Free Online Summer Extravaganza with BraveHeart Women

Aloha Sisters on the Feminine Power Journey,

I would love to share my song, "When BraveHearts Rise", with you.  I wrote and recorded it last summer for the BraveHeart Women's talent show . I performed this song live at RISE, an amazing event for women who are leading the way for the creation of a world that works for everyone. I will be attending again this year and bringing 9 other women with me. Ellie Drake, the CEO. has just announced a wonderful Free Online "Summer Extravaganza", which will run for seven weeks, starting July 20th, 2010. Enjoy my video and find out more about the event below.




The "Summer Extravaganza" will include interviews with 14 Amazing Women, including Dr. Maya Angelou, Leeza Gibbons, Mariel Hemmingway, Susan Anton, and Lisa Nichols. Registration is Free and you will receive the bonus of an incredible morning and evening affirmation recording from Ellie Drake.

Some of the things you will learn in the program are:

• How to banish useless energy like GUILT, SHAME, and REGRET from your brain so you can stop beating yourself up (women in particular play out negative emotions over and over in their heads, making them feel horrible);

• How to buck the PROCRASTINATION PATTERN any of us can slip into (you can’t step up to being your strongest self if you can’t get stuff done);

• How to INSTANTLY shift your attitude to transform your personal ability to lead and inspire (moods and emotions don?t have to control your destiny);

• How to easily break down and dissect the steps of TRUE PERSONAL, PROFESSIONAL, and GLOBAL FULFILLMENT (it’s shockingly simple when it’s laid out for you);

• How to DETOX areas of your life today so you can realize your dreams and get out of your own way (break the cycle of repeating habits that don’t serve you anymore);

• How to quickly discover your LIFE PURPOSE and put it into action (the Braveheart Community is tailored for meaningful connections and insights);

•  How to easily uncover and OVERCOME BLIND SPOTS that hold you back from being your most magnificent self (all too often it is US holding ourselves back);

What is really important to me is that BraveHeart Women will be tracking the signup links for the "Summer Extravaganza on a weekly basis and I am reaching out for your help to show up in a BIG WAY.
Please sign up FREE here and continue your journey to your Best and Brightest Self.
Thank you so much,
Bentley

Please Don't Send Toxic Valentine Candy or Flowers

20 million Americans will buy sweets and flowers for their loved ones on Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, these tokens of love aren't really as sweet or pure as they are presented to be. Over 40 percent of the world's conventional chocolate, which includes non-organic and non-Fair Trade, comes from Africa's Ivory Coast. This is the exact area where widespread instances of child slavery have been reported by the International Labor Organization and US State Department. The millions of bouquets that will be given are commercial flowers, most of which are produced in countries such as Colombia, and are unfortunately the most toxic and heavily sprayed agricultural crops on Earth. Poorly paid workers in Third World countries put in up to 18 hour work days to supply the global market, for poverty wages during peak flower buying times such as Valentine's Day. But don't let the bad news squelch your Valentine's plans. Show your love by choosing Fair Trade and organic flowers and chocolate for your Valentine's Day gifts.

There are other healthy options that also help those in need. Try Fair trade organic chocolate from the Humanity Unites Brilliance Global Marketplace.

Women Traveling to Belize to Play, Empower Ourselves and Each Other and Give Back

Travel with like-minded women and give back to the people of Belize.

Are both personal growth and a deep spiritual connection on your high priority list? Does giving to others from your deep well of abundance inspire you? Have you experienced the power that becomes available when women come together in support of one another? Do you enjoy traveling to exotic places and experiencing them from inside the culture instead of as a "tourist'? If your inner answer is "Yes",you have just directed yourself to the possibility for a peak experience you life this year. Want to play, be empowered and make a difference? I’m looking for some women who love fun, travel, personal empowerment and giving back. There are 11 spots open for women to travel with me on a fabulous adventure to Belize in June. We are going to build a library in a poor village in Belize, visit Mayan ruins, play, reflect, share and step more boldly into the greatest vision we hold for ourselves. This special Give Back Passage is in conjunction with The Peaceful Woman retreats on Maui, where I am a facilitator. The Peaceful Woman assists you in knowing your truths thru No-Lecture Retreats™  which help you to discover, for yourself, your personal truths, creativity, intuitive nature, and inner peace.Would you be a perfect travel companions for this adventure? Curious to know more? I’d love to fill you in on the details.
Email me

