Holiday Gift Idea / Valerie's New Album in Production

Holiday Gift Idea   /   Valerie's New Album in Production 

Give Them Music!  My first CD, No Drop of Love (Is Ever Wasted) will make a great gift for almost anyone on your list. Garnering rave reviews from respected music critics, the CD is still being discovered, one-by-one, by listeners all over the world. If you're looking for an affordable, unique and memorable gift, go easy on yourself and choose No Drop of Love. Available on iTunes and Amazon.com.

New Album in Production

We've been in the studio a total of six days.  Drums and basic guitars for most of the new songs are done.  Most songs have guitar overdubs and seven have the lead vocals recorded.

I think this record's collection is going to feel loose, fun, rich and beautiful and the genres presented are even more varied than on the first CD.

I'm very lucky to have many of the same musicians playing on this record as on the first.

Ellen Hoffman played two gorgeous piano pieces. Dave Tweedy is an amazing drummer.  Gawain Mathews is a 'G'enius guitarist. Jon Evans will be laying down more brilliant bass and Julie Wolf is coming in to give the songs some lovely keyboard texture.  Adam Munoz is at the controls, Buddha-like.  The mega-talented Ben Yonas is playing harmonium!  

I'm excited to introduce another drummer on two of the songs, my old friend, Duke Gadd.  Now I know what it means to have an embarrassment of riches.

We'll have some violins, cellos, horns, harmonium...  I'm hoping the same musicians who played these on the first CD will come back for this one.

Thank you for your continued support! It means the world to me.  I can't wait to share this new work with you!

My holiday wish for you: health, happiness, prosperity and a beautiful, peaceful world.

With love,

Valerie

PS If you'd like to forward this email to friends and family, I will not complain!  Please let them know that the first CD is available for purchase on my website and atAmazon.com and can be downloaded from iTunes.  You can also sign them up to receive my newsletter on my Friends page.

 

Jai Guru Dev

Valerie Janlois Homepage

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New Album in Production

New Album in Production

11.7.2010

We've been in the studio a total of six days. Drums and basic guitars for most of the new songs are done. Most songs have guitar overdubs and seven have the lead vocals recorded. We're on fire! I think this record's collection is going to feel looser, more fun and the genres presented are even more varied.

I'm very lucky to have many of the same musicians playing on this record as on the first. Ellen Hoffman played two gorgeous piano pieces. Dave Tweedy is an amazing drummer. Gawain Mathews is a 'G'enius guitarist. Jon Evans will be laying down more brilliant bass and Julie Wolf is coming in to give the songs some lovely keyboard texture. Adam Munoz is at the controls, Buddha-like.

I'm excited to introduce another drummer on two of the songs, my old friend, Duke Gadd. Yikes! Now I know what it means to have an embarrassment of riches.

We'll have some violins, cellos, horns, harmonica... I'm hoping the same musicians who played these on the first CD will come back for this one.

I can't wait to share this new work with you!

Valerie Janlois Homepage

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Your Votes Are In - We Have a Winner

Thanks to everyone who took the time to write in to vote for their song choice for my next music video.  In the early hours of voting it was 'Flirtatious' all the way but something happened on Day 2, some shift in awareness, that brought 'No Drop of Love (Is Ever Wasted)' to the winners' circle.  After that first day, all the votes went to 'No Drop'.  While I love 'Flirtatious' and think it would make a fun video, I'm glad the other song won.  As one voter said, "This is the message the world needs to hear right now".

Director Brandy McNeal of Headlight Films has written a beautiful and moving treatment and we're all looking forward to the shoot date in California at the end of August.

On another note, production on the next CD begins early September!  Yaaaaah.  If you seanse a touch of panic in that 'yaaaaah', don't worry, it's only a touch.  Comes and goes.  It comes when I realize that at least two of the songs aren't finished yet and goes after I have a good meal.

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God Realization is a mechanical process

This quote from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi explains that while positive thinking is certainly better than the alternative, it will not bring you to God Realization. To learn the mechanical technique of Realization go to http://www.tm.org.

Lake Louise, 1968

Question: When we hear a sound, is that sound itself a thought or do we only hear the sound?
MAHARISHI: The later one. Sometimes we have the thought about the perception. Perception is a very mechanical process. Thought may have something of the heart or something of the mind - intellect or feeling. But perception is very mechanical.

