My Song Featured in Godfrey Reggio's Latest Film

Every artist dreams of seeing their work find a life of its own--somewhere meaningful that expands the creative conversation they began. Today, I get to share a piece of news that feels like exactly that kind of moment. My 2014 song "Snake Dance" has been officially included in the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for Once Within a Time, directed by the renowned filmmaker Godfrey Reggio. "Snake Dance" is the 12th track on the album, featuring vocals by Sussan Deyhim. Composed by longtime collaborator Philip Glass, this visionary soundtrack unfolds as a fusion of orchestral minimalism, avant-garde textures, and cinematic soundscapes.

From visionary filmmaker of Koyaanisqatsi (a Hopi word meaning "life out of balance"), Godfrey Reggio's new film Once Within a Time is a playful apocalyptic fairy tale, and a poetic critique of the modern world. The film is a non-narrative, experimental work, told without dialogue, where the music informs the imagery and vice versa. Philip Glass's score, as expected, plays an essential role. Glass has been Reggio's musical partner for over 40 years, and his compositions have always served as emotional, structural counterpoints to Reggio's imagery. 

Here, Glass delivers one of his most playful works in recent memory. The music dances, pulses, and oscillates with a childlike buoyancy, yet beneath the whimsy lies a nervous tension--a sense that the brightly colored world is tilting toward catastrophe. Glass's score becomes a kind of heartbeat, guiding the audience through the film's oscillation between enchantment and dread. To have "Snake Dance" woven into this tapestry feels profoundly affirming, and I couldn't be more thrilled to share this milestone with you.

A Film That Defies Categories

Godfrey Reggio's Once Within a Time is a visually arresting film that continues the director's lifelong exploration of humanity's relationship with technology, nature, and consciousness. Like his earlier Qatsi Trilogy: (Koyaanisqatsi (1982), Powaqqatsi (1988), and Naqoyqatsi (2002), the film dispenses with dialogue and conventional storytelling, instead weaving together a stream of striking, symbolic imagery that feels at once ancient and futuristic. Reggio constructs a surreal, mythic world--part dreamscape, part cautionary tale--where human figures, masked archetypes, and swirling digital environments interact in a ritualistic dance of creation, destruction, and rebirth.

At the heart of the film is an inquiry into what it means to be human in an age defined by acceleration and fragmentation. Through distorted perspectives, rapid-fire montage, and hypnotic rhythmic pacing, Reggio contrasts the innocence of childhood with the overwhelming spectacle of modern technology. The film blurs boundaries between the physical and the virtual, suggesting that contemporary life has become a kind of enchanted spell--mesmerizing, disorienting, and spiritually destabilizing. Rather than offering direct commentary, Reggio relies on visceral, symbolic images to evoke reflection in the viewer, inviting interpretation rather than prescribing meaning.

Visually and sonically, Once Within a Time is an immersive experience. The cinematography combines practical effects, digital manipulation, masks, and theatrical staging to create a world that feels both handcrafted and otherworldly. Accompanied by a mesmerizing score from composer Philip Glass, the film becomes a meditation on the collective psyche--its anxieties, its hopes, and its unresolved tensions. Ultimately, Once Within a Time is less a story than a cinematic ritual, calling the viewer to step outside linear thinking and encounter the modern world as a living myth unfolding in real time.

The Journey of "Snake Dance"

My inspiration for writing "Snake Dance" came from the biennial dance of the same name, which has been performed for thousands of years by the Hopi Tribe in northeastern Arizona. The Snake Dance is the grand finale of a 16-day ceremonial to pray for rain and the renewal of nature in their arid environment. The Hopi people believe their ancestors originated in an underworld, and that their deities and the spirits of ancestors live there. Rattlesnakes are regarded as powerful spiritual intermediaries between the people and the spirit world. They call rattlesnakes their "little brothers" and trust that they will carry their prayers to the rain deities beneath the earth. 

Thus, the Hopi dancers sway rhythmically around the village plaza carrying snakes in their mouths to impart prayers to them. The snakes are respectfully handled, purified, and eventually released in the direction of the cardinal points, symbolically delivering blessings and rain petitions to the life-giving powers of the Four Winds. The movements of the dancers, the rhythmic accompaniment of songs and rattles, and the carefully choreographed roles of various participants all contribute to an atmosphere charged with reverence, intention, and transformation. I tried to evoke the dance's transformative power when I wrote "Snake Dance."

