First off, mark your calendars for March 29, 2008. 8:00PM, wherever you are. That's the date that marks the world's first Earth Hour, celebrated on a global basis.

Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.

I was reminded in a conversation last night of an experience that I had many, many years ago.

It was at a prom where only the most beautiful people were allowed in. It was a prom for Down's Syndrome kids. It was held at a local hospital, and I was lucky enough to have been one of the band members who was playing "the gig" that night.

I could go on in some detail (even after so much time has passed), but the long and short of it is that, for the first time ever - I really saw how music touches. At its core.

Music enters into the body through the ear, and the bones of the body act like a tuning fork. The neurological fields of the body are then stimulated by music. Music is a means by which all people can feel these healing vibrations. Even people with profound handicaps can benefit from music's healing affects.

Music of many different genres can help to enhance the mind/body connection. Healing mantras, chants, and incantations have ancient origins and are seen throughout history and in every major world culture-- Hinduism, Muslim, Judaism, Native American, Polynesian, Asian, Sufi, etc. The power of chant involves bridging the two worlds of humanity and eternity (spirituality.) It allows a person to touch a deeper world that is organic and flowing. Chant has no set rhythm, but rather it is based on the breath in combination with tonal patterns of sustained vowels.

Since the beginning of recorded history, music has played a significant role in the healing of our world. Music and healing were communal activities that were natural to everyone. In ancient Greece, Apollo was both the god of music and medicine.

Practiced for thousands of years, meditation was originally meant to help deepen your understanding of and connection to the sacred and mystical forces of life. Today, it's a great way to relax and reduce the stress of the day.

Meditation produces a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. It can give you a tremendous sense of calm, and that feeling doesn't end when your meditation does. Meditation can have lasting effects on your emotional and physical well-being.

When we focus on what we want . . . what we truly want to be real in our life, it becomes real in our life.

Gandhi once said: "Be the change you want to see in the world." What changes do you want to see in the world? What changes do you want to see in yourself? Who do you want to become?

If you can see yourself as that changed person, that is a huge step in becoming that person. The more you are able to visualize, the more real it becomes.

Be kind to others. Be gentle with yourself.

Easier said than done, but think for a moment about the possibilities. Take the sentence apart, and look at what it says in bite-size chunks.

Be kind to others. Do you have an opportunity every day to do that? Just once? A few times? At every turn? Think about it. Think about your mindset from the moment you wake, until you pull the covers over you at night. Did you have an opportunity to be kind to others? What does that even mean to you?

It's not every day that we hear what we want to hear from the universe. Not every day that we hear answers to the questions that we ask of it.

But the most wonderous thing of all is that the answers do come. They come in their own time, at your own invitation, and when they are truly most accepted into your own life.