FB Hacked and no Lookin Back

  

Hacked and no lookin back. It was a calm Sunday evening late in January when a good friend from Santa Cruz (where I recently moved from) called and left a message saying “…I know it wasn’t you, brother, but there’s a couple of pretty disturbing videos on your facebook page and wanted to give you a heads up to get proactive on it…” Minutes later, my facebook page was gone. Taken down by facebook technology. Gone.

Meanwhile, I started getting email notifications that someone was trying to change my password, from all corners of the country.

The ensuing month-long roller coaster of simply trying to get through to someone, anyone in the facebook kingdom, to say IT. WASN’T. ME!!! repeatedly fell on deaf ears, or no ears at all. I was able to get through to the FB reporting page by using my iPhone (rather than computer) and lodged a complaint stating that none of this was me, please help! Eventually in a few days, they responded that they needed a copy of my driver’s license to prove it was me. Reluctantly (gulp) I complied and since then, for a month now, get this message whenever I try going to the old facebook page. Pretty ominous, huh?

Well, another good friend had the same thing happen to her a couple of months ago and has been really helpful in coaching me what to do and not do. Meanwhile, I searched the internet for similar stories and was overwhelmed at the volumes of stories just like mine. Here’s one example:

https://perfectionhangover.com/facebook-disabled-deactivated-my-account/

While I’m grateful that this particular type of hacking apparently has not compromised any FB friends (there were over 700) and I’ve noticed no suspicious bank activity, it seems these folks have a common m.o. – they get access to a page, likely by claiming they lost the password, and hijacking either one’s email or phone number to receive the reset code from FB. Once in, they post either a video of child pornography or of a Taliban beheading/mutilation, which they know will trigger FB to shut the page down. How this helps them in their nefarious pursuits, I have no idea, maybe just pure malice.

At some point, or many points, FB said we’ll review for 30 days and if we find you’ve ‘violated community standards,’ your profile will be deleted with no recourse. So I waited 30 days, and nothing. Not ‘you’re banned forever’, not ‘welcome back!’ just nothing. So I’ve cautiously opened a new page, using different contact information than the old, and initially just posted my two profile photos (I put time/year stamps on them so friends would know it’s me, and it’s a new page) and my current city. That was all FB allowed me to do in the first 3 days (anything else and I was getting ‘we’ve temporarily prevented any new content while we review your page, etc) But magically, after 3 days it was still there, and I was able to post at will! I’ve since cobbled together a half-dozen old posts with photos, again just to assure friends that it’s really me, and will start making my ‘new’ presence known in earnest this weekend. Fingers crossed. 

A little background. Those who know me, know I never post about controversial topics (politics, COVID, et al), I never use 'Login with Facebook' with 3rd party sites, never play those facebook 'games', etc. I've gone over in my mind what would have made my page vulnerable, and the only thing I can think is that I had added my email in the public contact info there. Still a mystery.

And, a word about the journey, being someone who tries each day to grow a little more spiritually, the lessons learned about non-attachment, to hold on loosely, and to be aware of time spent mindlessly scrolling facebook, these lessons were not lost on me. In fact, a more visceral connection to people and the earth around me have been a couple of the perks of this unasked-for purgatory. And that’s a good thing.

2021 -> 2022 long and winding road...

12/31/21 - The long and winding road… where has it led you this past year? Staying in touch with friends old (in Santa Cruz and around the world) and new (here in Lake Isabella/Kern River Valley), it seems that just as the physical symptoms of COVID for those who have had it are just as varied and different for everyone as our mental/emotional responses to the pandemic itself. And life continues to happen. I’ve watched friends move out of state, go back to school, start new jobs… and sometimes experience a crippling, but totally understandable, fear and frustration at where we’re at now. I’ve so appreciated hearing from you and seeing your posts this past year, and found myself wanting more ~ like, what’s it like where you’ve moved? How’s that new path you’re on? So, I put together this little video to share what’s it’s been like for me, especially these past 6 months since I’ve moved and started to put down roots here. As we turn the page from 2021 to 2022, I’d love to hear how it’s going for you, either in the comments below or reach out directly. ‘Cause one thing’s for sure, we don’t get through this alone. And I feel blessed to high heaven to have friends like you.

