Lean Into It...

I wrote a new song recently (with Eric)... as a mantra to myself, really... called "Lean Into It" (and maybe you need this mantra, too). It's been quite a year... tragedies and curve balls... for me, my family, friends... our country and planet. And then there are always those little everyday annoyances. I've learned that when I lean in, rather than fight and resist what IS (which takes so much energy), it allows me to flow into "the process"... to listen for the next right step. To be of service to myself and others. I know it's OK (and often necessary) to kick and and scream... to feel all the feels.... to vent. To even back off for a while. But then... "ya got to... lean in, lean into, lean into it..." There are gifts in the leaning in... READ MORE

There Has to be an Invisible Sun...

'Tis the winter season. Well... it's February, so yeah, this is a fact. Cold, dark days that encourage us to hunker down and take cover under a warm, snuggly blanket. And then there is the symbolism of winter. As in "the winter of our discontent" and the "dark days of winter". Individually and collectively, it is a season where we are sitting with the darkness... trying to make sense of it all. Particularly, in this season of our nation's evolution, we are facing the most extreme case of conflicting moral vision. We are struggling to see the light as to where we are going... together. And... what I know... what I believe... is that the light, though maybe not visible at the time, always exists. We open our eyes to it and put our feet to the path... READ MORE

Goodbye 2017... What Falls Away...

I sort of decided to give myself a bit of a Christmas break... like when I was a kid and had two weeks off of school. I can still remember the feeling of freedom and excitement... mmmm.... yes! So, the past couple of weeks have intentionally been less about getting stuff done and more about allowing some down time. Just enjoying it... and also giving myself time to reflect as the year came to a close. 

For me, the end of the year is about releasing and letting go. Reminding myself of my core WHY in everything I do... and then reviewing the year as to what served that WHY and what didn't. Getting clear about that, the things that don't serve naturally fall away... and that makes room for even more of the stuff that matters. The trick is to keep my ego in check, otherwise I find myself wanting to hold on... feeling like I'm losing something... even feeling "less than". Or... feeling this urge to go after things I don't even really want deep down in my soul. Spirit knows even when I don't. That's the grace part. And that's what I'm learning to count on more and more. Ahhhh.... grace. It's my chosen word for 2018...  READ MORE

Lauri Jones - "Love is Christmas" [Sara Bareilles Cover]

"Hi... remember me? It's Grace. Can I come in?"

I got a "download" the other night. I was lying in bed... the light of the full moon keeping me awake (well, that and the thoughts and worries spinning in my head)... when I heard: "You are too strong". It sounds kind of judgy and critical, but I felt an odd sense of relief hearing that. It was gentle and caring... and felt like love.

I've been feeling an extra dose of anxiety lately... always a sign to check in with myself. To the deep inside part of me. To the spirit in me. Prolonged periods of anxiety usually signal to me that I am in my head too much... too ME-focused in a  "little me" kind of way. That it is ALL up to "little me" to make things happen... READ MORE

My Video is a POSI Award Finalist... Please vote! :-)

I just wanted to let you know that my video "Watch Love Rise" is a finalist in this year's emPower Posi Awards. An honor! The Posi Awards "celebrate the powerful music and extraordinary artists who are transforming lives and helping to create a world that works for everyone through the power of Posi-tive music". 

Here's the deal: The video category relies primarily on public / fan voting. It's a great way for ALL of the videos to get exposure... and also to introduce people to POSI music... READ MORE 

Official Music Video Release!

Hello, Friends! Just a quick note to formally announce the release of my first official music video! (prelude to the new album coming out early August). It's been a really fun, organic process creating this and I'm excited to share! A very special "Thank You" to Ann Hanlin, Eric Montgomery, and "Buddy the Country Canine" ;-) for helping to bring this inspiration to life in such a beautiful way. 

​"Likes" and comments on YouTube are greatly appreciated if you are so inspired. And please do share! Let's radiate this love energy and message far and wide!

​With Love & Gratitude,
​Lauri​

"What you seek is seeking you"... magical, mystical, mission-driven co-creation!

So... if you haven't gathered from my recent blogs and posts (!), I'm pretty enamored with the very inspired and organic way certain artistic pursuits have been evolving over these past several months. And when I say pursuits... it really feels like these "artistic ventures" have been pursuing me rather than me pursuing them. ​Maybe it's like that Rumi quote: "what you seek is seeking you". Whatever the case, it all makes me feel like I'm in the right place... at the right time... doing what I'm meant to be doing. Not "little me", but "bigger me", dancing and co-creating with divinity.

