Kerrville Folk Festival 2024 | New Folk Song Competition

Wow, what an exciting morning! I have the privilege of being one of 24 finalists in the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Song Competition. There were 1,341 extremely talented entrants this year, a record number of folks who have the ability to make this world a better place, one song at a time: it is a blessing to share this lifetime with such beautiful creators.

I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to widen my constellation of new friends at this Festival. What a lovely opportunity this is to fill the love battery with the company of such good hearts and minds and spirits.

I was taking a look at all the incredible creatives who have played this festival in the past, and feel gratitude to be in such stellar star stuff company: Nanci Griffith, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen… there are too many to name. Headlining performers have included Willie Nelson; Peter, Paul, and Mary; Lyle Lovett; Mary Chapin Carpenter.

I sent in six songs this year, and the two that were selected are called “Infinite Jest” and “Want”.

Infinite Jest

https://youtu.be/Rm0y-DDh7NY?si=WSaaLUosdx12ucCF

Want

https://youtu.be/071Ik0FA0fo?si=RwQZ3CFno_fno8dm

Thanks again to Kerrville Folk Festival for what they do, and for listening to all of us share our hearts, minds, and souls.

“Life is a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves.” - Bill Hicks

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Verse 29 | Tao Te Ching | Control And—Maybe Even Surfing

Control.

This verse reminds me of the act of surfing. There is a wave. That wave is righteous. When one catches it, it’s exhilarating. There is so much power and energy in that wave. One can glide on it, or cut and ride it. It takes a certain amount of control to do that: to control the board. However, the rider does not control the wave.

The wave is the force of nature. The force of natural order. There is no controlling that.

The same can be said at the point of biffing on a wave and falling into the water, with such force and current driving you along. It’s dangerous. I was taught, to just let go and be still and let the wave take you. When it subsides, then be active.

How much do we try to control with our own ego or self—or more to the point, in the classical definition of the word: too much ego? The Ego is simply our conscious mind, and too much of anything might not be best? This verse is also about excess and extremes as much as it is the natural flow and order of life as an organism on a huge rock in space, floating around a sun, that is within that large organism we call a solar system, within a larger organic system we call a galaxy, within an even larger organism we call a Universe.

Know thyself. I am sensitive. I am also very strong. I am very hard working. I can also be lazy.

Is the answer to avoid extremes? Let us discuss this, please. This is an invitation. However, it would be best to read each of these translations, and not just the Brown translation. You will see the effect that translation has on exact meaning. With all nine of these verses read, perhaps deeper meaning can be construed.

Verse 29

Brown Translation

If you try to grab hold of the world

And do what you want with it,

You won’t succeed

The world is a vessel for spirit, and

It wasn’t made to be manipulated

Tamper with it, and you’ll spoil it.

Hold it, and you’ll lose it.

With Tao, Sometimes you move ahead

And sometimes you stay back;

Sometimes you work hard

And sometimes you rest;

Sometimes you’re strong

And sometimes you’re weak;

Sometimes you’re up;

Sometimes you’re down.

The sage remains sensitive,

Avoiding extremes,

Avoiding extravagance,

Avoiding excess.

Verse 29

Dyer Translation

Do you think you can take over the universe and improve it?

I do not believe it can be done.

Everything under heaven is a sacred vessel and cannot be controlled.

Trying to control leads to ruin.

Trying to grasp, we lose.

Allow your life to unfold naturally.

Know that it too is a vessel of perfection.

Just as you breathe in and breathe out,

there is a time for being ahead

and a time for being behind;

a time for being in motion

and a time for being at rest;

a time for being vigorous

and a time for being exhausted;

a time for being safe

and a time for being in danger.

To the sage

all of life is a movement toward perfection,

so what need has he

for the excessive, the extravagant, or the extreme?

Verse 29

Kwak, Palmer, Ramsay Translation

If a ruler behaves as if he’s invented the world,

He will do no good at all.

The earth is a sacred vessel—

and it can not be owned or improved.

If you try to possess it, you will destroy it:

If you try to hold on to it—you will lose it.

Some are leaders, then, and others follow.

Some drift like the wind, and others drive hard.

Some are thick-skinned, and others have no armor;

And some are the destroyers, and others they destroy.

So now you know why

the sage abandons greed,

all false charm—

and evert last iota of pride.

Verse 29

Dale Translation

Those who have most power and wealth

Treat the planet as a thing to be possessed,

To be used and abused according to their own dictates.

But the planet is a living organism,

A Great Spiritual Integrity.

To Violate the Integrity

Is certain to cull forth disaster

Since each and every one of us

Is an inherent part

Of this very organism.

All attempts to control the world

Can only lead to its decimation

And to our own demise

Since we are an inseparable part

Of what we are senselessly trying to coerce.

Any attempts to posses the world

Can only lead to out own dissolution

Since we are an intrinsic part

Of what we are foolishly trying to possess.

The world’s pulse is our pulse.

The world’s rhythms are our rhythms.

To treat our planet with care, moderation, and love

Is to be in synchrony with ourselves

And to live in the Great Integrity.

Verse 29

Mitchell Translation

Do you want to improve the world?

I don’t think it can be done.

The world is sacred.

It can’t be improved.

If you tamper with it, you’ll ruin it.

If you treat it like an object, you’ll lose it.

There is time for being ahead,

A time for being behind;

A time for being in motion,

A time for being at rest;

A time for being vigorous,

A time for being exhausted;

A time for being safe,

A time for being in danger.

The Master sees things as they are,

Without trying to control them.

She lets them go their own way,

And resides at the center of the circle.

Verse 29

Wilson Translation

When a man wishes to take the world and make something of it,

I perceive that this will only end in failure.

The world is an instrument regulated by the gods,

And cannot be fabricated into something else.

He who tries to do this will damage it.

He who tries to grasp it will lose it.

Thus, as for the creatures of this world,

There are those who step forward,

And those who follow;

There are those who breathe through their noses,

And those who breathe their mouths.

There are those as strong as the sting go a wasp,

And those as delicate as a sickly sheep.

There are those who are thrown down,

And those who fall down on their own.

Therefore the sage

Avoids all extreme,

Avoids the arrogant and self-willed,

And avoids the excessive.

Verse 73

Lau Translation

Whoever takes the empire and puts it in order I see will find

There is no stop to it. Now the empire is a sacred vessel. It is

Not a thing that can be put in order. He who puts it in order

Will ruin it; he who holds will lose it.

Some things go forward and some follow behind;

Some blow hot and some blow cold;

Some are strengthened and some suffer setback;

Some are banked up and some are pulled down.

Hence the sage avoids excess, arrogance and extravagance.

Chapter 29

Ames and Hall Translation

If someone wants to rule the world, and goes about trying to do so,

I foresee that they simply will not succeed.

The world is a sacred vessel,

And is something that can not be ruled.

Those who would rule it ruin it;

Those who would control it lose it.

In the way of things:

Some move ahead while others fall behind;

Some breathe to warm themselves while others breathe to cool themselves down;

Some are strong while others are disadvantaged;

Some accumulate while others collapse.

It is for this reason that the sages eschew the excessive, the superlative, and the extravagant.

