What to Wear on a Job Interview and What Not to Wear on a Job Interview’.

As we know, economic times are really wearing folks down. What are some of your best Money saving Food Tips in these times?

The best advice I would give someone on his or her groceries would be to only purchase what you need. I have been guilty of walking into a store and buying items that I saw just because I could. Now, I make a shopping list. If the items are not on my list, I will not purchase them, period. Sometimes, you have to practice control.




What is being a Personal Shopper about?
As a personal shopper, I get to shop for other people. Sometimes, clients will pay to find gifts for them or pick out a new wardrobe. Each job is different.

Let’s talk Money Saving Fun! What do you do to have a fun yet affordable time?

I like to search the internet for Free movies. I don't have cable because I watch all the shows I like online, especially Project Runway. Lifetime Network posts the full length episodes online every Saturday.

What is your favorite experience as a Trendsetter?

My favorite experience as a Trendsetter is helping other people look and feel good about themselves. At first, I assumed everyone knew how to dress. Now, I know this is a weakness for some people. We all have strengths and weakness. Fashion and coordinating looks is just something that comes natural to me. Now, cooking is a whole another story. LOL

What Inspiration would you offer to people trying to stay Sexy and Savvy in hard times on a budget?

I would tell people to be true to themselves. Oftentimes people go into debt trying to look like the celebrities or other people they know. I don't keep up with trends. I buy and make clothes that are timeless. This means I can wear them for years to come and still look HOT.

You can find out more about D and her show by visiting her website at http://www.discounttrendsetter.com/ and you can see her show at http://www.youtube.com/DiscountTrendsetter

THE EDUCATION OF JJ SEMPLE

One of my favorite things about being able to do these fascinating interviews with the wonderful colorful people I've met along the Journey is the information gleaned from them. There are so many facets of life and people that we are unaware of unless brought to light.

Recently someone mentioned to me 'Kundalini Yoga'. Of course being the inquisitive or even nosy (LOL) writer I am, off I went to investigate. What I found was many forms of Kundalini. However, the descriptions and explanations I found were short and not really informative. So what a better way to find out than through an expert. Fortunately I didn't have to look far.

Meet JJ Semple. JJ is the Author of several written works, a teacher, student, and so much more. Thank you JJ for giving me sharing with us.

Steph: First, I’d like to thank you for this interview and congratulate you on the work you’re doing. The Internet is a pillar of popular communications, now and for the future. Thank you for finding a creative way of using it.

JJ are you a Healer, Therapist, Coach, Consultant?

All of the above. I don’t see a difference. They’re just different ways of communicating and energizing, some one-on-one, some with groups. The most sincere of these attempts to instill a sense of self-reliance in the individual and/or to introduce him/her to various practical processes for self-improvement.

Today, I am now primarily a writer, speaker, and teacher. That is, I try to communicate proven notions of self-reliance and self-improvement to the widest audience possible. For thirty years I dealt with individuals and small groups; now, having assimilated enough hands-on practice and knowledge thanks to my Kundalini experience, I am widening my message though books and through the Internet. From time to time, I still work with individuals and with small groups because I love it.

What message? The only way we can truly realize our human potential is by changing the negative aspects of our human nature, those aspects that keep holding us back. Kundalini, a dormant energy resource within each of us, is the most powerful means of accomplishing this. What’s more, it’s free of charge. It doesn’t cost anything to activate this energy and make it work for us on an individual and collective level.

JJ, please describe ‘The Kundalini’ and how it works?

Kundalini is misunderstood. I recently created a website dedicated to clearing up the confusion. I’m still adding content, may never finish. That’s the beauty of the Internet; you never run out of cyberspace.

Most people have some notion that Kundalini is the biological Life Force energy dormant in our bodies. It’s a couple of words thrown together. I copied this off my website. There are so many similar definitions. None of them are really satisfying. It’s not fully possible to define a phenomenon like Kundalini without experiencing it. It’s like trying to define death. You need to feel it happening in order to understand it.

At this stage in my life, however, the evolutionary aspects that Gopi Krishna focused on interest me most. Kundalini is a biological reality, a scientific fact. Nature included it in the body for a reason. If it didn’t serve a purpose, evolution (big E) would have eliminated it. That’s what Evolution does — eliminates the unnecessary. In this case, eliminating Kundalini would be tantamount to eliminating all future human evolution, all future improvements to the human species.

For Kundalini is responsible for every evolutionary change in our species. Moreover, it’s the key to our future evolution. It’s the future of our brain and our DNA. The neuroplastic changes produced in the brain through Kundalini are transmitted to future generations through DNA. That’s how we have evolved so far; that’s how we will continue to evolve. By the incremental changes in DNA that took place in the brains of exceptional people being passed along to future generations.

