(not necessarily in that order)
Divine Mother gifted us with a stunning sunset display in Umbria last night, complete with rainbow.
This morning’s weather continued dark and rainy, which was a match for my slightly sad feelings.
And now — after a long day of driving — we’re back in Switzerland, enjoying a different though still beautiful view from our latest Airbnb. Located in Sureggio, it’s close to Ramesha’s family home in Canobbio, which will be nice for the final two weeks of our visit.
This is the view from where we’re staying in our friend’s Airbnb near Ananda Assisi.
In the five years since we were last in Umbria I had almost forgotten just how beautiful these hillside views are…and how it’s what you see in pretty much any direction you look.
And then there’s the quiet and sense of peace that pervades the area. Ramesha and I were speculating that perhaps it has to do with the fact that the vast majority of visitors to this area are religious/spiritual tourists — drawn to Assisi because of St Francis.
Whatever the reason, my soul loves it here.
While reading various journal entries and random notes uncovered during my recent “dig”, I started to realize the full extent to which my life has flip-flopped every decade or so.
In 1993 I had been living in San Francisco proper for almost twenty years, and in the San Francisco Bay Area for my whole life. Although there was much I loved about SF, the issues of noise, traffic, parking, and freeways were constant.
By 2003 I had basically turned my back on my orchestral and freelance flute career in order to move to Assisi as part of an Ananda singing group. Living in the rural Umbrian countryside was a complete revelation. It was quiet and peaceful, and — now that I wasn’t in the midst of millions of other people — I discovered that I could actually tune into my own energy.
But by 2013 I was living in Los Angeles, of all places! Well, Swamiji had asked so we went, determined to serve Ananda and Master with as much joy and willingness as we could muster. But in LA the issues of noise, traffic, parking, and freeways were magnified a thousand fold.
And now, we’re getting close to 2023, and I’m grateful to be living at Ananda Village. It’s not quite as serene of an environment as Umbria, but it’s totally quiet and tranquil compared to SF or LA! Not to mention that it’s populated by a very high percentage of saintly souls.
It has indeed been a study in contrasts, but every contrast taught me valuable lessons and ultimately ended up making me that much more grateful for where I am and what I have.
Last summer I wrote a blog post about the very first duo concert Ramesha and I did, before we were even a couple! It was titled, “How it all began…”
When I listen to the recording of that concert now, what amazes me the most is my flute-playing. It was a unique time really, when I was able to draw on my decades of experience as a professional flutist, but I no longer had to deal with being a professional flutist.
In other words, I no longer had the stress of driving all over the metropolitan SF Bay Area for gigs. I wasn’t spending hours practicing difficult music, followed by more hours sitting in orchestra with a mixed bag of musician colleagues playing that difficult music.
Instead, I was living in beautiful Umbria, surrounded by a level of calm and quiet that I’d never before experienced in my life. I didn’t have to drive at all. And virtually all of my time on the flute was spent playing beautiful uplifting melodies which — by professional flutist standards — were a piece of cake!
Don’t get me wrong; I loved being a professional musician and being part of an orchestra. I had a ton of awesome experiences and worked with lots of lovely people. But somewhere along the way it went from being something I did because I loved it, to turning into a job where I felt I never quite measured up. I pushed myself, then pushed myself some more, and eventually that sense of strain and stress started to come through in my flute tone.
Finally, I was ready to give up on being a flutist altogether, to the point where I tried (unsuccessfully, thank goodness) to sell my instrument. But within a couple of more years I had found my way to Ananda, Yogananda, and Swami Kriyananda; to meditation, Kriya Yoga, and spiritual community; to Ananda’s music, singing(!), and touring Italy for almost two years sharing that music.
And what I found in my first months living in Italy was that the dramatic shift in lifestyle resulted in a relaxation and renewed enjoyment that could be heard in my flute playing; it was like returning to the simple joy in making music that I had experienced from childhood up until about halfway through Conservatory.
Ramesha and I did include a few classical pieces on that India Benefit concert, but it’s far from a “perfect” performance. For one thing we talked and laughed through most of our rehearsal time, instead of working on the music. But really, we were there to have fun getting to know one another, while also sharing our joy in making music with our spiritual community.
We didn’t know it then, but it was the beginning of our musical dharma, the best gig of all.
I’ve always loved the full moon but didn’t fully appreciate it until I moved to Italy. I would read in a novel how the smugglers had to wait for a moonless night or how the heroine was able to make her escape by the light of the full moon…but I couldn’t really comprehend why it would make such a difference.
That’s because having lived virtually all my life up to that point in the San Francisco Bay Area — with all its artificial light — I had never experienced the contrast of a new moon versus a full moon night.
But then I moved to Ananda Assisi, located in the rural Umbria countryside. I still remember the first time I left an evening program on a full moon night. I was enthralled as I walked home, marveling at how the moonlight could be so bright as to create shadows!
No need for a flashlight on those nights, but come the new moon it was another story entirely!