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Infinite Jest | Mike Vitale (Original)

In Buddhism, our nature within The Universe is described as self-excitatory intelligence, or in other words, The Universe creates itself, which in turn, creates us, to perceive itself as a Universe. We are all a small piece of some larger cosmic entity, when one stops to think about it.

In Taoism, Verse 1: “The Tao (or way) that can be told, is not the Universal Tao (way). The name that can be named is not the Universal name. In the Infancy of the Universe, there were no names (there was no one to perceive it). Naming fragments the mysteries of life into ten thousand things and their manifestations.”

This is to say, as smart as we might think we are, we do know the Universe. It is a mystery to us. One that we feel, rather than try to rationalize by giving it a name, or giving God a name.

Bill Hicks, a young stand-up comedian, would end his sets with this short sentiment written below. This was a man who had cancer, and knew he was going to die. He started experimenting with hallucinogens to try and help make peace with his own ultimate and rapidly approaching demise:

“Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here’s Tom with the Weather.”

Think about that for a second. It is powerful. You are capable of so much. You are capable of expressing yourself, and bringing joy to others, to create jokes that bring people together in laughter, or to write a song that unites folks under a common thread.

Have you ever thought about how art is the medium in which truth is universally accepted by the masses? That is how comedy works. We laugh, because it’s true. We sing, because it’s true. Truth is subjective. We are all experiencing the Universe subjectively.

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The Puzzle is Now Live on Patreon for Purchase and Streaming

The world is odd, and isn’t obliged to make any sense. Mathematics and science, the religious and pious, eternal discoveries or human invention?

These are the lyrics that occur later in this song. It’s called The Puzzle, and that’s how I see life.

Today, as I was walking to Target to get a 9V battery for my acoustic guitar pickup, I was listening to an audio book discussing time on the quantum level, within the realm of Quantum Mechanics.

What is time, really?

According to John Archibald Wheeler, a theoretical physicist, “Time is what prevents everything from happening at once.”

The reason he said this is because the past and the present don’t exist as separate entities in the micro; the fabric of our reality. “There is no such thing as spacetime in the realm of quantum physics.” There is no linear time in the original quantum formalism. There is no explanation as to how one moment becomes the next, because in Quantum Physics, there is only one moment: the moment of observation, or what we as human beings call, The Present.

As Einstein put it: “People like us who believe in Physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future, is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”

We are always at the moment of observation. That is what the present is, and that is a gift. It is the moment of creation, for each and every one of us.

This is the first 45 seconds of the song. It is available to stream and purchase on my Patreon page, under the SHOP tab, through the Patreon App, which apparently, has always been there, even though I just created it.

https://www.patreon.com/mikevitalemusic/shop

Patreon is a way to directly support creators and observers, such as myself. I like making things, and it is lovely to make a living and pay my car payment and my rent, doing what I love. Patreon is a way to help make that happen. If you are a $5 backer or higher, you get the song included for free for being a monthly subscriber.

I like being a creator, now, in the present. I also like being the reason to shake some ass.

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You're Gonna Live Forever in Me | John Mayer

I love the sentiment of this song. It’s beautiful. It made me cry the first time I heard it. John has grown into such a wonderful songwriter. He’s always been special, but he only grows to new boundaries with every album he releases. May this trend continue as we grow old, together, in the same lifetime.

He starts with the Macro, and as the song progresses, into the Micro of Human Relationships.

It’s a stunning piece of work. If you are unfamiliar with the song, I highly recommend listening to it. He performed it on piano, but I have a deep fascination with adapting piano songs to guitar, so I did that with it.

Most importantly: we are animal, living symbiotically on a planet in orbit around a sun, which is one of a billion solar systems, orbiting around a super massive black hole, which is one of a trillion of other galaxies, in a rapidly expanding Universe. We are all part of that—and perhaps that is what so many religions describe in their sacred texts—simply asking or maybe urging: treat others the way you would want to be treated yourself, because we are all a small piece of the same thing, and we live eternally inside that. Forever and ever. Amen.

YOU’RE GONNA LIVE FOREVER IN ME

words and music by John Mayer

A great big bang and dinosaurs
Fiery raining meteors
It all ends unfortunately
But you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, just wait and see

Parts of me were made by you
And planets keep their distance too
The moon's got a grip on the sea
And you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, it's your destiny

Life is full of sweet mistakes
And love's an honest one to make
Time leaves no fruit on the tree
But you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, it's just meant to be

And when the pastor asks the pews
For reasons he can't marry you
I'll keep my word and my seat
But you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, just wait and see

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Verse 28 | Tao Te Ching | The Fusion of Opposites

Many years ago, I spent time with the owner of a used bookstore called “Ye Old Bookstore” in Visalia, CA. The store no longer exists, outside of the confines of my own memory, and the discussions that I used to have with J.P. Beavers, there. One such discussion had to do with the binary: male and female, on and off, ones and zeros, Yin and Yang, happy and sad, open and close, light and dark, good and evil, and so forth.

Binary. It is rapidly becoming an outdated idea, as we approach the realizations of the Quantum. If you were to look at Superposition in the realm of Quantum Mechanics, specifically the idea of the Schrodinger’s Cat thought experiment—yes, it is a paradox—however, nonetheless, superposition revolves around the idea that reality is indeterminate, and possibly everything, until the point of being observed by a spectator. Moreover, Schrodinger created this thought experiment to illustrate how ludicrous an idea this is in the first place, in conversation with Albert Einstein. He did not create this thought experiment to illustrate its beauty, but rather, to show how crazy the world is around us on the Quantum level. Crazy—and also powerful.

Our thoughts are powerful. Regardless of whether we are discussing superposition, or the duality of nature, we as an observer, are not outside the realm of that in which we observe. We are an active participant, thus changing that in which we are observing, with every observation we make.

We create our reality, as much as reality creates us.

We are creatures of balance, and this Verse is here to remind us that we are only whole, by accepting all the virtues of our being. If you are a man, you have a feminine side, that needs to be integrated into your being. If you are female, you have a male aspect to you as well. Jung, described this attribute within all of us, as an archetype: Anima and Animus. It is not exact. It is hormone driven inside the fabrications of chemical warfare within our bodies: estrogen and testosterone. These values of scale balance are in constant flux within the chemical balance of the little particle driven chemistry set that make up our Human Physiology.

We do ourself justice, by being fertile ground, like a valley. Anything can grow there. Ideas need to be listened to, rather than shot down. Expressing things in absolutes, does no good to those trying to be the uncarved block, in which all things are possible, carved from its very natural state. Much like a particle in superposition, it can be anything up until the point of being observed by a conscious being, trying to understand the idiosyncrasies to a Universe, that you and I and everyone else around us, are all a part of.

Verse 28

Dale Translation

To know the masculine and be true to the feminine

Is to be the waterway of the world

To be the waterway of the world is to flow with the Great Integrity

Always swirling back to the innocence of childhood.

To know yang and to be true to yin is

To echo the Universe.

To echo the Universe is to merge with the Great Integrity,

Ever returning to the infinite.

To know praise and be true to the lowly

is to be a model for the planet

To be a model for the planet is to express the Great Integrity

as the primal simplicity—like and uncharted block.

When the uncharted block goes to the craftsman,

it is transformed into something useful.

