Good Evening my fellow wanderers - I hope I find you all in fine fettle. Its taken a little while to decide which song to look at next but, as has often been the case recently, a song from my past came to me and had to be discussed: Bullet with Butterfly Wings by The Smashing Pumpkins. I was listening to the radio and Today by the band (which I'd also happily write a post about but for various reasons we'll go with Bullet) came on and it reminded me I'd not listened to my favourite song by the Pumpkins for years. One listen was all it needed to decide to write about Bullet.
1. The world is a vampire, sent to drain
Secret destroyers, hold you up to the flames
And what do I get, for my pain
Betrayed desires, and a piece of the game
2. Even though I know
I suppose I'll show
All my cool and cold
Like old Job
3. Despite all my rage
I am still just a rat in a cage
Despite all my rage
I am still just a rat in a cage
Then someone will say
What is lost can never be saved
Despite all my rage
I am still just a rat in a cage
4. Now I'm naked
Nothing but an animal
But can you fake it
For just one more show
And what do you want
I want to change
And what have you got
When you feel the same
5. Tell me I'm the only one
Tell me there's no other one
Jesus was an only son yeah
Tell me I'm the chosen one
Jesus was an only son, for you
6. And I still believe that I can not be saved
************************************************
1. The modern world of scientific materialism, rampant consumerism and the all pervasive phenomenon of ego inflation has sucked the spiritual blood from our veins.
"Success" couched in this paradigm uses money or celebrity as the scoreboard for success - but it is precisely these things that burn the "real you" in the flames.
And what is the benefit of this pain? A piece of the game - some small part of the capitalist infrastructure: a house, or a car, a beautiful wife, or a rich husband? But deep down our society knows something isn't right - we start wars, Prozac and other anti-depressants are used indiscriminently, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
2. Deep down - even if we don't even realise it - we all know better than that. We're all philosophers and we all have the ability to understand that you can't take any of this material stuff with you and that ultimately material stuff is shallow, hollow and mostly spiritually vapid. Job (the title and principle character of the Old Testament book, also featuring in the Koran with the same story) was horrifically tested by "God" but never denounced "Him". So shrug off the "failure", "disease" and "unease" and spiritually man-up! Samsara is Nirvana
3. Getting angry or frustrated, blaming others for your discomfort, seeking salvation in money, success or drugs just reinforces the misapprehension that you are your ego. That is not your true self: Atman is Brahman.
Believing in eternal damnation is a truly horrific theology - one unilaterally adopted by the crudest forms of most major religions. And yet - the great irony - getting upset about this just reinforces the misplaced concept that your ego is real. So despite it being completely inconsistent that any God of Love could eternally damn anyone - this genuinely is not something to get upset about. We are all aspects of the Godhead and will be reconciled eventually. Until you realise this you will remain a rat in a cage or as Alan Watts describes it - an ego encased in a bag of skin.
4. So strip everything away. Pursue the road of what Aldous Huxley describes as "self-noughting". The ego will cry and scream that without it you are but a dumb animal but eventually over numerous incarnations the appreciation of who you really are is inevitable. So at some point your Buddhahood, or Christ consciousness is going to become overwhelming. Do you want to fake the importance of the ego, of separation for one more life - or are you ready to go home now? Then the penultimate test - you make the decision to completely surrender and then nothing changes!! Samsara is Nirvana!!
"Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment chop wood and carry water" Zen Proverb
5. I'm sure Billy Corgan is either being sarcastic here, or the actual lyrics are " Jesus wasn't the only son". Anyway a common misunderstanding is caused by those who have had catastrophic experiences of cosmic consciousness because the language and cultural milieu which they have access to are extremely ill-disposed to an explanation of what they have experienced. They are likely to say things like "I am God" which sounds as egocentric as you can get but it really isn't meant that way! Nonetheless - unless the ego has been completely superceded it can still latch on to that experience of cosmic consciousness. That is the last test of your journey to heaven otherwise known as a complete connection with the Divine.
6. If your starting point on this journey is that there is no spirit, no divinity, then you probably believe that you can never be saved. That theology follows the argument that our consciousness is just a fortuitous but somewhat wretched side-effect of a purely physical universe with no inherent purpose or real inter- connectedness. If heaven, nirvana, moksha and true peace are in the revelation that the ego does not exist - that our true selves is the universal divine then you actually arrive at the same conclusion !!! There is no "you" to be saved!!! Your already it!! Tat Tvam Asi !!