Open the eyes and see the mic as it is. You start loving the mic or hating the mic. That will be the thought. But the perception of the mic is very innocent, is mechanical. Open (the eyes) and the image of this goes through the retina, falls on the mind and the phenomenon of seeing takes place - we see, we hear, we touch.

All this is completely mechanical. Touching the hand may produce some feeling of good or bad or whatever. That is on the level of thinking. But perception is not on the level of thinking. Thinking may result from perception or may not. Thinking may have been before perception or may not have. But perception as perception is devoid of thought, is an innocent, mechanical process, clear?

That is why in Science of Being you read "a mechanical path to GOD realization". Because realization or perception is a mechanical process. GOD cannot be reached intellectually. GOD can not be reached emotionally. HE or SHE can only be reached mechanically if the realization is to be true.

Emotional realization of GOD may be a mental hallucination. Intellectual realization of GOD is far from any perception. If it is to be realization, if it is to be a direct perception it has to be mechanical, only mechanical.

You will read in that realization of GOD through so many processes, but what process is hailed for GOD realization is an innocent, mechanical path of realization, cognition, direct perception of the finer states of creation, finest creation of the celestial order. And that is the field of perception of the almighty Creator and the maintainer of the whole cosmos. It is a direct perception.

And then when it has been detailed impersonal GOD as Being and personal Gods as the celestial cognition, celestial perception, then we have a clear idea of what we mean when we say GOD and what we mean when we say realization of GOD.

The realization of the impersonal GOD is the experience of Being - when the mind gets unbounded, eternal. That is the realization of cognition of the impersonal. And the perception of the celestial nature in the finest state of the mantra, when the celestial experiences dawns, that is the realization of the personal God.

And it is on that level that one starts living Cosmic

Consciousness

, and starts living life according to scriptures. And that is the normal human life. If one has not reached that, then one is an apprentice, immature about life. It is immature life. It is subnormal human life or even abnormal.

But that level of evolution (Cosmic Consciousness) is normal human life, normal human existence.

So ever since this innocent path of direct realization of the cosmic reality and impersonal GOD, ever since this became difficult, life became difficult to be lived.

So we are on the path to fullness of life and that fullness we are going to gain without long delay. And that is our understanding about life. We are very fortunate in this generation that such a clear vision, such a clear understanding comes to us. We only can feel sorry for all those millions of people in hundreds of generations past, who have died without the light of GOD, without actually living life. Life in suffering is not life.

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Invincible Defense Technology: Latin American breakthrough

Dr. David Leffler's Invincible Defense Technology News

News on Preventing an Enemy from Arising with Invincible Defense Technology (IDT)

24 May 2010 issue

In This Newsletter

Soon-To-Be-Invincible Latin American Militaries

Military Application of Transcendental Meditation Gaining Acceptance

Former Reagan/Bush Military Aide Published in US Newspaper On Invincible Defense

CAMS International Advisor Featured in Invincible Defense Videos

Fund Established to Help US Veterans to Become TM Teachers

Dr. Leffler Inteviewed in Plausible Futures

Invincible Defense Publications by CAMS Members - Since 18 Mar 2010

Dear Joe and Valeri Janlois This issue discusses the deployment of Invincible Defense Technology (IDT) by four militaries in Latin America. This new development has special significance for me because I traveled extensively throughout Latin America while serving in the US Air Force and experienced firsthand the political climate of this region. Later in 1978, I was stationed in Germany. During this time I tried to attend the special IDT course on an island in the North Sea (see article below describing videos by Lt. Col. Chassé), but for reasons to long to explain, I instead attended another advanced course at the Ilse-Eickhoff-Akademie in Bremen. During this time IDT was deployed to prevent a nuclear attack on West Germany from the Warsaw Pact (an operation code named "Seven Days to the River Rhine"). Many of my meditating German and Danish friends were on such IDT courses. Because of the success of these courses I now have many happy memories of my assignment in Germany during this stressful and dangerous time. David Leffler, Ph.D. Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS) StrongMilitary.org InvincibleDefense.org, DavidLeffler.com, InvincibleMilitary.org