The wise craftsman cuts as little as necessary

because he follows the Great Integrity.

Verse 28

Kwok, Palmer, Ramsay Translation

Understand the the thrust of the yang—

But be more like the yin in your being.

Be like a valley

That parts to its stream;

Be like a stream

For the earth…

And channel it,

So it flows, to the sea.

Be newborn—be free of yourself

Be humble

Be earthy

Be a valley for the whole world

Be a channel for the energies here—

Weave them in a true and practical way

So they can link up with the Way and become one again.

Oneness generates everything:

When the sage rules in the light of it,

He rules everything.

A wise man never tries to breakup the Whole.

Verse 72  (Ma Wang Tui) or Verse 28 (Wang Pi)

Lau Translation

Know the male

But keep to the role of the female

And be a ravine to the empire

If you are a ravine to the empire,

The constant virtue will not desert you.

When the constant virtue does not desert you,

You will again return to being a babe.

Know the white

But keep to the role of the sullied.

And be a wallet to the empire.

If you are a valley to the empire

The constant virtue will be sufficient.

When the constant virtue is sufficient,

You will again return to being the uncharted block.

Know the white

But keep to the role of the black

And be a model to the empire.

If you are a model to the empire,

The constant virtue will not deviate.

You will again return to the infinite.

When the uncharted block shatters it becomes vessels. When the sage is employed he becomes the chief of the officials.

Now the greatest cutting

Never severs.

Verse 28

Wilson Translation

If you know the male, but preserve the female

You will effect a mountain stream for all under heaven

Effecting a mountain stream for all under heaven,

You will stay close to the Unchanging virtue

And be restored to the state of a suckling child

If you know the bright but preserve the dark

You will effect a model for all under heaven

Effecting a model for all under heaven

You will not run counter to the unchanging virtue

And will be restored to that-without-limit

If you know the flourishing but preserve the retiring,

You will effect a valley for all under heaven

Effecting a valley for all under heaven

Your unchanging virtue will not be lacking

And you will be restored to a state of plain, unfinished wood.

When plain, unfinished wood is broken up into pieces

The pieces may be fashioned into utensils

If the wise man uses these

They will be fashioned into bureaucrats

For this reason

The Great Preparer of things does not break them up.

Verse 28

Mitchell Translation

Know the male

But keep to the female

Receive the world in your arms

If you receive the world

The Tao will never leave you

And you will be like a child

Know the white

Yet keep to the black

Be a pattern for the world

If you are a pattern for the world

The Tao will be strong inside you

And there will be nothing you can’t do

Know the personal

Yet keep to the impersonal

Accept the world as it is

If you accept the world

The Tao will be luminous inside you

and you will return to your primal self

The world is formed from the void

like utensils from a block of wood

The master knows the utensils

yet keeps to the block

Thus she can use all things

Verse 28

Walker Translation

To know the masculine and yet cleave to the feminine is to be the womb for the world

Being the womb for the world, never departing from he eternal power of the Tao

You become an infant once again: immortal.

To know the bright yet hold to the dull is to be the example for the world

Being the example for the world, not deviating, from the everlasting power of Tao

You return to the infinite once again: limitless

To know honor and yet keep humility is to be the valley for the world

Being the valley for the world, rich with the primal power of Tao

You return once again to simplicity

Like uncharted wood.

Allow Tao to carve you into a vessel for Tao

Then you can serve the world without mutilating it.

Verse 28

Ames and Hall Translation

Know the male

Yet safeguard the female

And be a river gorge to the world

As a river gorge to the world

You will not lose your real potency

You return to the state of the newborn babe

Know the clean

Yet safeguard the soiled

And be a valley to the world

As a valley to the world

Your real potency will be ample

And with ample potency

You return to the state of unworked wood

Know the white

Yet safeguard the black

And be a model for the world

As a model for the world

Your real potency will not be wanting

And with your potency not wanting

You return to the state of limitless

When unworked wood is split

It is made into utensils

When the sages are employed

They are made into head officials

There is no cutting, however, in the very best tailoring.

Verse 28

Dyer Translation

Know the strength of man,

but keep a woman’s care!

Be a valley under heaven;

if you do, the constant virtue

will not fade away.

One will become like a child again.

Know the white,

keep to the black,

and be the pattern of the world.

To be the pattern of the world is

to move constantly in the path of virtue

without erring a single step,

and to return again to the infinite.

One who understands splendor

while holding to humility

acts in accord with eternal power.

To be the fountain of the world is

to live the abundant life of virtue.

When the unformed is formed into objects,

its original qualities are lost.

If you preserve your original qualities,

you can govern anything.

Truly, the best governor governs least.

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Want by Mike Vitale

I wrote this song shortly after moving to Los Angeles. I was astounded by the tremendous amount of homelessness in my neighborhood, and in Southern California in general. And if those numbers weren’t astonishing, the pandemic exponentially increased the homeless population to a scale I could never possibly imagine.

I don’t have an answer to fix it. I really wish I did. I am an empathetic person, and there are millions of reasons why an individual ends up on the streets—and while I do not have a solution, I can say that I see possibility. I see value. I see the potential of a person. I see the sense of community amongst the ranks of people I know on a first name basis in my neighborhood. I see the folks who are suffering from Schizophrenia, and Tourette’s, and Manic Depression. I see self-medication. I see people. I see you. I see me.

Want

words and music by Michael Patrick Vitale

A tall glass of water

A safe bed to sleep

A roof overhead

Warm food to eat

A world full of want

Desires and dues

Everyone needs something

Without exception too

Someone to hug us

When we’re feeling blue

Someone to love us

Through and through

Everyone wants

We’re all living proof

Everyone needs something

And I’m no exception too

Maybe under an overpass and over this life

Feeling all alone and cold and scared and hungry at night

Empty as a Dixie cup, discarded just the same

Crumpled up and wasted under pliable walls, blankets, and rain

Who here marks value on things you can count

Please add up all the tents and tarps standing about

Everyone here needs a home and no one ever wants to feel alone

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Verse 27 | Tao Te Ching | Wisdom is Effortless Mutuality

Wisdom is Effortless Mutuality. What does that even mean? The sharing of feelings between two or more people—and one must do this without effort—and then furthermore, we achieve wisdom through this action? Perhaps so.

If we were to perceive one another as all being part of one large great whole, how would we behave? Would we steal? Would we worry that others will steal from us? There are a myriad of paths to follow with this line of thinking, far beyond the confines of theft.

Intelligence is important, however, wisdom is paramount. Shamefully, I have found myself making the same mistakes on occasion, which implies a lack of wisdom on my part—and in ruminating on this notion, I found that my emotions were what led me down that path: impulsivity driven by emotion.

I wrote a song many years back that discusses the notion of imperfection as well as the pursuit of honesty, and the delivery of such being done delicately. It is easy for us all to pass judgement on one another, as well as to pass judgment on ourselves. Is it possible to live without judgement? These are questions to ask ourself, in the solitude of our self-reflection, should we desire to do so.

How do we fully embrace the notion of living with the lead of our inner light? To put it another way: how do we live life being the best version of ourself?

Like the picture above: are we living a monochrome life in a colorful world, simply by how we perceive it?

