Today, May 19, is the birthday of Swami Kriyananda (aka J. Donald Walters). He would have been 93 years old today and—in a roundabout kind of way—this blog post is in his honor. Swamiji (that’s what I call him, out of respect and gratitude) gave me so very much, but probably his biggest gift to me was that he composed the music to which I’ve dedicated my life for the past twenty years.
Of course, as a professional flutist I loved playing his instrumentals, then over the years I sang so much of Swamiji’s music that I sort of became a singer! More important than any of that, however, is that I found my dharma, my life’s purpose—to be a promoter, cheerleader, and advocate for Ananda Music.
So, the thing is that I actually created this blog at the beginning of the year, but—after establishing the ground work—I found myself unable to commit any words to paper (or internet, I guess I should say). I understood the reason why: DOUBT. Doubt that I had anything worth saying. Doubt that I could express clearly anything I did think of to say. Doubt, doubt, doubt…!
It’s been a big part of the story of my life and it was a relief a number of years ago to finally have it explained to me in terms of astrology. Not that it changed anything, but at least I gained some perspective around it.
The truth is that lots and lots of thoughts and ideas—especially about music—come to me and they inspire me enough that I write them down, then tuck them away. The other day I found a collection of these little slips of paper and realized that by allowing doubts to stifle my self-expression, I’m blocking any possibility of Swamiji using me as a potential channel of inspiration to others. And that’s not okay.
So, in honor of Swamiji’s birthday, I’m officially launching this blog. And I’ll share my thoughts and ideas no matter what doubts may come.
Thank you, Swamiji.