For the past few days, I have felt my body fighting off what might have been an immobilizing head-cold.  I have awakened with a sore throat in the mornings and stricken with lethargy in the evenings.  However, I am rarely ever sick and illness is  among those invisible entities which I am not at liberty to feed energy-to.  Instead, I am moved to point the focus of this entry to the topic of health.

I am an enthusiast of Folk Medicine, Homeopathy, and other holistic alternatives to the medicinal status-quo.  My experience and research has shown that it is human nature to be in complete health, and that most illness has its origin in a belief otherwise.  We have the power to invoke illness within our bodies just as we have the power to heal and maintain health.  I have often heard people say things like ‘Don’t get upset, you’ll make yourself sick’!  It would suggest that most of us are cognizant of this mind-body connection.  But why do we imagine that it only goes one way?  Yea, you are a much more powerful healer than you might know!

Dis-ease is often rooted in a problem of self-worth.  In fact, symptoms of this also appear outside of our-selves as ‘problems’ in our daily experience.  Many of us believe that we are much less than what we really are.  We have been taught that we are victims to the conditions of our life and that we are evil in nature.  Yet, our powerful nature is nonetheless at work!  These very beliefs are mirrored back to us as symptoms. When we attack the symptom (as modern medicine would have us do) we merely suppress the root issue, allowing it to compound and create greater problems in and outside of our-selves.  Instead, I prescribe this:  Know how magnificent you are!  Continually re-affirm your healthy nature! This knowing will affect your actions toward yourself and others.  You will then begin to experience the symptoms of health, joy, love, and abundance.

Be well,
Dr. Hazelwood

My peak season for composition is the Autumn.  In those few enchanted months, I have systematically been able to harvest an abundant yield of the year’s ideas and emotions with ease, rendering as much material as I have time for.  The year leading up to this past writing-season held for me more learning-experience than any since my childhood.  Naturally, I manifested more music than ever before.  Yea, but this prolificacy is a double-edged sword!  Perhaps it is a relatively favorable conundrum, but I find it a daunting task to stand before a congregation of my brain-children and select those which are nearest and dearest to my heart, to be presented to the world as proper representatives of my Good purpose.  But, it must be done in order to compile a cohesive collection of material, each song effectively charged to conduct a steady creative stream of the highest potentiality.

My writing style ranges from the allegorical to the affirmative.  In either case however, the Law of Mind is at work.  When one comes to fully realize that his every thought and word is the benefactor of his experience, he becomes very decisive about his language.  Art is the effect, but it is also the cause!  The images that we labor over and give passion to (whether positive or negative) will eventually become woven into the tapestry of our daily experience.  Therefore, the question becomes – “which of these songs hold an intention that I would have echoed back to me”? 

I once heard a radio interview from around 1940 of Blues-legend Blind Willie McTell.  The interviewer condescendingly asked him “can you sing us a complainin’ song Willie?  You know, a blues song – a complainin’ song”!  Willie completely averted this allusion and insisted that he didn’t know any songs like that, but only ‘songs of salvation’.  I was thoroughly impressed by this clear distinction of intention!  Clearly, we can place Mr. McTell among those luminaries who have been privy to The Secret.

Scheduling conflicts have forced our recording dates into the first week of April, so there is exactly one month left for preparation.  As a result of the aformentioned analysis I will soon have a final list of songs which are to be included in those sanctified sessions, and I have all but settled on a title.  I leave you in heart-felt gratitude for your participation and support.  Just the fact that you would take the time to consistently read this journal has been the elemental fuel for my fire!

With the utmost sincerity,
Mister H.

THIS WEEK has been a testament to the fact that the Universe certainly IS a mirror for ones intention.  Immediately upon committing to the forward motion of an album project (up until now I have had but a toe in the water for fear of pecuniary failure), I had the distinct feeling that I had impelled a great wave into motion that can only build and build before crashing onto distant shores, permeating land and sky, and eventually raining my Good back down upon me.  Miraculously, all of the doors and windows are opening around me and I have only to follow gentle breezes into wide-open spaces where it is possible that I may be rained-upon.  There are more developments, kind reader, than I would impose upon you for the moment.  But, allow me to expel some highlights.

This morning, I met at Crema – a downtown coffee-shop – with a gentleman named Mr. Jace Freeman, a videographer and photographer whose works I have been fervently impressed-by.  The meeting was to discuss plans for a music video for The Grey House, wherein Mr. Freeman detailed his vision articulately.  Very little conversation was necessary to know that we were of like mind, which strengthened my faith that the song would be well-served.  Moreover,  my gratitude for this man’s reciprocated interest in my art was intensified!  We formulated some basic ideas and made a tentative plan to begin filming in April.  I will keep you enlightened as to the details of this endeavor as they become known to me.