I highly recommend reading all of the translations I provided below. Nuances are gained. I found Wayne Dyer’s thoughts to be useful on this verse. Perhaps you will as well:

LIVING BY YOUR INNER LIGHT

“For just a moment, imagine your most valuable possessions, including a large cache of money, on a table in your bedroom and in full view of anyone who might come in. Now further imagine that your pile of precious jewelry, cash, and important documents is completely safe—there’s no need for insurance, and no one could ever possibly steal your treasure. Is this state of complete trust possible? I think so, especially since it’s encouraged in this 27th verse of the Tao Te Ching: “The door . . . though having no lock, cannot be opened.”

The “knower of the truth” lives by an inner light. This illumination shines on the fact that stealing isn’t the way of truth, so it’s unnecessary to lock anything up. Possessions are safe among those who live by an inner light, which reflects the perfection of the Tao. It’s the Source you’re encouraged to always carry with you and to consult when you feel the need for assistance or direction.

Lao-tzu advises you to give without keeping an account or expecting something in return, for this is the nature of the Tao, and you are of the Tao. Giving is synonymous with receiving when you “live by this illumination. Trust the inner light to guide you, for it is your heritage. Your origin is more from the Tao than from parents, culture, or country.

It’s also important that you live more spontaneously—you don’t need to neatly wrap up each detail of your life. Understand this and you can travel without being attached to a plan that covers every possible scenario. Your inner light is more trustworthy than any guidebook, and it will point you in the direction that’s most beneficial to you and everyone you encounter. When you develop a trust in the Tao, you’ll change the way you look at life. You’ll marvel at the brilliance and clarity of what you begin to see: Fear, anxiety, stress, and unrest will simply become facets of yourself seen in the glow of the Tao, like candles marking your way and helping you love everyone as a piece of yourself.

Lao-tzu advises you to “be wise and help all beings impartially, abandoning none”—that is, you don’t need anyone else’s rules in order to reach out to others. Giving of yourself becomes your natural response because you’re following the inner light of the Tao. You and giving are one; you and receiving are one. In such an arrangement, there is no one who is not you.

The most revealing lines of this verse remind you that a good man is but a bad man’s teacher, and a bad man is but a good man’s job. This is an extremely empowering way to see life and eliminate stress and anger: If you perceive yourself to be a “good” person, then those whom you call “bad”—including convicted felons or enemies on the other side of the world—are your job! Try on the view that you’re here to teach yourself and others in some way, and that the work is to raise the collective energy of our entire universe. Cultivate your awareness of the inner light that’s within all. Be the Tao!

Virtually every translation of the Tao Te Ching I’ve examined refers to all of us being one, and all of us needing to be there for each other. The great secret is this: Waste no opportunity, abandon no one, respect the teachers, and care for the student. Twenty-five hundred years later, the Tao remains elusive to most of us because it’s so infrequently practiced. Nevertheless, it must be instilled within us if we’re to ever truly walk in the luminosity of the Great Way.

Become “a knower of the truth,” as Lao-tzu advises, by forgetting the locks, chains, maps, and plans. Travel without leaving a trace, trust in the goodness that is the root of all, and rather than curse the darkness that seems so rampant, reach out with that inner light and let it shine on those who aren’t seeing their own legacy in the Tao.

From his ancient spiritual throne, Lao-tzu is telling you to practice in these new ways:

Trust in yourself.

Develop an inner code of conduct that’s based exclusively on your irreversible connection to the Tao. When you trust this wisdom that created you, you’re trusting yourself. Know that nothing could ever dissuade you from your internal code of honesty, and live by this standard. If you encounter an easy opportunity to cheat, perhaps because you’ve been handed too much change by a hurried cashier, make the decision to be down-to-the-penny honest. Furthermore, have faith in yourself to go on a trip with a minimal amount of planning. Allow yourself to trust in the energy of the Tao to guide you, rather than relying upon fixed plans arranged by someone else.

Don’t judge yourself or others.

Don’t criticize the behavior or appearance of those you’ve assessed to be “bad people.” Instead, switch your thoughts to something along these lines: I am my own student and have this opportunity to learn that I’m instructing rather than judging. I will now cease critiquing myself or any other, and teach by being the Tao. If the entire world of the 10,000 things knew the simple truth that we are all one, then in my opinion war, hostilities, confusion, and even illness would cease to exist.

Why not be one individual who chooses to respect yourself and all others as teachers and as students? When you see the world as full of opportunities to help, one thought and one action at a time, you’ll be living by your inner light.”

Excerpt From: Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life.”

Verse 27

Dale Translation

The expert traveler leaves no footprints

The expert speaker makes no mispronunciations

The expert in Calculation needs no calculator

The expert in closing things needs no lock,

Yet no one can open what has been closed.

The expert in binding uses no knots,

Yet no one can pull apart what has been bound.

The expert in caring for things never wastes anything.

The expert at helping people never abandons anyone.

There are the paths to enlightenment.

Those who arrive at their destination

Teach those who are still on the path,

While those still on the path

Are sources of wisdom for the teachers.

Chapter 27

Kwak, Palmer, Ramsay Translation

The sage who goes by the way leaves no traces

The sage who speaks the true law never slips up —

He never calculates what profit he can make from what he does.

He keeps out thieves with wisdom! He’s never robbed —

He makes sure the rules are binding, then no one can undo them:

He is aware of everyone, leaving on one uncounted;

He cares like a parent, and wastes nothing.

This is the essence of harmony.

So, a good man is a model for a bad one

And, misguided, he is touched by his goodness.

Not to follow a teacher here

Or to love his precious message

Is to lose the Way, however clever you are —

This is the essence of the matter.

Verse 27

Lau Translation

One who is good at traveling leaves no wheel tracks;

One who is good at speech has no flaws;

One who is good at reckoning uses no counting rods;

One who is good at shutting uses neither bolt nor lock

Yet what he has shut cannot be opened;

One who is good at trying uses no cords yet what he has tied cannot be undone.

Hence the sage is always good at saving people, and so abandons no one; nor does he abandon any useful material where things are concerned.

This is called following one’s discernment.

Hence the good man is the teacher of the good man.

While the bad man is the material for the good man.

Not to value the teacher

Nor to love the material

May, perhaps, be clever, but it betrays great bewilderment.

This is called the subtle and the essential.

Verse 27

Mitchell Translation

A good traveler has no fixed plans

and is not intent upon arriving.

A good artist lets his intuition

Lead him wherever he wants.

A good scientist has freed himself of concepts

and keeps his mind open to what is.

Thus the Master is available to all people

and doesn’t reject anyone.

He is ready to use all situations

and doesn’t waste anything.

That is called embodying the light.

What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher?

What is a bad man but a good man’s job?

If you don’t understand this,  you will get lost,

however intelligent you are

It is the great secret.

Verse 27

Wilson Translation

Auspicious traveling leaves neither ruts nor tracks.

Auspicious worlds have neither flaws nor points for blame.

Auspicious calculation needs neither bamboo markers nor receipts.

The auspiciously shut has nether bolt nor key, but cannot be opened.

The auspiciously fastened uses neither rope nor binder,

But cannot be untied.

Therefore the sage

Always saves men from their mistakes in a goodly fashion,

And thus no one is thrown overboard;

Always saves things from their flaws in a skillful way,

And thus none are tossed away.

