This Friday, February 3rd at 7:30pm, Arvel Bird will debut with the Chandler Symphony Orchestra in Chandler, Arizona, at the Chandler Center for the Arts. Performing original scores from his award-winning orchestral work Tribal Music Suite: Journey of a Paiute Bird evokes the soul of North American history blended masterfully with a contemporary flair that resonates with his audiences.

With Tribal Music Suite, Bird looks to his Paiute Indian heritage and his Scottish ancestry for the story’s inspiration to create a symphonic work that is deeply emotional, inspiring, at times playful, and always a masterful fusion of Celtic and Native American influences.

“Playing with orchestras always inspires me,” said Arvel Bird. “This year is special because I am honoring the Arizona Centennial with the Chandler Symphony Orchestra, celebrating 100 years of statehood and the rich history of this state. I’m honored to be a part of the official centennial activities and bring a part of Native American culture to this concert.”

Tribal Music Suite  CD will be available in the lobby the night of the performance or can be purchased here.  This CD includes Arvel Bird’s Rhythm and Roots Concert DVD.

For you eastern Australia fans, Arvel’s Titanic Centennial: Commemorative Special Edition CD is available in the Australian National Maritime Museum Store in Sydney’s Darling Harbour. All other CD and DVD titles, can be found and ordered at online store where you can also listen to samples.

Arvel Bird’s 20th album is now available! The Titanic Centennial: Commemorative Special Edition pays tribute to the 100th anniversary (April, 1912) of the maiden voyage and ultimate sinking of the RMS Titanic and features three previously released songs with eight new compositions, including a haunting violin solo and an ‘a Capella’ vocal song. Captain Smith, Father Browne, bandleader Wallace Hartley and others, come to life in a powerful, cinematic and, dare I say, an immersive environment, that will whisk you away to the North Atlantic in 1912 — $22 plus S & H.

Here’s your chance to see Arvel Bird up close and personal, framed by the beautiful backdrop of Sacred Lands Preservation in St. Petersburg, FL. Tickets are available here for the Friday, March 16th concert which will kick off the 2012 Green Frog Festival.  Tickets are $15.  Click the link below to purchase tickets today.  Seating is limited.

Tickets will be held at the door for pick up, so keep your receipt to confirm your purchase and bring it with you to the admissions gate.

As the name suggests, the Walkabout has been found to work well with many other types of instruments such as a violin for roving performances in an intimate setting, at flute circles or other applications. The system can be plugged into an amplifier if even more volume is needed. Not recommended for horns or other naturally loud instruments.

Retail price is $295 plus shipping, HOWEVER, for a limited time, we are offering FREE priority USPS shipping in the United States.

Click here to order today.

Animals come to us because they have a lesson we have asked to learn and a “medicine” or “power” they are willing to share with us.  They hold their medicine up like a mirror to reflect back to us what we have vibrationally offered that we would like to obtain.

Developing a relationship with a live animal totem takes time, practice, patience or it could be very dangerous.  Having an animal totem doesn’t mean that you are to pet the animal or even be with it in physical proximity.

Animal Spirits choose a person to be a companion to, a friend to,  not the other way around. You can not say to a cougar, “Here kitty, kitty, awww, you’re so cute and I like what you represent so I think Cougar will be my Animal Totem”.

No, the animal will choose you and make itself known to you. You will only need to pay attention to discover what your totems are.

The Coyote – For a long time humans have attempted to shoot, poison and trap coyote into non-existence.  Instead, birds like the Condor have been nearly wiped out with poisoned meat, and the clever coyote may be more numerous today than ever.  Despite human encroachment and aggression, coyote has found a way to walk its walk and survive.

Coyotes usually mate for life.  They live in the sides of hills or in underground dens where the family unit is well protected.  They prefer open grassland and thinly wooded brush, but can adapt to almost any environment.  Because of this they have been able to survive and grow in numbers.

I once heard a story about a female Coyote who got caught in a trap and gnawed off her own paw —twice.  At last report she was doing fine, hobbling around on her two front stumps, and she had borne a healthy litter.  Coyotes hunt small game not with speed, but by pouncing and snapping with their jaws.  She was able to do this quite well and was fulfilling her role as a mother.  Those with this medicine will go to extreme measures to protect and nurture family members.  Words that rip and tear another to shreds should be avoided.  Sporadic bursts of energy are common and balanced action is required for one’s overall well being.  Excellent caretakers’, coyote medicine people put other people’s needs before their own.  Care is advised, however, to give to yourself equally.