Another important announcement is a live performance by myself and the New Transcendentalists at The 5 Spot in East Nashville exactly one week from today – Thursday, March Fourth.  Also on the bill is Mr. James Wallace, for whom I will be performing the duties of antiquarian percussionist (James will also be a part of our ensemble), and The Orange Opera from Fort Wayne, Indiana.  The show is scheduled to begin at Nine O’clock.  We do hope you will join us and share in the excitement these influential days leading up to a snap-shot from their pinnacle.

Working tirelessly,
Mr. J.S. H.

In my time with Ode Hazelwood, and as a result of our excursions I had compiled a comprehensive list of names and electronic addresses of receptive fans from all over the world. Many of them hailed from mysterious far-away countries across Europe and Asia which I have only visited through a wire and in my dreams. It has been a wondrous experience to package-up a CD and place it in the post in remittance to some far-away and seemingly far-fetched destination. It is liken-to sealing a part of one’s spirit into an envelope to be opened in Arcadia, where it will fly-out, and mix-and-mingle with those of its recognition. There is no way to know how one’s art will be perceived in a place of vastly different culture. To me, it is a testament to Unity that a Scandinavian countryman, for example, would manage to meet with music to his liking on the opposite side of the globe, and decide that it is better than his money. It is this phenomenon which gives me an intrepid faith to carry-on with my life’s work, and drives me to create works which are of intrinsic value.

Yesterday, I transmitted a message to this aforementioned list of old acquaintances who originally found their way to me by synchronicity. And, the results were astounding! There is evidence that the number of daily visitors to this periodical reached its all-time zenith. Furthermore, I received an abundance of kind words and well-wishes in response. I am unspeakably flattered and humbled by this out-pouring of support. I extend my undying gratitude to every corner of the globe, where resides a living soul of common mind and heart with my very own.

Namaste’,
Mr. Joseph Hazelwood

It had been two solid months since I had composed a note of music, that is, until I sat down this week to rehearse with my-self.  The moment I picked up my instrument, fresh substances began to pour out of it as if I had opened a release valve!  It was a complete surprise, as I had not even contemplated the creation of new material.  It is a most unusual process, this manifesting something from nothing!  In reverence for that Universal Mind of which I can only ever know my part, I surrendered to the process which has systematically rendered all of my best works.  This process is what many call ‘stream of consciousness’ wherein I abandon all rational thought, allowing subject-matter to rise up out of my sub-conscious.  It is often very revealing as to the thoughts and feelings which I have unknowingly suppressed.  In this particular writing session, I found my sub-mind insistent upon composing material of a geo-political nature. 

I am not a fan of the latest trend in political eye-wear called ‘Blinders’.  They have recently come into vogue with the promise of obstructing one’s view, to effectively block out any ‘bad’.  But what you are not informed-of in these crafty advertisements is that this hip new product concurrently blocks out the Good while dimming-down your perception of reality!  You might be walking around this very instant completely in the dark, with an illusion of safety as if you are crouched-down in a closet during a tornado, when you might in actuality be stepping out in front of a steam engine!  Alas, there is no tornado, but only the scientific prophecy of one greater than man has ever known, accompanied by sound means of prevention – ‘Climate Change’.

Before I continue, you must know that I have no political affiliation.  I have found that it is my role to always see humanity as a single unified body, the ‘Body of God’ if you will.  You can be certain that any political stance which I might take is the product of my own philosophies and ideals, as well as empirical understandings of certain irrefutable Universal Laws of Nature.  One of these Laws is that of Cause and Effect which could be stated as Newton’s Third Law: “To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”.  The Buddhists call it ‘Niyamas’: “Orange trees grow from orange seeds – apple trees from apple seeds.  Why do you think good will grow from evil seeds”?  It is absurd to pretend that nearly two-hundred years of pumping Carbon Dioxide into an atmosphere that does not naturally manage such high levels of the gas would not invoke some sort of adverse ‘change’!  Rationality aside, since the scientific evidence at this point is irrefutable that the Earth’s climate has warmed as a result of industrialism; one must bury his head completely in the sand to deny it.  But why would one do this?!  I believe it started as an innocent fear of change (knowing deep-down that change is inevitable) and an innocent fear of loss (protection of one’s interests); but it has now reached the point of paralyzed and polarized partisanship (clenching desperately to a boulder that is also falling off the cliff).  All people are inherently good!  I’ll go down to your Devil’s lair and shout it in his face!  We all do the best we can with the tools that are at our disposal.  None of you who are stumbling around with those silly-looking blinders on really want the destruction of the world, yet your actions are calling for it.  Yea, I say take them off!  See the Good!  Know that your thoughts and actions are creative!  Own this power and use it for Good!  Global responsibility and fiscal responsibility are spokes of the same wheel.  God is the center.

