This coming Saturday is a full moon in Libra (my astrology sign) and while I’m not here to sway your astrological beliefs, I will tell you I am a FULL believer in the larger power of the universe, or whatever higher power name you want to give it. This moon (supposedly) will spark your creative spirit and bring love into focus. One of my favorite websites, Yoganonymous, has this post about Saturday if you want to read more. What I loved about it was this:

“To honor this moon, take stock of your personal loving relationships. Find ways in which you can be more open-hearted and compassionate toward your beloveds. Remember, the moon’s work is your work…this isn’t about trying to force other people or our circumstances into what we think we want, but rather about softening our sharp edges so that we flow through our life effortlessly and with more grace. Like water smoothing over rocks, the moon’s illuminating light brings us greater perspective, and at this time in particular, encourages our creative and loving endeavors.”  

How deep and velvety are those words? They seriously resonated with me, I’ve read them over and over. “The moon’s work is your work…soften your edges” Amazing. Speaking of love and velvet… back to the velvet underground…

A week ago my mom and I took a pilgrimage to see Fleetwood Mac (Stevie Nicks is the queen of velvet) in concert. This isn’t a new thing for us, this iconic band has always been my mom’s favorite, and also mine since I was probably old enough to even hear music with my ears. (Big thanks to my mother for having impeccable taste in music and always keeping the jams on whether it be the car, at home, by the pool, wherever.) She took me to my first concert when I was 11, that happened to be an amazing experience seeing Stevie Nicks perform solo at an outdoor amphitheater in Kansas City. I can remember my mom asking me if I thought I was old enough to go to an adult concert. I’ve always thought I’m way more mature than I actually am, so of course I convinced her to let me tag along. We talked about it this past week and she said she was worried because of the things she knew people would be smoking around us at an outdoor concert of that type. I don’t remember anyone smoking, but I do remember how cool the grass felt and the emotions I had listening to Stevie sing, so loud and open. I was hooked on my love affair with Stevie Nicks for real by that point. She was the coolest person I had ever seen, with her with her long flowing black dresses draped around her and her magical scarves tied on her microphone stand. I can distinctly remember her tambourine, the way the gold shimmered in the lights of the stage and the sparkling bohemian ties she had dangling off of it. She had a rug she stood on in the middle of the stage, too, like a floating, ethereal rockstar.

Fleetwood Mac is truly one of those bands that has been able to remain utterly timeless and appeal to generation after generation. Their current tour is the first in 16 years to have the entire original band together, bringing back the beautiful Christine McVie. This concert had the whole band, especially Lindsey Buckingham, rocking and dancing around harder on stage than some singers do in their 20s, with few breaks (and they’re all approaching 70, or already there). This concert was different than the times we have seen them live in the past. It felt more meaningful, it felt purposeful. And it felt, especially with the return of Christine, like they all sort of knew it may be their last tour, but no one said it out loud. John McVie has even had a recent cancer diagnosis, and like the true rock ‘n roller he is, he played his guitar on stage the entire night, never leaving Mick Fleetwood’s side.

This concert was also different than the others I’ve seen because of how many personal stories the band shared on stage. Stevie told us about the first time Christine called her and asked if she could rejoin the band after 16 years away. They talked about the ups and downs they’d had as a band and how they lost themselves for a little bit getting caught up in the momentum of rock ‘n roll and drugs, but that ultimately they believe they are great role models for anyone looking to see if they can prevail through hard times. Lindsey concluded with the fact that he thinks how well they’ve been able to withstand the changes of time shows us the resilience they each have as individuals, and how they as a group, a collective together, prove they are a pretty amazing band.  The personal anecdotes were flowing, and I especially loved when they shared their ideas behind the songwriting they had so many years ago.

Stevie grabbed the mic for a bit and in her sprawling way, told the crowd how she wrote “Gypsy” about the Velvet Underground, a hip boutique in 1960’s San Francisco. She told us about how they were opening up for Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix night after night, and Janis bought her clothes at this amazing store, and that when she went there she felt magical, like a gypsy, but she couldn’t afford anything. She told the universe that one day she would walk into the store and be able to buy anything she wanted, no matter what it was. She put that energy into the universe and it came back to her probably in more ways than she could’ve ever imagined. Velvet Underground got to not only be where some of the most famous female rockers bought their clothes, but also eternalized as a cathartic Fleetwood Mac song, with Stevie’s smokey voice at the center. It’s all just so rock-n-roll.  She is literally the epitome of cool. At the end of her story, Stevie ended with a call to the audience, saying, “If you will it, whatever you want, no matter if you’re young, middle-aged, or old – if there’s something you want to do in life, something you want and you haven’t done it yet, tell the universe you want it, and go do it. Ask the universe and it will come true. Work hard and keep your gypsy spirit alive!” My eyes were not dry, but I was smiling hard. If you listen closely, the universe will tell you what to do, where to go. Keep your heart open, and don’t get so burdened that you can’t hear it. “Lightning strikes. Maybe once. Maybe twice.” I love you, Stevie, the only gold dust woman.

#watchusroam