Soon-To-Be-Invincible Latin American Militaries Recently, it was announced on Global Family Chat on the Maharishi Channel that four countries in Latin America are establishing Prevention Wings of the Military and have started teaching soldiers the TM and TM-Sidhi program. At least one of these Prevention Wings will consist of 3,000 military personnel. We don't have details yet, but the leader of Latin America for the TM movement just sent me these two pictures of one of the Prevention Wings for publication. Secondly, another country has decided to implement Consciousness-Based Education throughout the entire school system. This new country is an addition to those mentioned in previous newsletters. For instance, the Brazilian government formally announced its training program for 1.5 million people. The Netherlands (Holland), Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia already have fully operational Invincible Defense Technology systems. For the benefit of those readers of Invincible Defense Technology News who may not understand some of the terms being used here or the significance of these developments, I will briefly explain. The TM-Sidhi program (which includes Yogic Flying) is an important component of Maharishi's Invincible Defense Technology (IDT). Scientific research has confirmed that large groups of peace-creating experts practicing the TM-Sidhi program together can create measurable positive change in the surrounding population, including reductions in crime, violence, war and terrorism. The underlying mechanism appears to be a field effect of consciousness in which collective coherence within the group spills over into the surrounding population, dissolving the buildup of racial, religious, and political tensions in society that fuels the outbreak of violence. To create this effect on the national level, research shows that a country must maintain a TM-Sidhi group of at least the square root of one percent of its population. The powerful coherence generated by such groups defuses enmity so that no enemies arise, thereby leading to a more invincible nation. Here is an example of how to calculate the size of these groups. According to Wikipedia, the country in Latin America with the largest population is Brazil. In The World Factbook, the CIA gives Brazil's population as 198,739,269, which when multiplied by 1% equals 1,987,393. The square root of 1,987,393 is 1,410. Therefore, if the military of Brazil wanted to become invincible, it would need to maintain a minimum of 1,410 Invincible Defense Technology (IDT) experts. The US would need 1,800 persons. A Military Prevention Wing of 3,000 soldiers well exceeds the square root of one percent of the population of any Latin American country. So the military leaders organizing this new Prevention Wing, and those in other countries who have launched earlier projects, are to be congratulated for their wisdom of deploying a military strategy of "overwhelming force" to ensure invincibility for their countries. Personally, I have received this news with both jubilation as well as a tinge of sadness. Part of the excitement and joy come from the realization of the awesome ramifications of this historic scientific accomplishment. These countries have based their defense on the Unified Field of all the laws of nature. A phrase from the movie Star Wars describing a force ". . . more powerful than you could possibly imagine" comes to mind. Is this an overstatement? Maybe not. According to the Harvard-trained physicist Dr. John Hagelin, the technology of the unified field is a thousand million million times more powerful than the nuclear force. Years from now, in retrospect, it is likely that this development may have far more historical significance than the US military's Manhattan Project quest to develop nuclear weapons. As for the sadness, those of you who have known me for a long time know that I've been diligently trying, for the last twenty years, to convince American military leaders to create our own Prevention Wing of the Military. Unfortunately, despite the extensive scientific research validating the efficacy of Invincible Defense Technology, as well as field tests by the militaries of Mozambique and Ecuador, the United States is still involved in two wars. Both could be quickly ended if the US military were to properly deploy Invincible Defense Technology. Perhaps the success of the Military Prevention Wings in Latin America will inspire the leaders of the United States to come from behind and win the Race for "Inner Space" in much the same way they beat the Russians to the moon in the "Race for Outer Space."