With Love,
Mr. J.S. Hazelwood

It is another fine Sunday of solitude here at the Hazelwood Estate.  All of the help has gone home to be with their families in observance of the Sabbath.  As a result, the house is quieted and I am at liberty to engage in my own rituals.  One long-standing Sunday custom of mine is a morning reading from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays.  If you find that I reference Emerson more than other luminaries it is because I rank him with the Jesus’ and Buddhas of the world.  Moreover, I consider his collection of essays to be every bit as high a source of truth as The Holy Bible itself.  In seeking, I have found great reward in the pages of the Good Book, but I have also found that there are other ‘Good Books’.  The Bhagavad-Gita is a Good Book, as is the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Rumi’s Poetry, Aristotle’s Treatises, and The Cat in the Hat.  A seeker of any origin can travel any number of roads to the same Universal Truth.  There are no doubt as many paths as there are seekers. Emerson just happens to be the soil of my path – one that is carved into infinity.  He had a great understanding that the artful delivery of Truth is as important as the Truth itself.  For, the interpretation from one to another is always subject to perception.  The Bible may cause one to love his neighbor while the other may use it to provoke a war in the name of God.  Emerson taught Self Reliance – that personal intuition is the highest source of Truth – higher than any text or doctrine.  When you have heard the quiet voice of your intuition (the voice of God) there is no denying it – no misinterpretation.  With this in mind, I believe a meditation is in order…

God Bless,
Mister H

I woke this morning particularly comfortable and warm.  As I regained my coherency, it became apparent that Pandora, my chamber maid, had taken the liberty of rekindling the fire, filling the bed-warmer with coals, and sliding it betwixt the blankets just next to my feet so discreetly that I was never disturbed.  Yet, I can hear her plainly in the adjacent room – aggressively laboring over woodwork and linen while singing the ancient hymn Of the Father’s Heart Begotten in Latin…♫

“Corde natus ex parentis
Ante mundi exordium
A et O cognominatus,
ipse fons et clausula
Omnium quae sunt, fuerunt,
quaeque post futura sunt.
Saeculorum saeculis”

 I must have been in a dead slumber.  I can recall no dreams which might have diverted my attention from the world of the living.  Yet I was gone, presumably to some place of unspeakable wonder or I surely would have remained.  Likewise, I must have returned because I find this world equally fascinating.  Though I can conceive of no alternative in my current state of consciousness, I must confess that this world appears a playground to me.  As I pull aside the window-veil and look down upon a snow-covered ground, I am filled with a vaguely familiar zeal of adolescence.  My heart is warmed by the permafrost, as I contemplate what to do – or not to do with this day.  Should I venture out into the street and consort with my fellow townsmen who are already engaged there in a bout of merrymaking?  Or, should I retain this perspective of the witness for some creative endeavor?  I shall decide after I have breakfasted….

~Mr. H.

A note from the editors:

We are delighted that you have chosen to subscribe to Mister Hazelwood’s periodical.  Many tens of people receive it every day and consider it a reliable and informative source of news, as the definition of the term ‘news’ continues to spiral into ambiguity.  We live in a time of informational freedom.  Mankind has heretofore labored under the delusion of the ‘They’, as some autocratic entity which has the authority to dictate the standards of our culture.  Yet, we have entered into this era of self-reliance.  What once posed as ‘news’ has been widely exposed as sensationalism for the sake of entertainment – for the sake of revenue – for the sake of power and control over those who subscribe to its manipulations.  It is a difficult thing to gauge one’s own perceptions.  We can no sooner do it than we can see our own eyes or touch the tip of our tongues to the tip of our tongues.  The good news (no pun intended) is that we have the individual power of choice to decide what is ‘news’ and to shape our perceptions thusly.  We here at misterhazelwood.com have long-since been deliberately out-of-touch with the supposed goings-on in the world.  We have abandoned the effect and are working from the position of the cause, with the understanding that this is the only way to truly affect change.  It is an illusion that any yesterday can hold even an ounce of the power of this glorious today.  However, with this realization comes the responsibility to refrain from the influence of such devious entities as Fox News, CNN, and others whose primary purpose is to perpetuate fear, ignorance, and self-subordination.  We do not claim any absolute ‘facts’ here as we believe that all things are relative, nor is this periodical to be considered any more than entertainment.  But, we are wholeheartedly in support of your own personal empowerment and hope you will trust us into your feed-reader.

Sincerely,
The New Transcendentalists