Before closing I should postface my comments with the admission that I've been attending an Alpha Course for the last two months. My genuine reason for undertaking such an endeavour was in a vain attempt to reconcile my love for the divinity of all things (and all the mystic paths that demonstrate this) with orthodox (small "o", not big "O") Christianity. The course has completely failed to do that because Mystic Christianity and orthodox Christianity cannot be reconciled without fundamental changes to the beliefs and doctrines of the latter. Its a shame, if for no other reason than the people running, and participating in, the course are mostly lovely (if confused). However on the plus-side the course has inadvertently encouraged me to re-read a number of books that I would whole-heartedly recommend to you my fellow seekers. These include: Mystic Christianity by Yogi Ramacharaka (that can be found in pdf format for free here, The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley, Return of the Perennial Philosophy by John Holman and Son of Man by Andrew Harvey. I thoroughly recommend all four. Until the next time my friends . . .
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Feeling Good - Nina Simone
Hello Everybody ! I hope you are well today and loving life! I've been wondering which song to tackle next in the blog and haven't posted for nearly a month because none of the potential candidates were really grabbing me. I wasn't really feeling the love with any of them. Anyway I heard Feeling Good come through my iPhone this morning and knew straight away that it would be the topic of my next post!
Like a couple of the other songs we've discussed on the blog this song is so well known and so much part of our musical cultural heritage that I've been guilty of not really listening to the lyrics. I've heard them but never really listened properly. There have been so many versions in recent years from Muse, to Buble, to various X-Factor protagonists that I can't remember the last time I really listened to the seminal (if not original) 1965 Nina Simone version. Whichever version you like best though - these are the amazing lyrics:
Like a couple of the other songs we've discussed on the blog this song is so well known and so much part of our musical cultural heritage that I've been guilty of not really listening to the lyrics. I've heard them but never really listened properly. There have been so many versions in recent years from Muse, to Buble, to various X-Factor protagonists that I can't remember the last time I really listened to the seminal (if not original) 1965 Nina Simone version. Whichever version you like best though - these are the amazing lyrics:
Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel.
It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life for me yeahIt's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me
And I'm feeling good
Fish in the sea you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree you know how I feel
It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life for me
And I'm feeling good
Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done that's what I mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world for me
Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life for meAnd I'm feeling good
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel.
It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life for me yeahIt's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me
And I'm feeling good
Fish in the sea you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree you know how I feel
It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life for me
And I'm feeling good
Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done that's what I mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world for me
Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life for meAnd I'm feeling good
___________________________________________
The format is super simple verse / chorus / verse / chorus and the message in the lyrics that stands out to me is the connection that we can feel to all aspects of our reality, through all our senses. The fish, the river that the fish are in, and the blossom on the tree next to the river all know how I feel. They are not separate from me - but intimately connected.
The dragonfly out in the sun, and the butterflies having fun know how to live life and have much to teach us. Act natural and don't get too stressed! And when its time to sleep - sleep in peace without a care in the world.
The chorus takes up this theme that everyday is a new day, with a new dawn and an opportunity for a new life for every one of us.
Even the stars shining know how I feel, the scent of the pine too. I love the way the lyrics appeal to our different senses here: feeling, sight, smell, touch. And then - not only do all aspects of reality know how I feel, but through my experiences of reality I know how I feel - and I'm feeling good.
Its a truly beautiful message. We are instrinsically connected with nature - not separate from it. The universe cradles us, understands us and can even sympathise with how we feel. This overwhelming feeling of cosmic consciousness and shared experience is one that has recurred time and time again to people of all cultures through all time.
"The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper" W.B. Yeats
"The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here, and you are out there" Yasutani Roshi
"To drop into being means to recognise your interconnectedness with all life, and with being itself. Your very nature is being part of larger and larger spheres of wholeness" Jon Kabat-Zinn
"Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better" Albert Einstein
"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin" William Shakespeare
"Earth laughs in flowers" Ralph Waldo Emerson
Enjoy today and remember you have another chance tomorrow !