Over time, "Snake Dance" became one of those evocative pieces that seemed to generate its own mythology. Listeners told me they used it for meditation, spiritual work, ecstatic dance, and creative flow. It was never just a song; it was something living. When I learned that it would be included in the soundtrack of Once Within a Time, it felt like the filmmaker had seen the same spirit in the piece that I did. The connection made sense: the film is, in a way, a dance of its own--a serpent twisting through symbolic landscapes, changing shape as it moves. "Snake Dance" finding a home in that world feels like the song has completed a full circle.

How It Feels to Be Part of This Vision

Being included in a film soundtrack is always special, but being included in this soundtrack is something else entirely. Godfrey Reggio's films have influenced generations of artists. His work has shaped the visual language of music videos, documentaries, and even entire genres of cinema. The chance to have a small voice within that legacy is something I'll carry with me.

But there's also a more personal layer to this. As artists, we often create in solitude. We write, record, revise, and wonder if what we're making will ever step beyond our own creative space. When something we've made breaks into the wider world--when it becomes part of a larger work of art--it feels like confirmation that our impulses were understood. That the energy we put into the world was received.

To hear "Snake Dance" within the context of the film--woven into its textures, its rhythms, its surreal cinematic heartbeat--was deeply moving. It reminded me why I make music in the first place: to connect, to express something elemental, to be part of a continuing conversation about what it means to be alive in this moment.

A Celebration and a Beginning

The release of the Once Within a Time (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is a celebration, not just of the film, but of the collaborations and creative cross-pollinations that made it possible. I am profoundly grateful to everyone involved in bringing this dreamlike project into being--and grateful beyond words to have "Snake Dance" included on the album.

This moment also feels like a beginning. A doorway. A reminder that art, once released, can journey to places the creator never expected. My hope is that listeners who discover the song through the soundtrack feel the same serpentine pulse and transformative energy that first inspired me to write it.

Where to Listen

The full Once Within a Time Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is now available across streaming platforms, and "Snake Dance" is the 12th track on the album. I invite you to explore the soundtrack in its entirety--it's a powerful, immersive experience in its own right. And if you're new to my work and arriving through the film, welcome. I'm honored that our paths are crossing in this way.

-- Michael Drake

How Gratitude Rewires Your Brain

As we celebrate this season of Thanksgiving, science is revealing that our autumn tradition of giving thanks might be more powerful than we ever imagined. Research reveals that expressing gratitude doesn't just make us feel good momentarily: it actually reshapes our brains in ways that enhance our well-being long after the holiday dishes are cleared away.

Gratitude is often spoken of as a virtue, a moral practice, or a spiritual discipline. But beneath its soft, heart-centered surface lies something far more surprising: gratitude is a neural rewiring tool, capable of reshaping your brain's architecture, altering your emotional patterns, and strengthening your overall psychological well-being. What seems like a simple mindset shift--saying "thank you," noticing a blessing, or appreciating someone--actually creates powerful and measurable changes in the brain.

In recent years, neuroscience and psychology researchers have taken a closer look at gratitude, and the findings confirm what ancient wisdom traditions have known all along: gratitude fundamentally upgrades the mind. It's not merely a fleeting feeling; it's a biological process. And with consistent practice, it can change your life.

Gratitude and the Brain's Reward System

At its core, gratitude activates the brain's reward circuitry, the same network lit up by joy, connection, and meaningful experiences. When you feel genuine appreciation, areas like the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, and medial prefrontal cortex become active. These regions release dopamine--the "feel-good" neurotransmitter--which reinforces positive behavior.

This dopamine release means that gratitude acts like a natural antidepressant. Over time, repeatedly stimulating your reward system through grateful awareness strengthens these neural pathways, making it easier to access positive emotions even during difficult times. It's similar to building a mental muscle: the more you practice gratitude, the more your brain automatically scans for what's going well instead of what's going wrong.

Shifting Out of Survival Mode

Your brain is hardwired to look for danger--a useful trait for survival, but not always helpful in the modern world. The amygdala, the brain's fear center, constantly scans for threats. Chronic negativity, rumination, and stress strengthen the amygdala, making it more reactive and sensitive.

Gratitude calms this threat-detection system.

Studies show that gratitude practices reduce the activity of the amygdala while increasing activation in the prefrontal cortex--the region responsible for decision-making, emotional regulation, and higher reasoning. In other words, gratitude pulls you out of fight-or-flight mode and into a more grounded, resilient, clear-thinking state.

