Author: Bhagavati (Sharon) Nani

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Hope and beauty through music

I can’t seem to get enough of this young woman, Alma Deutscher. I find her inspiring on so many levels…and I think Swami Kriyananda would have found her as delightful as I do.

In fact, I think Swamiji would consider her a kindred spirit when it comes to her perspective on the purpose and meaning of music. If you haven’t listened to this video yet, I’ve cued up the section where Alma introduces the Siren Sounds Waltz by explaining her commitment to writing beautiful music.

And here’s what she had to say after receiving the European Culture Prize last October: “Until now, I have always composed melodies and harmonies just as they pour out from my heart. But I have often been told: ‘as a modern composer, you’ll soon have to forget your melodies, and concentrate on dissonance, as befits our modern age.’ But maybe this award today means that a more tolerant age is dawning, when melody and beauty will once again be permitted. Perhaps this is a message that there is more to European Culture than just dissonance. Perhaps there is also a place in European Culture for harmony. And how beautiful it would be if this message could go out into the world from Vienna, from the city of music.”

The Star of Hope. The Choir of Hope. A passion for expressing beauty in melody and harmony. A charming manner and droll sense of humor. Articulate and very intelligent. What’s not to love?!?

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All new, not yet normal

We can’t sing together as a choir right now.

So we’re all putting together remote, individually recorded, then cobbled together, videos.

But so many new levels of technology happening all at once is daunting for many of us.

And the frustration is double if it doesn’t work: you lost the battle with the technology and you don’t get to be part of the choir video!

It will get easier; and then maybe we can settle into a “new normal.”

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Surmounting difficulties


“Surmounting difficulties” is definitely what Ramesha’s been doing these past few days. For weeks now he’s been working really hard as he gets ready to launch his new album; challenging himself to learn new skills, pushing himself to meet lofty goals.

And then… POW! Setback after setback and obstacle after obstacle; mostly having to do with the documentary he created (see the video).

It’s no wonder he was thrown for a loop; most of the issues seemed random and nonsensical. And after three solid weeks of putting his heart and soul into it, it’s not surprising that he was frustrated enough to be tempted to throw in the towel.

Luckily he hung in there until the storm passed and is now finding solutions to those (still) random and nonsensical issues. And in the meantime, people who view the documentary are expressing their appreciation for what he created and their eagerness to receive the CD.

The moral of the story?

Without tapasya there is no significant spiritual progress. 

Swami Nirmalananda Giri

Surmounting difficulty is the crucible that forms character.

Tony Robbins

In my estimation, Ramesha is making significant spiritual progress and forming lots and lots of character! 🥰

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Good but hard

Today was the kind of day that you feel good about accomplishing a lot while also feeling kind of discouraged at how hard it all seems.

I’m grateful for all of it, but confess that I’m ready to bring this day to a close.

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Drawing on hope

I tried to write a completely different blog post tonight, but it just wouldn’t come together. So I’m falling back on something from yesterday (or was it the day before?).

At any rate, it’s a song I’ve loved ever since I was young and it lifts my spirits during challenging times.

Walk on
Walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone…

It’s from the musical Carousel, which is maybe the only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that I couldn’t watch all the way through. I just couldn’t stomach the plot, but — oh my goodness! it had wonderful music. And this song is particularly pertinent in these times, when we need all the hope we can get.

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Mind expanding

How’s that for a mind expanding, brain boggling concept?!? Yes, because “everyone” means just that — every single one.

The problem is that it’s hard to remember, accept, or even embrace the fact that everyone (yes, every single person) is at their own, unique level of consciousness, which is the filter through which they live their life. And from that level of consciousness everything (yes, every single thing) they think or do makes perfect sense — to them.

As I learned in NLP training many years ago: There are no un-resourceful people, only un-resourceful states. Help someone change their state of being; help them see better choices, and their behaviors will change.

Or as Asha up it in a Sunday service, also decades ago: If I could’a done better, I would’a done better. Which — of course — can also be stated: If they could’a done better, they would’a done better.

I do my best to apply these ideas to people whose behavior seems absolutely nuts to me; it helps me stay compassionate while building some serious spiritual muscle!

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Some Good News

I’m not all that up-to-date on the latest TV and movie stars, so it’s no big surprise that I had never heard of John Krasinski*. When I caught a a little bit of the first episode of his Some Good News show, I liked the idea of the positive focus but couldn’t quite get a bead on it. So I just shrugged it off.

But then a friend shared an excerpt from the second episode and this caught my attention. In fact, I was intrigued enough that I watched the entire episode — mostly in order to figure out what/who this was…and I liked it!

It really is oriented around positive news, delivered with a sort of tongue-in-cheek snarkiness that I quite enjoyed! But what tickled me the most is the segment that starts at the 8:27 mark, when John introduces Aubrey.

Watching Aubrey’s face as amazing surprises unfold over the ensuing eight minutes is pure gold. I was blown away and even moved to realize the extent of cooperation and generous spirits that came together to manifest such an over-the-top experience for this little girl.

Oh, and the music is incredible, too! 😄

* He’s actually a rather famous actor, director, producer kind of guy, but — who knew?

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The long haul

There’s no getting around it: we really are in this for the long haul! And I’m struggling to comprehend the full extent of how this will impact our music ministry.

I almost feel guilty typing these words, when there are people facing issues of life and death or utter poverty as a result of the pandemic.

But the fact is that music has been a key element of Ananda from the very start. Swami Kriyananda composed over 400 pieces of music which, over the fifty years of Ananda’s existence, became like the soundtrack of Ananda throughout the world.

Participating in choir; performing for Sunday service; offering our devotion through chanting; singing before meals and before meetings…our lives have been permeated with the music of Ananda.

So what happens when we can’t sing together?!? Well, we’re about to find out. 😕