Awakening & deepening

Our workshops last night and this afternoon had some pretty lofty titles: Friday’s was “Music to Awaken Superconsciousness,” while today’s was “Music for Deepening Your Attunement.”

Not surprisingly, in each instance the essence of what came through was joy, harmony, and divine friendship.

We’ve had so much fun sharing and interacting with all the great souls both at Ananda South Bay and Ananda East Los Angeles that I’m once again feeling pretty pooped — and tomorrow morning we give Sunday service!

So, the full report just might have to wait until we get home.

This makes me so happy!

L-R: Chika, Shamini, Nayantara, Bharat, and Shivendra

For years now, Ramesha and I have wanted to travel to India to work with Ananda singers there, but issue after issue and obstacle after obstacle have repeatedly gotten in the way.

We do our best to connect when people come to visit Ananda Village, or via Zoom when in-person isn’t a possibility, but still it’s been a little frustrating.

However, in this moment I’m feeling completely heartened, encouraged, and inspired by the way this group of singers from Ananda India are taking ownership of the music and forging ahead with presenting it with enthusiasm, deep attunement, and JOY!

I found Bharat’s introductory remarks to be especially impressive.

It feels like a breakthrough moment for the music in India and for our worldwide music ministry.

Back to our beginnings

The Harmony Duo performing in Lugano, Switzerland (2007)

While some things will never be quite the same as they were back in 2004 — when we first realized that we had a musical dharma to fulfill as a couple — the essence of who we are and the musical attunement we share remains constant.

These past many years we’ve kept ourselves extremely busy either singing with small groups or organizing Village and worldwide music or building a solo music business like Ramesha’s. Then the pandemic arrived and we suddenly couldn’t do a lot of the music we were accustomed to doing.

And bit by bit I started to understand how much I’ve missed making music with my other half. Turns out he’s missed it, too! So we’re getting ready to do something about that. 😊

For ME

Tonight’s global sing-along went really well. It was clearly meeting a need for many people…including me!

Later I was reflecting on how “healing” this music is. And I realized I should add “for me” at the end of that sentence. Because, in truth, there are many varieties of “healing music”; I’ve experienced that myself more than once.

But the music of Ananda — Swami Kriyananda’s music — is, for me, the ultimate healing music. Jeannie put it beautifully when she gave a class recently. I don’t recall her exact words, but she described how…out of all the possible sound vibrations… Yogananda, and then Swami, gave us the gift of music that is perfectly calibrated to Master’s ray, perfectly attuned to Swami and Ananda…and the creation of spiritual community.

So it’s not that I don’t appreciate and value “other” music. As a lifelong musician, I have been exposed to, and truly like, an extremely wide range of music (I think many of my current friends would be surprised if they knew).😎

It’s like Swamiji’s analogy about the futility of trying to decide who’s got the best mother: it’s not something you can weigh dispassionately — your mother is your mother. Of course you love her best. Same with your Guru; other people’s gurus are perfect for them, but your Guru is your Guru. Of course you love him best!

And that’s how it is for me with Ananda Music. It’s my music, in the sense of being my dharma and very possibly my surest path to God. Of course I love it best!

Making music

Ramesha and I were on to do the music for this morning’s Sunday service. Nowadays it comes as almost a shock when we’re called on to perform just the two of us, since we spend most of our time either in front of our computers or rehearsing with the full choir.

But it’s nice to find that — when we do get to stop and just make music together — our unique musical attunement is still very much there. Not that I would have expected otherwise!