This is called doubling or tripling your clarity.

In this way the adroit are the teachers of the clumsy,

And the clumsy are a wealth of raw material for the adroit.

If you do not treasure your teacher

Or show kindness to your raw material,

You will be shortsighted

Though you have the wisdom to predict the rain.

This is called the pivotal mystery.

Verse 27

Walker Translation

A good runner leaves no tracks;

A good speaker makes no slips;

A good planner doesn’t have to scheme,

The best lock has no bolt, and no one can open it.

The best knot uses no rope, and no one can untie it.

Thus the master is always good at saving people, and doesn’t abandon anyone;

Always good at saving things, and doesn’t waste anything.

This is known as “following the light.”

What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher?

What is a bad man but a good man’s charge?

It doesn’t matter how smart you are if you don’t have the sense to honor your teachers

And cherish your responsibilities.

This is an essential teaching of Tao.

Verse 27

Hall and Ames Translation

Able travelers leave no ruts or tracks along the way;

Able speakers make no gaffes that might occasion reproach;

Able reckoners have no use for tallies or counting sticks;

Able sealers make no use of bolts or latches yet what they close off cannot be opened.

Able pinchers make no use of ropes or cords yet their knots cannot be undone.

It is for this reason that the sages in being really good at turning others to account,

Have no need to reject anyone,

And in dealing with property,

Have no need to reject anything.

This is what is called flowing their natural acuity (ming).

Thus able persons are teachers of the able

While the inept provide them with raw materials.

While perhaps wise enough,

Those who fail to honor their teachers and to be sparing with their raw materials

Have gotten themselves utterly lost.

This is what is called being subtle and getting to the essentials.

Verse 27

Dyer Translation

A knower of the truth

travels without leaving a trace,

speaks without causing harm,

gives without keeping an account.

The door he shuts, though having no lock,

cannot be opened.

The knot he ties, though using no cord,

cannot be undone.

Be wise and help all beings impartially,

abandoning none.

Waste no opportunities.

This is called following the light.

What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher?

What is a bad man but a good man’s job?

If the teacher is not respected

and the student not cared for,

confusion will arise, however clever one is.

This is the great secret.

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The Curious Case of PHINEAS GAGE and His Brain

I was listening to the TeamCoco podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” a while back. Conan was discussing this rather curious and unfortunate accident that happened to a railroad demolition Forman in the 1800’s with his guest that day, Bill Hader.

This injury, the topic of their conversation, happened to a young man who dealt with explosives before nitroglycerin and dynamite had become a staple of demolition work. Dynamite was patented in 1867 and this accident occurred nearly twenty years before Nobel introduced such a device.

For anyone who knows me, the quickest way to get my head cupped in my hands, is to tell me a good story, and this one—it’s a doozy…

This work related accident happened on September 13th, 1848. It involves a young man accidentally shooting himself in the head. For all intent and purposes, this was not a trivial injury that occurred. Phineas shot a tamping rod through his cheek and it exited the top of his skull. This rod was made of iron, one meter long, and quite robust in diameter (1.25 inches). It is with absolute astonishment that he not only survived the injury (for an additional 12 years), but within minutes of the accident, was once again standing by his own accord and was cognitive.

By some reports, he insisted on continuing to work as well, but was ultimately sent home due to the overwhelmingly obvious severity of his injury. If I were to provide any more detail, it would only become… well, yucky.

What can be said, to this day: his injury is taught to students in the medical field. Gage is a fixture in the curricula of neurology, psychology, and neuroscience, one of "the great medical curiosities of all time" and "a living part of the medical folklore”.

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Delicious Salads, Plaid Shirts, Brian Wilsons, and Bison

The first music I ever connected with, consciously, in my life, was The Beach Boys. I was in Elementary School at the time—perhaps 4th grade? Regardless, their music moved me in a way that I can’t quite capture in words. So, I showed my appreciation by making an arrangement of one of their songs.

As an adult, I can only marvel at the wonderment of Brian Wilson, and how marvelous it feels to sing something so gorgeous and perfectly crafted from top to bottom. Like nature: balanced and beautiful.

Last year, while I was on tour in Idaho/Wisconsin, I filmed a bison, as I was eating a salad by my car, in the Old Faithful parking lot of Yellowstone National Park. I posted it later that night to my Mike Vitale music page, and forgot about it.

I logged on a few days later, and was shocked to see that this silly bison video went viral. I received nearly one million views in the course of a few days. Comments. Lots of comments. Pretty wild. It seemed that most the activity around that video was fueled by vitriol… people telling me how stupid I was or how dumb the person in front of me was. You know. That sort of thing.

This video I shared with you now, doesn’t have any bison in it, as far as I can gather. It does feature me wearing a plaid shirt I regret buying.

However, I might be mistaken. Perhaps I could proclaim with some small amount of pride, that this video is in fact very much like a bison walking through a parking lot, towards a forest, only to be lost from the eyes and ears of human spectators once again, on its way to who knows where, for who knows what.

That would be whimsical—and perhaps that is the stuff that delicious salads, plaid shirts, Brian Wilsons, and bison even, are made of.

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The Fall 2023 Tour Continues in Greensboro, North Carolina

Awendaw Green in Awendaw, South Carolina

The past several weeks have felt like a tornado of long drives and visiting with family (in the best way possible). However, I am in Charleston, South Carolina at the moment, wishing everyone warm regards, bearing tidings of either magpies, or news. Still on tour. Tour, tour, tour. Played Awendaw Green last night (fun times). Leaving for North Carolina, shortly. Perhaps you might want to see me while I’m in town? I’m not gonna lie: I’d like that. Allow me the opportunity to provide the bat time, bat place, and bat channel for such an endeavor (Adam West would approve).

Awendaw Green in Awendaw, South Carolina

Thanks to my friend Jasmine Commerce for being a mensch and providing a warm bed to rest my bones here in Charleston. In fact, thanks to Sarah, and Mia, and Chris, and Bob, and Phil, and Brenda, and Darice and all my friends and family for opening your homes and your heart to me. I am poor as can be, yet the richest man alive. How does that work? It’s measured in my soul, by the nearest approximation: whatever the currency, I feel it in my heart. Thank you. Deeply and truly:

Oct 21 - State Street Wine Co. | Greensboro, NC @ 6pm

Oct 24 - Swan House Concert Series | New Bern, NC @ 7pm

Oct 26 - Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge | Madison, TN @ 6pm

Oct 27 - Rootstock | Woodstock, GA @ 7:30pm

Oct 28th - 101 Steak | Atlanta, GA @ 7pm

Oct 29th - HiFi Clyde’s | Chattanooga, TN @ 11am

Nov 3rd - Cocoa Beach Show | Cocoa Beach, FL

Nov 4th - Pompano Beach House Concert | Pompano Beach, FL @ 6pm

Nov 8th - Wet Dogs Brewing | Lake Placid, FL @ 6pm

Nov 9th - New World Biergarten @ New World Music Hall | Tampa, FL @ 6:30pm

Nov 10th - Music by the Bay House Concert | Madeira Beach, FL @ 7pm

Nov 11th - Wolf Howl House Concert Series | St. Petersburg, FL @ 7pm

Nov 26th - Vine | Long Beach, CA @ 4pm

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Lafayette, Louisiana

I’ve met a few cajuns in my life, whether it was beknownst to me immediately or not at the onset. However, last night, there was no mistaking the bonafide and genuine article insofar as accents are concerned.