When gratitude becomes a habit, the brain learns to dampen stress responses more quickly. You become less reactive, more centered, and more capable of responding wisely instead of impulsively. This shift supports improved relationships, better emotional balance, and even physical health benefits like lower inflammation and reduced blood pressure.

The Power of Neuroplasticity

One of the most compelling aspects of gratitude is how it harnesses neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize itself. Every thought you think strengthens or weakens certain neural pathways. When you repeatedly focus on appreciation--big or small--you are firing a set of neurons that, over time, wire together.

As this pathway strengthens, gratitude becomes a default mode rather than an occasional emotion.

People who practice gratitude consistently report:

• more optimism
• higher levels of life satisfaction
• greater resilience
• improved sleep
• deeper social bonds

This happens because the brain literally becomes better at generating positive emotions. It's not about ignoring problems; it's about training the mind to see a fuller picture--one that includes beauty, support, and possibility.

Gratitude and the Social Brain

Gratitude is inherently relational. When you feel thankful for someone, the brain lights up in areas connected to empathy, trust, and bonding. The hormone oxytocin, sometimes called the "love hormone," is released during experiences of gratitude, strengthening feelings of closeness and safety.

This makes gratitude one of the most potent tools for improving relationships. Whether in families, friendships, or partnerships, expressing appreciation creates an upward spiral: the more gratitude is shared, the more connected people feel, and the more likely they are to continue offering support and kindness.

Gratitude also reduces envy, comparison, and social anxiety. It shifts focus from scarcity--what's missing--to abundance--what's already present.

Long-Term Brain Changes from Gratitude Journaling

One of the simplest and most researched ways to build gratitude is through journaling. Even writing down three things you're grateful for a few times a week can create lasting changes in the brain.

In functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, participants who journaled about gratitude showed long-term increases in activity in the prefrontal cortex and other brain regions associated with emotional regulation and decision-making. Even months after the journaling practice ended, their brains continued to show these strengthened patterns.

What's notable here is that gratitude doesn't need to be practiced daily to work. What matters is the quality of attention--the sincerity and mindful awareness you bring to the practice.

Gratitude as an Antidote to Stress and Anxiety

Chronic stress rewires the brain toward hypervigilance and negativity. Gratitude works in the opposite direction: it slows down the stress response by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs rest, relaxation, and healing.

When you feel grateful, your breathing slows, your heart rate stabilizes, and your body shifts into a state of safety. This steady, repeated experience retrains your nervous system over time, making you more resilient to future stressors.

Even during moments of anxiety or worry, pausing to notice something you appreciate--even something tiny--can interrupt the cascade of fearful thoughts. Gratitude becomes a grounding force, a way to anchor yourself in the present.

Practical Ways to Rewire Your Brain with Gratitude

You don't need hours of meditation or elaborate rituals to benefit from gratitude. Small, consistent practices are enough to create measurable brain changes.

Here are simple, science-backed ways to weave gratitude into daily life:

1. The Three-Item Gratitude List: Write three things you're grateful for each morning or night. Be specific. The detail deepens the neural impact.

2. Savor Something Small: Pick one ordinary moment--warm sunlight, a cup of tea, laughter--and savor it for 10 seconds. This strengthens the brain's reward circuitry.

3. Gratitude Letters: Write a letter to someone you appreciate. You don't even have to send it; the act of writing alone creates powerful emotional benefits.

4. Verbal Appreciation: Telling someone why you appreciate them strengthens social bonds and boosts both your mood and theirs.

5. Gratitude Pause: In stressful moments, ask yourself: What is still good right now? This interrupts stress patterns and shifts brain activity toward calm and clarity.

The Transformation Over Time

While gratitude may feel simple, its impact is profound. Over time, your brain begins to:

• tune into positive experiences faster
• let go of negative thoughts more easily
• manage stress with greater ease
• connect more deeply with others
• maintain a more stable emotional baseline

This is the true magic of gratitude: it doesn't just make you feel good--it rewires you to become someone who can access joy, resilience, and connection more naturally.

Gratitude is a Powerful Neurological Tool

Gratitude isn't just a feel-good practice; it's a powerful neurological tool. By intentionally cultivating appreciation, you're reshaping your brain, upgrading your emotional patterns, and building a more fulfilling, connected, and grounded life. You don't need perfect conditions to begin. You only need awareness--one moment of appreciation at a time. When you give thanks, your brain listens. And in listening, it transforms.