Bentley Kalaway

Time is All We've Got

The following quote really describes how I've been feeling in this New Year, especially concerning many of the dreams and projects that I can feel shaping up. I wanted to share it to find out if others are experiencing the same sense of urgency, no longer content to put off our creative projects anymore.

"From the perspective of evolution, time is all we’ve got. Evolution only happens in and through time, so we can only affect change in the cosmos in and through time. Therefore, if we care about making a difference, we need to have the courage to look directly at our own lives in relationship to time. Why? Because time runs out! And too many of us are still putting off what is most important, postponing and hesitating, because we feel that we’re not quite ready yet. We’re not quite ready to live a life that bold, that intentional, that immediate. But time keeps passing. So to me, one of the most important steps in an individual’s spiritual evolution is when they embrace what I call an absolute relationship to time. That means they are no longer waiting for anything. They are seeing the whole process of their own life-experience with a sense of great urgency and immediacy because there is so much that they need to accomplish and they need to do it now. If we are to truly make a difference in the short time we each have on this earth, more and more of us need to awaken to this Great Intention, this great urgency, and this great will to evolve. That alone is what makes this life meaningful."
Andrew Cohen

May you move forward with what calls you this year and have great Success!
Bentey

How Investing in Girls and Women Can Change the World

Educating a child is a significant investment, and the traditional roles that men and women play imply that sons are most investment-worthy. Worldwide, there are 115 girls to every 100 boys out of school, and of the girls who are in school, 20% will not complete primary level education. As a result, women worldwide are less educated than men to the extent that they make up two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people. For the girls left behind, they are likely to marry young, have more children and generate little income.When we lift women out of poverty they can serve as powerful agents of social change. A woman is more likely than her husband to put her earned income to good use. Her children are more likely to be educated and healthy. When a woman has more decision making power and financial resources, she is better able to plan her pregnancies and have fewer children, improving the quality of life for her whole family.

In subsistence economies, water does not flow from a tap, daycare services are largely nonexistent, and feeding the family is a constant struggle. Much of the world still sees domestic work as “women’s work,” which can include collecting water, caring for the children, or harvesting a field. These many hours of hard labor are unpaid, and if a woman should seek income it will likely be through informal employment with small returns. As a result, the majority of the world’s poor are women, and they have fewer opportunities to become economically self-sufficient.

If you knew there was a way you could help these girls and women and also create abundance for yourself, would you want to know more about it? Humanity Unites Brilliance is a humanitarian for-benefit business that provides food, water, education and micro-loans to those in dire need. HUB offers an opportunity for multiple streams of network, affiliate and retail income to its members. The purpose of the company is to end scarcity in your world, reintroducing and maintaining abundance around you. Ending Scarcity will result in food and clean water being available to everyone on the planet, with education available to all, and clarity in financial literacy stimulating trade through micro loans to hundreds of millions of people.

One out of every five children currently does not have primary schooling in the world. HUB impact partners are delivering primary education to refugees, orphans and slum children. Equally imperative is to expand secondary education. Collaborating with impact partner Youth Action International, HUB supports young African girls and former child-soldiers with empowerment programs. The ENABLED project offers vocational training for physically and mentally handicapped post-conflict refugees.

Unregulated irrigation along the shores of Lake Victoria in has drastically lowered the availability of clean water. Women and children become critically ill through lack of water or usage of dirty water. The most simple way to catch, purify and deliver clean water is through rain catchers. With the support of impact partners like Raincatcher.org, HUB has installed 6,000 to 24,000 liter raincatcher drums at rural school sites, with guttering on the roofs and a filter system fitted into the drum. Now children and their families can have clean water for drinking, playing, washing and gardening.