Kirtan Returns to Pleasure Point Yoga!

 

Kirtan last night at Pleasure Point Yoga… it’s been a long time comin’  One of the things I was reminded of was how, when you’ve got a heart-centered practice (be it church, yoga, Kirtan, etc) the feeling of being connected remains long after the gathering in person. And that’s one of the things that has gotten me through this past year or so. But still, it felt SO GOOD to be in the same room at the same time raising our voices together with this heart-centered music, getting re-acquainted, and even (gulp) a few hugs. Grateful to Joss Jaffe for being here far from home (Santa Cruz = 2^nd home?), Emily Perry, who seamlessly put this together and led us through a beautiful evening, and Megan and the sacrifice it’s taken to keep Pleasure Point Yoga open, up, and running through this difficult past year. And, so grateful for the tribe that come out, showed up, and sang your hearts out. Feeling blessed…   

Sitting with the Space You Create

6/13/20 - Yah, it’s one of those afternoons. Every musician (eventually) has one. The closet. The boxes. The CDs, cassette tapes, and (gulp, in my case) reel-to-reel recordings of our bands from the Mesozoic Era… ‘ Out with the old, and in with the new’ would be an oversimplification, ‘cause it’s not that simple. But one of the things that’s coming out of this time we’re living through is asking ourselves ‘how am I living?’ And the ‘cleaning house’ that comes with that. Honor the past, don’t live in it, and be brave enough and patient enough to sit with the space you create, while it fills up in its own time…

Let's Get Real (in the age of Covid 19)

Yoga For All Movement Birthday Party at Yoga Church!

9/23/19 - Where do we go, what do we do, to align with the change that we want to see in the world? This Monday the 23rd, from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Vet’s Hall downtown, that is exactly what’s happening. Celebrating the 2nd birthday of Yoga For All Movement, who take yoga classes into prisons, women’s shelters, recovery facilities, and make it available to those that need it the most, we’ll dive in to a stellar gathering/fund raiser led by Hannah Muse, with yoga, live music, talks by our mayor, Martine Watkins, Shandara Gill, et al, and celebrate together the change that we want to see in the world! Suggested donation $25, but no one turned away for lack of funds. Hope to see you there!
(📸video from last year’s fund raiser there)
https://www.facebook.com/events/564176720786709/

Monday Night Kirtan at Pleasure Point Yoga 2018~2019

4/22/19 - 'Kirtan is for all people. There are no experts, no beginners. The practice itself is the teacher, guiding us to ourselves... it is a participatory music experience of sacred mantras and devotional chants performed in a call and response style which involves the audience in the performance' 
Two years ago, renowned yoga teacher, podcaster/influencer  Emily Perry was inspired with the 'build-it-and-they-will-come' idea of hosting a monthly Kirtan gathering in Santa Cruz on a Monday night. The event has since gained traction and evolved into a popular and nourishing gathering each month at Pleasure Point Yoga in Santa Cruz, California. 
Here's a sampling of a few of those sweet gatherings over the past couple of years...


April, 2019 - With Johanna Beekman, Joss Jaffe, Michael J Downey and friends

January 2019 - With Emily Perry, Michael J Downey, Jeff Darpino, Josh Miller, Chelsea Shapouri, and Upendra Wrinkle

June 2018 - With Emily Perry, Michael J Downey, Andrew Foehner, and Aruna Peters

April 2018 - With Michael J Downey, Deerheart, Vileena Purpuri, and Omar Chaudhry

Yoga Church Rises Up

11/17/18 - Our beloved Veterans Hall needs some love! The Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Santa Cruz, built in 1932, is a registered historical landmark. It’s been the hub of not only Veterans' services and affairs, but countless classes, meetings, workshops, receptions, concerts and special events, including our blessed Monday night weekly YOGA CHURCH! Recently, numerous repairs and improvements were identified as critical for this beautiful space, and we want to do all we can to help. They’ve been so generous to us, and we just want to show some love in return. So, the YOGA CHURCH tribe, along with the Veterans Memorial Building Board of Trustees will have this GoFundMe campaign open from 11/2/18 to 11/13/18, and we’ll be having a *special* Yoga Church fundraising class on Monday 11/12/18 (5:30 – 7:00pm) with special-guest musicians and more! Your generosity is not only a contribution towards the dignity and beauty of this proud building, it helps to ensure that we, and countless other groups will have this sacred space to meet for years and years to come. Thank you!