Military Application of Transcendental Meditation Gaining Acceptance Paper by Dr. David Leffler on Invincible Defense Technology published in peer-reviewed Pakistani journal The following paragraphs are based on a worldwide press release sent out on 18 March 2010:   Fairfield, Iowa USA - A leading scientific journal in Pakistan, The Journal of Management & Social Science (JMSS), recently published a paper by Dr. David Leffler titled, "A New Role for the Military: Preventing Enemies from Arising - Reviving an Ancient Approach to Peace." It indicates that the military application of the Transcendental Meditation technique has merit. Dr. Leffler discusses how militaries worldwide could use the Transcendental Meditation® and TM-Sidhi® program, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, as a non-religious and scientifically verified way to prevent war and terrorism. When used in a military context, these meditation practices are known as Invincible Defense Technology (IDT). Dr. Leffler describes the concept of a "Prevention Wing of the Military," a group of military personnel that practices the advanced TM-Sidhi program twice daily as a group. A group that reaches a critical threshold in size has been scientifically shown to reduce collective societal stress. The hypothesis underlying this approach is that war, terrorism, and crime are caused by collective societal stress. The absence of collective stress translates into the absence of tension between countries, between religious groups, or even within individual terrorists. Dr. Leffler proposes that, by applying this non-lethal and non-destructive technology, any military can reduce societal stress and prevent enemies from arising. If IDT prevents the emergence of enemies, the military has no one to fight, so the nation becomes invincible. "The paper introduces a new role for the military: 'Prevention Wings' whose purpose is to prevent enemies from arising," said David R. Leffler, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Military Science at the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, USA. "This new approach, derived from the ancient Vedic tradition of India, is supported by over 50 scientific studies. IDT can create victory before war, and can assist in peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding." The size of the Prevention Wing would usually be 2%-3% of a nation's military personnel.   Land-based Prevention Wings were successfully field tested by the militaries of Mozambique and Ecuador in the 1990s. The paper explains that sea-based Prevention Wings are theoretically possible. For example, carrier battle groups supporting IDT experts could be deployed to the Persian Gulf to reduce tensions in the Middle East, without directly penetrating borders. "Since the military's primary job is to fully protect its country from attack by enemies, both foreign and domestic, all branches of the armed forces should also consider this approach," said Dr. Leffler. The paper concludes that preventing enemies from arising is both doable and economical. This press release was sent out from the United States, but due to the time difference, India was the first country to respond through an article distributed by Asian News International (ANI). The article was titled "How Transcendental Meditation can prevent war and terrorism" (this link goes to the Yahoo India NEWS Beta version). ANI promotes itself as "South Asia's leading Multimedia News Agency providing content for every information platform, including TV, Internet, broadband, newspapers and mobiles." The ANI article was picked up and/or inspired similar articles in these other India-related media sources: India Times, Organiser, India Talkies, Daily India, Sify News, India Journal, Daily Times India, South Asia News, News Track India, New Kerala, Little About, India Travel Times, The Gaera Times, YaHind, India Vision, One India, DNA India, WebIndia123, Area Pal, Andhravilas, Armok News, Sify News, Daily Times India, News Track India, The Indic Post, One India, DNA India, Area Pal, Andhra News, Andhravilas, Buzz7, The Info Sage, MedIndia, NetIndia123 and Silver Scorpio. Later The Times of India, the world's largest selling English-language daily newspaper published a similar article using the bolder title "Transcendental Meditation prevents war, terrorism." The international response to the press release steadily continued over time. For other media responses who picked up and/or inspired similar articles worldwide, see: Medical News Today (US), USA Today (US), The Independent (U.K.), World News Network, The Behavioral Medicine Report (US), FirstScience (U.K.), Ethiopian Observer, The Medical News (US), Sindh Today (Pakistan), TechnoBahn Science (US), Australia.To (Australia), Psydir News (US), Tigrai Online (Ethiopia), Science Codex (US), Sott (US), Ethiopian This Week (Ethiopia), Daily Estimate (US) Aethiopica (Ethiopia), LexisNexis News (US), PsysOrg (US), R&D (US), Science Blog, Senegambia News, Little About (US), Ethio Media (Ethiopia), Science Bloggers, Massage (US), Plausible Futures Newsletter (Norway), Science News (US), Gambela Today (Ethiopia), Celbrifi (US), Impactlab (US), Spero News (US), Ethiopian Democrats (Ethiopia), AAAA

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New Video in the Works

New Video in the Works

The response to the Sara/Miracles video has been really gratifying.  Thank you so much for all your great support!  Now, we're working on the next video.  Brandy McNeal of Headlight Films has written a beautiful and powerful treatment for No Drop of Love (Is Ever Wasted) and we may shoot that first.  Or, we may do a full band video of Flirtatious.  LMK what you think!  Send your vote to valerie@valeriejanlois.com

.  Thanks!

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A Great Story

Here's a story from Bill.  I hope he doesn't mind that I posted it here.