Micro-loans are used to help people living in extreme poverty start or expand a range of tiny businesses such as weaving and tailoring, husking rice, tea and coffee production, and delivering cell phone services to remote villages. HUB follows the vision of 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr Mohammed Yunus and Micro Credit Summit and Results founder, Sam Daley Harris, to see micro loans and financial training available to everyone.

I have been a HUB member and investor since May 2008 and I am truly grateful to be able to make a difference with my monthly contributions.

Positive Possibility: Engaging Feminine Power for Maximum Success

I’m proclaiming 2010 as the year of Positive Possibility for Feminine Power.

2009 introduced me to many women’s organizations that are thriving by bringing women together to empower themselves and each other to benefit our world. (Find links at the end of this post.)The call is going out loud and clear and women are rising individually and collectively to answer it. These women share a common vision of changing our world for the better, and yet each individual woman understands that before she can empower others, she must empower herself to reach a place in her own life that affords her the time and energy to devote her courage and creativity to the larger issues facing humanity. Our businesses cannot grow unless we grow ourselves. I’m committed to growing my self every bit as much as the businesses I am building, for I absolutely understand that my inner world is always reflected outside of me. A thriving, evolving, abundant and growing business reflects my inner beliefs combined with my willingness to act on those beliefs.

I have created a system of ten questions which I use to stay inspired and moving forward in my life and in my businesses. I invite a wonderful and Divine Feminine presence to observe my thinking and gently guide me back to Source if my mind wanders into any kind of dis-empowering pattern. I also practice deep gratitude every day for the connection to the Divine Abundance that is the source of everything. This inspired action helps me fine tune my inner vibration so that I am in resonance with the Infinite Abundance and opportunities all around me.

Try These Ten Questions to Engage Feminine Power for Maximum Success:

1. When I am faced with a challenge: How can I approach this challenge with courage and creativity? How is this challenge requiring me to develop a new skill or strengthen an existing one?
2. When I feel myself retreating or weighed down with frustration: How can I release the excuses I am making and claim my strength so that I can move in the direction of empowered action?
3. When I am faced with a new obstacle: How is this new obstacle the perfect invitation for me to strengthen my commitment to my goal and to upgrade my passion?
4. When I feel like giving up: What is the greatest possibility here? What next small step can I take on my journey of discovery?
5. When I feel the need to ask for help: Where can I find wise counsel? What steps could I take to actively seek advice and direction knowing that new understandings can change my perception and possibilities?
6. When I need new information or input: Where can I find new experiences that stretch me and opportunities that challenge me to show up in a new way?
7. When fear and doubt begin to overwhelm me: How are my fear and my doubt ushering in necessary growth? What unknown worlds am I required to enter to develop my greatest potential?
8. When the needs of others threaten my balance: Can I help others in a way that also allows me to stand in my own power, honor my own boundaries and empower others to do the same?
9. When procrastination calls my name: What action step can I take toward my goal, knowing there is never a “perfect” or “right” time, only the now moment that I actively proclaim to be the time to take action?
10. When I need to restore, reflect and renew: What would be the most Self honoring action I could take to acknowledge how far I have come so far and rest and recharge?
    

I proclaim 2010 as the year for women to let their dreams and goals define who they are, rather than letting their present circumstances define them. Our individual and collective dreams and goals can become the voices that call us forward. Present circumstances have only the power that we give them. Magnificent and positive possibilities abound.

Links to Women's Organizations and Projects that arrived in my 2009.

• The Peaceful Woman (Inspired Women's Retreats)
• BraveHeart Women (Inspired Online Community)
• Lady Lyrica (Inspired Singers and Songwriters)
• Women on the Edge of Evolution (Inspired Teleseminars)
• Abundance Is Mine (Inspired Business for Entrepreneurs)
• The Women's Information Network Inc. (Women Helping Women)

"An Early Thanksgiving"

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."
Albert Schweitzer.

