Cloisters

No hint of anything interesting to write, so I’ll share a beautiful recording of one of Swami Kriyananda’s most well-known songs instead.

Long I’ve called You, my Lord,
Long I’ve called You.
Many years I have longed for Your sight;
Bathed the darkness with tears of devotion,
Offered candles in prayer to Your light.
How much longer, Friend,
Must I cry Your name?
I am Yours, ever Yours.
Will You come?

First time

Tonight the Ananda Village choir had the first of what’s sure to be many “firsts”: we met–and had a (very brief) rehearsal–in the new Temple of Light!

There’s still scaffolding on the dais and lots of work yet to do between now and the start of the 50th anniversary/Temple dedication event, but we were fully able to experience the temple acoustic…which is amazing!

We also spent some figuring out how we’re going to make room for one hundred twenty (120!) singers on the dais for the 50th anniversary concert.

Mamma mia! 🙂

Music as entertainment


“Music is so much more than entertainment. It doesn’t merely reflect a state of consciousness: It also generates it.”
–Swami Kriyananda

It’s not that music can’t ever be entertainment. It’s just that we can benefit greatly from recognizing that it’s much more than “just” entertainment.

The next time you’re listening to your favorite music, notice where your consciousness is and whether your energy is going up the spine or down. Then ask yourself if where that music is taking you is where you really want to go.

Concert plans

The 50th anniversary concert–the first full concert in the new Temple of Light, happening the evening of Thursday, July 4–is shaping up to be a doozy!

There will be a small but highly accomplished orchestra, accompanying a 120-voice choir! We’ve got sixteen choir members coming from Ananda Assisi; thirteen singers are joining us from various Ananda centers in India; and one singer is coming from Isreal. This is in addition to the singers and musicians from every Ananda community and a number of meditation groups throughout the USA.

The program will consist of some of Swamiji’s most beloved songs and instrumental pieces–including a portion of Life Is a Quest for Joy; a selection from the Secrets of Love CD, and a beautifully choreographed dance to Invocation to the Woodland Devas.

It promises to be an unforgettable experience; if you can’t be with us in person, be sure and check out the live broadcast (click here for more info).

Sleepy time

This morning I participated in a special, all-community work day at Crystal Hermitage. Lots and lots was accomplished, but now all that fresh air and joyous activity is conspiring with a long week of late hours on the computer and making it impossible for me to keep my eyes open long enough to write much of anything.

As one of Swamiji’s songs says: “Sleep is calling…”

Singing in Italy

Sharing yesterday’s story has me thinking a lot more about my Italy touring experience. That brief period of my life was filled to overflowing with blessings but also fraught with intense spiritual growth. I hope to distill some of that experience into future blog posts, but for now I’ll just share a photo. Can you believe how young we all were?!?

The Ananda Singers in 2002 (from left to right)
Bottom: yours truly; Karen Gamow; Cristina Bechis
Middle: Frank Monahan; Mantrini Klippstein; David Gamow
Top: Lewis Howard; Bhaktan Klippstein

Harnessing energy

A wonderful memory popped into my mind out of the blue today; a real “highlight” kind of experience that I was happy to revisit…

For a couple of years back in 2002-2004, I had the great blessing of touring with an Ananda singing group in Italy. There’s a lot that could be said about the overall experience, but for now I’ll stick to this one particular performance.

We did quite a few school concerts, having a lot of fun sharing Swami Kriyananda’s children’s songs, many of which had been translated into Italian. On this particular day we were in the Italian city of Lucca, performing for an elementary school.

In addition to children’s songs, we also shared one of Ananda’s most popular and accessible chants:
Gioia, Gioia, Gioia,
Sempre nuova Gioia.
Joy, joy, joy, joy,
Ever-new joy, joy.

And–oh, how those children took to it! The energy grew bigger and bigger, the students clapping along with the chant with great enthusiasm and exuberance.

But at a certain point I had the subtle but clear intuition that the energy was on the verge of veering out of control; that if we tried to just stop, the children would be left agitated and restless–the last thing one wants when dealing with an auditorium full of elementary school students!

Following unexpected–but ultimately very helpful–inner guidance, I raised my arms above my head and started swaying back and forth to the chant. After a few moments the school children and their teachers followed suit. We were still having fun, but the noise level immediately dropped a few decibels and the energy started to refocus.

After some time, we dropped our arms and continued swaying back and forth in time with the chant. Chanting more softly, we gradually moved less and less until we weren’t moving at all. And, incredibly, the entire auditorium of young children went right along with us.

There was definitely a dynamic and powerful presence that filled the space as we finally brought the chant to a close. Looking back, I think we spontaneously harnessed the energy and helped everyone bring it back inside.

What a uniquely powerful, flow with the present moment, never to be repeated experience, for which I am sooooo grateful.

Stillness

Tonight my mind is blank, maybe because I was on the computer literally all day long. Whatever the cause, instead of writing I’ll share some beautiful music from Swami Kriyananda’s exquisite album, Secrets of Love.

The piece is titled Love Is the Voice of Stillness and I especially appreciate the way Swamiji conveys the very essence of stillness. As I listen I find myself imagining that this could be what suspended animation would feel like.

Speeding up

Have you also had the experience of feeling like someone just turned up the speed dial of your life? As if you were a 33 rpm record (remember those?!?) but someone switched the setting to 45 rpm?

Well, that’s how today felt to me, which I guess is why–while meditating at the end of the day–the image of Lucille Ball and the candy conveyor belt just popped into my mind. I’ll include a clip of it below, in case you’ve never seen it.

After laughing through a couple of viewings of the video I feel much better about just taking things day by day and doing my best to keep up. Ha ha ha!

Many Hands…

While writing yesterday’s blog I was mostly focused on everything that was on my plate, or the music ministry’s plate, for the 50th.

Tonight we had an all-community satsang about the 50th, our last chance to all gather in one place, hear the latest updates, and understand more fully the scope of the endeavor. The amount and range of details required to pull this off is astonishing!

But here’s the thing: yesterday I was mostly feeling overwhelmed while tonight when I left the gathering I was filled with joy and enthusiasm. Even after hearing about all the work that still needs doing to be ready in time.

I think the difference is that my focus shifted from my little reality to the reality of being part of a spiritual community that gets things DONE with love, energy, grace, and a whole lot of joy!

In short, we’re living the truth that “many hands make a miracle”!