Well, OK... it's also just so much damn fun!!! There is that. :-) I mean, yeah, it's a lot of work, and takes considerable time and energy... but when things line up like magic and I'm in the midst of the creating, time stands still and there is no place I'd rather be. God, I love that feeling.  I know you know what I mean... we all have times like that. And when life isn't  feeling so magical (we all have those times, too), I appreciate the divine moments even more. And I look to those times to remind me and help me stay the course. And to stay focused on the WHY. If I can lift and open hearts with my music and presence... if I can help bring about even a slight shift in awareness that alters just one small step in someone's journey (rippling out to all of humanity)... then I am fulfilling that mission. And immersed in the joy of that. :-)
 
So, in addition to the new CD in the works... the collection of live recordings that transpired through "divine intervention"... there is a new music video that's just about ready for release. I've wanted to shoot a video since the release of "Walk Your Life"... and thought it would be a song from that album... but I just kept getting the hit, in light of the times we're in, to bring "Watch Love Rise" to life in this very visually experiential way... READ MORE

"We Were Made for These Times..."

So... here's another little tidbit about a song on the soon to be released CD. :-) In February of this year, I helped with the music for the New Thought Center for Spiritual Living women's retreat out in Eagle Creek, OR. On the first night, one of the amazing women there came to me saying she had an epiphany while listening to me sing one of my songs that night. She handed me a note saying, "Can we all help write a new song with you this weekend? Here's the title that came to me: First 100 Days."... READ MORE

"It just amazes me that I can be part of the energy it takes to serve each other..."

... that's a line from Carole King's (rather obscure) song, "One". It was written in the 70's and to this day can only be found on vinyl. It's a glorious piece that I had the honor of singing with the NTCSL choir last year. So... in planning my new CD (which hasn't really been "planning", the way it has all evolved so organically), I kind of forgot we had access to the multi-tracks for the performance of that song! Listened last night and just got chills. So powerful. Eric said, "OK, so we HAVE to put this on the CD". So, voila... the 5-song collection has now become 6. :-) It fits in so perfectly with the others. And thinking about this further (I just made this connection last night), it's pretty cool that the two cover songs on the CD are from two amazing, piano-playing female artists from different generations... but with a strong connection to each other.  Sara Bareilles has sometimes been referred to as the "Carole King of her times".  My soul resonates with these women... these artists... and what an honor it is to sing their songs... READ MORE

CD Project Update Video

Hello, friends! I just wanted to share a little video update live from "Wild Wish Presents" out here in Battle Ground, WA! 

Here is the link to watch: https://youtu.be/4ystvV3nrVU 

As I write this, we are 70% to the goal to get this product out there! THANK YOU to all who have contributed so far to bring this project to fruition!  We do still have a little ways to go to cover costs, so if you haven't yet contributed and are inspired to, it's not too late to kick in and be part of the magic. This indie "heARTist" is so very grateful for the support... I could not to this without it! :-) 

CLICK HERE to Contribute via GoFundMe

READ MORE...

New CD in the works... raising funds for final costs! :-)

I'm pretty excited to announce that a brand new CD is in the works... one that has been evolving organically over the past few months. Inspiration hit big this past year and some powerful songs emerged. I didn't really set out to release something new so soon after my 2015 album, "Walk Your Life"... but so goes the artist's journey... the SOUL's journey. :-) This EP (a collection of about 5 songs at this point), is called "Watch Love Rise", built around the song that came through me like a thunderbolt last fall...  READ MORE

Watch Love Rise...

Flashes of inspiration... nudges... "divine leads". Pretty incredible when you open yourself up to them. But I have to say, the rational mind can get a little wigged out with it all and try to tell you you're a little cray cray.  Like when you hear Melissa Etheridge singing the song you just wrote. So clearly. In your head. But I digress... more on that later. ;-)

I want to talk a little about songwriting inspiration in particular. I'm not the kind of songwriter that cranks out a ton of songs. Or haven't been, anyway. I tend to wait until I feel something that really needs to be expressed. I have to be inspired. And then I try to get some clarity about it: what is it exactly that needs to be expressed and why? I sit with it. With the muse... with the Great Spirit... with whatever it is inside of me that is wanting to express. Like sitting with a dear friend... just being with them. Listening. Really listening. And allowing the "conversation" between us to unfold. Getting everything out there... raw at first... and then caressing and refining until "we" are singing together. That's how I know when it's become a real song. When I can't get it out of my head. I'm singing it and feeling it and can even hear the full orchestration in my head and being. I become one with the song and the spirit it came from. Pretty amazing, actually...  READ MORE

Fall-ing into Harmony...

