The First Rustle of Fall! Trying something new.
Memories of Cuba from 2016
Cuba takes your breath away. The streets are alive with music and dancing, vintage cars, horse-drawn wagons, tobacco, Santería altars, and the presence of a complex political history.
I visited Cuba in 2016 as part of a people-to-people exchange with a small group of travelers from the United States. We stayed with Cubans in their homes and had the privilege of studying music, dance, and Cuban culture for two weeks.
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on my most profound musical experiences of the past 20 years, and my time in Cuba ranks near the top. In fact, I’ll be featuring music by a couple of classical Cuban composers in my November 1 concert (Music, Memories, and Movement). Below is a video of the band I heard on my first night in Cuba from 2016.
In case you missed it, this week’s Tarot card is the Chariot. It fits right in with my memories of Cuba, where the entire country seems to be in motion—dancing, walking, driving, biking, or working in the tobacco fields.
From the Radiant Tarot- art work by Alexandra Eldridge
Summer Love
There are so many things to love about summer! I’m talking about time with family and friends, swimming, long walks, sun-soaked days, a bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables, flower gardens, a relaxed schedule, and extra time to work on creative projects.
Lately, I’ve been putting a great deal of love into preparing for my upcoming Seattle concert scheduled for Sunday, November 1. The concert is Music, Memories, and Motion—a live piano concert inspired by The Radiant Tarot deck and built around the 22 Major Arcana archetypes, weaving together classical piano music and storytelling. The set list will be drawn from the Radiant Tarot deck at the start of the concert. Exciting!
As part of the preparation for the concert, I’ve launched a YouTube channel called Piano for the Journey 
that explores one card and piece of music each week. This week’s card is The Lovers. The Lovers represent love of all kinds—for pets, family, work, romantic partnerships, friends, activities, place, and self love.
You can catch the episode by clicking the on the video below or following the link to YouTube.
Are you spending your time doing things you love with people and creatures you love?
As the artist Marc Chagall said, “In the arts, as in life, anything is possible if it is based in love.”
Variations on Life after 50 by Jill Timmons
Jill Timmons’s new book, Variations on Life After 50, inspired my latest project: creating a YouTube channel and concert that weave together the major archetypes of Tarot with classical piano music and storytelling.
Wherever you are on your life journey after 50, you’re in good hands as Jill gently guides you through the realities and challenges while opening the door to new creative possibilities. This book is for anyone who wants to awaken their creativity and ride that Third Wave with passion, presence, and meaning.
“Variations on Life After 50 is a siren’s call to those of us who are entering our ‘Third Wave’ and wondering, what now? This profound book, brimming with inspirational real-life stories, powerful metaphors, and practical advice, offers a field guide for how we can reach our full creative potential. In this truly transcendent work, Timmons offers a magical and timely gift to creatives everywhere who are seeking meaning, purpose, and an enduring legacy!”—Laura Dean, author of Music in the Westward Expansion
See my latest YouTube episode below: Gavotte and Variations by Rameau, inspired by The Hierophant.
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Boss Up: Embrace your Inner Emperor
The Emperor from the Radiant Tarot deck. Art work by Alexandra Eldridge
Boss Up! Step into your day with confidence, grace, poise, and strength —and look regal while doing it! Go ahead–embrace your inner emperor.
The Emperor card from the Radiant Tarot is the inspiration for the latest episode in my Piano for the Journey series. This card reminds us to take control of our own destiny with determination, authority, and an organized plan.
For this episode, I chose an early Classical piece by C. P. E. Bach, one of J. S. Bach’s twenty children. Structured in an A–B–A form, the composition is elegant, beautiful, and perfectly balanced—like the Emperor!
I invite you to view the Emperor video in my Piano for the Journey Series, linked below.
Flow State: feeling fine
Keith Urban’s new album, Flow State, leans into the yacht-rock vibe with smooth melodies, excellent production, and feel-good energy. I’ve been loving the album— particularly, the songs: “Summer Breeze,” “We Go Back,” featuring Michael McDonald, and “Guitar Man,” featuring John Mayer.
Go ahead—put on the album, throw open the windows, arrange some fresh-cut flowers, and dance around your living room. You’ll feel lighter. You’ll feel fine!
I’ve always loved “Summer Breeze,” the iconic 1970s classic created and recorded by Seals and Crofts. The song premiered in 1972 and reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard chart.
For this piano cover of “Summer Breeze,” I cut some jasmine from the garden and donned my latest thrift store find- a beautiful summer blouse—fully embracing that summer flow state.
See the curtains hangin’ in the window
In the evening on a Friday night
A little light a-shinin’ through the window
Lets me know everything’s all right
Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind
I’m posting two weekly videos on YouTube, if you’re interested, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel– click the watch on Youtube on the videos below to find me. Thanks!
If you missed it, here’s my latest installment of the Piano and Tarot project: The Empress in an Old Garden.
Intuition! When you know, you know.
East West Books and Gifts has been part of the Seattle area for some thirty years. As its website explains, “the store is a destination for spiritual awakening through metaphysical books, uplifting events, and conscious gifts.” Its newest location is in Edmonds, Washington, just a few miles up the road from where I live.