Thursday, 19 September 2013
Megalomaniac - Incubus
For my 11th post I want to tackle a song that might allow us to highlight one of the major differences in outlook between the exoteric messages of the great monotheistic religions and their guarded, esoteric, mystical teachings reserved for the initiated.
Christianity has a rich mystical heritage through a long line of initiated adepts: sects such as the Anabaptists, Levellers, Brothers of the free spirit and the Quakers. Deeper mystical schools developed independently in the form of The Freemasons, Rosicrucians and The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Judaism has most famously the Kabbalists but a great mystical heritage through the Essenes (from which both John the Baptist and Jesus emerged) to the Hasidic tradition still flourishing today.
Islam has the Sufi mystical sect most notably espoused by the illuminated poetry of Rumi.
For many years I struggled with the notion that an open, egalitarian religion such as Christianity (claims to be) should maintain a more secretive wealth of inner teachings reserved for the few. This seemed horribly unfair and I couldn't reconcile the words of Jesus "Do not cast your pearls before swine" Matthew ch.7 v.6. with his broader message of the equality of all human beings. Surely the inside knowledge or inner teaching should be available to everyone.
The song Megolomaniac by Incubus explains why the true (and near identical) inner teachings of the these three great religions are reserved for those who are able to deal with it. Incidentally as an Incubus is a mythical creature their inclusion in this blog seems entirely appropriate! Its a cracking song too, which is a further prerequisite for analysis here!
Here are the lyrics:
1. The most vociferous (and often fundamental) members of these religions tend to be the ones with the most primitive theology: think atonement (its basically saying human sacrifice is what God likes?), think Jihad (that a holy war is an actual war to be physically fought with violence rather than an inner spiritual struggle?), think circumcision (God for some reason wasn't happy with the way he created male genitalia?). These theologies are no better (and probably worse) than the theology of a childrens' playground.
Brandon Boyd the lead singer and lyricist for the band is not keen on such base theology and those that espouse it as virtuous and somehow enlightened. He eludes to every person's innate divinity that he would "cut off both your wings on principle alone" - we are all angels with the wings to fly through the spiritual realms - but those that are ignorant of this and subvert the true message of religion should have their wings clipped. After all we are all buddhas - we just don't know it . . .
2. And there in lies the danger of the esoteric message of these great religions - and why its plain dangerous to cast pearls before swine. The petty and small minded fundamentalist already deludedly believes that his small minded theology makes him closer to God - and the mystical message of all religion that we are already One with God (we just don't realise it all / most of the time) only makes this worse. It can genuinely turn people into Megalomaniacs. True union with God / the Universe / the Dao / Brahman or whatever else you want to call it (the ground of all being, Paul Tillich?) occurs with the dissolution of the ego and the humbleness of the true servant. So "step down" off the throne and lose the ego-trip.
3. Brandon here shows his frustration at these ego-megalomaniacs. Why can't they see how deluded they are? All of us are heaven sent - not just Jesus (or Elvis) - every single one of us. Jesus was not the only one. Mohammed was not the only one. Elijah was not the only one. To quote Maxi Jazz from my first post on this blog:
Because damn it, he didn't just give us the planet
And its wealth, deep inside your soul he left a piece of himself
The lord is in here.
His voice is small.
You keep lying and trying,
Denying the call From inside
Its a dangerous message but one I think we need to trust more people with in this age.
Christianity has a rich mystical heritage through a long line of initiated adepts: sects such as the Anabaptists, Levellers, Brothers of the free spirit and the Quakers. Deeper mystical schools developed independently in the form of The Freemasons, Rosicrucians and The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Judaism has most famously the Kabbalists but a great mystical heritage through the Essenes (from which both John the Baptist and Jesus emerged) to the Hasidic tradition still flourishing today.
Islam has the Sufi mystical sect most notably espoused by the illuminated poetry of Rumi.
For many years I struggled with the notion that an open, egalitarian religion such as Christianity (claims to be) should maintain a more secretive wealth of inner teachings reserved for the few. This seemed horribly unfair and I couldn't reconcile the words of Jesus "Do not cast your pearls before swine" Matthew ch.7 v.6. with his broader message of the equality of all human beings. Surely the inside knowledge or inner teaching should be available to everyone.