In some native tribes the coyote is referred to as the trickster.  I prefer to see the coyote as cunning and clever.  There are many stories about the coyote.  He is known as the great one and the foolish one.  Coyote does not consciously try to trick us; he mirrors our own human capacity for displaying cleverness AND stupidity.

Like the coyote we can work with others to get what we want in life, or we can dive into a lake to catch a reflection.  We can send troubles away or invite them carelessly.  When coyote wanders into your life you are being asked to look at something you have been avoiding.  Coyote is our mirror for the lessons we need to learn in order to walk the good red road.  It will hold up the mirror relentlessly until we finally get the picture.

Call on coyote as an ally for negotiating a difficult situation.  Or thank him for coming and showing you a trap that you are caught in, or a way that you are fooling yourself.  Coyote is an especially powerful teacher with regard to relationships because it is when we are in a relationship that we can fool ourselves the most.  Coyote is not out there to get us, but to teach us, whether we want to learn or not.

The Dragonfly – No bird or insect has the flight maneuverability of the Dragonfly. They can twist, turn, change directions in an instant, hover, move up or down, and even fly backwards. The power that dragonfly brings to the tapestry of life is skill. They are experts at what they do and do it relentlessly.

Dragonflies’ spectacular colors sparkle with iridescence in the sunlight. These colors take time to develop reflecting the idea that with maturity our own true colors come forth.

As newly hatched nymphs, dragonflies live on the bottom of ponds and streams. As they mature and go through metamorphosis they move to the realm of air. Since water represents the emotional body and air represents the mental, those with this medicine will often find themselves trying to maintain balance between their thoughts and emotions.

Children with dragonfly medicine are often very emotional. They feel things deeply and respond to situations with great passion. As they reach adulthood they learn how to balance their emotions through experience with greater mental clarity and control. This gives them the compassionate quality necessary for any type of work relating to healing or counseling.

Dragonfly has the ability to reflect and refract light and colors and is often associated with magic and mysticism. Just as light can bend and shift and be adapted in a variety of ways, so can the archetypal forces associated with dragonfly. It conveys the message that life is never what it appears to be.

By helping a person see through illusion dragonfly awakens ones true vision. Flying at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour they can spot movement forty feet away. Flying into and around things from different angles, they challenge rigid awareness and prompt the energy of change for anyone who holds this medicine.

The Badger is a member of the weasel family. They range in length from two to three feet and are about twelve inches high. Family members often mark each other with scent for recognition since their sight is poor. Their senses of smell and hearing however are excellent. Those with this medicine would do well in professions that incorporate sound as a healing tool. On a personal note, badger medicine people need to develop clear sight, both psychically and physically and not just rely on their other senses for survival.

Badgers have solid muscular bodies.  Its outer skin is loose which gives it a deceiving appearance.  Because of this it is often associated with illusion. What you see is not always what you get!  Its strong powerful jaws represent discrimination of speech. Words can cut, tear and crush or encourage, teach and compliment others.  Those with this medicine have the ability to do both.

Badger dens are extremely clean and well organized. They change their bedding often, backing into their dens with straw, so as not to make a mess in the process. Fastidious about their surroundings they will correct any disorder quickly.

The badger brings the gift of tidiness and organization. If badger has come to you in some way it may be saying that you need to concentrate on maintaining an orderly environment to better facilitate your day-to-day living. . It can also teach you how to manage your time more efficiently.

Badgers will fight to their death if cornered.  Bold and ferocious they are unsociable animals.  Those with this medicine have difficulty relating to others. They will shun authority and stand their ground in any situation. Expressing themselves in a concise balanced way is one of their greatest challenges.

The badger is a remarkable digger and can get beneath the surface easily. This ability ties the badger to the mysteries of the underworld, where the magic of life and creation is stored. It also symbolizes a strong connection to plant and animal spirits and can teach those with this totem how to align with life both above ground and below it.