Every year since 1988, a certain Rabbi makes a call to Donald Trump to thank him for an act of kindness that happened over twenty years ago. Mr. Trump refers to this in a chapter titled “An Early Thanksgiving,” in his book Think Like a Champion: An Informal Education In Business and Life. The Rabbi always makes the call on the day before Rosh Hashanah, a holiday frequently referred to as the Jewish New Year. He calls Mr. Trump to thank him for support he provided many years ago when his three year old son was stricken with an illness the Los Angeles area doctors could not find a cure for. Because commercial airlines could not accommodate the extensive life support equipment needed to transport the sick boy, the Rabbi had called Donald Trump to request the use of his personal jet to fly the boy to New York. Donald made the arrangements though he did not know the Rabbi.

Unfortunately, a cure was not found, and yet, to this day, the Rabbi remains grateful for the act of kindness from a man he did not know and still remembers to express his thanks year after year. This story is a reminder to all of us to reflect on being able to find the blessings in the midst of adversity as a way to handle difficult or even tragic times.

I came across this story today, while reading the book mentioned above. This Thanksgiving I’m grateful for Donald Trump and the Trump Network. I’m thankful that a man with this kind of character has created an opportunity for everyday people to reclaim their financial futures and I’m grateful to be working with the amazing leaders who shared this opportunity with me, so that I can help others.

Bentley Kalaway
Please contact me for more information

A Hamster Is the Season’s Hottest Toy

Fake hamsters are the hottest kids Christmas item according to an article by Ruth Fremson from the New York Times.The Zhu Zhu Pets are zero-maintenance artificial hamsters. The artificial rodents have some advantages over the real thing. They do not stink, chew electric wires, or run around their cages making noise at night. In fact, they do not need cages. Children are delighted at how they coo and scoot about unpredictably. Parents are delighted not to have to clean up after them. And at $7.99 each, the hamsters are recession-friendly.

The trouble is, Zhu Zhu Pets are so popular that stores cannot keep them in stock. The critters are routinely sold out at the likes of Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart and Target, though more will hit the shelves the day after Thanksgiving, when deal-seekers wake up early to shop for bargains.

The five different battery-operated hamsters — Chunk, PipSqueak, Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums and Patches — are mainly coveted by girls, according to toy industry professionals. This possibly makes sense; Jim Silver, editor in chief of TimetoPlayMag .com, pointed out that girls also own the majority of live hamsters.

Toys “R” Us said this week that it would have tens of thousands of Zhu Zhu Pets in stock on the Friday after Thanksgiving. But consumers will have to drink coffee with their turkey if they want a hamster: Toys “R” Us stores will open on Thanksgiving at midnight, and the first 100 customers in line will receive a ticket for a Zhu Zhu Pet, with a limit of one for each household.

“Others may try to make a lot of noise out of a few hamsters,” Mr. Storch said, “but we have by far the most inventory and opportunity to find Zhu Zhu at any retailer.” (Next month, Toys “R” Us plans to offer an exclusive $100 Zhu Zhu Pets set that includes — brace yourself — two hamsters, an exercise wheel, a fun house, a car and garage, an adventure ball and a sleep dome.)

Indeed, Cepia has found itself increasing hamster production and fielding phone calls from parents desperately seeking Zhu Zhu Pets, as well as their slightly pricier accessories, like a ramp with slide and a garage with car. There is even a surfboard.

Ms. Hornsby said the hamsters take their name from “zhu zhu,” or “little pig” in Chinese, which the folks at Cepia thought was fitting, given that hamsters are known for making messes.

“The Apprentice meets Amway?” Maybe not such a bad idea.

In an associated press article titled, "Its like the Apprentice meets Amway," released on November 19th, the newly launched Trump Network is given a thorough and only slightly biased dissection. The sincerity Donald Trump personally expresses, in describing his new MLM as a “rescue and recovery” program for people who may need an extra income source during this recession is framed as being “blustery in its bullishness.” I think it is fair to say that many people actually are currently trying to find ways to make extra income. The article also states, “The company hopes the Trump name and image will help sell the products.” Personally, I don’t think it will hurt sales. Actually the company reported that "as a direct result of that article, the phones are ringing off the hook." Those that call in will be placed in contact with existing marketers who have proved their leadership capabilities. Of course the article brings up the usual criticisms that the salespeople end up using most of the products themselves. Would that really be a problem when the products are highly-advanced, scientifically-proven health and wellness products? I don’t think so.

