Shalom & Welcome... My name is Moshe, Rainbow Spider with Vision to Create. I am a 43 year old writer, artist, drummer and outdoorsmen. I am currently dating someone in a serious relationship and loving getting to know her more and more each day.
I will be sharing many of my writings about life, love, nature, friendship, family and fun...
I currently am building a business that offers drum workshops, playshops and drum circles for children, teens at risk and children and adults with developmental disabilities. The website for Drum-N-Fun launched this past winter and is in its Beta phase - check out
www.drumnfun.com. I had three clients this past spring (all with repeat gigs) and the one where I work with developmentally disabled adults has already hired me for this summer and we will likely agree to a contract for a Fall semester weekly gig with two workshops a week (as I did in the Spring)
I am active in the Fire Tribe communities that put on and attend Drum and Dance and all night Fire Circle events. I work in the book business with my father buying and selling used books - mostly first editions.
I have lived in intentional and other communities in lower upstate New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, and most recently Pennsylvania. In NY I was work exchange on staff at the Omega Institute for three years. There I was able to actively explore my spirituality, sexuality, holistic healing and more through workshops in: African Drumming and Dancing with Baba Olatunji, Shamanism with Michael Harner, Creativity with Julia Cameron of The Artist's Way, Healing with Bernie Siegel, Native American ritual - Lakota history and lodge building with Eagle Man, Ed McGaa; Meditation with Shakti Gawhain... plus tons of dance, yoga, meditation, tai chi by lake at sunrise, Astrology, Shamanic Journeying and healings and Holistic Sexuality
I did a 10 day work exchange at Kripalu Yoga Center in MA; I worked and lived two summers in the mountains of VA at Lenhoksin High Adventure Camp at Goshen Scout Camps where I directed a rope course and played "Ranger to the rescue" with a 4x4! I have been an active member at Four Quarters Farm in Artemis, PA where I drum, dance, worked with Spiral Scouts (co-ed pagan scouting!), sweat and work with the sweatlodge, partake in New and Full Moon ceremonies, get naked and skinny dip in the creek as much as I can, light fires and help people set up camp, raise Stones, and commune with the land and the awesome family of other members.
I attended High Holiday services at two Reconstructionist Jewish locations with addresses in Woodstock, NY (neither of which are actually in the music mecca...) A Congregation of 300 that drew 4,000 to here the rabbi at Yom Kippur under a big tent and a retreat center, Elat Chayim where I took on my Hebrew name, Moshe,10 years ago. I also had the blessing of experiencing a hip Reconstructionist community near Philadelphia called Pnai Or with its female rabbis playing drums and guitars and congregants in tie dyes and doing yoga. I completed a series of Training Intensives called "Nourish the Soul, Repair the World" at the Jewish Renewal Life Center there in 2000
I have taught drumming, led drum circles for friends, family, children with cancer and those whose lives are infected or affected with AIDS with an organization called Special Love. I have been a waiter, retail salesman and manager at an outdoor outfitters, a toy store, and a Halloween Store. I have also been a chauffeur, balloon delivery man, lip-synching studio Manager, indoor botanical plant guy and worked at a metaphysical shop. I worked for my dad as an International Salesman in the documentary business where I also did publicity, writing, office management and was lucky enough to travel to conventions in Canne, France, Las Vegas, and Nasheville. I have been to 31 states, Paris, Cancun and on a Caribbean Cruise as a roadtripping hippie or vacationer.
I have attended many live music festivals and hiked many miles in the Appalachian Trail especially the Shenandoahs. I went through the New Warrior Training Adventure initiation with The Mankind Project in August of 1999, then later staffed two weekends and facilitated an Integration group as well as being active in my I group and with the Drumming Society for 4 years. I currently meet weekly with my new "I group" where we smudge and call in the 7 directions together and I am able to do deep work and support other men doing the same.
I am an Eagle Scout who did musical theatre, talent shows, marching band, and orchestra in High School (tympani, vibes, snare, tri-toms, trapset and now djembe are my rhythm tools) . I studied Music, Theatre, Business and Communication at GWU in DC all in 4 semesters of partying (1983-1985) before I came up with the brilliant idea that my successful deejay and band booking company made me too smart for a degree! I have thrown parties through the 80's and slowed down to be happier in nature than nightclubs through the 90's into today.
I treasure the love and support of family and friends and consider myself a good listener, leader, conflict resolution facilitator and dispensor of healing massages and laying of hands. I am coming back out of the shadows of my past into re-exploring my sensuality, sexuality and being open to finding my soulmate.
I am a Person Living with AIDS and have been HIV+ for over 22 years - this past Thanksgiving marked the 20 year anniversary of my HIV diagnosis. I have been through some harrowing times, have avoided medications for the first 10 years then on my first cocktail even though my numbers got better in months I also almost lost my legs to Neuropathy ... one of the nasty side effects of some of the drugs. I have lived through pneumonia, bronchitis, shingles, and more and today I am blessed and happy to say I am strong and healthy. I love attending drum and dance events and pushing my body to see how many ways I can connect with spirit and others through my drum, my dancing feet and the words of my writing.
Check out my blog here, there are poems a plenty mixed in going all the way back to the beginning.
I have been nicknamed or journeyed to the names of STIX, Filibuster, Moshpit, Moesh, Mo (but not Moesha!!,) Drumming Eagle Spirit, Scrappy Seagull, Playful Panda, Tenacious Turtle and my current monickor and animal name:
RAINBOW SPIDER with Vision to Create.
My friends would tell you I am brave, determined, resilient, creative, supportive, funny, honest to a fault, and I talk too much. What most people don't know about me is that I treasure the quiet solo hikes that I take whenever I can be one with the land, that I am painfully shy when I have a crush on someone, and that I actually have a great singing voice burried somewhere behind my percussionist's a-melodic block.
I hope you will take the time to peruse my writings and contact me with your responses and feedback. My email is rainbowspider222@yahoo.com.
Shalom, Namaste, blessings and
Empowering Peace Through Percussion,
Moshe -Rainbow Spider
A Renaissance Man... Jack of all Trades, Trying to Master Some
