Talking about the snake, it is good to understand that different cultures have different ways of looking at animals, and the Judeo-Christian culture has a very negative regard towards the snake. The snake, in Native American culture, is very powerful medicine. It symbolizes the primordial energy, it is a very old creature. It moves in a spiral all the time. It has no arms, no legs, it always goes forward, so it is like “one-minded”, and symbolizes the ability to concentrate on one thing, and move towards that with no distraction. It is also associated with the South.

It represents the primordial energy, the sexual energy, the beginning of things; it has very primal and deep-seated energy, it has that fundamental primary energy that is coiled at the base of the spine, and it represents that energy which, when aroused by certain meditation techniques, can flood the other centres with light energy and heat, bringing greater abilities and strength, and also that ability to have that energy circulate through the body, which can allow for healing. People with the snake energy have a lot of healing energy, because they have access to this primal vital energy basic to life.

The snake also represents the straight line and the circle, the zero and the one, so it is really at the beginning of things. Seeing a snake is mostly always a very beneficial sign, indicating that some new energy is coming into our lives, and the power to renew ourselves is thus available. The snake renews itself, it sheds its old skin and comes out with a completely new skin, and this is the ability to transform, transmute that which is old, and make it new again, let go off the old and come into the new.

So, the snake energy and symbolism are very positive in our culture, contrary to other cultures which see it as a personification of evil. Actually there are no animals that personify evil in Native American culture, and there is nothing in nature itself that we associate with evil, because all has been created by Great Spirit for the benefit of life and of humans on this planet, and thus everything is beneficial. What can be evil is what humans chose to do and create, and there are some evil monsters that have been put there by Great Spirit, but they are ways of testing humans, testing the warrior, testing our strength, testing our ability to move beyond obstacles and beyond ourselves; so, even if they can appear evil, they always carry great possibilities for growth and learning.

Extract from Musique & Guérison, Traditions Amérindiennes, Aigle Bleu, a film by Debowska Production

There are a few music CDs that I will record for you without any other descriptions than those that will be on the CD cover. These will be classical solo guitar. This instrument is very special. It is not a coincidence that the guitar has become so popular over the years amongst all kinds of performers, rock bands, folk song artists, classical musicians, etc. Something about the intimacy with the instrument, the way it is held, the feminine shape it has, the amount of work and practice it requires, all create a special bond between the guitarist and his instrument.

This is significant for our understanding of the special music therapy potential of the classical guitar. Of all instruments, it has been tested as the one conveying the highest levels of vital energy and this with almost all guitarists . As I have already stated, the amount of love one pours into the music is directly proportional to the vital energy levels conveyed by that music. To really become proficient with the guitar, especially classical and flamenco guitar styles, one must really love the instrument. It really challenges one's faithfulness. For example I can stop playing the recorder flute for months and I'll be able to regain a fair mastery of the instrument within four to five days. If I were to stop the guitar for that length of time it would take many weeks to regain a semblance of what I can convey musically when I practice on a daily basis. Also, the rewards are great. The many different sounds it has allow a great depth of expression. The wide range of different sounds it can produce had Berlioz whom played it well describe the guitar as a small orchestra in itself. The great French composer Claude Debussy said of the guitar ‘the guitar is an expressive harpsichord’. Manuel de Falla, a renowned Spanish composer said ‘the guitar is the richest and most complete of all instruments due to its harmonic and polyphonic capabilities’ and the great violin virtuoso and composer Paganini said ‘I am a master of the violin but the guitar is my master’. All these quotes speak of the unique and endearing qualities of the instrument. Of all my instruments, it is the one I love most and also the one I find the most difficult and demanding. As such, I am convinced that it can be very helpful to those who can listen to it with no preconceptions.

I remember once in a music class at Laval University where the teacher, curious to see the music students’ reaction to my therapeutic music, played a simple guitar study by Fernando Sor I had recorded. Two comments came right off after it was heard. First a guitar player said with some contempt that it was the 1st study by Sor in Segovia well known compilation. Secondly a young lady pianist said with disdain that the music must have some subliminal technology included as she had felt sleepy listening to it. When I was working as a music therapist at the Quebec General Hospital for the elderly, most patients responded very well to the music. The ones who had the most difficulty receiving benefit from the music were those who had studied it when they were young. They either knew too much about music to listen with their hearts and souls rather than with their intellect, or they had not appreciated that music be forced on them by their parents and hated it. I once had my guitar teacher listen to a guitar recording I made. She could only hear the mistakes and shortcomings in the music and it was of no therapeutic benefit to her. These are examples of preconceptions that can limit one’s ability to receive the therapeutic benefits of music.

I am not a virtuoso. My mastery of the guitar is very limited. Yet I play in such a way that people can derive benefit from it. When I left the family home in my late teens to study music at Laval University my parents conveyed to me that the neighbours complained that they were having trouble sleeping without the music I used to practice in the evening. That was the guitar on which I would practice every evening. I remember a morning on Christmas day when I woke first and went to my guitar. Several people later said they had already awakened and were ready to get up. Upon hearing the guitar they went straight back to sleep. Their bodies needed that sleep after the previous evening of festivities. It remained quiet for a few more hours in the house. When friends at school got hung up on LSD and could not sleep for anxiety, it would take only a few minutes of guitar before they were sound asleep. Sleep here is an indication of deep relaxation and the being going to a place where they can receive deep healing. I have seen this countless times. Once I was in a restaurant having a coffee when they put on a recording of my guitar music. I didn't know that they had one so it was a surprise. But after a few minutes I felt deep relaxation and relief. The problems I was experiencing went away and I left the place feeling relaxed and renewed.

As all string instruments, the guitar is invaluable as a means to energise the body and mind and enhance the health and vitality of the brain and nervous system. It conveys a good deal of vital energy and creates a sense of comfort and peace. I hope you enjoy this simple music, as I can only play fairly simple repertoire, yet the spirit with which it is interpreted may be helpful if you are open to its beneficial influence. At the moment (summer 2010) all my guitar recordings are too ancient to renew and this fall I hope to record at least one CD.