TAO/MITAKUWE OYAS'IN VOL. 5 (December 2006/January 2007 Issue) Denean Official Website

From Denean: Excerpts from"Fruit From The Tree" (Poems and Ponderings of The Tao) by Denean (A work in progress)

I danced upon the spiral of life to find my way to this world...in this form...at this time.

with years of challenge and adversity that have allowed me to grow in my own way...

All found on the path of least resistance...the path of acceptance, and of virtue...

This also implies "That which is not rooted is difficult to nourish."

Being "rooted" means being centered in oneself. When our energy becomes "other-centered",

the flow that was meant for us is going to wherever or whomever we have given ourselves up to.

The center of one's being is like the connecting point or opening through which the universe is able to nourish.

If we place this "center" with another being, then the energy goes to that person instead.

Actually is doesn't have to be a person. It can be a memory or pattern from our past or childhood,

Anything that takes us out of present-time...this moment...is taking us away from our center,

thus dispersing our energy flow and making it extremely difficult for the universe

Taking responsibility for your own life...your own decisions and actions (and their consequences)

When someone is relating to you from an inappropriate position, you can tell how much of it is

If you are detached (not shut down, mind you!)...but truly detached, that tells you it belongs to them.

If you become angry and allow your behavior to be motivated by the emotion coming at you from another,

If you detach and allow the emotional energy to remain totally with your aggressor,

Think of it this way: If someone were trying to give your something that was unpleasant...

The point is, do not try to own or identify with the aggression or criticism of others.

If the true "I" is the Creator's expression of itself, then this poses another question:

Calm your mind, relax your body, and connect your being to God as you understand it.

This Issue's Featured Song:

From FIRE PRAYER

This song will be available for listening until the next newsletter issue (approx. Feb. 1, 2007)

Click here to view lyrics to "The Tree"

The particular oak tree referred to in this song was located at a very special place that was on the same land as a healing center I was frequenting at the time. It was a crisis threshold point in my life...dealing with matters of life and death...where the decisions I was about to make would impact the rest of my life as well as the music I was to create for the future (I was making headroads in the country/pop scene in Nashville at the time). This was the turning point of realization regarding my true purpose and the meaning behind the musical gifts I had been given...what they were really meant to be used for.

At a particular low point...actually I can say the lowest point of my life...I went to this tree, which was my favorite place. As I prayed and the tears fell, I asked for the strength to stand tall like that tree and the ability to surrender completely the past I was to leave behind...the ability to be rooted and centered like that tree. As I prayed, there were very real "invisible arms" that surrounded me and embraced me in the most beautilful and unconditional love I have ever experienced. I really have no words to adequately describe that.

Some time later, I was called by Spirit to return there. As I began walking up to the place where the tree had stood, my heart sank. My beautiful tree had been cut down. I was in shock to say the least. As I cried for my friend, I was guided to stand up on its trunk, so I did. I stood, with my arms wide open and just allowed the Creator and the tree to speak to me. The message was that the tree had given its life to me...it gave me the strength, the courage, the lessons of complete surrender...all for me to take out into the world and share through the music that I was destined to create. The tree said it was immobile and could not move from its place, but that I could. It heard the deep yearnings of my soul. It gave itself to me and I know in my heart that it helped me to live and to make it through those deeply challenging times. (Note: I later learned from a friend, who went back to investigate the circumstances behind why this tree was cut down, that it truly was dying. That is why it was being cut it down.)

This friend also brought me a piece of the heart wood from the tree. Some time later, after moving to Colorado, this heart wood became the stem to the canunpa (peace pipe) I carried for many years. There finally came a time however, that I chose to give this particular pipe back to the earth. In Lakota tradition, you do this by burying the pipe. I buried this pipe in another favorite place up on a mountain within a circle of grandmother trees.

I was inspired recently to record a vocal version of Ave Maria. This is something I have wanted to accomplish for some time now. A couple of days ago I completed the vocal and I am extremely happy with how it's all taking shape. I'm not sure yet how I will present this...a CD single perhaps. Keep checking in as I would like to make it available in some form soon. I don't know if it will be finished by Christmas, but that is my goal.

By the way, "Fruit From The Tree" (Poems and Ponderings of the Tao) is a little book I've been working on over time. As most of my creative focus at this point needs to go toward music...perhaps I can finish it after my next album is completed.

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