Adventures of A Kalash Cab - Matt's Day of Desperate Decision

As read to the "Invincible America Assembly", Saturday, April 17, 2010

  Dear Friends -        
 

As a student at MUM, I have driven a taxicab in St. Louis, Missouri on weekends and on school breaks, to earn extra income. On many occasions, I feel, Nature has placed auspicious people, or especiallly sweet and deserving people in my back seat. I have told all my customers about the Transcendental Meditation technique for quite some time now - either in casual conversation, or by referring them to my personal art website, <http://www.BillsArtBox.com>www.BillsArtBox.com, where they find many research studies and personal testimonies aboutTM. I consider the rest to be up to Nature, and am very happy not knowing the outcome of our conversations, other than the most important one -- that of their new awareness of the TM program.

 
Since I began the Invincible America course, I have noticed my "TM-telling" has taken on a greatly heightened vigor ... due often to the remarkable circumstances and timing that now lead my customers to my cab, which I secretly call "My Kalash Cab". Therefore, when I ventured out last week, I had just a small desire that my dives into Vedic raconteurism might also somehow produce some "concrete" response for my customers that would be known to me.
 

When I let a customer out in downtown St. Louis on Thursday morning, I immediately came in on an airport run. However this fare cancelled before I could even set out to pick them up. There was about three to five minutes in which I waited, almost coming in on a not-too distant order. But then I saw a faraway order appear on my screen, which seemed to beckon to me ... and which, when I came in on it also turned out to be going to the airport.

As I pulled up to this house, a young man was standing out front beside his luggage. I loaded his bags into my trunk, noting that this customer seemed deep in concern over some matter. Still in silence, this young man sat absorbed as we drove to the airport, until about half way there I asked him what airlines he was taking. His answer was one of the biggest surprises of my life. He said, "Well, I'm either going to American Airlines, to catch a flight to Hong Kong, or I am going to Hertz Rent A Car to pick up a car to drive to this crazy university in Iowa where they do tons of meditation."

  I didn't want to startle him, but the effect was marvelous when I then said, "I go to that university." He replied --in utter astonishment -- that the reason that he was so quiet was that he was trying to make a final decision as we drove along about going to his "appointment" in Hong Kong, or to instead come to Fairfield and take the TM-Sidhi program.  In fact, he said, he was about to start calling his friends to take a survey on what they thought he should do when I had suddenly spoken up.

  It is an understatement to say that my customer was completely "blown away" by this whole thing. He even spent the next few minutes grilling me on what was the most popular restaurant in Fairfield where everyone went -- "Revelations", of course, though at first I said "Bonnie's Second Street Cafe" - and asked me how many cab drivers there were driving around in St. Louis who went to Maharishi University of Management. I answered, "Only one that I know of."

  When he was quite certain I wasn't either a spy or some kind of  hallucination, he calmly took out his cell phone and dialed his airline. He said that he was catching a connecting flight to Hong Kong from St. Louis and would they please cancel the entire ticket. When he hung up, we then proceeded to Hertz Rent A Car.

 
As we were unloading the luggage at Hertz he was quiet again, though this time I felt quietly decided about his future. He told me that his name was Matt. As I carried the last of his bags to the curb, he checked the trunk. Then as we walked -- yes, impossibly -- past each other one more time, Matt said simply, "See you in the dome in July." And I, of course, in matched awe, said -- "Jai Guru Dev".

My reflections on this experience were heightened by the videotape which was chosen for us the morning I returned to the Invincible America Course. During this wonderful tape, a course participant noted how his own experiences seemed to be quite connected to the growth of the experiences of his fellow course participants. Maharishi seemed more pleased with this observation than I have ever heard him about anything.
 

I think that "Matt" and I, whenever we should meet again, could validate the existence of that shared connection which is passing now amongst us all -- in the super-fluid state of the coming age: the Age of Enlightenment on Earth.

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New Music Video from Valerie JanLois

I've already written about the shoot itself in my blog (http://valeriejanlois.blogspot.com) and on the journal page of my website (http://www.valeriejanlois.com) so I just want to take this opportunity to thank the production company, Headlight Films, for creating what I hope you will find to be a lovely piece of art. Jeffrey Wood of Fantasy Studios put me together with this very talented group of people -- thanks, Jeffrey! Saleah Askia, producer; Brandy McNeal, director; Michelle Chan, production manager; Cisco Rivera, cinematographer (and his amazing crew); Kassandra, makeup and hair stylist; Aaron at the piano...everyone was fun to work with and did a wonderful job. Thank you to you all! Cisco, if you read this, maybe you could send me the names and jobs of your staff for that shoot so I can publish them.

