Category: Music for the journey

The Lovers Card from the Radiant Tarot deck. Artwork by Alexandra Eldridge

Summer Love

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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.”

The Lovers Card from the Radiant Tarot deck. Artwork by Alexandra Eldridge Simba loving his position in the window.

 

 

Variations on Life after 50 by Jill Timmons

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Variations on Life After 50: A Field Guide to Harnessing the Power of Creativity, Purpose, and Legacy in Midlife

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

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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.

 

Jasmine in bloom

Flow State: feeling fine

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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.