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From Home Page
mwe3.com
reviews the LIGHT OF MIND web site
with a 2017 interview with Light Of Mind innovators, New Age musicians
and founders of Sequoia Records
David & Steve Gordon
Since the dawn of mankind, humans have worked tirelessly to improve
their lives. Following the second world war, during the second half
of the 20th century, the expansion of human consciousness led to many
things, including new forms of psychological and physical therapies
as well as the use of mind expanding drugs that came to the fore during
the late 1960s rock music revolution brought about by the Beatles and
Moody Blues.
 Moving
away from drugs as the only way to improve their lives, rock musicians
soon turned to higher forms of human consciousness, which led to American
youth becoming interested in transcendental meditation and a variety
of New Age therapies.
Music was always viewed being therapeutical but the rise of electronic
music, which led to the expansion of New Age instrumental music during
the early 1980s, created a whole new window of opportunity for musicians
and their audiences to tune in and turn on to consciousness raising
therapies. This resulted in the rise of self-help audio tapes and now,
in the early 21st century, digital / computer download files to improve
their lives.
Long at the fore of the consciousness raising New Age music boom that
started in the early 1980s, David & Steve Gordon are the powerhouse
brothers team behind the rise of Sequoia Records and also the Light
Of Mind self-help audio series.
With the advent of the internet at the close of the 1990s, and the introduction
of broadband in mid 2000, David & Steve Gordon turned to the world
wide wide to spread and distribute the news and products of their LightOfMind.com
web site. The Light Of Mind web site features a wealth of self-help
therapy tools that people can download and use to improve their lives.
These days, with so much turmoil and upheaval in many societies throughout
the world, Light Of Mind provides a much needed source of sonic tools
for consumers of next generation of self-help therapy programs. Among
the self-help programs featured on the Light Of Mind web site are ways
to promote weight loss and fitness, ways to attract wealth, to improve
sleep habits, to build self-esteem and confidence, ways to increase
brain and mind power, ways to achieve better sex as well as ways of
overcoming fear, bad habits and different types of addictions.
Every human being deserves a chance to improve their lives and what
better way to achieve that than through the low-stress self-help audio
strategies offered by Light Of Mind. In the following mwe3.com interview
David and Steve Gordon explain the history and mission behind Light
Of Mind and how the pairing of their prolific Sequoia Records works
hand in hand with the groundbreaking self-help strategies of Light Of
Mind.
2017 mwe3.com interview with
David and Steve Gordon of
Light of Mind & Sequoia Records
 mwe3:
David & Steve Gordon have been on the leading edge of New Age music
and therapeutic sound making for decades now. How did you become so
interested in New Age music and meditation music? As your company grew
was there a moment when you thought that we’re onto something and
this is was going to work?
Steve Gordon: We had always been into meditation and Eastern
philosophy since our 20s. I had read a book called The Handbook of
Higher Consciousness by Ken Keyes. I liked the concept of transforming
the way you think of things that you want from needs to preferences.
By doing that you can be much happier than if you need everything to
work out how you want it to so you can be happy.
After that we discovered the classic book Autobiography of a Yogi
by Yogananda. He was one of the very first people to come to the west
from India and teach meditation and yoga. This got us to try meditation
and we still have regular meditation practices to this day.
Before we started Sequoia Records and Light
of Mind, we had been working as professional session players
in the Los Angeles studio scene. But we found that the stress of our
demanding schedule was taking its toll on both of us.
During this time we would go up to the Sequoia National Forest backpacking
to get much needed breaks. It was during one of these trips when we
were meditating by a stream that we got an idea. We would record sounds
of the forest and then use the recordings to create special music to
help us relax, sleep and meditate. This was before there were people
doing that, in fact we were unaware of anyone doing anything like it
at the time.
 After
we created the albums of meditation music and nature sounds, we founded
Sequoia Records to release them. We figured that since they had helped
us that other people would benefit too. We were right, people liked
them so much that we made 5-6 albums in the first couple years. There
was clearly a need that was being met by these music albums. We were
not the only people feeling stressed out and in need of a little help
to relax!