Kundalini is a scientific fact, not just some spiritual mumbo-jumbo. It’s part of a very successful early school of scientific research, one the ancients performed in the laboratory of their own bodies. And it produces measurable, quantifiable results, albeit in the metaphysical, instead of the physical, realm.

Most people don’t understand that Kundalini is “available” to them, don’t know how to activate it. They don’t know that Kundalini was once actually active in their beings, that it is responsible for their bodily substantiation, that they can re-activate it. Getting this series of facts across to a larger public, at the same time dispelling some of the popular myths about Kundalini, is a long-term task.

What is your experience in this field?

I activated Kundalini in 1972, almost 40 years ago. It was a full and permanent awakening, a rare phenomenon. Five years later, I visited Gopi Krishna in Kashmir to discuss my experience. At the time there were very few books on Kundalini. In fact, the experience was widely misunderstood — what caused it, what effects it induced, how to manage it, how to live with it.

Gopi Krishna is the father of modern Kundalini research and the only other person I’ve met whose Kundalini was active day and night from the time he activated it through meditation until the day he died. His book 'Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man' is a masterpiece. It’s a memoir and a how-to, a guidebook for activating and living with Kundalini. And it took him 30 years of living with Kundalini to be able to write it.

The same thing happened to me. Once Kundalini becomes active, so much happens, the individual’s brain changes so dramatically and so continually, it takes time to assimilate everything. Like Gopi Krishna, I needed years of living with Kundalini, years of adjusting to the changes it induced in my being in order to write about it.

Not that I was inactive during that period. I spent a lot of time working with groups and a lot of time cataloguing the various changes within my body and being. They are described in my books.

Gopi Krishna liked the fact that I had used 'The Secret of the Golden Flower' as a meditation method for awakening Kundalini. He told me that a safe, repeatable method for activating Kundalini was needed and charged me to continue making a reliable, repeatable version of Golden Flower Meditation accessible to all. I have spent the last 40 years doing this.

What is the Golden Flower?

The Golden Flower I know about comes from the book of the same name 'The Secret of the Golden Flower'(SGF). The term is also used in a dubious new-age context, something I know nothing about. The book is another matter. Complied in 8th Century by Chinese adepts, it is a manual on raising Kundalini. The terminology — the Chinese, Hindu, Taoist, Tibetan influences — may vary, but the secret techniques described in the book lead to the same end.

I used the book as a basis of my practice to activate Kundalini. After, because most Westerners find the wording in the SGF opaque, I modernized the method for today’s practitioner. My books contain valuable information on the secrets behind the Golden Flower.

How and when did your Journey lead you down this path?

Good question. I consider the journey as important as the destination. In fact, my book 'Deciphering the Golden Flower One Secret at a Time' is not only a memoir and a how-to, it’s also a detective story.

A childhood injury deformed me. If it wasn’t for the accident that caused my injury, I might never have discovered the amazing transformative power of Kundalini. The extraordinary factor in my case was that my injury occurred when I was very young, so young I actually suppressed all memory of it.

Years later, when I was thirty-four, a stranger handed me a book entitled 'The Secret of the Golden Flower'. It was a serendipitous moment, the beginning of my recovery process. I didn’t realize it at the time. In fact, I put the book away for over a year. Sometime later I picked it up and began practicing the method of meditation in the text. At first I thought I was wasting my time.

But the method was for real. Not only was it for real, this ancient method turned out to be the safest and most complete Kundalini method I’ve run across in my forty years of research. Anyway, upon awakening, the Kundalini recognized my deformity and immediately began to restore my body to its original state, the state of perfect symmetry that existed before my accident.

It took a lot of detective work to unravel the mystery. I spent a lot of time getting to the bottom of my condition and finding a means of correcting it.

On your site it says ‘Kundalini is the source of creative energy’. Can you give a short description of what that means?

First, let’s understand what’s meant by the term creative. Kundalini triggers creative effects in many areas. Would you call autonomic self-healing creative? I would. In the sense that it starts a process of removing limitations and enabling. The individual discovers new talents and capabilities never before explored or realized.

Would you call 'overcoming addictions' creative? I would. Kundalini brings about an entirely new “human being;” brain chemistry is altered. The mind matures. Creativity and self-discipline flourish. I had never written a book or directed a film. Gopi Krishna never spoke German (German came to him spontaneously). Friends of mine never wrote, acted, painted, or composed music. Not until they awakened Kundalini. Once it happens, creative powers start to appear spontaneously.

What’s more, Kundalini changes the whole decision making process, introducing elements of logic and clarity into an often too emotional process.