The video, "Sara/Miracles", can be found on YouTube and on my blog (address above). If you'd like to leave a comment you may do so there and/or go to my website and click on the 'friends' page. You can also sign up for my newsletter on the friends page.

Do you have a suggestion for the second video? LMK!! I'm leaning towards "No Drop of Love (Is Ever Wasted)". What do you think?

Thanks to everyone for your support. Every time I receive a note from one of you it just makes my day. Independent artists rely heavily on the enthusiasm and word-of-mouth of their friends and I so appreciate all the spreading of the word you have all done and continue to do. We've sold over 20% of the first run of the CD and that wouldn't have happened without your posts, forwards, tweets, etc.! Please keep it up!

Thank you! Enjoy the video.

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Sara / Miracles

SARA / MIRACLES

Please LMK what you think. You may leave messages here or on my website: http://www.valeriejanlois.com/friends. Thanks so much.

Some stills from the Music Video Shoot

I've been so lax in posting these...sorry! The pics can be found, in a few minutes, on my blogsite: http://www.valeriejanlois.blogspot.com. The good news is that my fears of looking like Bette Davis in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" seem to be unfounded. I saw the rough cut of the video and I don't look over-the-top dolled-up, maybe just a little.

Margaret H Ryle was kind enough to come to Fantasy Studios in Berkeley and take some photos. Cisco Rivera, the cinematographer, took stills too, but I haven't seen them yet.

The day started way early for me since I have a two-hour meditation program to do before I leave the house. Everyone was already setting up when I arrived but the makeup artist (Kassandra) was working on the actor hired to play piano so I had , theoretically, the opportunity to sit still for a while. Actually, it took me almost all my downtime to haul stuff in from the car. I was expecting the studio to be freezing cold as it usually is, but it was very comfortable so the extra socks, scarves, bathrobes, etc., were unnecessary. I had even brought a hot water bottle.

The video was produced by Saleah Askia of Headlight Films and directed by Brandy McNeal. Michelle Chan was the production manager for the shoot. Cisco's crew -- everyone! -- was so professional and fast. We finished the whole day, including breakdown, one hour earlier than expected.

Brandy's amazing. I thought so that day and am even more convinced of her great talent since seeing the rough cut.

Rather than blather on about the shoot, I'll post the finished video in a week or so and let you see it for yourself. Hope you like it!

xo

Valerie

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Stills from the Video Shoot

Here are some photos, courtesy of Margaret H Ryle. Thanks, M!

As Promised, for Moogie -- Here are the dresses

Margaret, there is nothing I won't do to get you to use the Internet, you Luddite, you.

Love,

V

Video Production Underway!

On November 9, 2007, I performed Sara/Miracles with Ellen Hoffman -- a truly great jazz pianist -- at San Pablo Recorders in Berkeley, California, thinking I was there just to record a quick demo.  That one song started production on a full-length CD, "No Drop of Love (Is Ever Wasted).  (Jan. 2010)  In a spontaneous wave of symmetry, Sara/Miracles will become the first song from the CD made into a video. 

I feel extraordinarily lucky to be working with the award-winning production company, Headlight Films; producer, Saleah Askia and director, Brandy McNeal.  Michelle Chan is production manager.  Thanks go out to Jeffrey Wood at Fantasy Studios for making this connection!

Filming begins in two days and editing should take about four weeks.  It will be fun to get your feedback!

Check out my blog at http://www.valeriejanlois.blogspot.com where I will attempt to post advance photos of the dresses I'll be wearing  for the shoot.  Guys, I know this is of no interest to you...I'm posting for my friend, Margaret, if by some miracle she gets online.

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Why I Support the David Lynch Foundation

When I learned Transcendental Meditation in 1974, it was under duress.  I was miserable most of the time and had tried many other forms of meditation.  All this experience with meditation brought me to the conclusion that it was a total waste of time.  My boyfriend, though, insisted I learn TM and gave me an ultimatum: learn TM or I'm out of here.  He must have gotten weary of ducking whenever I threw something, which was pretty often.