As our company Sequoia Records grew at a fast rate, we started to feel
like that we were onto something significant that could make a real
difference in people’s lives.
We started to put more time into our record company and soon stopped
doing anything but that. We continued to release more albums and then
started to release albums by other artists who were making music we
felt could help people also.
mwe3: Tell us about the decisions to start up your recent LightOfMind.com
web site? When did it start?
Steve Gordon: After the first few years of our record company,
therapists started to contact us. They wanted us to make them recordings
with our music and their narration for their patients. This seemed like
a natural thing to do since our music also therapeutic.
Plus both of us had issues as a result of our hectic schedules. Our
music and nature sounds were helping but we were still struggling from
them. I was having insomnia and anxiety and David was having panic attacks
and was gaining weight.
We wanted to collaborate with these therapists to create recordings
that could help us with these problems. We also thought that this could
help others with similar struggles.
After producing some guided meditations with these therapists, we made
the decision to go more in this direction. So we decided to put together
a team of experts consisting of therapists, doctors and professional
hypnotists.
We drew upon our experience in both meditation music and in using recording
studios. We designed brand new audio techniques for personal growth
recordings. We used the professional recording equipment in our studio
to create new kinds of self-help and meditation audio.
 mwe3:
Self-improvement tapes and audio are not new. I remember my mom turning
me on to them back in the early 1980s. It seems like self-help tapes
are always popular.
Steve Gordon: When we first started Light of Mind in the 1980’s,
it was before the world wide web even existed. So we did not make a
website.
Instead we created a direct mail catalog and placed ads in magazines.
We also ran Light of Mind ads in national magazines like Psychology
Today, Discover and even Cosmopolitan. Our direct
mail catalog was a huge hit with many thousands mailed each year. The
response we got was phenomenal.
At that time we sold the products on cassette tapes. The original Light
of Mind cassettes were part of the rising interest in self-help tapes
at the time. Of course self-help had been popular long before that.
There were best-selling books such as How To Win Friends And Influence
People and Think and Grow Rich in the 1950s.
When we eventually created the Light of Mind website, we made the decision
to only offer audio downloads. It’s so easy to download files to
your computer and add them to your phone now. It’s the most convenient
way to listen to meditation and self help audio.
You can use a Bluetooth speaker or your computer Bluetooth to listen
or you can use ear buds.
But the versions of the audio products on the website are much different
than the original ones that were available on cassette. They have all
been re-mastered using our current state of the art studio and the latest
sound processing equipment.
We also changed and improved many of the products. For example, the
first version of the Subliminal
Threshold Affirmations series was only two, twenty minute
tracks. But the ones sold on the website have 6 tracks. Each track features
a different style of music that you can use for different activities.
mwe3: There are seven types of self-improvement audio products
on the Light Of Mind web site. Can you explain the differences between
those types of audio products?
 David
Gordon: We created each of the different kinds of product types
to be used in various ways. Some are designed for focused listening
such as Reflective
Self Hypnosis, Creative
Visualizations and some of the tracks on The
Transcendence Experience and the Self-Transformation
Courses. These are Theta-mind level tracks that you can
listen to while relaxed and focused.
Others are for listening to in the background while you go about other
activities. You can use those while driving, working, doing chores around
the house or anything you would listen to music doing. These audio tracks
are beta-mind level tracks that can you can use at any time.
Audio products that you can use this way are the Subliminal Threshold
Affirmation series, Digital Clarity Nature Sounds, Calm Music
and some tracks on The Transcendence Series and the Self-Transformation
Courses.
But whether you use subliminals, hypnosis or meditations or courses,
the personal growth concept is the same.
The basic idea is this: We are limited in creating the life we want
because of negative programming. We absorbed these limiting beliefs
from our parents, teachers, society and culture.
Even if we make efforts to be happy and successful, the limiting beliefs
hold us back.
The audio downloads from Light of Mind bypass the conscious mind and
reprogram the subconscious mind. Then you are free to manifest the life
you truly want to live.