Yesterday was the first official day of fall. I love fall. Always have and probably always will. I was also recently reminded that we just came out of a "mercury in retrograde" period. And also, that the Vedic winds have been sweeping and stirring and creating upheaval as we move into the new season. Oh how I love my metaphysical friends! ;-) I don't follow astrology all that much, but I know I'm very sensitive to energies. So when life as I know it starts to feel a little "off", unbalanced, or beyond its usual-ness, I have been known to ask around: "ummmm.... is something going on in the ethers I need to know about???" It's always sort of a relief to hear that there is... that I'm not crazy (necessarily... lol) and that what I need to do is give a little extra attention to grounding and centering rituals, be gentle with myself and others, and ride it all out in faith. It seems to take some pressure off and help ease the self-judgment, anyway!

So. Balance and harmony. Oh so important in life... right??? I realize this especially when I'm feeling otherwise. When things feel black and white. When there is discord. When agreement is hard to come by and everything seems to rub me the wrong way. Ugh. But there is value in having times like this... if for no other reason, to fully appreciate the times when there is a peaceful, natural, harmonious flow going on. It is our nature to seek balance and harmony. And, globally... right now especially... we are most definitely experiencing extremes in terms of beliefs and desires and ideas about what is right, wrong, good, and bad. I have to believe there is value to this. That we are heading into a new season of greater harmony. That things are coming to a head. That all the discord has had to get so unbearable that we are forced (for lack of a better word) to yield to some sort of balance for the greater good... READ MORE 

Showing up... Standing in the questions...

So... I'm blogging. I don't know what's going to come out here, but here I am. Showing up. There's so much going on in the world right now that my blog topic ideas have been all over the place... and I just haven't been able to sit myself down and commit to one of them. So I will just start writing with all of them in mind and hope that some thru-line emerges. Bear with me... ;-)

So, hey... how are you? Have you been feeling at all like I have?... trying to focus on the simple, sacred, joyous day to day life experience best you can and still be tuned in to what's going on in the world?... trying to figure out what's yours to do with it all? Pretty intense stuff these past few weeks. I maintain that in spite of everything (especially what the media feeds us), there is more good than not. But I also know we've got to look at things. Not only look, but dig deep. I'm not even sure where to begin here.... READ MORE

Stretching...

I've been doing some pondering (what, me?) ;-) ... kind of about the whole spiritual concept that we are "whole, perfect, and complete" just as we are. This is the heart of spiritual principle and something we hear and say a lot. But do we really get what that means? And is it possible to sometimes misuse... or, dare I say... abuse this knowledge?

But first let me say that yes... yes, we are absolutely whole, perfect and complete. There is a spirit in us, an essence, that is pure, unconditional love... and unconditionally loving and lovable. One with God. One with the Universe. This is the deep down Truth that I believe and hold dear. My song lyrics reflect this:  that "it's enough"... that all you need to do is "come back to your heart... to all that you are"... and that "love will provide". I believe all of these things. Yet, I kind of think there is a danger in how we interpret this. Yes, grace is essential in this thing we call "being human"...  allowing grace for ourselves and others along life's journey. But maybe... just maybe... we sometimes use "I am perfect just the way I am" to justify certain things... and maybe we let ourselves off the hook a little too easily when we know we can be doing better. And by "doing better", I mean loving better. Loving our bodies better by taking better care of them. Loving each other better. Loving our planet better. Loving by taking loving action... READ MORE

Needs Improvement???