It was thick and lovely. I had to concentrate on occasion to make sure I was on the same conversational wavelength as this Louisianan Acadian, whom had no problem switching back and forth between archaic French and a uniquely American and Canadian dialect of English that was sure to muddy up the crinkled and bewildered face of a California musician… you know, not from around these parts (he had his fair share of fun with that exercise I imagine). He also bought me a whiskey on the rocks, so either way, I was pleased to be along for the ride.

Long story made longer: we had a lot of fun last night at Cafe Sydnie Mae in the land of Acadia.

In all honesty, until a day or two ago, I was naive to that word as well: Acadia. It means “place of plenty” or just, paradise. It was the name given to portions of Louisiana after French settlers made a home here with the indigenous who were so kind as to share the wealth of. I say here, because I’m in Lafayette, LA at the moment.

I had my first taste of Crawfish Étouffée last night… and speaking of paradise: that just so happened to be what that dish of culinary magic tastes like.

My friends and hosts Sarah and Dustin have given me a soft place to lay my head at the end of the night, and some mighty fine jams for my brain and ears, both being musician of the stellar ilk. I gorged myself on Zydeco and ball-busting conversation (I was amongst close friends having their fun with one another… not to mention the guy from out of town).

Speaking of which Dustin and I are playing a show tonight in New Orleans. If you’re local, swing by. It’s a mighty fine and large porch. The weather is nice. Dustin is incredible. He’s playing at 6:30pm. I go on at 7:30pm. This is open to the public to attend and I would be happy to send the address to you, as would the hosts.

Friday October 13th

Riverbend Music Room

Music starts at 6:30pm

Suggested donations welcome for the artists.

Tomorrow, I’m heading up to El Dorado, Arkansas to play some music with my friend Chris Loggins. Music starts at 7pm. No cover.

Marilyn’s on the Square

119 N. Jefferson Ave. #6107

El Dorado, AR

Mike Vitale at the Pensacola Beach Songwriter's Festival 2023

I don’t know why I just wrote that title in third-person. It’s me. Mike. I’m writing this. I write all of this stuff. That’s me in the photo with the goofy looking look.

I am knee-deep in booking for my October and November 2023 run of shows in the Southern portion of the United States.

I am grateful to be a part of the Pensacola Beach Songwriter’s Festival in the land of Citrus, Florida!

They even added my goofy ass to their website:

https://pensacolabeachsongwritersfestival.com/vitale-mike/

I was just in contact with the person responsible for my bookings, and she has provided me with some details that I thought I would share here for everyone in Pensacola Beach who is interested in attending:

Wednesday Oct 4th 2023 | Bamboo Willie’s Beachside Bar - 7pm

400 Quietwater Beach Rd. Pensacola Bch, FL 32561

Friday Oct 6th 2023 | TBA (songwriter round)

Sunday Oct 8th 2023 | Handlebar - 2pm

319 N Tarragona St, Pensacola, FL 32501

Do I have more news beyond this? Sure. However, I need to get back to booking this tour. I have a long ways to go before my anxiety goes away from knowing full well that I have enough tour dates.

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Grand Island, NE House Concert Review

The Spencer Family were my Hosts in Grand Island, NE

Steven Spencer and the family were so kind as to host me in Grand Island, Nebraska for this tour I just arrived home from a few days ago.

Steven wrote me an email with a review of the show. I was so stoked to finally have the opportunity to read it today.

While I may not make this painfully honest: my world and my dreams of playing music and telling my stories definitely hinges on the kindness of those who are willing to listen to them. My hope is that those who do listen, find humanity in my stories. The humanity is the story. It is the story of all of us.

I have no doubt where my place is in the world. It is doing what I am currently doing. Thank you Steven, for painting my endeavors in such a colorful and favorable light, as you have done here. I am immensely grateful to you and your family.

Here is Steven’s review of the concert:

I maintain that I am a somebody, who is a nobody, trying to be a somebody. I am immensely grateful for all the folks I meet along the way and who show me love and kindness and what it is to be a good person. I learn more on that with each of you that I meet. I hope to follow your course myself, in that trajectory, towards the heavens of good grace.

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The Den Den—or Ver.

I am currently in the Denver, Colorado. Arvada to be precise. It’s a gorgeous bedroom community just outside of Denver. A hop, skip, and a jump—perhaps one verb’s length further away in distance from the city. I wonder inwardly what the people of Denver call their fine city, in some sort of local colloquialism. Do you know what I mean?

People in the Bay Area call San Francisco “The City.” Maybe Denver has something like that too? Something to put inside quotation marks when they write down the name of their home in written English. Maybe in their local circles, they refer to their mother city as The Den Den. Or just Ver. I’ll work up the nerve to ask the locals when I get tired of typing words.

Maybe they just call it home. That wouldn’t surprise me. I’m typing this at a Starbuck’s a few blocks from the home of the house concert host I am playing at this evening.

Faulkner—smoking a pipe. Not Truong. He doesn’t smoke pipes.

Truong is his name. He’s a great guy. He’s an economist. His bookshelves are full of volumes of Economic Theory, Philosophy, History, and a skosh of Literature. You might imagine that they smell of Book, Cedar, Leather, and Scotch. They don’t—well, how do I know? I wasn’t smelling his books this morning, like a weirdo. I swear.

I saw one fiction book. “The Sound and The Fury” by William Faulkner. I’m willing to bet he came from a time when men took pictures with pipes—Faulkner, not my host. I don’t think he smokes a pipe.

We can wager next time. You shouldn’t have took that bet, reader… and I need to exercise better grammar. Truong doesn’t strike me as a gambling man either—then again, he is hosting a musician from Los Angeles tonight at his house concert series. Sounds a bit like a gamble. I could suck, or at the very least, be very low on the entertainment spectrum.

With that being said residents of Den Den: y’all should come hangout tonight. Everyone is gathering at 6pm at Truong’s place of residence. Music starts at 7pm. Shoot me a DM on the social media sites. Tonight. Tonight being Sunday August 13th. Bring your pipe, and maybe some alcohol, incase I’m not entertaining—or incase I am.

This is the last date of my tour outside of California this summer. Stay tuned for my Fall Tour in October and November of 2023 down yonder.

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Help Me Purchase a New Acoustic Guitar

I have been playing the same Martin D3-R guitar since 1996 or 1997. It’s my ride or die. It’s an inanimate object, my best friend, and my wife. I love this guitar more than I love most anything else in this life. I have nearly worn a hole into the soundboard playing it so much. I first saw it in a guitar shop in the Central Valley of California at a local Ma and Pa music shop. It didn’t look like an expensive six-string guitar; it looked like a million songs to me. I didn’t quite reach that mark, but, I’ve written more tunes on this guitar and seen more stages playing it than I can ever count. It has traveled with me on nearly every tour save for one a last year, where it was being repaired by my friend Greg Coates.