You can do this with the hypnosis, subliminal messages, guided meditations
and creative visualization audio downloads from Light of Mind.
Your subconscious becomes saturated with these new positive beliefs.
You discover you are able to change bad habits like overeating and be
more confident. You become more successful, make more money or feel
less stressed. You're more relaxed and create fulfilling relationships.
Once your subconscious or inner mind is no longer working against you,
the changes in your life can be dramatic. And they can happen quickly.
 There
are many articles on our Ideal Reality Blog that have links to
new research. These studies that show how effective these self-help
techniques are. The power of hypnosis, subliminals and positive affirmations
is proven by science in study after study.
It makes sense. Our minds believe whatever we tell ourselves.
Much of what we believe about ourselves is negative due to bad experiences
in childhood, from our parents or from limiting ideas from our culture
and society.
So most people walk around feeling so bad about themselves they struggle
to become successful. And when they do get some success, they can’t
enjoy it and end up losing what they had.
By bathing your inner mind with positive, supportive and empowering
affirmations and visualizations, your life starts to change. And the
change can often come very fast.
As you continue to flood your subconscious with new beliefs that help
you instead of block you, things start to become easier and easier.
Everything falls into place and soon you will have created your ideal
reality.
Some Light of Mind product types allow you to flood your inner mind
with these positive new beliefs during any activity. Others are for
listening with your full attention as a break during the day, or at
bedtime.
There are even some audio products you can listen to while you sleep
when your subconscious is very receptive to positive messages.
Over 750,000 people have changed their lives with Light of Mind audio
products. Since we started we have received a steady stream of letters
and emails from people sharing their success with us. They have reached
their goals, become more successful, are making more money and have
overcome negative habits and unproductive patterns.
mwe3: What makes the Light Of Mind products special and different
from the others?
Steve Gordon: When you listen to a Light of Mind audio download,
you hear the difference right away. You are drawn into the experience
in a way no other self-help audio does.
The quality of the sound and the music is without equal in self improvement
audio. This makes the downloads much more effective because you are
enveloped in sound that aligns your left and right brain.
 The
most unique thing about Light of Mind audio and what sets us apart from
others is that David and I are pioneers in meditation music. We were
among the very first to create music for meditation and relaxation.
When we design the Light of Mind audio tracks, we use our knowledge
of meditation music. We combined that with our many years of experience
using high end audio processing found in recording studios.
As founders of Sequoia Records, we have sold over 2 million albums of
acclaimed meditation music and calm music. We've won many awards and
charted on the Billboard New Age Music top 15 multiple times.
We have found ways to use high end audio processing gear to create truly
revolutionary self help audio.
For example, in other subliminal audio recordings, the volumes of the
positive affirmations are reduced so they can’t be heard over the
sound of the music.
As musicians and recording engineers we knew this was not going to be
good enough. That is because the volume of the music is not always the
same. There are sections of music that are quiet and other sections
that are loud.
We discovered a way to use our audio processing equipment to automatically
track the volume changes in the music. This way the subliminal affirmations
are always just quiet enough that your conscious mind can’t hear
them, but loud enough that your subconscious mind can.
That’s just one small example of what we do on every recording
and every series.
We also have entire series of products that are completely original
that you can’t find anywhere else.
The
Transcendence Experience is a totally new idea in meditation
and self help audio. The affirmations are not subliminal and they are
also not completely audible. Instead, they are blended with the calm
music soundtracks using a process we call Sonic Synergy.
This allows your conscious and subconscious mind to hear and respond
to the positive affirmations at the same time.
You can listen to these tracks as you go about other activities like
you would use a subliminal audio track. But unlike a subliminal you
can hear the affirmations. However, since the affirmations are blended
with the music using sonic synergy, they are not distracting.
 The
Transcendence Experience audio downloads also have guided meditations
called directed contemplations. These feature Sonic Synergy but since
you are hearing the affirmations while in the meditative state they
are even more powerful.
