Unstoppable Joy

I wonder what might happen
if all the beings in all the worlds
were free from suffering and without desire
and burst into unstoppable joy
I wonder what might happen
if all the stars in all the skies
were strung together with a common thread
and shone together in common light
the light of love

I am that I am that I am Love, Unstoppable Love
I am that I am that I am Light, Un-fade-able Light
I am that I am that I am Joy, Unstoppable Joy
I am that I am that I am that I am,
Unstoppable Joy

I wonder what might happen
If all the eyes began to see
the mystery of love unfolding
in the perfection of you and me
I wonder what might happen
if all the hearts that felt the pulse
would dance together in the rhythm of one song
and sing united as one voice
the voice of love

I am that I am that I am Love, Ustoppable Love
I am that I am that I am Light, Un-fade-able Light
I am that I am that I am Joy, Unstoppable Joy
I am that I am that I am that I am,
Unstoppable Joy

Listen To Unstoppable Joy
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‘Unstoppable Joy’ was born into the world through a moment of sheer ecstatic happiness. It was my birthday. I was walking downtown in Santa Cruz on a perfect summer evening, and stumbled upon the Singing Wood Marimba Band playing invigorating and booty-dancing music that uplifted my spirits more than any music I had previously heard. I danced with them for an hour, bought their cd and was especially inspired by one of the chord progressions of a song. I then went home, wrote this song, shared this story with them, and invited them to perform marimba on this track. 

‘Unstoppable Joy’ went on to inspire many of my collaborators, and became a seed song for developing a collaborative music video and community performance. We received a grant from the Santa Cruz Arts Council, which afforded us to create the video, bringing multiple artistic communities together (dancers, sand mandala designers) for several flash mob experiences spreading joy far and wide. We collaborated with a dozen different communities, organized our own pop-up dance routine, and performed it in several locations. It was a massive wave of fun and magic.

The making of this video project has been one of the biggest creative and emotional journeys of my life. From high hopes of having this song reach a global audience, paired with a dream of creating an infectious video exploding with fun and joy, to having several of my friends who were involved in the video, including the creative director, pass away suddenly during the making of it. In the midst of profound shock and grief, this video has asked me to dig deep into the realm of looking at what ‘Joy’ means in the midst of a full spectrum human experience.

What is Joy?
It’s clearly stoppable Mar Mar.
What exactly am I trying to do here?

Ive often wondered if I am a complete fake, attempting to share a message of Unstoppable Joy,
while my heart was breaking and I was encountering a depth of rage and grief that was all consuming.

I inwardly gave up on this project a few times. I lost sight of the purpose. I didn’t believe it. I busied myself chasing other muses. But this song asked more of me. She asked me to persevere. To thaw my heart and embody the message despite the harsh realities of the times we live in. To hold the paradox of life with an open heart. To feel deeper than what I thought Unstoppable Joy was. And after all these years, I have come to understand what this mission and vision was about for me as an artist. It’s not about having some perfect video, or some landmark piece of art, or a hit song. It is about generating blessings, coming together with community and celebrating life while we are alive to appreciate it.

And so it is. Tm I share this song again with a flash mob video in a prayer that it sparks joy even in times of distress, and reminds us of the power of coming together to galvanize the moment and bring beauty to the world.

May it be a blessing
#unstoppablejoy #butterfly