What the article did not say, was that no network marketing company of this magnitude ever launched at a time in history when social media was exploding across the globe. The old days of pitching your hopes and dreams to just your friends and family are gone. Internet marketing has changed the game. The distributors who take advantage of the early growth phase of the Trump Network, and use social media to build their organizations have the most to gain in the coming years as more products are rolled out and more markets in other countries are added. Currently, the fastest growing organizations within the Trump Network are the ones who have adopted these new strategies. Our team works directly with David Carroll and Diamond University. You can, too. David Carroll just broke the company record by going diamond in 90 days.

With the quote “Your financial health is as important to us as your personal health," the Trump Network encourages its marketers to build their businesses responsibly. That is why they offer a $48 option as an entry level position as well as a “Fast Start” option at $497.

Daniel Howard, a professor of marketing at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business, was interviewed for the article and offers this discouragement, "Multilevel marketing is a tough business, and most people don't make much money." This is actually true about most businesses in our current economic environment. I’m a professional musician and it is also a tough business where most artists don’t make a lot of money. The ones who are dedicated, focused and never quit at least have a better chance. The problem is that once the gig is done, the money ends. With network marketing, there is a huge difference. Perseverance and a lot of hard work in the beginning could pay off in the form of residual income for years to come. It’s true there are no guarantees in business or in life. It is also true that opportunities to ride a potential wave of this magnitude don’t happen every day.

If you would like to learn how to use social media to begin building your our business contact me.
Read the full news article

Forbes Announces TV's Second Richest Man

Everyone knows that TV’s meanest and richest man is Simon Cowell, the mastermind from “Idol”, the most watched and profitable show on TV. Most people would never believe that Donald Trump comes in second according to a Forbes list of the richest men in prime-time television. According to the magazine, Trump rakes in $50 million a year from TV. The one factor that sets Donald Trump apart from every other successful man on the list is that Donald doesn’t just appear on “Apprentice”, he owns it with reality producer Mark Burnett. The show has also expanded internationally with local versions in England, Italy, France and South America. Mr. Trump not only gets paid for his on screen time, but he and Mark Burnett split the millions of dollars the shows make each season as each commercial airs, with product sponsors such as Zappos.com, Loews Hotels and Chicken of the Sea.

Trump also reaps millions from his books and the presentations and speeches he makes internationally, and also has lent his name to everything from alcohol to neck ties. His new reality show, ''Omarosa's Ultimate Merger''was just announced this week. The outspoken diva and real estate mogul are reuniting, even though Mr. Trump reportedly can barely stand Omarosa, who was voted top TV reality villain by TV Guide. The show’s drama and intrigue will be built around Omarosa finding a mate among 12 eligible bachelors, who are challenged both on relationship and business issues, until one battered survivor stands triumphant.

One of Donald Trump’s other new ventures has been quietly building steam out of the headlines. Thousands have already joined the Trump Network, a unique marketing opportunity, designed to make people healthier with customized vitamins and nutritional supplements, and to encourage individuals to become entrepreneurs and to take control of their financial well-being. Can you imagine the benefits these individuals will receive as Donald Trump sets out to create one million millionaires globally? What would happen if some of the commercial time for his popular TV shows was used to promote the Trump Network and the benefits were reaped by everyday people instead of corporations? Personally, I’m seeing a perfect storm here for creating a much brighter financial future and I have been successfully building my business with some of the company's strongest leaders, surfing the pre-launch wave. The Trump Network officially launches on November 12th, 2009. I’d be happy to share information on both the Trump Network and why working with my team is the best choice.

Bentley Kalaway

Are You In Your Rich Mind or Your Poor Mind?