 And then this happened… amidst the volatility in our state, in our country in the last couple of weeks, this group of generous souls heeded the call to “Rise Up.” What started as a GoFundMe campaign and fundraising Yoga Church class to benefit the proud, 85-year-old Veteran’s Memorial Building ($1,377), turned into an outpouring of love for the Wounded Veterans (almost $400), and a drop off location for tents, sleeping bags, food, etc for the CA wildfire victims. What I want to share with you now, though, is the power of love when we come together, and Hannah Muse weaves her magic, with music by Rare Faction, Paul Damon, Jazz Sarab Meher Kaur, and Michael J Downey. Enjoy the video…

Playing at Bhaktifest 2018

You know, a couple of years ago, when I went to my first Bhaktifest, I had no idea what to expect, and knew maybe 6 people out of the thousands there. Two years later, I’m amazed, humbled, and honored to have gotten to know so many in this community, and to offer up the musical goodness with Johanna Beekman, and Gershone, Rachael, Eric, Kim, and Gayan. What a blessing to get to see and meet friends from far and wide ~
"Bhakti Fest celebrates the devotional paths of yoga, Kirtan (sacred music), and meditation. Our festival is a drug and alcohol free vehicle for evolution of human consciousness through a heart-centered revolution. Bring your yoga mats this September to the idyllic Joshua Tree Retreat Center, located in the beautiful region east of Los Angeles. Practice with the best yoga teachers in the world, dance to sacred music by world-renown Kirtan artists, and take workshops with leaders in the field of personal growth. Camp out beneath the stars or stay at one of our many accommodations on and offsite; enjoy the swimming pool and free filtered drinking water; stop in at The Bhakti Family Village and expose your children to other enlightened youth and families; enjoy the best vegetarian food at any festival. We offer Student, Senior, Military and Local Resident discounts. We are building community—please join us!"
BHAKTIFEST!

I Love Playing Yoga Classes...

Yoga For All Movent class w/ Hannah Muse, Terre Lee

7/13/18 - I love playing yoga classes. I remember as a kid thinking if I’m not a rock star (ha!) by the time I’m 30, I’ll be relegated to a life of playing county and western in honky tonk bars… Just glad I’m not the sole script-writer for my life.

 
About 5 years ago, my yoga teacher, Daniela Kosmalski, asked me to learn a David Newman mantra “Jai Radhe,” and play it with her at the end of a class. I didn’t much understand it all at the time, but the seed had been planted.

With Daniela Kosmalski, Jennifer Holt at Toadal Fitness

 And as time went by, and life happened, I grew to embrace the singing/playing of devotional songs and mantras at Kirtan gatherings and concerts, in my writing and releasing albums, and in yoga classes.

One of the blessings about playing for these classes is that *it’s not about me*… It’s the underflow for the magic that happens collectively, individually, and between the teacher and the yogis in the class. Sometimes instrumental, sometimes with vocals. It’s like a dance, like a waltz and the teacher takes the lead and I try and follow step by step. Sometimes pushing when she creates space, laying back when she pushes… just co-creating the flow.

With Johanna Beekman, Hannah Muse at Yoga Church

And one of the greatest joys is being able to lead a mantra at the end of these classes, to share a little about the practice of mantra and Kirtan, and invite everyone to join in with their voices and spirit as we weave our way through a call-and-response mantra, just adding to the buzz they already feel from a great yoga class. And truth be told, it’s a wonderful opportunity to invite those that haven’t experienced a Kirtan gathering, like a ‘gateway drug’, to join in and connect at one of the many monthly gatherings we have here on the Central Coast, and add to their practice. 

With Hannah Muse at Yoga Church

Grateful for the many teachers that hold space for musicians and singers to be a part of these classes. Grateful for the opportunity to just be a clear conduit for the goodness to flow through. And grateful that life hasn’t become an endless succession of playing music in honky-tonk bars.