Back To The Front
Every once & awhile a chant will follow me around for weeks, and sometimes it suggests a theme for the podcast. The chant haunting me lately is "Amma" from Larisa Stowe & Shakti Tribe's "Reaching In". Amma means mother--and it's especially poignant for me...
Joyride!
I'm talking Dave Stringer's new CD, and what a joyride it is. It hasn't been released yet, but we have a preview in this week's podcast. I've been listening to the masters for several weeks, and it was hard to choose a favorite to share with you. The chant I chose...
Breathe In The Quiet Center
Summer is ending--there are changes coming & I'm feeling pensive. Change is a constant--in the weather, in our bodies, in life. As sweet Snatam sings in Kabir's Song: "Breathe in the quiet center". The purity of her voice, the simplicity of that message--it...
Sing!
Our satsang group met Sunday evening for the first time in two weeks, and it felt so good to sing! There weren't many of us--it seems the whole town is on vacation--but what a difference it has made in my week so far. I'm finding it much easier to be centered &...
Sinking Into The Presence
I don't know about you, but I'm a God-a-phobic. I was raised a strict Catholic, and in that worldview God isn't someone you could ever think of as a friend. For years I described myself as a recovering Catholic, and swiftly turned and ran from any mention of God or...
The Moment
I've mentioned before that often during my day a chant will start playing itself in my brain, much like pop music did when I was listening to FM radio. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what chant shows up--it might be one I listened to months ago or...
Changin’
Lately I've had the classic R&B channel on in the background. It's great--it plays all the funk & soul music I listened to growing up in Philly. I was looking for a theme for the podcast this week, and the funk classic "Changin'" by Brass Construction came on....
Swimming In Kirtan
I've been doing some lap swimming this summer, especially in the last week when Oregon has been so hot. A wonderful discovery has been the chant playing in the background of my mind will come to the front in the silence that swimming creates. It's a magical...
The Invitation
The words of every chant were designed long ago with the purpose of taking you on a journey--but it's just a sweet invitation. If you choose to say yes, then the chant provides a road. It's a journey, and you can choose where and how far you go. Sometimes I'm in...
Living Spiritual In A Material World
I don't know if Mother Meera is exactly my guru, but I go to see her whenever she comes to town & I read her books. She explains the world in a way that feels right to me in my heart. Someone once asked Mother Meera how can we lead a spiritual life in this...