Bat – Yes, the noble bat. Most of us would run screaming from a cave or room where a bat is flying free, but you don’t have to “pet” the bat or otherwise physically engage it, just tap into its energy, it’s vibration. Ah, yes, that’s the word I’m looking for . . . vibration. Bat symbolizes vibration, tapping into the frequencies of anything you desire.

What is it you want? It’s easier to determine what you don’t want, isn’t it. “I hate being late, rude clerks, I don’t want to be broke.” What you do want and what you want to focus on is “I love how everything flows in perfect time, I appreciate all the kind and considerate clerks I encounter when I shop, I enjoy having everything I need when I need it.”

So, what does Bat have to do with that? Bat teaches us how to focus on what we want. Frankly, you can focus on what you want or what you don’t want, but it’s the focus of it that brings it to us. Bat has sharp, precise frequencies it emits to identify it’s surroundings. She teaches us to “focus our frequencies” like a laser. There is no more power than the power of your own mind to focus.

One of my favorite insects is Spider. If you’ve ever watched while a Spider weaves her web, in addition to being extremely efficient with her energy and time, she seemingly creates a web out of NOTHING. She encourages and facilitates your innate creativity. She uses only what is needed, she weaves webs strong enough to lay her eggs, to catch prey and catches what it wants to catch allowing the wind to “sift” through. Not surprising that a “dream catcher” is fashioned after Spider’s Web.

Another interesting totem is Skunk – the skunk is (notwithstanding it’s unique, er, uh, “scent”) a very powerful totem. Would you say you “respect” Skunk? Yeah, that’s a good wrod for it, right? But that respect might be because Skunk demands respects and also gives it just as powerfully. This teaches us to respect others, and expect others to respect us. Recognize your own qualities and push those to the forefront so that others can see easily see them.

Even though Skunks are fearless, they are peaceful. If you are attracted to Skunk (not necessarily due to his odoriferous [is that a word???] qualities) you might want to learn how fragrances can elicit dynamic responses in the people around you. You can also learn to balance the ability to draw and repel people or you could think of it as a time to be with people and a time for solitude.

For some reason Grasshopper comes to my mind right now. It’s medicine indicates new leaps forward in life are possible. He’s telling us to be bold and move with pride and with great movement. I guess that means I’m supposed to work in some new moves on stage! Okay, back to the totems . . . If you have trouble trusting your own instincts, maybe the spirit of grasshopper can help you. Look for something that symbolizes or causes you to think of grasshopper. A photo, a piece of jewelry, anything to help you focus on this powerful being.

Listening to our inner voice is one of the toughest things to do. Many people seem to think only religious leaders or “special people”, receive messages from the beyond or from a higher power; but our own higher power is the ONLY inner voice we SHOULD listen to . . . every time, NO exceptions. It will NEVER steer us wrong.

“What does it take to listen?  Probably less than you think.  One of the major benefits of the way Kimberly and I travel and tour is that we get to “camp” at some of the most beautiful national, state and regional parks in the country.  They are oftentimes situated on lakes, forests, oceans, bays, mountains, extinct volcanoes . . . all kinds of natural environments.  Here in Florida where we currently are, there are SO many types of birds.  Waders, fishers, raptors, songbirds, and more.  We listen, we quiet our minds and just listen.  What’s on your mind?  Is something bothering you? Got a nagging question?  Listen, just listen.  That’s your inner being connecting to the inner being of nature and providing you with answers and guidance.

“Now that we have Blackberry’s, we have had to make conscious decisions to TURN THEM OFF, even for 30 minutes during the day so we can talk to each other, go for a walk, walk the dogs, visit with other “campers” and reconnect to our surroundings.  It’s not easy, but we do the best we can.  The benefit to us has been palpable.  We aren’t near as stressed, feel pressured, or in a hurry,

“Do it for yourself, your partner, your children, your grandchildren.  I don’t believe for a moment that technology is bad.  Nothing is more powerful than “source”, “Spirit World”, “the Universe”, “God”, “Goddess”, “Allah”, whatever your word for it is and if you can just still your mind for a few moments, breath deeply, preferably outside and in nature, barefoot, touching the ground, you will hear what you need to hear.

“You are your own best counsel.  Listen, just listen.”

Arvel Bird’s two Animal Totems CDs are musical interpretations of the totem meaning of the animals and are available here.  Descriptions of the specific animals are printed in the liner notes.