'The Secret of the Golden Flower' talks about the Conscious and the Primal Spirits. The Conscious Spirit is the state we’re born into, one governed by the five senses and by emotion. The Primal Spirit is the eternal, immutable power of nature. It doesn’t know the alphabet or multiplication tables; it is the creative force of nature. Once you re-awaken Kundalini — something every individual can do — the Primal Spirit replaces the Conscious Spirit. It’s our job, should we desire to realize our full potential, to reawaken the Primal Spirit, the source of all forms of creative energy.


Please talk to us a little about your books 'Deciphering the Golden Flower One Secret at a Time' and 'The Backward-Flowing Method: The Secret of Life and Death'

'Deciphering the Golden Flower One Secret at a Time' is a memoir, a how-to, and a detective story. How can a book be all three? Well, my first concern was to make the book readable. According to my reviewers, I have succeeded. It’s written in the first person and moves quickly. Readers tell me they can’t put it down. Nevertheless, I knew my biggest challenge with a book that moved quickly was to find a seamless way of integrating meaningful content. I decided that telling the story of my Kundalini awakening contained more than enough content. After all, it began at my birth. I realized I couldn’t leave anything out; I had to tell my life story warts and all, and do it in under 200 pages. The book is 186 pages.

In 'The Backward-Flowing Method: The Secret of Life and Death' I changed style and voice. Why? My first book read like a novel. In the second, I needed to step back from the process itself as an actor and take a critical look at it. Some readers couldn’t identify with this new approach; I’m not sure I could have done it any other way. You can’t please everyone. The two books go together; the second is a continuation of the first.

The backward-flowing method is the secret meditation technique. I consider it to be the secret of life. Why? It’s the third step in Golden Flower Meditation (GFM), the most reliable, safest means of awakening Kundalini. Why do I also say it’s the secret of death? Because GFM links up with 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead'. Mastering Golden Flower Meditation and its key backward-flowing sublimation technique prepares the individual to overcome the obstacles to accepting death (as described in 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead', in order to facilitate the whole death-rebirth cycle. The Circulation of the Light talked about in 'The Secret of the Golden Flower' is the same light encountered by those who have undergone near death experiences (NDE). If one can experience this light, know and understand its eternal purpose while still living, how much better will he/she be prepared for the actual moment of death and the challenges posed by navigating the afterlife?

What are the benefits of the Kundalini and Kundalini Meditation to ones personal health and healing?

GFM delivers pretty spectacular results. As in Ponce de Leon — Fountain of Youth-type results. On the back cover of 'The Backward-Flowing Method: The Secret of Life and Death', I list the effects gained from mastering Golden Flower Meditation: Triggers autonomic self-healing mechanisms capable of correcting defects due to neural degeneration
Rejuvenates the brain and the body as a result of intense activity; Retards the aging process; Reverses self-destructive and addictive behavior; Heightens and enhances consciousness through the awakening of various metanormal effects and powers; Refines the being to the point where the individual is able to effect a release from Karmic bondage; Clearly demonstrates that the ego spirit persists after death; Facilitates the transition into the next state of being.
What is Diaphragmatic Deep Breathing? How important is this Breathing method?

It all starts with breathing.Breathing is the most important exercise you’ll ever do. Unfortunately, most people don’t breathe correctly. 'Diaphragmatic Deep Breathing represents the crucial first step of the Golden Flower. Kundalini Meditation method, a step each practitioner must learn before attempting the backward-flowing method.


You also do a Podcast. What is it about and Where can the readers find it?

The Golden Flower Podcast covers a variety of Kundalini and Golden Flower Meditation issues, many of the same issues covered in my books and on my website. However, the spoken word format has a decidedly different impact. Listeners tell me they like the Podcast because the setting creates an intimate effect.

You can subscribe to my Podcast through iTunes or through Podcast Alley.
My next multimedia project is a foray into ITV — Internet TV. I’m planning a high-quality (HD) ITV interview & commentary show. We’ll discuss the scientific aspects of human potential as well as its metaphysical aspects.

I created a spoken word CD for Diaphragmatic Deep Breathing'. The exercises in this CD are set to Universal World genre music I composed and arranged. Golden Flower Meditation uses the nervous and respiratory systems to trigger a host of metabolic and somatic activity in the human body, especially in the internal organs. Through Golden Flower Meditation, the nervous system is stimulated such that the natural chemical substances of the body are recombined and used for self-healing, rejuvenative purposes, and greater overall awareness. But it all starts with breathing ...

Thank you so much JJ for educating us on The Kundalini. Wishing you many more years of Color, Peace and Kundalini!

To find out more about JJ, his books and his teachings visit his FaceBook page at JJ on FaceBook or visit these sites:

http://www.commonsensekundalini.com
http://www.goldenflowermeditation.com
http://www.lifeforcebooks.com