It’s getting old though, geriatric even. It needs some serious TLC from a guitar repair person, and my tour schedule is not slowing down anytime soon, in fact, it is only increasing in intensity—and the repairs required for my acoustic will take months to get to from a Martin Certified Repair Person. The white binding along the body that holds the sound board and back to the rest of the body, is coming loose. Quite literally, the front and back of the guitar will come off unless I get it repaired after this tour. It will take approximately 3 months to 6 months to get it repaired under warranty from Martin, and I leave for tour again at the end of September.

I am reaching out to friends, family, and fans for help purchasing a new Steel String Acoustic Guitar, that’ll last me another 30 years of playing.

In the past three days, I have raised $520 from all over the United States. I can’t thank you enough for this. I have the lofty goal of $4,000, however, I am trying my best to get myself into a guitar that is a work of art and helps me to feel like an artist and creator. I have been eyeing some Collings Guitars for a number of years. They are handcrafted, and worth every bit of what they cost. They are based out of Austin, Texas and well worth the investment.

I want to be in love with this guitar. I want to write a thousand songs on it that help to make this world a little better than how I found it. I want to write some songs on this guitar that will shake some asses and propagate all the good vibes of a righteous good time.

Anyone who donates or pledges money, will receive a download of my new album DESERT DOGS, which is being released to streaming services one single at a time, into 2024.

Here is a link to donate money.

DONATE HERE

I promise to send a download link as soon as possible. I am on the road right now. I’m currently in North Carolina, playing my second show in Greensboro, tonight. As soon as I have my laptop in front of me, I will send a download code.

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Mark Twain | A New Single August 18th 2023

Samuel Langhorne Clemens

My next single is being released on August 18th on this year of our Lord, 2023. It is probably the most convoluted story I have ever told—perhaps beside The Incredible Shrinking Brain—but we will save the later for a different day.

Mark Twain. It’s a brilliant pen name for Samuel Langhorne Clemens. It’s riverboat slang. It was also the pen name of another riverboat pilot who wrote for a Riverboat Almanac. Samuel Clemens stole the idea from him. He admits to this notion in his book entitled “Life on the Mississippi.”

Regardless, it is a brilliant pen name if you examine it for what it is and what it represents. Mark Twain is a measurement of depth. Sounding boats and sounding poles were used by those navigating the murky waters of a muddy river that we are all familiar with as American Citizens: the Mississippi River. It has no rocky foundation to its deepest depths. It is a muddy river. It constantly changes in depths and sizes naturally due to this proclivity endowed to rivers of such quality. However, because of this—it is dangerous. A riverboat can easily run ashore, or find the unwelcome sand of a shoal, if not constantly checking the depth of the river using sounding boats and sounding poles. This is where the notion of marks and numbers come from. These depths would be shouted by those using the sounding poles, to measure depth, to those listening for their instruction as they piloted the vessel.

The Mississippi River in Hannibal, Missouri

Mark Twain means two fathoms deep. It is the cut-off between dangerous and safe passage. Mark Twain is the shallowest depth in which a riverboat may pass without peril or hazard. Mark Twain is the convergence of safe and dangerous; it is the point in which these two opposing outcomes meet.

Moving forward with this as a title—I found a curious story regarding Samuel Langhorne Clemens and Halley’s Comet:

Halley's Comet appeared in the sky when Mark Twain was born in 1835. The comet moves in a seventy-five or seventy-six-year orbit, and, as it neared Earth once again in the year 1909, Twain said,

I came in with Halley's Comet... It is coming again ... and I expect to go out with it... The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'

Hannibal, Missouri. Samuel Langhorne Clemen’s Childhood Home

Sure enough, he died on April 21, 1910, just as the comet made its next pass within sight of Earth.

I was born on April 21st 1979. That has no relevance to this story, and I’m sure it is quite coincidental.

This song, that I am releasing August 18th, tells the story of Halley’s Comet and our Sun. It also, can stand for something completely different. It can be representative. Metaphor. Hyperbolic. Whatever the case may be: I am proud of its words and music and to be releasing it as I hear it in my head. It is a tip of my hat to someone I admire and a love letter of sorts to a romantic idea. I can’t help but be carried away by the trade winds of whimsy. I prefer it, as I can’t imagine life without my creativity to put wind in my sails in the first place.

For you.

May we all be friends and find the beauty in one another, no matter how difficult or easy that proves to be, ultimately. Perhaps—perhaps there are intrinsic links that bind us all to one another, if not just within the matter which makes everything, the gravitational forces caused by mass and its manipulation of spacetime, and the loosely understood physics of such.

You can pre-save the song at this link:

PRE-SAVE LINK

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Who Is Mike Vitale?

Mike Vitale (Photo Courtesy of Monika Lightstone Photography)

I spent hours yesterday updating this website. Good golly, there is so much that needs to be updated. Who would have thoughts its such a busy job updating when you are busy updating simply creating and living life without talking about the fact that one is creating or living life? Here is my latest bio update. One more serious, and a second—less serious:

Mike Vitale is a singer-songwriter based out of Los Angeles, CA. He is currently out touring the United States in support of a full length album called φ: 12 new songs written by Vitale over the course of the past several years, as well as 11 new singles he is releasing over the course of 2023, that will eventually lead to a complete 12 song album called DESERT DOGS.

The third single from DESERT DOGS was released on May 27th 2023 and is entitled "Coyote." It's a tip of the hat to the great cowboy country writers of the 1940's and 1950’s, to Mark Twain (quite possibly one of the funniest people I have ever read), and to the end of a long pandemic—finally being able to appreciate the fact that I can tour again, and to count the many blessings of good health and the freedom to roam that which has never been explored by me. I am so very lucky. We are all so very lucky to live in such a beautiful country full of natural splendor.

The fourth single from this record is being released Friday July 7th. Capturing the feeling of deep attraction when seeing a beauty across the bar from the narrator, "Drunk on Your Mystique" is a summer vibe, frothing with the energy and excitement behind a crush on a total stranger. It's music and lyrics convey the Caribbean local and estuary of a port city where people are free to indulge in the fantasy and reverie of romantic whimsy. I plan to play this song all over the U.S. on my tour that starts this week and to promote on socials and playlists.

DESERT DOGS is immediately available as a BANDCAMP download to anyone who would like to contribute to Mike’s 2023 tours through his GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/e6dcc0b9

LESS SERIOUS?

Mike Vitale is a Singer-Songwriter/producer/forward-slash enthusiast, based out of Los Angeles, CA. Eagle Rock to be precise (come by for a cup of coffee with him). When not preoccupied with speaking in third-person about music related stuff, he enjoys short walks on long beaches with his two border collies, Border and Collie. He is certain that this sentence is useless, but also doesn’t believe in absolutes. The dogs may or may not be fictional. All the other stuff is probably true, especially if it involves putting one word in front of another while simultaneously singing those words over-predetermined blocks of music. Totally his idea (don’t steal it).

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Verse 26 | Tao Te Ching | Tranquility and Seductions

You will see many discrepancies with the translation of this verse. THIS is why I have so many copies of the Tao Te Ching, translated by various people. Translation—it's a strange strange beast. It's everything to truly understanding what is being conveyed.

