As I move on with my life this month, especially after August 7th, I would like to comment on their endeavor to use the digital crystal ball to warn themselves of impending doom. And take steps to survive the doom.

As I understand ALTA, Clif High uses some mega processors to spider the web looking for changes in language in all accessible publications. Certain words and phrases get picked up as significators of change. His web, Half Past Human, site has a good explanation of his work,

He sifts his data and assembles a report. The first one I got was about a year ago.

That report struck me as good news for an odd reason. The forecast of planetary revolution against The Powers That Be, [the PTB’s] implies enormous social disruption.

As disturbing as that would be, it seemed better than the US going to war against China in World War III.

Now, you may ask, what kind of desperate choice is that? I see it as the necessary choice implied by The Fourth Turning.

That book, by Strauss and Howe, two historians, lays out a theory of modern history. They see a repeating cycle of about 80 years. It goes through four turnings. We are now well into the fourth turning, according to them.

The fourth turning is marked by severe monetary depression, followed by total war. The winner gets to start out the next cycle with a mostly intact culture.

When I read the book, the thought crossed my mind, “Why can’t we have a revolution this time and turn the whole process upside down?”

It didn’t seem likely during my reading of The Fourth Turning, but the first ALTA report said revolution is in the picture. It said the PTB’s were going down and their minions would run and scream like little girls.

Further reports were more of the same, with some subjects being dropped, some high lighted, and some new developments revealed.

After a year of gnawing this bone of worry, I’m contemplating a new attitude. The new stance on what the world is like comes out of a recent exposure to Robert Scheinfeld’s work in the “Busting Loose” arena.

I’ve followed his thought for some time, starting with The Invisible Path to Success. I followed up with The Eleventh Element, and Busting Loose from the Money Game.

The thrust of his teaching started in self-improvement. Now it culminates in Self-actualization. (I invite you to contemplate the shift from small ‘s’ in self to big ‘S’ in Self.)

In his video presentation, Busting Loose from the Emotions Game, ‘self’ is Phase One, and ‘Self’ is Phase Two. (The distinction of self-improvement and Self-actualization is mine, though obviously derived from Abraham Maslow.)

Scheinfeld contrasts the effort of self-improvement with the state of getting into resonance with the Self, the ultimate Being we really are. That’s what I’m calling Self-actualization.

He has several definite processes to make this happen.

One of the benefits of his work is a shift of attention from the world outside to the Self within. That’s a good thing. It cannot hurt.

When we act from our inner Self even a little bit, the results outside are sure to be more harmonious for everyone.

My addiction to understanding the nature of the world has not gone away completely. It’s a deep and powerful theme in my life going back to when I was 12 years old.

Even so, I find myself looking at the alternative news sources somewhat less than I use to. And as I continue the processes of Self-actualization, or Phase Two as Scheinfeld says, the stinging effect of even the worst calamities out there in news land seems a little less.

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When I hear someone say, as I did yesterday, “I like to write,” I cringe a little. They could as well be saying, “I like to go out in my yard and pull weeds and sweat.” Both activities are goal oriented. Both are work. So, who really likes work?

By contrast, I say I like to take out my fiddle and play a tune. Now, we’re talking about playing. Who doesn’t like to play?

I also go out into the yard to do work. At least twice a week I go out with my pruners and loppers. My project is to remove all the unwanted plants in the yard. Originally I though it might take about six months. It’s now been almost a year and I’m not done.

But, what a difference from when I started. Much of the jungle has been removed, cut into smaller pieces for the trash can and sent away.

The purpose is twofold. One, to put in plants that grow food. Two, to feng shui the yard.

Decluttering my living areas in my home is part of the project, too. That seems to be going even slower than the yard.

The point I’m getting to is the goal or target of the work is beyond the work. Yes, yard work is good exercise. But, even exercising is a purposeful activity, not a joy in itself. Playing a sport is a joy in itself.

Let’s put playing aside for the moment. We all work. Let’s look at writing, journaling and publishing as work and ask “What’s in in for me?”

My friend Mike use to edit for Allegro Press. He said the pride and self esteem shown by a new published author was its own reward.

That’s the clue for writing and publishing. That holds for writing and blogging, too. We bloggers write and publish to only a few people in the beginning. Maybe later also. But, we have something to say. So we write, even though it is work.

Journaling is another matter. That’s not for publication. That’s for self introspection, or self expression. That can be very personal. I have not typed up any of my journal entries.

[Spell check has an issue with journaling as a gerund form of the verb to journal. Check out this authority for Journaling.]

Every now and then, while journaling, I’ll begin writing purposefully for publication. The mood changes. Now I have a reader in mind. Before, I had no reader in mind except myself. And maybe not even me.

Alison, my wife, says I write a lot. I don’t think so. I did write a lot when I was journaling every day. I’m going through a different process this year.