This week, in an attempt to "clean house", I went through old documents in an accordian file... various documents from the past decade or so... literally "shredding" my past. Wow. All kinds of feelings came up, some of them unexpected, as I revisited years gone by. In addition to a "mood journal" from 11 years ago (What a trip! More on that later...), there was rental information from a variety of living scenarios, health records, check stubs and past employment documents. I've been so happy and at peace lately... living freer than I ever have in so many ways... that I had almost forgotten some of the trials and tribulations along my journey that brought me to where I am now. Uncomfortable as it was pouring through some of that paperwork, it gave me an even greater appreciation for where I am today. The lyrics to my song, What Falls Away, have never felt so true: "the hurting, the crying... the stumbling and trying... all part of a greater good... what falls away, brings me closer to what I'm meant to be...". And, just to be clear, it's not that things just... ta da!... fall away like magic. It's more about becoming aware of the things that are no longer serving our real selves and allowing them to fall away. And that process often takes great courage and strength. Growth... as in real change... is not necessarily meant to be comfortable... READ MORE

Life According to Buddy: Lessons from a Country Canine.

Today... I pay tribute to Buddy. Buddy is a "country dog" who lives out here with us. Well, he belongs to Eric's parents, but freely roams the 40 or so acres on which we reside. He is a rescue dog who landed in Paradise. And he knows it. :-) (I guess I can sort of relate... lol). I've grown to love this quirky, big-hearted pup... and I've come to know his ways. He has unwittingly taught me some stuff, actually. That whole "DOG is GOD spelled backwards" thing? I'm pretty sure that isn't a coincidence. To me, a dog is one of the purest forms of unconditional love... a playful reflection of our own DOG-GOD nature. I love dogs. And I love Buddy.

So yeah, there are a lot of "what I have learned from my dog" lists out there, but every dog has his own unique personality... his own "thing". So here is my list. Ten things I have learned from this lovable Border Collie named Buddy... READ MORE

Simple... not boring.

There's this book I really love... a book I got years ago that I still check in with from time to time. It's called "Journey to the Heart" by Melody Beattie. It's a collection of musings and meditations with an entry for every day of the year. I've owned lots of self-help and spiritual books over the years, but this is one that has stuck with me and always seems to resonate. Looking for some blogging inspiration, I flipped to the entry for May 4th, entitled "Cherish Each Moment". It couldn't have been more in alignment with where I was. In it, she writes: "Most of us relish the magnificent spiritual experiences, those tremendous discoveries, those important times of change. But those moments don't happen that often. The truth is, each moment in time is a spiritual experience, an important time of change. Cherish ALL your moments. Let each moment have value. The life you desire is happening right now. Your destiny is here."

See, I thought I needed some inspiration. I haven't blogged in a few weeks because I wasn't sure I had anything of real value to blog about. Life is peaceful. Simple and peaceful. No angst... no deep soul searching... no major "a-ha" revelations. Oh, it's not that I don't have those human (or hormonal, lol) "moments" or upsets or irritations... it's just that life overall feels GOOD. And I almost feel guilty about that. ;-) Almost. Until I remember all the angst-ridden, raw nerved times of unrest before this. Working a stressful job, lamenting life choices, searching for peace, happiness, and love. Thinking too much and trying too hard.  It's not that I ever intend to stop growing or evolving... it's just that these days it feels like my heart has arrived, if you will. Or maybe it's more like I have finally arrived at my heart. I feel a sense of wholeness I don't think I ever have before. Like everything that matters is right here, right now... inside and out.  And I know to cherish it. And I am grateful... so grateful. Part of it is having seasoned perspective and awareness... and part of it is about spiritual alignment and what has manifested as a result. A healthy, loving, satisfying relationship. Work that doesn't feel like work  and pays my bills. Work that uses my gifts and talents, feels purposeful, and that I enjoy. Living simply and beautifully amongst the trees, birds, and frogs...  READ MORE

Related Article:  "Live with Ease"

The Secret o' Life...

"Try not to try too hard... it's just a lovely ride". These are the simple and wise words of James Taylor from his song "Secret o' Life". It's a line that always gets me. You see, there's kind of a danger in living a conscious life. There's often this tendency to overanalyze and try too hard to "get it right". I know this has been my experience, anyway. That line of the song instantly calms me... reassures me... and even gets me to sort of laugh at myself. Levity. Ease. Grace. The Big Exhale.

To allow the "ride" part of the journey, we have to see life as such. When we "take a ride", we have to allow ourselves to be carried... to flow with all the twists and turns and bumps in the road. This doesn't mean we just go whichever way the wind blows... it means we lay down a road of intention and allow the wheels to align with it... Read more

Related article:  "Allow the Flow"