Wow, this verse kicked my ass. I am very much guilty of losing sight of my tranquility. I could say that I let others take it from me—but that is not true.

I take it from myself. It does not matter what a person does or says: the response should be... nothing. Kindness. A smile.

I was just in a situation recently with an individual who pulled my ego out of me. Jung would refer to this, as an integrated shadow most likely. My shadow stood up for me. However, there are arguments to other courses of action. Choose-my-own adventure. That is life.

No matter what a person does or says to me: I need to be in control of my emotions. I need to draw my own boundaries when I feel that I am being pushed around or taken advantage of, or any number of other attributes or situations where my tranquility is being upended. My tranquility is my responsibility.

I have much to learn. I am also proud of myself for drawing boundaries with people. When someone says something to me that I don't agree with. Let them know, politely. Truth, my own truth, can be delicately laid. We do not need to be friends with every single person we meet in life. They deserve our respect, so long as they also respect us. If they do not, then there is no further conversation needed. Move on. There are 7.888 Billion people on this planet. Enjoy the company of another one of those from that lot.

What does Wayne Dyer have to say about this Verse? Let me skim and find out. Hold on. Well fancy that. He says much of what I just said:

LIVING CALMLY

"In this chapter of the Tao Te Ching, you’re being advised to maintain a sense of serenity regardless of what you may see taking place around you. Moreover, you’re being told that the true master knows that the ability to stay calm is always located within. From this perspective, there’s no need to assign responsibility to others for how you feel. Even though you may live in a world where blame and faultfinding are endemic, you will own your feelings and actions. You will know that circumstances don’t determine your state of mind, for that power rests with you. When you maintain a peaceful inner posture, even in the midst of chaos, you change your life.

The wisdom of this verse of the Tao Te Ching prompts you to know that you have a choice. Do you want to be in a state of confusion or to have a tranquil inner landscape? It’s up to you! Armed with this insight, the Tao master doesn’t allow an external event to be a disturbance. Lao-tzu tells you that assigning blame for your lack of calmness will never bring you to the state of being that you’re striving to attain. Self-mastery only blossoms when you practice being aware of, and responsible for, what you’re feeling.

This particular part of the Tao Te Ching is one that you’ll probably want to immerse yourself in repeatedly. After all, what could be better than the freedom of going through life without feeling that people and circumstances control you without your permission? Are you depressed? Irritated? Frustrated? Exhilarated? Ecstatically in love? Whatever your current state, if you believe that a changing economic picture or a tapestry of events taking place around you is responsible—and you then use these external factors to explain your inner state of mind—you’ve lost touch with your root. Why? Because you’re allowing yourself to be “blown to and fro” by the shifting winds of circumstance.

The solution for a life of unrest is choosing stillness. The quiet of the Tao is oblivious to any turmoil in the world of the 10,000 things. Be like the Tao, advises Lao-tzu: “The still is the master of unrest.” You have a choice in every moment, so you can decide to be a host to God and carry around with you the calmness that is the Tao, or you can be a hostage to your ego, which insists that you can’t really help feeling disorderly when you’re in circumstances that resemble pandemonium.

Here’s what Lao-tzu offers to you in this profoundly simple passage, from the profoundly simple life he chose 2,500 years before yours:

Vow to seek a calm inner response to the circumstances of your life.

In the midst of any kind of unrest—be it an argument, a traffic jam, a monetary crisis, or anything at all—make the immediate decision that you will find the calm center of yourself. By not thinking of what is taking place, and instead taking a few deep breaths in which you opt to empty your mind of judgments, it becomes impossible to mentally “flit about like a fool.” You have the innate ability to choose calmness in the face of situations that drive others to madness. Your willingness to do so, especially when chaos and anger have been your previous choices, puts you in touch with “the master of unrest.” There was a time when I thought this was impossible. Now I know that even in the most troublesome of times, my reaction is to choose stillness . . . the way of the Tao.

Don’t lose touch with your root.

With a written declaration or picture placed strategically in your home and workplace, remind yourself that no one can make you 26th Verse lose touch with your root without your consent. Affirm the following often: I have the ability to stay poised and centered, regardless of what goes before me. Then vow to put this new way of being into practice the next time a situation of unrest crops up. Do the mental work in advance and you’ll achieve the self-mastery that Lao-tzu refers to in this verse. More significantly, you’ll be in harmony with the Tao, which is your ultimate calling.

Verse 26

Dale translation

Inner strength is the master

of all frivolities.

Tranquility is the master

of all agitated emotions.

Those who succumb to frivolities

have lost their inner strength

Those who succumb to agitated emotions

have lost their tranquility.

The wise cultivate

inner strength and tranquility.

That is why they are not seduced

by addictive temptations.

Verse 26

Dyer Translation

The heavy is the root of the light.

The still is the master of unrest.

Realizing this,

the successful person is

poised and centered

in the midst of all activities;

although surrounded by opulence,

he is not swayed.

Why should the lord of the country

flit about like a fool?

If you let yourself be blown to and fro,

you lose touch with your root.

Verse 26

Mitchell Translation

The heavy is the root of the light

The unmoved is the source of all movement

Thus the master travels all day

without leaving home

However splendid the view

she stays serenely in herself.

Why should the lord of the country

flit about like a fool?

If you let yourself be blown to and fro,

you lose touch with your root.

If you let restlessness move you,

you lose touch with who you are.

Verse 26

Wilson Translation

The heavy fabricates the root of the light

The tranquil fabricates command of the flurried.

Therefore the sage puts one foot

in front of the other the entire day

But never leaves his heavy pack behind.

Though there may be glorious sights at hand,

His course remains high and detached,

as smooth as the flight of a swallow.

How will a lord of ten thousand chariots fool

with his empire as though

he himself has nothing to lose?

Act lightly and you lose your rootedness.

Act in a flurried way and you lose your command.

Verse 26

Walker Translation

Heaviness is the root of lightness

Tranquility is the master of agitation.

That is why the sage travels all day

without ever losing sight of her baggage

She may live in a glorious palace, but

she isn't attached to its pleasures.

Why should the lord of ten thousand chariots

behave lightly in the world?

One who acts lightly loses her foundation.

One who becomes agitated sacrifices her mastery.

Verse 26

Kwak, Palmer, Ramsay Translation

What holds, what you can trust

Is the same as this quietness—

and it is lighthearted.

This quiet light-hearted silence

Is the key to being free from emotion

The sage never abandons the Tao,

he never lets its weight out of sight.

He may live in a fabulous house

But he never gets caught up wanting to—

And through there are always temptations,

He stays unswayed, and smiles.

So why is it that our rulers

Seem so bright, but are

Glib and unsubstantial?

Losing the weight of the Tao

Means you lose your root;

And when you can't sit still

you lose

The source.

5 Shows This Weekend and a Photo Shoot

I played 5 shows in the past three days and finished up with a long photoshoot last night with my friend Monika Lightstone.

I think we got some good shots. She just moved into a new studio recently, and it was beautiful having the opportunity to break it in with her.

She sent this to me in the wee hours of the morning. That is Marlon Brando’s pipe in my hands. Weird. Cool—but strange. Very cool.

I hope y'all are having a wonderful weekend. The past few days have been exhausting but absolutely incredible. Wouldn't change a thing.

- Mike