Sometimes when she sees me writing, I’m just putting down on one sheet of paper my top 10 to 15 goals. It’s a Brian Tracy exercise I decided to do this year. I t does disconnect me from the free flow of journaling. It’s a different mind set, for a different purpose.

If I want to write in the morning, I have to do that instead of the top 10 to 15 targets. Intentions. Purposes. Results desired.

One thing is certain in my experience. I don’t really like to write. I like to have written.

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It’s on Facebook, too. Dueling Fiddlers on Facebook.

Watch the video. See a violinist playing well. You don’t get that without about 10,000 hours of hard practice.

Apparently he got many requests from violinists wanting the sheet music. Based on these emails, he chose to put on this contest.

As an exercise in teaching, the contest does as well as any YouTube based learning experience. On the one hand, you can watch and rewatch parts of the video.  Adam explains violin playing concepts as he goes along.

On the other hand, questions take time, via comments. They may or not be answered by video.

Another good source of violin instruction online is Prof. Todd Ehle. Prof. Ehle has put an abundance of material covering the basic technique of playing violin. I don’t know of anything free that even comes close.

Personal one on one instruction also allows seeing a technique demonstrated as many times as needed. And you get your questions answered, and demoed immediately.

Your personal fiddle or violin coach is also looking at you to see what the next step is for your progress. A video doesn’t do that.

But, the YouTube is free. Personal instruction rarely is given out that way.

I used to advise fiddle students to seek out a fiddle teacher, not a violin teacher. Unfortunately fiddle teachers are not easily found.

Maybe YouTube is taking up the slack. There are dozens of “How to play fiddle” videos. Each offers some insight, I’m sure. (Although I have only seen a few, I admit.)

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• Play This Fiddle Tune 100 Times (0)

Besides, having played Bluegrass for several years, I had got into the habit of faking through tunes I didn’t know very well. This was challenging my habit of laziness!

Eventually I gave it a try. I chose Last Night in Leadville. That was an old time tune i had been playing over from time to time, but without mastering it. I had started, but had not finished learning it.

Sticking with one tune for a hundred times went against the grain. I found a way to keep count that made it a little more fun.

I worked with sets of five repetitions, five reps when you’re pumping fiddle tunes. Every time I played five reps i dropped a silver dollar into my footed bowl. It was a way of acknowledging the value of what I was into.

Five coins equaled a session. Four sessions totaled 100 repetitions.

When I had the tune by memory, I would play it walking from room to room. Just changing rooms with the beginning of the tune kept count without really thinking about it. Studio to living room, to kitchen, to living room, back to studio. That’s five times.

At the end of the day and the first 100, the results were better than I expected. I had the tune solid, played it with a little style, and enjoyed it tremendously.

I still play Last Night in Leadville for my own satisfaction. It isn’t part of my public repertory. maybe some day it will be.

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• Sweet Child O Mine Contest (0)

My voice did not change, but something happened. Maybe it was just the intention. How I felt, how I perceived my talk was a little different. I only did it that one time.

In a similar mood, I chose one morning last week to let Grassapelli write my journal. This is the result.

There is more than a higher self in each of us. There are selves nested within us that are developed personalities from previous lives. They are no animated by soul power as we who are in the body are animated.

If our soul lends them a little power, they may express themselves. They are not all knowing. The personality is limited, but it may have reached a high point of development by its experience on this plane.
It is not so different from our normal waking self. But it may say things differently than we would say them.

This is different from multiple personalities. Those are undeveloped personalities. They are at best partial expressions of soul power. The higher personalities were, in their time, full expressions.

Nothing is now left but an empty husk. But, that husk can color the flow of thought in hues that are not customary for us in our usual speech and action.

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• Grassapelli Returns to the Net (0)

For a while I had an elaborate music web template that was to unwieldy for this fiddler. When I saw how other sites, including Reverbnation.com, could help cut the Gordian knot….

It’s simply a matter now of going ahead with this personal blog. Call it a life style blog.

Here is what Pete Gallagher said about the Grassapelli spirit.

Late at night we sit around the campfire. Dancing in the flames, weaving in the smoke, the Grassapelli spirit lurks. When the time is right, the ancient musician leaps into the mind of Elan Chalford and his fiddle becomes one with the smoke and fire.

The creative artist and musician recognizes a higher power, an inspiring source, a muse that informs and extends his output to its full potential.

Grassapelli is the name of that muse for me. The earth magic of Kokopelli, the energy of bluegrass, the elegance of Grappelli combine in this spirit that channels through me.

It was Grassapelli that whispered the secret of 100 tunes 100 times. Grassapelli hinted of the sonic wealth to be found in A 432 tuning. Grassapelli said I could combine Irish fiddling with bluesy sounds like Eileen Ivers. Or, make Irish tunes have a Texas flavor. Or, use Irish ornaments in old time American tunes.

When Grassapelli Speaks, I heed his counsel.

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