Temple of Transformative Music Mission Statement 2007

The mission of ToTeM is to provide a supportive space
for the interaction of spiritual work and music:
where musicians can deepen the spiritual focus of their performance,
and where people in search of a transformation or healing
may access the music that supports their quest.

These interactions may take many forms:   •   public workshops in which individuals can develop musical tools to pursue their spiritual goals, with the guidance of more experienced musicians;   •   workshops for musicians to share techniques to support healing and ritual work;   •   performances by skilled improvisational musicians in which spiritual experiences are pursued and described;   •   community jams where everyone can share their spiritual quest in music-making;   •   and a spectrum of rituals where these elements may mix in various ways, i.e. where the boundary between performer and audience may blur or be redrawn in different configurations. Our music nurtures our connection to the timeless web of life, while communicating our sense of the immediate present. Real-time musical expression is a vital player in our spiritual life which conventional performance cannot adequately replace. We hold sacred the precious opportunity to create an experience of beauty that is genuinely individual and fresh.

Finally, ToTeM is a community where people can dream together. Whether described as trance visions, shamanic journeys to Otherworld, or aboriginal "Dreamtime," our musical interactions are opportunities to sculpt our ideal world in sound and energy. When we return to the ordinary world, we can bring with us both the visionary creation and the interactive dialogue, with boundless potential for enriching our lives.

Let us build this temple, this community, this dream together.

Although ToTeM does not yet have a fixed location, some programs are already in operation.

  •   The ToTeM Ensemble conducts occasional rituals with jazz-based meditations.

  •   Private sessions in Transformative Music Mirroring your Soul

  •   We have a collection of small instruments for group interaction.

    • • •   You are invited to get involved!

         Just E-mail Hummingbear and ask to be added to the ToTeM list.