Tag: Swami Kriyananda

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Thinking of Swamiji on his Moksha Day

Collage by Dhuti šŸ’–

Swami Kriyananda left his body on April 21, 2013 — eleven years ago today.

I didn’t respond well when we learned that he had died. We were living in the Ananda LA ashram and it was late on Saturday night when the email arrived from Lakshman. Ramesha read it aloud and I immediately replied: “NO!” — then repeated it emphatically again and again.

I just couldn’t believe it was true.

I still miss him very much, but at the same time I have moments of knowing that he’s with me just as much — or even more — than before.

The challenge is to be more aware of his presence from moment to moment, especially when I’m feeling confused or struggling to understand my next steps. Because when I consciously tune in, he’s right there…guiding me.

In fact, as we celebrate his life on the anniversary of his passing, I’m reminded that one of my intentions while we’re in Lugano is to find (or more accurately, take) the time to get still and ask Swamiji to help me find clarity about the top priorities for Ananda’s music ministry.

I’m definitely feeling an increasing sense of urgency to understand and then accomplish that which is truly mine to do in support of this gift to the world with which we’ve been entrusted — Ananda Music.

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Serenaded by high schoolers

Tonight students from Living Wisdom High School of Palo Alto blessed us with a rousing performance of a large portion of the Oratorio.

It was heartening to see and hear young people who really get Swamiji’s music. They sang with great energy, devotion, and some really beautiful voices.

There’s a part of me that feels a wee bit envious as I try to imagine what it would have been like to know about Education for Life and be singing Ananda’s music in high school!

It’s fun to think about but I know better than to really go down that rabbit hole. šŸ˜Š

P.S. You might notice a few familiar — and distinctly older than high school — faces in the choir. A few key students couldn’t make the trip, so Keshava recruited a few “ringers” from the Village.

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Spring has sprung!šŸŒ·

I was surprised to realize 2021 was the last time I shared this video in honor of the vernal equinox!

It’s my all-time favorite springtime song. Why? Because it just makes me so happy every time I hear it!

The words are by Shakespeare; the music and the performance are by Swami Kriyananda.

Happy Spring!

It Was a Lover and His Lass
It was a lover and his lass,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That oā€™er the green corn field did pass,
In spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding ding:
Sweet lovers love the spring.

Between the acres of the rye,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
These pretty country folks would lie,
In spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding ding:
Sweet lovers love the spring.

This carol they began that hour,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that a life was but a flowā€™r
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding ding:
Sweet lovers love the spring.

And therefore take the present time,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
For love is crowned with the prime
In spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding ding:
Sweet lovers love the spring.

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Just as beautiful after 24 years

I had the incredible blessing of playing flute on Secrets of Love back when I was still very new to Ananda.

I hadn’t yet met Swami Kriyananda (who was living at Ananda Assisi at the time), but I spent three days and nights at Crystal Hermitage, playing his exquisite melodies for hours each day. By the end I felt very close to him.

Ananda was so much smaller then, and marketing and promotion were a very different story back in 2000. Word of the new album spread throughout the immediate Ananda World and then that was pretty much it, as far as I could see.

So, one of the goals of the music ministry’s collaboration with Crystal Clarity Publishers is to reintroduce the classic albums that might be unknown to newer Ananda members — hence, the relaunch!

And I must say, I absolutely love the amazing artwork of the new cover.

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Within me lies the energy

I’ve been working intensively with this affirmation for the past few days as part of a reinvigorated self-care process.

Within me lies the energy to accomplish all that I will to do. Behind my every act is God’s infinite power!
(from Affirmations for Self-Healing by Swami Kriyananda)

Because we need ENERGY to get anything done, right?!?

But an insight hit me pretty quickly as I went deeper into the affirmation. It has to do with the words: “…to accomplish all that I will to do.”

Because I can have infinite energy at my command but if I don’t have the WILL to do something, accomplishment simply can’t happen.

Something to meditate on further.

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The earth laughs in flowers

I saw this beautiful photo, accompanied by the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, in a post from a Facebook group (Rumi and Spiritual quotes).

“The earth laughs in flowers.”

This lovely imagery immediately brought to my mind these lyrics from Swami Kriyananda’s song, “There’s Joy in the Heavens.”

“…the flowers are all laughing to welcome the morning; your soul is as free as the air!”

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A walk down memory lane

We’re working with Crystal Clarity Publishers on an upcoming project and needed some detailed information about the “Joy Is God” recording that we did in Ananda Assisi back in 2005.

