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'Early Years: 1953-1969 Michael Stillwater was born as Michael Korns in Washington, D.C. At an early age he felt an unquenchable yearning which led him to explore both eastern & western mystic traditions. Visual, verbal, musical and theatrical arts attracted him. At thirteen, with MoTown pulsing from the radio, he borrowed his mother's Silvertone steel-string. He reversed the strings (a lefty's natural rebellion to a right-hand dominated world) and wrote his first song. A lifelong enchantment had begun. He practiced all styles of guitar, and at The Hawthorne School in D.C. he practiced blues guitar with classmate Seth Justman (J. Geils Band, keyboards), taking rock lessons with guitar legend Nils Lofgren, jazz with master teacher Frank Mullen, and migrating to California to spend his senior year at Pacific High, a legendary experimental school/commune in the Santa Cruz mountains, where Buckminister Fuller's dome theory was put to the test, yoga was the primary exercise & avant garde music was all part of the day's curriculum. Journey to the East: Awakened by an inner call, and seeking distinction from the intellectual domain of his father, Michael took the name 'Stillwater' when he moved into the Integral Yoga Institute in Santa Cruz, California, for the spring semester of his senior year in high school, graduating while studying yoga, chant and vedantic texts. In the summer of 1971 he moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he subsequently attended Lane Community College and the University of Oregon. In addition to his music & yoga practice, he designed and marketed Gracenotes, a line of sepia-tone greeting cards. Turning to the West: Michael dedicated his music to healing. Inspired by A Course in Miracles, together with Maloah Devi he co-founded Heavensong, a non-denominational music ministry focusing on contemporary Western chants evoking an ecstatic, non-dual state of consciousness. A 1985-86 world tour brought his music to Europe and Australia/New Zealand. One Light and You Belong to Love were recorded. The Celebration Songbook was published. A Course in Marigolds, a humorous parody, was written and published, and he reclaimed the name 'Michael'. In 1989 he and Maloah separated, releasing the Heavensong ministry and opening to a new chapter in their lives. Maloah has lived in Maui and California. Michael moved back to the Mainland, first to Santa Cruz, California, then to Washington State. The 90's was a time of deepening, soul searching, and exploring the edge of life and death. Interest in tantra and emotional healing opened new pathways of expression. Michael's intuitive music developed as a central dimension of his ministry, beginning with the release of Sanctuary in 1990. Together with Lee Ann Macdonald, he began a new life. In California he shared intuitive concerts with former Moody Blues keyboardist, Patrick Moraz. His work with the dying, those in grief, giving birth, and all life transitions, unfolded steadily, with the wild expanse of the Pacific Northwest providing a backdrop and catalyst for his inner journey. His father's death in 1994 was a significant experience for him, awakening a recognition of the power of music at the doorway. In 1999, together with longtime friend and Emmy-award winning film composer Gary Malkin, Michael founded Companion Arts, Inc., a media development company for creating a more heart-centered world. He moved back to the Bay Area in early 2000, expanding his musical ministry through ChantWave celebrations, SoulVoice: Intuitive Singing Workshops, SongCare songportraits, and further development of Companion Arts projects, as well as presenting at conferences nationwide. Moved by the humanitarian impact of Graceful Passages, a nonprofit entity (Companion Arts) was determined the best form to serve the ongoing educational and service dimensions of the work. To fulfill this need, the name and ownership of the media company changed to Wisdom of the World, Inc., and Companion Arts now serves as the nonprofit. Supported by individuals and organizations who believe in the power of applied compassion and music for healing, the mission of Companion Arts is to utilize the arts to address the spiritual and emotional dimensions of transition, helping individuals, organizations and communities embrace change as a pathway to meaning and connection. Grace In Practice was the initial program, bringing the awareness of healing music to palliative end-of-life care providers. A Lloyd Symington Foundation grant supported this work in cancer clinics in America and Canada. Under the guidance of healthcare consultant Mary Matthiesen, the focus towards healthcare professionals was reinforced. After ten years of spoken word/music project development, Michael produced and released ChantWave at Grace Cathedral (Inner Harmony, 2006) his first Chant CD in twenty years, since Voices of the Heart (Inner Harmony, 1986). For people drawn to a trans-traditional spirituality, this recording delivers a uniquely powerful and evocative celebration of Oneness via music. The Honoring Ceremony emerged in early 2008 as an evolution of SongCircle, a group sharing of SongCare. Michael envisioned a movement for awakening the song of the world, called 'Song Without Borders'. The first phase was an offering of TeleSong ceremonies of spontaneous song, offered freely as a gift to selected individuals and organizations, and then as community events featuring The Honoring Ceremony. Sing It Forward was the name of the gifting opportunity recipients were given to pay for another community to have this experience. Through additional donations to this vision, in the summer of '08, The Honoring CD: Songs of Healing, Empowerment and Awakening, was produced. In the Fall, O Great Spirit, a live concert recording of chants, was released. The universal chant Feels Like Home was produced together with Seattle musician/producer Rick Bakken. SongSourcing, a method of integration through spontaneous songmaking (formerly SoulVoice), developed into multi-cultural educational practice for adults and children. Honoring Ceremonies, supported by Song Without Borders, began to be offered in Europe and America, and over the phone (TeleSong). The 4th annual Art of Presence Retreat for healthcare professionals was offered in Assisi, Italy. European and American tours continue to be offered (see schedule). In the Fall of 2009, Michael began to develop a film through Song Without Borders- In Search of The Great Song, to inspire and encourage viewers to reconnect to their inner song. As part of this vision, an Honoring Ceremony at Fernwood cemetery was filmed, called 'Honoring Our Ancestors'. In December, Michael flew to Melbourne, Australia, to interview world spiritual leaders at the Parliament for the World's Religions and aboriginals in Byron Bay, Australia. To revitalize the structure for Companion Arts, the nonprofit which Michael had co-founded, offices were moved to Boulder, Colorado, under the management of Susan Osborne and Leland Hoover. Emergence: 2011 As the year begins, in recognition of the specific focus of its mission, a new nonprofit sponsor is sought as an organizational home for the humanitarian arts work of Song Without Borders. Retreats: Michael offers workshops on intuitive singing and facilitates Art of Presence Retreats in America and Europe. These retreats are for healing and honoring of the whole being, an inquiry into the nature of living truth, conducted in partnership with his wife, Swiss psychotherapist Doris Lasser Stillwater. Healing Songs: These can be intuitive songs for individuals and couples (The Honoring), or for small gatherings, groups and teams. Both services can be provided by phone. Conference Speaking and Music: Michael performs and delivers keynote addresses and workshops at conferences and retreats both in America and internationally with an emphasis on themes of presence, the healing power of song, transitions, creativity, and personal/planetary transformation. See Video:
'The Song of Home
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