Kagami is the mental martial artist approach to communication, a way to yield the power of language and hone it as a skill, training your mind the same way you would train your body. When we’re little, we’re taught how to read words in order to understand what they mean but we’re never really taught how to decipher the deeper layers of language. The way to do that is through the art of listening, listening is the gateway to the kind of communication that unifies our world with that of others, helping us understand the people around us, as well as ourselves.   

From Issue 93 — The Stress Test Stress is a unit of pressure, which is defined in the field of physics (and engineering) as a force...

The Hollywood Diet 48-hour cleanse. The raw generation skinny cleanse. Dr. Kellyann’s 5 day cleanse and reset kit. The list of the overnight diet super fixes is quite long and infamous.  And the list of those who have advocated for it is just as long. But those were yesterday’s news.

I woke up in the middle of the night, my heart racing as I gasped for air. I’d just had a nightmare that jolted me out of an otherwise sound sleep. As I lay on my back in an attempt to coax myself into a return to slumberland, my mind raced with only the low buzz of the ceiling fan above accompanying. A few hours passed with no relief, until I decided it was time to turn on my AM/FM radio (bear in mind, it was the early 2000’s). In the dark, I fumbled with the dial and adjusted the antenna to alleviate the static until I found an AM radio station playing classical music. Almost immediately, I felt the knots in my chest unwind and the tension I felt ease. Enveloped by orchestras and pianists playing Debussy, Greig and Liszt, I was lulled into a slumber. To this day, I can always count on Clair de lune to calm me down. 

silence. i answer your tight-lipped disapproval with eternal silence as you parallel yourselves in slow-moving rows these few minutes feel eternal and silence

From Issue 93 — The Stress Test Recollection, Study No. 10 A Musical score requires immense focus and understading. Practicing and bringing the notational language to life...

From Issue 93 — The Stress Test Always Testing Everyone has a story. No doubt I’m not breaking new ground in that statement. Whether it’s a commercial/private...

From Issue 93 — The Stress Test