The song Megolomaniac by Incubus explains why the true (and near identical) inner teachings of the these three great religions are reserved for those who are able to deal with it. Incidentally as an Incubus is a mythical creature their inclusion in this blog seems entirely appropriate! Its a cracking song too, which is a further prerequisite for analysis here!
Here are the lyrics:
1. I hear you on the radio
You permeate my screen, its' unkind but
If I met you in a scissor fight
I'd cut off both your wings on principle alone
On principle alone
2. Hey megalomaniac
You're no Jesus
Yeah, you're no fucking Elvis
Special, as you know yourself
Baby, just step down, step down
3. If I were your appendages
I'd hold open your eyes
So you would see
That all of us are heaven sent
There was never meant to be only one
To be only one
Hey megalomaniac
You're no Jesus
Yeah, you're no fucking Elvis
Special, as you know yourself
Baby, just step down, step down
Yeah
You're no Jesus
You're no Elvis
You're no answer
Hey megalomaniac
You're no Jesus
Yeah, you're no fucking Elvis
Special, as you know yourself
Just step down
You permeate my screen, its' unkind but
If I met you in a scissor fight
I'd cut off both your wings on principle alone
On principle alone
2. Hey megalomaniac
You're no Jesus
Yeah, you're no fucking Elvis
Special, as you know yourself
Baby, just step down, step down
3. If I were your appendages
I'd hold open your eyes
So you would see
That all of us are heaven sent
There was never meant to be only one
To be only one
Hey megalomaniac
You're no Jesus
Yeah, you're no fucking Elvis
Special, as you know yourself
Baby, just step down, step down
Yeah
You're no Jesus
You're no Elvis
You're no answer
Hey megalomaniac
You're no Jesus
Yeah, you're no fucking Elvis
Special, as you know yourself
Just step down
Brandon Boyd the lead singer and lyricist for the band is not keen on such base theology and those that espouse it as virtuous and somehow enlightened. He eludes to every person's innate divinity that he would "cut off both your wings on principle alone" - we are all angels with the wings to fly through the spiritual realms - but those that are ignorant of this and subvert the true message of religion should have their wings clipped. After all we are all buddhas - we just don't know it . . .
2. And there in lies the danger of the esoteric message of these great religions - and why its plain dangerous to cast pearls before swine. The petty and small minded fundamentalist already deludedly believes that his small minded theology makes him closer to God - and the mystical message of all religion that we are already One with God (we just don't realise it all / most of the time) only makes this worse. It can genuinely turn people into Megalomaniacs. True union with God / the Universe / the Dao / Brahman or whatever else you want to call it (the ground of all being, Paul Tillich?) occurs with the dissolution of the ego and the humbleness of the true servant. So "step down" off the throne and lose the ego-trip.
3. Brandon here shows his frustration at these ego-megalomaniacs. Why can't they see how deluded they are? All of us are heaven sent - not just Jesus (or Elvis) - every single one of us. Jesus was not the only one. Mohammed was not the only one. Elijah was not the only one. To quote Maxi Jazz from my first post on this blog:
Because damn it, he didn't just give us the planet
And its wealth, deep inside your soul he left a piece of himself
The lord is in here.
His voice is small.
You keep lying and trying,
Denying the call From inside
Its a dangerous message but one I think we need to trust more people with in this age.
Monday, 3 June 2013
Wandering Star - Portishead
Good evening! I actively encourage those of you kind enough to read these posts to
comment and please do make suggestions for music that you think I should
be listening to - either in comments or on Twitter @mystmodmus. It is the dialogue and the connection that allows us all to grow. The inspiration for today's post comes from my anonymous friend who has been commenting extensively on the Radioactive - Imagine Dragons post. She / He recommended that I listen to Seven Stars by Air as it had helped her / him through a particularly tough time. Not only do I recommend that song to you dear readers but it prompted me to look at a song that might allow us to discuss one of the great mystical numbers: 7.
I have considered a number of songs for this task including: Seven Lives by Enigma, which is a great song to chill out to but lyrically unsophisticated; and, 7% by Sunna which is a stunning and mystically erudite song but isn't strictly anything to do with the number 7. In any case, they are both artists that I want to return to in future posts. The song I want to springboard-off into a discussion on the number 7 is Wandering Star by Portishead:
Please could you stay awhile to share my grief
For its such a lovely day
To have to always feel this way
And the time that I will suffer less
Is when I never have to wake
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
Those who have seen the needles eye, now tread
Like a husk, from which all that was, now has fled
And the masks, that the monsters wear
To feed, upon their prey
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
(Always) doubled up inside
Take awhile to shed my grief
(Always) doubled up inside
Taunted, cruel...