There is nothing like this anywhere and people have been learning to
meditate at faster rate that ever before.
mwe3: Which products on the LightOfMind.com web site are the
most popular?
David Gordon: Of our 7 product types, the Subliminal Threshold
Affirmations are the most popular. After that the Reflective
Self Hypnosis and The Transcendence Series are the ones that
are most popular.
The Self-Transformation Courses is also very popular, especially
the Higher Self courses.
There are 17 topic categories of products. The most popular ones are:
Weight Loss and Fitness, Self-Confidence & Self-Esteem, Attracting
Wealth, Better Sleep, Brain / Mind Power, Love & Relationships,
Metaphysical / Spiritual
mwe3: Are you finding a spike in sales or interest due to the
current disarray in the world today or have these products gained their
popularity over time?
Steve Gordon: We have seen an increase in interest and sales
over the last couple years without a doubt. As world events become more
unpredictable and difficult, people are searching for solutions. They
are looking for ways to feel less anxious, make more money, sleep better
and be more successful.
Light of Mind audio downloads are tools for transformation that people
can use to overcome fear, reduce stress and be healthier.
We get emails from people every day who tell us how their lives have
are transformed by listening to Light of Mind audio.
But it’s not just due to the problems in the world today. Our self-help
and transformational audio has always attracted a lot of interest and
its popularity has continued to grow.
 Listening
to meditation and self-help audio like this is a great way to give yourself
an extra edge in life. It's an easy way to give yourself a way to overcome
many of the things that get in your way. Some of the obstacles are from
society and the way things are in the world and some come from childhood.
It’s simple to listen to self-improvement audio like this and make
it part of your lifestyle. Especially nowadays that you can add the
tracks to you phone and listen to them anywhere. That's why more and
more people are doing it.
mwe3: Could you tell the readers about where you’re from
originally and where you grew up? You have said that your New Age music
that you release on your label Sequoia Records, originally came out
of your love of progressive rock bands like YES and Genesis, so how
about your interest in therapeutic and healing music, where did that
interest spring forth from?
David Gordon: We grew up in Los Angeles and that is where we
had our careers as session players, and we currently live in the San
Francisco North Bay.
Our interest in healing and meditation music came from a couple of things.
We had such positive experiences with meditation but also still had
stress-related problems such as anxiety and insomnia.
By composing soothing music we were able to not only meditate easier
but we were also able lower our stress levels.
When we started making that kind of music we saw how much it helped
other people in the same way it had helped us. So it was very natural
to continue to make more healing music for people.
mwe3: You also mentioned Carlos Castenada as an influence. How are
influences from different genres, musical and literary and even medical,
important in creating your music and the Light Of Mind work? Does it
all converge into one unified whole? Is that what your goal is?
Steve Gordon: The Carlos Castaneda Don Juan books along with
hiking in the desert also had a big influence on our music. We felt
a strong connection to the earth in the desert and in the mountains.
 We
recorded many albums of meditation music that expressed the serenity
of natural environments. And then we discovered the power of shamanic
drumming. We then began to record music that had a rhythm to it while
still staying connected to the inner peace of meditation.
Shamanic drumming has been used for thousands of years by cultures all
around the world for accessing the shamanic state of consciousness.
That is really just another way of being in the meditative state.
In some ways the use of the drum by ancient cultures was the first brain
states music! By timing the beat of their drum to the 60 cycle speed
of a resting heart rate, they would synchronize their body and breathing
with their heartbeat. This caused people to go into a relaxed state
that would enable them to perform visualizations known as vision quests.
The vision quests were the ancient version of meditation and self help
audio of today. The goal is the same – to use music and words to
change your brain state. Then you can access the power of visualization
and replace your fears and negative thoughts with ones of a positive
and abundant future.
The different types of meditation music we have created along with the
various kinds of Light
of Mind transformational audio are all connected to one idea
- using sound to change your brain state so you can be centered, relaxed,
prosperous and healthy.
On our album Sacred Spirit Drums we have a song called “The
Path With A Heart.” That’s what Sequoia Records and Light
of Mind are to us.
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