We had the good fortune of connecting with Mari Fix and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mari, what keeps you busy professionally?
“FRAGRANCE OF SOUND” ® or FOS is a leader in the cutting edge industry of “Sound Bath” therapeutic music and brain states. As a company, we offer Therapeutic Sound “Healing” sessions and Sound Bath experiences in the greater LA / Orange County areas as well as in other States, and in Northern California. We are additionally poised to begin offering events sometime in the near future internationally as well. CEO of “FRAGRANCE OF SOUND” ®, Mari Fix MacEwen, a Sound Therapy Professional with well over 25 years of extensive experience and credentials in Sound Therapeutics, Alternative Healing and Energetic Medicine, is the chief visionary and creative force behind the company. An earlier article was featured about Mari and the FRAGRANCE OF SOUND ® in Voyage LA Magazine in 2017. She will be covering different material in this article, so if you would like to view the original piece, you can access it here: Meet Mari Fix of Sound Bath’s by Mari & the FRAGRANCE OF SOUND – Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guid

If readers are unfamiliar with Sound Therapy, it is the science of how Sound effects the body’s “parasympathetic nervous system,” a physical system that allows healing to occur through relaxation.

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story? If you schedule a private session with us, you are going to get personalized attention from someone that truly cares about you. We will work together to create an experience that addresses your needs in a creative, healing, heart opening, innovative way. Be prepared for transformation! FRAGRANCE OF SOUND events are above and beyond and will make your imagination soar, inspiring you to see your life in an expansive new way. Here are a few testimonials: “Mari’s Sound Bath is beyond anything else I have experienced. It helped me to open up and connect to my deepest truth, it made me cry and it made me laugh. It is a journey that is unforgettable. Please, go and experience yourself. You will understand what I mean.” – Monica “Such a profound event as all of Mari’s events are! Absolutely spectacular! Thank you Mari for sharing your beautiful gifts!” – Jeanine “I want to extend my sincerest gratitude for yesterday’s sound bath. Everybody walked away feeling like a new person! I am so thankful and appreciative.” – Jehan “When you worked on me, the Vertigo I have had for a year went away. It is now gone.” – Tom “The best vibrational sound bath that I have attended – Mari and Stephen make it special with their amazing energy healing abilities and attunement with sound. Thank you.” – Barb Jo “The sound bath I attended was life changing. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.” – Sandra “The best sound bath I have ever attended.” – Jessee What sets FOS apart from others? “FRAGRANCE OF SOUND ®,” is unique as we combine both cutting edge approaches that harness the body’s relaxation response with Ancient Healing practices and energetic medicine modalities to create a deeper space of healing for the individual. Clients have reported aliments that have plagued them for years disappearing, as well as deep encounters with their internal landscape. Mari’s background, certifications and credentials in multiple energetic modalities, Sound Healing, Arts Therapy, Mindfulness and Taoist Meditation, Tai Chi, Chi Kung, Indigenous Ceremony and Ways, Forest Meditation, Color and Aroma Therapy, Flower Essences, Counseling, Archetypes, and NVC set her apart from all the rest, as her skill set from years of study is broad, holistic and gives her the ability to address challenges with a variety of solutions. Further, she has a degree in Theater Arts from CSULB which she can draw upon when creating her events. the “Fragrance of Sound” ® is an ambient soundscape healing experience invoking harmonic sacred sound, and experiential primordial multi-sensory states of awareness ™ With the ability to provide both “simple streamlined” sound bath therapeutic / energetic medicine work as well as immersive multi-sensory experiences, a cornucopia of possibilities are available. What are you most excited about currently? With the advent of Covid 19 and the “New Normal,” “FRAGRANCE OF SOUND ®” has been working on establishing Online Events that participants can access from the comfort and safety of their own home. Most all platforms currently being utilized for this purpose by other Sound Bath providers are less than professional sounding. FOS has spent the last 6 months working on this issue, as obtaining the highest Sound quality is something we strive to provide in our healing sessions, experiences and events. As industry music and sound professionals, we will continue to pursue due diligence in this matter. Excellence on all levels is important to us as healing and sound quality are intrinsically connected. Many Sound Bath providers do not have enough knowledge in pro audio to understand the inherent issues in Online Web Concert Production nor what to do about them since few have a background in professional music, recording and audio, let alone credentials in Therapeutic Sound. How did I get where I am today? Was it easy? I got where I am today by having an insatiable thirst for knowledge and an interest in providing the best for the client. This led me to deep dive into sound design, healing, and all my alternative medicine training. I am always learning more as I am continually up-leveling my education by honing and acquiring new skills. As far as easy, this is not a word that I would use to describe my journey. The pursuit of excellence is a lifestyle and it requires doing whatever it takes and all that the path entails. If you put yourself repeatedly into the position to learn more and you are never self satisfied, you master your art. If you delve into un-charted waters again and again you will deepen your understanding. The word easy or hard is applicable only when describing the arrival at a goal. When one continually seeks their own excellence and development, there is no stopping at a destination.