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
*******************************
Its a pretty dark and moody song and is full of galactic foreboding but as with many such songs I can't help but focus on the silver lining around the cloud. You'd be quite entitled to ask, what on earth has this song got to do with the number 7? Well its a fair question and hopefully the answer will also shed some light on why 7 developed such mystical importance.
The title of the song is Wandering Star which is the literal meaning of the word now more commonly used: planet. In antiquity the planets were literally stars that wandered across the apparently fixed celestial background, and there were seven of them: The Sun, The Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The outer planets were not discovered until after the "invention" of the telescope at the start of the 17th Century.
And from this knowledge, the power of the number 7 has been reflected across almost all cultures and has worked its way into all walks of life. There are dozens of good websites that show he deeply this number has infiltrated our world, but it is commonly accepted that the number 7 represents divine perfection, completeness. It was the sages, wisemen, astrologers and adepts that had this knowledge and let it infiltrate the entirety of our modern world.
The many religious references to the number 7 are testimony to this, but the connection goes even deeper. Sure the days of the week are an obvious clue:
The Goths had 7 Deities from whom come the English names of week days; Sun, Moon, Tuisco, Wotan, Thor, Friga, Seatur, corresponding, of course, to the planets.
But what about the 7 colours, or the 7 notes in music, or the 7 directions? These would have been more difficult to artificially manufacture . . . unlike days of the week, names of Gods or references in scripture.
So for me - this song is all about the number 7, and the number 7 is a great (literally daily!) reminder of the divine immanent in all - the core of the mystical revelation.
I have considered a number of songs for this task including: Seven Lives by Enigma, which is a great song to chill out to but lyrically unsophisticated; and, 7% by Sunna which is a stunning and mystically erudite song but isn't strictly anything to do with the number 7. In any case, they are both artists that I want to return to in future posts. The song I want to springboard-off into a discussion on the number 7 is Wandering Star by Portishead:
Please could you stay awhile to share my grief
For its such a lovely day
To have to always feel this way
And the time that I will suffer less
Is when I never have to wake
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
Those who have seen the needles eye, now tread
Like a husk, from which all that was, now has fled
And the masks, that the monsters wear
To feed, upon their prey
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
(Always) doubled up inside
Take awhile to shed my grief
(Always) doubled up inside
Taunted, cruel...
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever
*******************************
Its a pretty dark and moody song and is full of galactic foreboding but as with many such songs I can't help but focus on the silver lining around the cloud. You'd be quite entitled to ask, what on earth has this song got to do with the number 7? Well its a fair question and hopefully the answer will also shed some light on why 7 developed such mystical importance.
The title of the song is Wandering Star which is the literal meaning of the word now more commonly used: planet. In antiquity the planets were literally stars that wandered across the apparently fixed celestial background, and there were seven of them: The Sun, The Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The outer planets were not discovered until after the "invention" of the telescope at the start of the 17th Century.
And from this knowledge, the power of the number 7 has been reflected across almost all cultures and has worked its way into all walks of life. There are dozens of good websites that show he deeply this number has infiltrated our world, but it is commonly accepted that the number 7 represents divine perfection, completeness. It was the sages, wisemen, astrologers and adepts that had this knowledge and let it infiltrate the entirety of our modern world.
The many religious references to the number 7 are testimony to this, but the connection goes even deeper. Sure the days of the week are an obvious clue:
The Goths had 7 Deities from whom come the English names of week days; Sun, Moon, Tuisco, Wotan, Thor, Friga, Seatur, corresponding, of course, to the planets.
But what about the 7 colours, or the 7 notes in music, or the 7 directions? These would have been more difficult to artificially manufacture . . . unlike days of the week, names of Gods or references in scripture.
So for me - this song is all about the number 7, and the number 7 is a great (literally daily!) reminder of the divine immanent in all - the core of the mystical revelation.
"To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour."
William Blake's Auguries of Innocence
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