According to Michael Masterson's keynote speech: The Special Theory of Automatic Wealth, accumulating true wealth actually all boils down to the decisions that you make. He explains that in every moment of our life we all make the decision to become richer or poorer. A person with a rich mind sees opportunities everywhere. More importantly a rich thinker has also developed the internal and emotional capacity to take action, which could mean actually working on the new project now, or really applying what you just learned at a webinar or seminar. A rich thinker also spends much of their free time researching and gaining new skills. In contrast, a poor thinker believes that there is a limited amount of wealth in the world and that the lucky have most of it. The poor thinker wants his share and uses most of his energy criticizing and condemning the people who have the wealth he thinks he is entitled to. Poor thinkers never become rich.

Nobody makes rich decisions all of the time, but if a person makes enough of them, momentum can be created and they begin to come easier. What happens is that your conscious thinking wakes up and starts to see more opportunities everywhere. They show up through people you meet, books you read, and even problems you face. Each and every spending decision, or life decision you make gives you a chance to reflect and experience whether you are in your "rich mind" or your "poor mind."

It really doesn't matter what kind of business opportunity you represent, or which affiliate programs you are promoting; without a change in your thinking, success will remain out of your reach. Recently, I came across a free video series that took everything I thought I knew about marketing and turned it all upside down. I'm learning the real truth about making money. It's an inside job!

Lights, Camera, Action! The Trump Network Launches in Miami!

In true Trump fashion, a first class, hi-tech lighting and sound extravaganza ushered in the Miami Launch of the Trump Network just last night before an audience of thousands of marketers who are already inspired and inspiring others to ride this wave to success. Over this weekend, marketers will learn about the plans Donald Trump has to create one million millionaires using mass media coverage and the introduction of a whole new array of products here in the US before the company goes global.The next 21 City Founders' Tour starts in January. The next big event will be in April in Las Vegas.

Believe it or not, I actually got into the Trump Network last summer from reading a tweet! It wasn’t just the name brand recognition of the name Donald Trump, or the fact that with our economy the way it is, the timing is great for a good opportunity. What sold me was that the team I was joining was using the brightest and the best social media marketing techniques and the training with David Carroll’s Diamond University would be free. That information alone was worth way more than I paid to start my business.

An interesting thing happened however. I followed the plan laid out by the leaders and my group began to grow. I lost my “gig” at a local restaurant due to the “economy” and got really inspired to grow a business that would continue to create residual income after the initial efforts, instead of “job”, that could be lost so easily, or trading my hours for dollars. I now have marketers all over the United States, and also Portugal. I have learned that it is possible to work this business from another country by setting up an LLC through companies such as Legalzoom.

Get on the wave! Join the fastest growing team and build this business for yourself and those you care about. Our team is currently the fastest growing team in the Trump Network, due to the cutting edge training we receive from our Diamond leaders, David Carroll, Sunil Wadwa, Rick Walsh, Ben Kane and others. Our team is responsible for hundreds of meetings across the US, where you can send your own prospects and be assured they will experience the very best presentation of this timely and amazing opportunity.

Take action now! Contact me
Bentley Kalaway

My Voice Cannot Contradict Who I Am

I deeply appreciate my voice, my very own spoken cosmic signature, as unique as my fingerprints. Breath and sound share a sacred duty and space in my being, requiring that I inspire and fill myself with life before my voice is guaranteed safe passage and expression.



Guardian of my deepest truths, with a clairvoyant, intuitive knowledge of my heart, my voice cannot contradict who I am.

My voice is pure white before passing through the prism of my emotions and life experiences, transforming into unlimited hues and textures, audible conduits for spirit. Infectious outbursts of uncontrollable laughter, the excruciating utterances of childbirth, and the exquisite murmurings of deep intimate pleasure all splash colors of my soul on to the soundscape of my life.

I am grateful to my voice for embarking on a hero’s journey through uncharted territories in unformed lands, focused on its own particular destination, its own holy grail. There are moments when it must carry a sword, making direct and bold declarations in the face of formidable foes. Times when my voice must cry, long and mournfully, over precious lost treasures and failed quests. Periods when it must simply be silent, patiently waiting.