I’ve been a frequent customer of East West Books through the years and have found many goodies there, including inspirational books, journals, affirmation cards, jewelry, CDs, and my most recent purchase: The Radiant Tarot: Pathway to Creativity, with illustrations by Alexandra Eldridge and text by Tony Barnstone.
A few months ago, I visited the store looking for inspiration—and wow, did I find it in this wonderful box of magic! It includes a Tarot deck filled with colorful, imaginative, and inspiring images, along with a guidebook. The text thoughtfully explores each of the 78 cards through the lenses of prose, meaning, musings, hands-on creative practice, and an astrological note. I’ve been using the Radiant Tarot as a tool in my own creative work as a teacher, musician, and writer. As my daughter would say, “I’m lit.”
Most recently, I’ve started a YouTube series based on the first 22 cards of the tarot known as the Major Arcana. These are the juicy cards that represent the main archetypes we all encounter in our lives—beginnings, challenges, choices, teachers, disappointments, epiphanies, life cycles, seasons, creativity, relationships, struggles, joy, uncertainty, and rebirth, to name a few.
Alexandra Eldridge and Tony Barnstone have granted me permission to feature their cards on my YouTube channel, which is a true gift because the cards are so beautiful. I encourage you to pick up your own Radiant Tarot if you are at all curious about tapping into your creative side in a visual, playful, intuitive, and imaginative way. You can purchase the deck at East West Books and Gifts in Edmonds or online through Weiser Books or Amazon.
My latest video in the Tarot series features the High Priestess and explores intuition and listening to your wiser self. What has experience taught you? When you know, you know.
If you view the video on YouTube, please consider giving it a like and subscribing. It helps to build my channel! Here is the complete tarot playlist new episodes added each week: Piano for the Journey with Laura Dean.(you may have to click on the playlist: Piano and Tarot)
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!
You know the scene in Cinderella when the Fairy Godmother waves her wand and transforms a pumpkin into an elegant coach, mice into high-stepping horses, a horse into a coachman, and Cinderella’s tattered dress into a magnificent ball gown? If only bringing our wildest dreams to life were as easy as waving a magic wand.
In reality, manifesting our dreams involves a vision, a plan, and some heavy lifting. We may have magnificent ideas, and many of us have no problem coming up with a step-by-step plan for how we might approach something. But… where we may fall short is in doing the arduous daily work, believing in ourselves, investing the time and effort, and remaining disciplined enough to carry the dream out of our imaginations and into the real world. There’s no way around it. While the journey can be every bit as thrilling as the finished product, the path sometimes feels like a never-ending grind.
Take Serena Williams, for example. The tennis GOAT said, “Everything requires discipline, hard work and dedication, and, most importantly, self-belief.” Diana Nyad attempted to swim from Cuba to Florida five times over a 35-year span before finally succeeding at the age of 64. Talk about dedication—and the courage to keep believing when the dream still seems impossibly far away!
Through the years, people have often commented that I’m lucky to have a life in music. Indeed, I’m grateful every day for this 30-plus-year career, but luck has had very little to do with sustaining it. There’s daily practice, teaching, playing gigs, traveling, crafting programs, the never-ending hustle, administrative tasks, professional development, and, more often than not, seven-day workweeks. In other words, this vision of mine—to live a life in music—and the dreams I’ve brought into reality didn’t simply take flight on their own. There has been plenty of blood, sweat, and tears involved, along with faith, resilience, and a little creative magic.
Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY.
For another take on the magic of bringing our dreams into the real world, I invite you to follow along with my current project, Piano for the Journey. Each week, I pair a piece of music with one Major Arcana card from the tarot as a way of exploring the universal archetypes, challenges, and possibilities that shape our lives.
You can watch The Magician video here and explore more videos in the series by clicking on the YouTube video below. And if the project speaks to you, please help me sprinkle a little more magic by liking the video and subscribing to the channel.
Just Start!
Have you ever wanted to begin a creative project, but felt unsure of the launching it? I’ve been flirting with a YouTube channel for a while now—dabbling, experimenting with filming, and creating quick teaching videos for my students. Finally, after months of planning, and asking myself, “Am I really going to do this? and ” What will people think?” I’m thrilled to introduce my new YouTube channel and creative project: Music for the Journey with Laura Dean.
The new channel is a dedicated space where I combine my love of music with my growing interest (obsession) in exploring the archetypes and images found in tarot cards. No—it’s not fortune-telling. In my first YouTube series, we will be embarking on a 22-week systematic exploration of life’s universal themes, characters, challenges, and celebrations, using the Major Arcana of the tarot deck as a guide. Each week, I will spotlight a different theme—like new beginnings, inner wisdom, celebration, and transformation—and pair each tarot card with a curated piece of music. The repertoire ranges from classical selections to expressive folk melodies, modern pop covers, and sacred music.
This series will unfold week by week over the next several months, acting as a rolling sneak peek into my upcoming live classical concert this November: Music, Memories, and Motion: A Personal Musical Memoir in Piano, Story, and Audience Choice.
I hope you’ll join the musical tarot party. I invite you to check out the first episode: The Fool, On the Sunny Side of the Street and subscribe to Music for the Journey while you’re there by clicking the link below.