Why did you decide to pursue a creative path? 
In my work, offering multi-sensory Sound Healing / Sound Bath Alternative Health appointments and events , I value integrity and true Service. I would say that there are popular myths about sound and healing that don’t necessarily adhere to reality, so I do not disseminate them. For me, since I value integrity, this puts my work into a different category, as I don’t see my clients and our interactions as a means to a personal end. Rather, I see interaction as an extension of my values, so truth telling is paramount in this relationship. In other words, the hype is taken out. Advertising thus does not become something done inherently to make money; instead, I seek to provide an experience that highlights the re-imagining of a new paradigm, a new life, a new possibility and a new way of being. This new possibility encourages the participant to feel into their own healing, plumb their subconscious beliefs and question whether or not these beliefs are true and if they are serving both the client’s life and the wholeness of life. Here we can experiment and see tangible results of this experimentation. Ancient ways of healing are brought forward that had been forgotten. These ways include the experiencing of the vibration of sound upon the body and psyche, group music-making and participation, meditation, contemplative practices, breathing and sounding practices, alternative healing modes, energy medicine modalities, group connecting and shared experiences as well as storytelling, lighting, theater and celebration. FRAGRANCE OF SOUND offerings stimulate the senses. This dovetails into why I chose an artistic career to be of Service to people. When it comes to communicating values, concepts, visions and choosing a medium that can harness feelings and provide experiences for transformation, the arts of music, dance, theater and storytelling seem to bypass the solely thinking mind to deliver an experience or message in a multi-sensory archetypal holistic way. This form of communication as many know, is documented in the Ancient Taoist Text, the I-Ching as Hexagram number 16, Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is defined as the capability of music and the arts to ignite our imagination, lifting us out of this world, or “business as usual.” Enthusiasm, hope and positively directed anger are truly energies that bring new insights, spurring us into the actions that can make changes and transform the world into a masterpiece of love and possibility. Concepts and insights delivered through Sound, Poetry, Storytelling, Self Reflection, Ceremony and Archetypal tales, ignite the re-imagining of one’s life and harness a personal AH HAH moment; one that the participant has for themselves when they connect the dots. This experience is far more powerful than being fed information, as it is deeply personal to the receiver and provides direction that comes from first-hand revelation. Multi-sensate information provided on the levels of sight, sound, smell and feeling, disseminate throughout the whole into many layers simultaneously, providing stimulus at a gut, heart, and pictorial level. Body, mind and spirit unite to inform. Energetic and archetypal allegory, awaken new pathways within, birthing alternative ways of seeing that can generate a more holistically meaningful response to life and its challenges. Coupled with relaxation, the body settles into a place where it can heal, renew and rejuvenate itself. “FRAGRANCE OF SOUND” would be honored to support your transformation, healing and personal growth. Join our events mailing list by writing fragranceofsound@yahoo.com or by visiting our website. We welcome you to our joyous community.