The hero’s homecoming for my voice happens in a miraculous moment, when having filled itself as a vessel full to the brim with vast amounts of hopeful energy and proclamations of life’s beauty, it sings, relaxed and perfectly balanced, a melody of absolute knowing that rises, taking hearts with it, all the way to the gates of Heaven.

“Love is looking at life and then singing it, on your note, no one else’s, whole unto yourself.” Bentley Kalaway

top photo credit eerie777
end photo credit rinchendawa

Copyright © Bentley Kalaway 2009
Bentley Kalaway Music

Circus in the Kitchen

The kitchen was far from tidy. Stacks of dishes competed for best balancing act in a circus with more than three rings. A neglected stack of magazines and mail was trying it’s best to audition for the ringleader’s attention. Coffee grounds, soggy, black, and now unemployable lie lifeless in the sink, spent from giving their best performance earlier. Faint remains of a path of muddied footprints were now blurred on the floor, the particles of dirt having lost their stand in a storm of other movement. The pristine light of a clear and ordered world sent a perfect beam though the window, spotlighting the chaos.

It wasn’t that the woman didn’t care. She cared deeply. As deeply as caverns carved by underground rivers, and oceans with bottomless floors. Almost as deeply as the love in a mother’s heart for her children. She cared. About words, about music, about what might emerge next from her own depths if she just allowed it to spring up amidst the chores and life’s unending, clamoring “to do” list. The woman knew her creative self was behind the curtain with glorious gifts, descriptions and melodies, enthralled to lace them together and make her profound presentation. A humble performer, she needed just one small thing. Could she please, just for a moment, have the center ring?


Copyright © Bentley Kalaway 2009
Bentley Kalaway Music

My Guitar: Retreat for My Hands, Home for My Heart

The texture of my foundation consists of six parallel lines of nylon or wound steel, lying like triple train tracks on a thin bed of polished wood. This unusual platform is not a place to set my feet, but a perfect retreat for my fingers and hands, and a cherished home for my heart. Brave fingers, in turn press, caress and invite sounds to emerge, to birth themselves. I become the midwife who catches the precious newborn chords and melodies, my condensed soul musings now audible. Loving fingers, willing gatekeepers to a deeper realm, dance on my wood and string matrix. My beloved guitar becomes a stage of choice and possibility, kindly inviting everything not yet whispered to become known.

Copyright © Bentley Kalaway 2009
Bentley Kalaway Music

Burn Brightly the Inner Radiance of Self

Ancient eyes are an entryway to Pele’s fiery realm. I can see her dancing, in her red robes, on the rim of the distant volcano, destroying old, creating new. To travel there, I must fall backward in time, through my mother’s eyes, and my grandmother’s eyes, continuing through the soul windows of all my feminine ancestry, tracing a matriarchal lineage of birth and death. Falling through multiple lenses of women’s perspective, I learn patience, wisdom, and the power of pure loving action.

I am part of the feminine spirit erupting into life through cycles. Sometimes I lie dormant, content to nurture the ember of my dream. I may vent steam as I collect the necessary heat of desire to become something more.

At times I am the slow moving, churning lava, amassing potential energy for change. In the next moment, I am molten lava as it blasts up into the air, hit by the gusty winds of life and stretched into extremely thin threads of glass which then fall like shiny amber rain in the sunlight. My eyes help to make things seem linear, which indeed they are not.

They are jagged, circular and inside out. Pele’s fire has scorched my separation and my mundane boxes, leaving gifts in my inner storehouse for my greater creative expression. I open all of the windows in the house of flames to have a better view of the stars. The goddess of fire and all of the mothers have joined to become twinkling lights, soul sparks, a celestial map of our collective journey to burn brightly the inner radiance of Self.





Pele/volcano photo credit


Copyright © Bentley Kalaway 2009

The Sound of Sacred Mystery

The sound carries more than my voice. It carries a sacred mystery, born in my place of no beginning, now traveling through me and breaking through the veil of my lips as the long tone of “aaahh”. A guest of my breath, the sound nurtures every cell in my body on its journey.