I have to admit, I gave my teacher a rough time, coming into the instruction room with a terrible attitude.  I was looking forward to walking out of there and telling my boyfriend that I was right and he was oh-so-wrong.  In fact, I felt that my identity depended upon being right, not just about TM, but about everything I'd staked a claim to -- ever.  So I didn't even want TM to work. 

But, I followed the instructions.  Simple.  So simple that even a punk girl with loads of attitude couldn't help but follow them and -- voila!  Transcendence.  Effortless transcendence.  That 'me', bound up and limited to what I had miserably clung to in the then very recent past, had expanded so much that the very idea of my identity being somehow dependent on an attitude was dissolved. 

To say that TM changed my life is an understatement.  I was happier, healthier, more focused, more alive.  Ten years later, I went through rigorous training and became a certified teacher of TM and have taught hundreds of people and watched their experience mirror my own. 

David Lynch's experience with TM inspired him to bring it to children who otherwise would never have the opportunity, children who go to schools in neighborhoods with high poverty and crime rates.  After just a few months, schools that had had high teacher turnover due to stress, daily (hourly) violent fights and low graduation rates saw a 50% reduction in violence and after one year on the program, a 90% drop in violence, elimination of teacher turnover and graduation rates on par with schools in better neighborhoods.  The success of the program in one school inevitably leads to demands for the program in surrounding schools.  Which creates an urgent need for financial support.

When I think of what my life might have been like without TM, I can't help but think of children in schools on the DLF waiting list,  Whatever one's attitude towards meditation is or has been, it cannot be denied that those children's lives will be vastly improved through this miraculous and cost-effective program. 

I have one talent that can, hopefully, raise money and awareness: music.  So I use the music, shamelessly.  Please join me in supporting the David Lynch Foundation's efforts to improve the lives of millions -- yes, millions! -- of children.  Go to http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org.  Read about the program and contribute in whatever way you can.

An important note: As stated above, belief is not a part of Transcendental Meditation.  Like me, you may not even believe it will work, but it still does.  It's like showing an electric light switch to someone for the first time.  They may not believe that flicking the switch will make light come into the room but it will,  Harnessed properly, electrical energy, following natural law, creates light.

Thanks so much for your time.

With love,

Valerie

Jai Guru Dev

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Here's the URL for Friday's UStream broadcast

Valerie LIVE, Friday, 2/19, 10AM, PST -- UStream:  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/valerie-janlois-live

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Valerie Janlois Live, UStream, Friday 2/19, 10AM PST

That's right.  And if you log in to ustream on Friday, 2/19, 10AM, we can chat - well, I chat, you text - in real time.  It takes just a couple of minutes to create an account.

I'm new to ustream so you may be a witness to hilarious outtakes that can't be taken out.

I love talking about Transcendental Meditation, PermanentPeace.org,  DavidLynchFoundation.org and, of course, music!

And, everyone who either shows up live or DM's a question beforehand on Twitter will get a chance to win one of three copies of my new CD, "No Drop of Love (Is Ever Wasted)".  

One question I have is: Why do so many people think that lyric is 'no drop of blood'?  Do I need to enunciate more??  Maybe the best answer to that question gets a CD, too.

OK!  See you Friday!

Posted via email from valeriejanlois's posterous

Meatless Monday

Two posts today!  Next one coming...next.  Just at the moment, I wanted, in honor of Meatless Monday, to post a recipe that will please anyone -- believe me, this dish has been field tested!  It's very easy to assemble and adjusts for one to many servings.  I have the most experience making it for two people so the following recipe feeds two to three.  If you like a thicker soup, use more beans and quinoa.  Hey.  I saw that grimace.  This soup is great.  I'm Italian, I should know.

Valerie's Soup

(all quantities are flexible and organic)

6 cups water

1/8 cup dahl beans (I use half yellow split mung and half red lentils)

not quite a handful of quinoa

4 cups chopped leafy greens

1 clove garlic

2 cups chopped vegetables (your choice, but at least three different veggies)

1 tomato, chopped

2 Tablespoons ghee and/or sunflower oil

1 teaspoon fennel

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

6 - 12 curry leaves (get these at the Indian grocery, or skip)

a handful of chopped basil

salt and fresh ground pepper

Rinse the dahl and lentils.  In a heavy soup pan add the beans to the water and bring to a boil.  Once it's boiling, skim off the white stuff.  Add the garlic clove, quinoa and chopped leafy greens.  Cook until soft.