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If a close friend was coming to LA and I wanted to give them the best experience, I would take them to Topanga Canyon. Since I am a Nature person and encourage every person out there to connect to the Earth and Her healing power of grounding and quieting the mind, I would opt to go hiking in picturesque Topanga State Park, located at 20828 Entrada Rd, Topanga, CA 90290. Topanga State Park has some great hiking trails and is the perfect outing to maintain social distancing while frolicking in the great outdoors. With white-tailed mule deer and a multitude of hiking trails, Topanga is the perfect getaway. I recently saw a small shy-natured bob cat running the trail there. A wonderful and magical encounter. Very close to Topanga State Park is one of my favorite restaurants, “Inn of the Seventh Ray.” This restaurant has some of the best cheese cake and carrot cake on this planet as well as a diverse selection of Vegan, Vegetarian, Fish, Poultry and Meat dishes and will please the most finicky eater with their top notch cuisine. What makes the “Inn of the Seventh Ray” so spectacular is the ambience of being in a lush outdoor garden with fairy-like lights and soft enchanting music at every table. Many tables have their own private and charming alcove for a secluded intimate experience. The food is amazing and they provide alkaline filtered water to enhance your digestion ! Another favorite restaurant is “Follow Your Heart” in Canoga Park at 21825 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303. “Follow Your Heart” is a hop, skip and a jump away from Topanga Canyon. This is a Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant that has a long history of offering incredibly tasty health food options and specialty soups. And the pie? Heavenly. I get the Follow Your Heart Nut Burger, the Mushroom Burger or the Lasagna. You can ask to taste samples of their soups before deciding on your soup order I love this place and go there a lot. Often a street performer is playing gentle melodious music that can be heard if you sit in the outdoor seating, so you may luck out and get a serenaded dinner. He greatly appreciates tips! I would also take my friend to visit the Pacific Ocean at one of the turnoffs in Malibu that allows you beach access. In the spirit of experiencing tranquility from being in Nature, the Ocean brings a sense of awe and vastness to the forefront. Coming from Topanga Canyon, turn right when you get to the Ocean, then go past Zuma Beach on the left and keep going North to find the turn offs. Malibu is close to Topanga Canyon and is a must see with its towering cliffs and majestic ocean views. This is what tourists come to California for, but these spots are not over-run with people at all. You may see only four or five people at these turnoffs and on the beach below. The other beautiful spot to visit located in the same general vicinity is “Self Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine” Gardens with a lake, swans and a meditation chapel. “Self Realization Fellowship” was founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, author of “Autobiography of a Yogi,” who was one of the first Yogis that brought meditation to the West in the 1920’s. A perfect place to relax, reflect and take in the scenery. Located in Pacific Palisades south of Malibu, “Self Realization Lake Shrine” is at 17190, Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. Make sure and call ahead to book a reservation.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to give a Shout Out to a few specific people. Thank you Ron Wagner for helping me with my musical events and for your percussive artistry. Thank you also to Tchise Aje and Cynthia Rose Miller, a few friends that have tirelessly stood by me as I have navigated the challenges of pursuing a creative occupation and budding business. Additionally, a Shoutout to Luana Schertzberg for your love and support and K. Bach for the original inspiration to take up Therapeutic Sound Healing in 1990. Your mentor-ship has meant the world to me.

Website: https://www.sound-bath.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fragranceofsound/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mari-f-a7465919/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FRAGRANCEoSOUND
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the-FRAGRANCE-OF-SOUND-R-141736222566295/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sound-baths-by-fragrance-of-sound-los-angeles
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2z9_folRgGCmPXNQRVWR8w/videos?view_as=subscriber
Other: Fragrance of Sound Links – https://www.sound-bath.org/links

Image Credits
Aaron Sluder, Kersti Niglas, Tom Bartolac, Fragrance of Sound

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