Our memories were fuzzy so I had to search and search until I found a copy of the CD with the original liner notes (it’s changed several times since it first came out). And what a find!

We were ensconced for two days in Swami Kriyananda’s home near the Assisi retreat center (he was in India). Our recording engineer drove down from Lugano in a van containing his mobile recording studio, which he parked outside Swamiji’s house.

The musicians were from Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and America — all of them dear friends and great devotees. I wish we could have remained close to all of them, but almost twenty years have passed and it’s not easy to stay connected when you lead busy lives on separate continents.

What I love most of all is this shot of Ramesha and me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen myself looking happier than in this photo.

Joy is God, indeed!

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Advice from Thelonious Monk

I was absolutely fascinated to stumble upon this page of “Advice” from the legendary jazz pianist/composer, Thelonious Monk. The soprano saxophonist, Steve Lacy, is the person who actually wrote these quotes down during rehearsals as a member of Monk’s band in the early 1960’s.

Reading these points provides an amazing insight into the mind of this creative genius. And, while I’m no creative genius, I do resonate with a number of his observations.

Check out this article to see the complete list typed out, but here are three that really got me:

Just because youā€™re not a drummer, doesnā€™t mean you donā€™t have to keep time.
The way I understand this is that every musician (or singer, if we’re talking choir) has got to be all in. Not just listening to someone else do it, but actually and actively fully engaged yourself.

Whatever you think canā€™t be done, somebody will come along & do it. A genius is the one most like himself.
Someone in the comments shared this quote by e. e. cummings: ā€œThe hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be somebody else.ā€
Personally, I found myself thinking of how Swami Kriyananda encouraged Ananda members to be original, but in the true sense of originality: coming from one’s origin, from deep within, instead of from ego. In fact, one of Swamiji’s songs says, “Dare to be different! Dare to be free.”

(What should we wear tonight?) Sharp as possible!
I like this because it tells me that Monk saw himself as a serious professional and expected the same from his band members. I feel similarly with our music on Sundays: we should be “sharp as possible” because we have the privilege of presenting our music to the whole world as part of Sunday service. I mean, what an honor!

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Home Is a Green Hill (a great rehearsal)

We had a particularly wonderful ensemble rehearsal last night. We were working on two songs that get sung a lot throughout the Ananda world — Life Is a Dream and Home Is a Green Hill.

There have been moments when I’ve heard someone say that they get “bored” singing these songs, but I can’t for the life of me understand how that could be. It’s not just that the songs are beautiful in and of themselves; it’s the profound meaning in the lyrics and the deep consciousness that they convey.

As we worked on details and dived into subtleties — with various singers offering insights and making suggestions — it seemed that each song gradually yielded up its secret treasures.

And then it happened — that exquisite moment musicians live for: when the music itself takes over and you feel like you’re slightly outside yourself, observing the music happen through you. At least, that’s how it felt to me. I can’t speak for the other singers.

When we reached the end of that particular run-through of the song, there was only silence and stillness. No one moved for a glorious, blissful, eternal moment in time.

And that — to me — is the absolutely best kind of rehearsal.

Below are the beautiful lyrics to Home Is a Green Hill, followed by a recording of Swami Kriyananda singing it.

Home is a green hill, home is a wind
Blowing betrayal, far, far away.
Home is the knowledge heaven is near,
Homeā€™s the end of the fray.

Home is my heartā€™s land, homeā€™s where I am;
Nothing can dim the light of my soul.
Home is forever, home is today,
Homeā€™s a heart that is whole.

Often I dream that life is a play:
Laughter forever and skies never gray.
But when Iā€™m silent, freed from all care,
I discover my homeā€™s everywhere.

Home is a green hill, home is a wind
Blowing betrayal, far, far away.
Home is the knowledge heaven is near,
Homeā€™s the end of the fray.

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A European-style evening

The cheese selection at Back Porch Market

Earlier this week I was finally able to pay a visit to a local shop in Grass Valley called Back Porch Market. They specialize in many European-style, gourmet food items. But that’s not all.

In fact, a friend was recently raving about their cinnamon rolls, which was a large part of my motivation for going. I did eventually locate the cinnamon rolls, but not before browsing the whole shop at length.

Before I knew it, I had gotten inspired to surprise Ramesha with the kind of meal we would eat in Lugano — featuring homemade gnocchi and a variety of European cheeses (one each from Switzerland, Spain, and Italy).

So tonight we played a recording — An Evening in Italy — on which Swami Kriyananda sings mostly in Italian. Then we ate gnocchi with butter, basil, and parmesan, delicious cheese, and sourdough baguette.

It was a lovely evening!