(not necessarily in that order)
Here are some photos from this afternoon’s Music Leaders “Meet & Greet”. It was surprisingly well-attended, when you consider the many demands on everyone’s time!
All we really had time to do was go around the circle and share a little bit about ourselves and our experience with Ananda Music, but it was really inspiring to hear people’s stories and to see how–as different as we all are–we share a deep love and dedication to this music.
Another first! This morning our humongous “Global Choir” sang in the Temple of Light for the first time, and it was beyond amazing! There were singers from (literally) all around the world; many of whom we were meeting for the first time. Some are quite new to singing, but from the first notes of the warm-ups they all sounded glorious!
I think it’s because meditating together, serving together, and singing together are beautiful ways of uniting our energies into one harmonious whole.
What a joy it was to be in front directing, able to see all the joy-filled faces and feel myself a part of (surrounded and uplifted by) this incredible energy.
What do you get when you combine the new Temple of Light, hundreds of devotees coming together from around the world, and Swami Kriyananda’s absolutely astral melody, Life Mantra?
You get energy rising so high and so fast that you hardly know what to do with it! And you get swept away on a wave of bliss.
What a joy and a privilege to be a part of this experience with our choir tonight. An amazing start to an incredible week.
The good news is I’m enjoying the flow of writing this blog.
The bad news is…I’m enjoying the flow of writing this blog! The problem is I tend to write at night, which means I’m getting to bed later and later.
But the 50th anniversary officially kicks off tomorrow and if I begin the week already exhausted I’m going to be very sorry! Therefore…I’ll just say “good night”!
After lots and lots of detail work today, I think I’ll give my brain a rest and share a few photos from this week. 🙂
We’re down to the last three days before the 50th anniversary event, and I’m reminded of other intensely anticipated experiences in my life: my first trip to Europe when I was seventeen years old; the time I auditioned for the San Francisco Symphony; my graduate recitals; getting married…!
There wasn’t much I could have done differently in preparing for that first transatlantic flight, but the other examples all called for a certain balancing act…
The balance between…
Powering through (giving it everything I’ve got and doing my best right up until the Very. Last. Moment.
vs
Acceptance (taking a step back, acknowledging that maybe it’s not yet perfect, but it is as perfect as I’m capable of right now, and allowing myself to be where I am, and letting that be okay).
The balance between…
Technical mastery (gotta get that note/phrase/lick just right)
vs
Trusting the flow (I’ve done my best work; now it’s time to let the music itself guide me, so the “magic” can happen).
The balance between…
Attachment to outcome (I sooo want this to be really, really good–for my teacher, for my family, for my Guru even!)
vs
Nishkam karma (desireless action or action performed without any expectation of a specific result or reward).
I could go on but you get the idea. It’s not about ignoring the preparation or the technical matters. It is about finding that sweet spot where we transcend the preparation and technique and enter into something bigger than we are. An experience that I’m quite certain awaits us in the week ahead.
Ananda Village has been a pilgrimage site for years. Now the Temple of Light will be a powerful new pilgrimage site as well. As I write this, hundreds of people are on their way here to visit these holy places.
Village residents have been encouraged to see ourselves as being on pilgrimage this coming week as well; attending the events and soaking up the inspiration of this blessed time.
This point was brought home to me today as Ramesha and I made up a careful list, then I went grocery shopping. I really stocked up on things and later I found myself reflecting on the idea of “provisions”.
I feel like a throwback to an earlier era, “storin’ up provisions”! But I realize that the motivation behind it is that I want to minimize time spent thinking about mundane things like what to eat, so that I can be as present as possible to the blessings of the experience. Which is definitely part of what being on pilgrimage is about.
Can’t think about anything except the 50th and the Temple.
Well, that’s not entirely true…I do still manage to think of God and Guru occasionally throughout the day! 🙂
But today was bookended by the Temple: helped unload the new “meditation” chairs this morning and finished the day with a choir rehearsal in Wisdom classroom (part of the Temple complex). In between were emails and meetings and phone calls and copious details–all about the 50th and the Temple!
It’s becoming more and more real every day.
The new Temple of Light is wonderful, powerful, and inspiring on so many levels… but right now the music ministry is feeling particularly thrilled about having a closet of our own! And in the same building where we perform, so no more back and forth schlepping of stands and keyboards and crates and binders.
Today we made the big move…
In our eagerness to move into our closet, we overlooked one tiny little detail… with all our stuff there, we had to go ahead and switch tomorrow night’s rehearsal there as well! But, since they’re laying carpet in the sanctuary, we’ll rehearse in Wisdom classroom instead.
And so a new era begins!
At the request of the Sound Dept, a number of musicians–including Ramesha and I–spent time this evening playing and singing in the new Temple of Light.
The idea is to allow the sound team to become thoroughly acquainted with their new equipment and the new venue–all before the start of the biggest event in Ananda’s history.
The acoustic is amazing! You don’t get the full effect in this brief video because the sound folks were experimenting with equipment and levels, but trust me…it’s incredibile!
There really are no words to adequately describe the blessing it is to be part of bringing this Temple into manifestation, even in these little teeny ways.
Jai Guru! Jai Swamiji!