Now, you need a hand blender.  If you don't have one, there really isn't a substitute, so get one!  Don't try a regular blender, you'll be cleaning soup off your kitchen ceiling for weeks, not to mention gingerly dabbing salve on your face and hand burns.  

Blend the ingredients in the soup pan until the greens are liquified.

Add the chopped vegetables but NOT the tomato.

What I do at this point is bring the contents to a light boil, cover and turn off the heat.  Then I go meditate.

After meditation, turn the heat up under the soup and get out a little saute pan.  Into the saute pan go the ghee and/or sunflower oil, curry leaves (rinsed and dried), fennel seeds, salt and pepper.  Heat this up for just a bit (the fennel seeds should not turn brown). 

Then, add the turmeric, cumin and coriander.  Stir once and add the tomato.  Stir the tomato up with the spices and leave on the heat for about two minutes.  Add the basil, stir and take the saute pan off the heat.

Add the contents of the saute pan to the soup and stir.  You may need to rinse the saute pan with some of the soup water to get all the good stuff into the soup.

Scoop into bowls and drizzle some olive oil on the top.  We also like organic jalapeno oil....mmm.

Posted via email from valeriejanlois's posterous

And The Winners Are....

It's February 9 and time to announce the winners of the "Win Valerie Janlois' CD Contest".

Thanks to everyone who retweeted, reposted and shared on digg and stumbleupon! Honestly, I didn't expect this many entries -- over 100! I'm so moved by your response. Independent artists like me rely heavily on the support of friends, new and old alike! You've all given me hope that my music may one day really be heard. Thank you thank you thank you!!

Because of your terrific response, I've decided to give away nine CD's today instead of three. It's February 9, after all, and if you've read my previous post, you'll know it's a day of great significance to me. Besides, I want to thank more tweeple, more FB friends and more people who signed up for my newsletter. (You can start receiving my monthly newsletter by sending your name, email address and zip code to valerie@valeriejanlois.com -- lots of great news coming up!!)

And the winners are....

TWITTER WINNERS

Winner number one: @hectichelpers. Hectic is located in Brisbane and helps her clients get organized. Hmmm. Hectic, do you video conference?

Winner number two: Christie Crumbie from Utah. Christie markets JWORK LTD, a new, hot clothing line. You can follow her @JWORKCxoxo.

Winner number three: Feline Royale, Miami, Florida. Feline is a songwriter and singer. Hello, you!

You can follow Feline @sassysingz.

FACEBOOK WINNERS

Winner number one: Nesret Rasidov. I don't know where Nesret is from but we have many, many friends in common. Judging by his posts, he's a very nice man. And he has good taste in friends.

Winner number two: Julia Busch. Julia lives in Fairfield, Iowa, home of Maharishi University of Management. I happen to know Julia is very organized and probably wouldn't need to conference with Hectic from Brisbane.

Winner number three: Carolyn Meyer from Boulder, Colorado. Carolyn is also a musician, classically trained. She's going to Bhutan soon, so she can listen to "No Drop of Love (Is Ever Wasted)" on the plane.

NEWSLETTER WINNERS

Winner number one shared my links on stumbleupon: Jan Douglas. Jan is from the San Francisco Bay Area and works in one of the Bay's premier boutique hotels helping people get married in style, for one thing.

Winner number two shared my links on stumbleupon: Heleen Uijen. Heleen lives in Holland and, I believe, is an honest-to-goodness saint.

Winner number three: Raja Michael Dillbeck shared my links on digg. Raja Dillbeck travels so much that I may have to send him a link for a free album download!

So, we have our winners (winners, please send your snail mail address to valerie@valeriejanlois.com).

But I would like to offer everyonel a free download of the title song on the record. You can get your free download by clicking here. After a few seconds, a blue widget will load. Click there and you'll have your song! Please let me know (valerie@valeriejanlois.com) if you have any trouble with the download.

Again, thank you to everyone who entered to win the CD. Every single entry meant so much to me. Seriously.

With love & gratitude,

Valerie

Posted via email from valeriejanlois's posterous