The sacred sound sings itself in the gigantic cavern that is my head, sending waves that echo, again and again as they lovingly pass through each other. Like a most nurturing mother, my tones gather the energy of my wounded places in loving arms, and release them with my musical outbreath as gently as flowers showered at a wedding. My inner concert of rhythm and tone repeatedly blesses every dimension in all of my worlds with peace deeper than a silent dawn. My toning opens me to the song of my essential self, where I am one, where I am many, a single perfect note in the cosmic symphony of connection.

Copyright © Bentley Kalaway 2009

Growing in the Space Love Allows

Far from still
My heart becomes
An expanding universe
And goes voyaging on its own

Joyously opening to
The cascading light it finds
Pouring forth
From a pure and innocent place
Within your spacious, kindred heart

Delicate soul fingers
Lace themselves
In a prayer of gratitude
And gently open to reveal
A timeless sanctuary
A celestial meadow
Growing in the space
Love allows

Copyright © Bentley Kalaway 2009

Soul and the Bonfire Woman

The woman’s bones remember the fire. Her eyes each hold a delicate miniature reflection of the blaze she gazes into. This is a familiar light, an ancient rhythmic ritual, consciously forgotten, yet eternally remembered in stark detail deep within her marrow.

The fire has been burning now for hours, and some of the once intact huge logs have transformed from brown and gold ringed cylinders, into fallen ember cities. The golden white embers flickere in turn creating a feeling of Christmas lights dissolving in blurry slow motion.

The woman is mesmerized. Her breathing deepens and slows as her mind loosens its hold and begins to toss cares and concerns, one by one into the places where the flames still dance. She becomes timeless and still.The earthly fire is transformed into one universal flame, the beginning and ending of every material thing. Without moving, she enters the fire and at the same time invites the fire to consume her being, soul and fire now one, at peace.

Copyright © Bentley Kalaway 2009
photo credit-yellowhanded

The Bank Of Life

The ageless stone building floats with a dream like quality in the quiet countryside. A well worn path winds through wildflowers and exotic grasses leading to the entranceway. An unusual plaque hangs just outside the beautifully weathered front door. It says, “Bank of Life”, “Deposits and Withdrawals Always Welcome”, and “Please Remove All Self Judgment Before Entering."

This prompts me to thoroughly let go of the inadequacies and shortcomings of my small self. I also put the questions, “How much have you accomplished?” and “What will you do next?” in the basket provided. Only then does the door magically open, and as I enter, I experience an unknown source of illumination flooding the inner room.

The Bank of Life does not hold the usual currencies and certificates denoting material wealth. My life experiences are my deposits and withdrawals, each one holding enormous spiritual value. The tellers are required to tell from a soul perspective. I can revisit any transaction to be reminded of the gift that was present in the moment of the experience.
There are no calculators, only a universal abacus. It has counted prayers and kind thoughts that I have long since forgotten. It has found precious items I thought I had lost. It displays enticing fruits of my labors that I was unaware of. It has recorded every small act of courage, every tiny step I have taken to make a difference in this world. It has even tallied my tears and exchanged them for joy. I have accrued more interest, more blessings than I ever dreamed possible.

I remember to look for the source of illumination. Once again, it has found me. The perfect light. It is the light of the soul plane, reminding me to draw it into myself and become the radiance to light the way for others. I know that I can shape my potential gifts and talents from this light through my thoughts and actions. It is truly my most precious asset. I withdraw one spark from this higher dimension of light, tuck it in my pocket and leave the Bank of Life with a deeply satisfying smile on my face.
I walk away with a prayer to consistently see and choose the path of most light in everything I do. I will carry the light in my aura and in my atoms and every other part of my existence. Ordinary reality has shifted. My vision of what is possible in my life glows from within. In the midst of the whirl and storm of ordinary reality, I am guided by the perfect light, a tiny spark from the Bank of Life.

Copyright © Bentley Kalaway 2006