By Miles Patrick Yohnke
© 2022 All Rights Reserved.
It was Monday, December 2, 2019, when, after twenty years of playing the harp and creating original albums, harpist Julia Cunningham decided she was at a stage in her life to reach out to me.
At that point, Julia's life as a musician had taken her all over the world, to appear at some of the most famous concert stages on earth.
There is beauty in honouring the stages of life.
At that stage I had invested over twenty-five years that aligned with Julia Cunningham and her music.
Julia Cunningham discusses the inner workings of her composition 'Radiance' from her album "Ribbons of Love." "The continuous thread of the harp weaves a musical tapestry throughout this piece. The Buddhist chant: "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" - a vow, and expression of determination to embrace and manifest OM Buddhist nature. It is a pledge to oneself to never yield to difficulties and to win over one's suffering. It is also a vow to help others reveal this law in their own lives and achieve happiness."
Life is a privilege, and these are some of the stages I've moved through:
It was Friday night, February 26, 1993, and I was presenting a show at our historic Broadway Theatre. At that stage of my life, I was working in the beauty industry.
I had been down to Las Vegas the year before for a large trade show, and had seen all these platform artists, only to realize that four of them were based in Saskatoon. Four. Did anyone know about these artists, I thought?
What talented hairdressers we have in Saskatoon. I felt the urge to bring this to the attention of the Saskatoon public. The show concept evolved as I realized we had great clothes designers here as well.
The Broadway Theatre had been a place to feed my curious, creative mind. I had viewed so many great indie and foreign films, including and still to this day my favourite film; the Wim Wenders 1987 German film: "Wings Of Desire." My life has had unforeseen accidents and happy accidents and it was through this film that I would discover Nick Cave. At this stage, I was in my early years of appreciating the mind and talent of Laurie Anderson. And when the theatre presented her 1986 film: "Home of the Brave," I was there.
Presenting my own show, I wanted to give back. Not only with the money raised which went to the Canadian Red Cross and to the Country of Somalia; I wanted to give back to all the artistry I had developed along the way. I brought in a dear friend, Kevin K, a great electro-house DJ. I brought in friends that worked in stage lighting to create an experience unlike any other.
I asked our regional CTV station if they'd be interested in covering it.
Were they? To this day, it is still staggering how they got behind it. They really took ownership of it, even creating a show from it. Because of their efforts and the efforts of so many others, the show sold out. Local area business owners also helped and gave money from the spin off business that they received both before and after the show.
The next year, 1994, I would find myself representing ABBA Pure & Natural Hair Care. The first-to-market with natural-based, vegan hair care products that qualified under PETA's guidelines to be vegan and cruelty-free and was permitted usage of PETA logo symbols.
Please click here to watch Jeffery Orrell, the founder and President of
Neuma Beauty discuss his company.
I also represented Aroma Vera, Inc., a leading manufacturer of aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment that uses concentrated essential oils that have been extracted from herbs, flowers, and other plants to promote health and well-being.
I had purchased and developed elite high-end stereo components in the 1980s when I managed a business named: "The Harmony Centre." That culture and commUNITY lives on today within our region. I had recorded and produced music for various artists in the late 1990s, early 2000s, including the first ever made Christian Hip-Hop album. Garland Headley's "Dimensions of Faith." This album was a part of me receiving seven nominations in 2001. It all seemed to align and made me appreciate the wonderment of what Julia Cunningham was representing in her music "Songs from the Harp" and "Ribbons of Love." In fact, I had been searching for this high-end component of peace through music for over twenty-five years.
Throughout life, each person moves through stages.
To learn more about Julia Cunningham, please visit: https://soulharp.com
Let us not be afraid. Let us not be discouraged. For the Creator goes before us and will be with us. We will never be alone.
I am deeply honoured that you have chosen to read: "Stages of Life." Never in my youth or much of my adult life, including when I presented "Fashion Artists for Somalia" on February 26, 1993, did I ever think I'd be a writer. For I have a severe case of dyslexia. I say this, because if I can, anything is possible for each and every one of us.
My father was tragically killed in a potash mine accident in the early stages of my life. I was 5. I was ridiculed and endured so much abuse through the stages of being a child because of my learning challenges.
But I was never alone. For the Creator goes before us and will be with us.
In the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s or even now in the 2020s, I never thought about tomorrow. I simply sought to maximize the day. That today is all I have. The continuous thread that weaved throughout these stages of my life was paradigm shifts. Paradigm shift in the dictionary means "In the fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions." Geophysical evidence supporting Wegener's theory led to a rapid paradigm shift in the earth sciences.
Another continuous thread that weaved throughout these stages of my life was my desire to end world suffering. My pledge to myself and to our Creator was never to yield to the difficulties on earth. To help the well-being of others. To win over one's suffering.
Won spelled backwards is now. Own your now and you have won. Now is the time to own your sufferings. Now is the time to own your difficulties.
Now is the time in our lives to stage peace within.
World Peace won!
World Peace won!
World Peace now!
