Author Archives: isabelle.matzkin

Music Cultivates Holistic Functioning

Posted on January 11, 2013 by isabelle.matzkin

The word “holistic” is used a lot. It’s a fashionable term, but it sounds so very abstract and vague. Does that word have a precise, practical meaning? In terms of Consciousness-Based education, yes. A holistic experience is an integrated expression of … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and Consciousness, Practice Tips | Tagged Consciousness, consciousness-based education, Maharishi Vedic Science, Music, Students | Leave a comment

Take Me There

Posted on December 10, 2012 by isabelle.matzkin

Where towering mountains exalt the sky Like temples from eras gone by Adorned by million-year altars of ice Magnificence blesses the eye Take me there Where pristine forests of snow-laden pines Stand silently, moon after moon Untouched, undefiled, mysterious … Continue reading →

Posted in Lyrics & Poetry | Leave a comment

Songwriting, Joni Mitchell, Refined Emotion and Pure Consciousness

Posted on October 14, 2012 by isabelle.matzkin

“Music is what feelings sound like.” —Anonymous When I ask my MUM students about the purpose of writing songs, they usually say that it is to communicate feelings. That launches a class discussion which goes something like this: I argue that when someone … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and Consciousness, Songwriting | Tagged Consciousness, consciousness-based education, Music, songwriting, Students, Transcendental Meditation, University Course | Leave a comment

A Unique, Personal Song for Each Person?

Posted on July 29, 2012 by isabelle.matzkin

That would be interesting, wouldn’t it. In a way, it’s literally true: “Concerning matter, we have been all wrong. What we have called matter is energy, whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to the senses. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and Consciousness | Tagged Consciousness, Creativity, Maharishi Vedic Science, Music, Sanskrit, songwriting, Veda | Leave a comment

Artistry, Intuition, and the Gap

Posted on July 6, 2012 by isabelle.matzkin

My previous post explored the mind-bending ability of poetry to express the coexistence of unity and duality. A lovely thing to see: through the paper window’s hole, the Galaxy. In this famous haiku, Kobayashi Issa contracts the reader’s awareness to a tiny spot, then … Continue reading →

Posted in Lyrics & Poetry, Music and Consciousness | Tagged Consciousness, consciousness-based education, Haiku, Maharishi Vedic Science, Veda | Leave a comment

Creativity: The Mind-Bending Skill of Uniting Opposites

Posted on June 17, 2012 by isabelle.matzkin

If one wants to stalk the creative process, there are some fascinating and very revealing principles to be found in poetry. Consider the following excerpts: Mystery rapes my reason – Maya Angelou I cannot touch because they are too near … Continue reading →