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Geetee from The Humaniversity sent me this clip. It is part of a compilation of mixes used in their annual WOW! group, this one from 2016. There are no liner notes, so I am not sure who the other musicians are. I vaguely remember sitting in the studio on one of my band visits tinkering with the chord progression. Could it be Swagato on flute improvising along with me? I didn’t recognize my playing at first. That was a fun surprise. It sure brought a smile to my face, and a warm feeling inside, knowing they had found a way to use my modest contribution. I have a lot of respect for them and am always happy to support in whatever way I can. The cd has eighteen tracks that flow into each other like a DJ would mix them. Mine opens the album and sets a tone with Veereshs’ heartful sharing. From there, it is like taking a journey into and through the WOW! process as one super dance remix follows the next. The compilation finishes with a wonderful track called “Treasure”. I particularly like the words:

Cedars of Lebanon

I started out looking for myself
Down many roads my travels have led
Somewhere along the way I became
The very thing I was searching for

High are the mountains in the morning sun
I move to the rhythm of a different drum
Around every corner the new moment brings
A light to my journey within

Stand tall like the Cedars of Lebanon
See how they reach for the stars
Stand tall like the Cedars of Lebanon
May your aim be straight and true

I would like to dedicate this clip to my father, who introduced me to the joys of Nature when I was a child, and to my dear mother who will reach her 90 year milestone in Januray — both without whose love I would not be in this world as I am today.

I always feel lucky after the tours to find myself in Virginia this time of year. The Fall colors in Shenandoah National Park never disappoint. And along the White Oak Canyon-Cedar Run trail they are especially magical. Another great place for an autumn walk is the state arboretum at Blandy Farm where one can stroll down “Cedar of Lebanon Alley”.

I wrote “Cedars of Lebanon” in India, 1999. It can be found on the album “Invisible Worlds”available at www.oneskymusic.com/celebration. Recorded and mixed at Feedback Studios in Aarhus, Denmark, the band is Rishi on drums and percussion; Satgyan, bass; Manish, keyboards; Joshua, flute and saxophones; Devaprem, vocals; Satyam, vocals; Pratibha, vocals; and myself on vocals and guitars. 

The photos were taken last month, October 2016, by Bodhi Svaaha and me on an iPhone 5 and 6. Gotta love the technology.

Enjoy! https://youtu.be/R76dimuuBnE

What a wonderful series of events, from the OshoFest in San Diego through Upstate New York, Wisconsin, and Dallas! I kept a good tour diary on Facebook where many of these following photos can be seen. But included here are some of my personal favorites plus a few new ones. The driving part of the tour was almost six thousand miles. But with a fun band, and a good DJ and person on snacks, they go quickly — all part of the amazing journey every tour is. Miracle! Also, that these events are among the most consistent Osho activities in North America since more than twenty years. Double miracle! The joy remains in everyone coming together, the music the magnet and the mysterious thing that brings us all to the point of silence – and the peaks of ecstasy – time and timeless time again. Kudos to this year’s band: Chandira, Rishi, and Tarisha. My gratitude also goes out to all our various organizers and their tireless, loving teams. I have arranged the photos more or less chronologically, but also felt to leave them a little more random than usual. I always remember Osho liking the books in His library arranged on their shelves like this: randomly, with more flow and less order. And it’s true: when I just flip through the photos without them being arranged too much the joyous chaos of the events shines through like so many galaxies exploding. So has been the feeling at every event this year.

The wonderful Osho Leela Festival in Dorset, England was a  joy from start to finish: from the many creative workshops throughout the days and evenings, to the inspired live-music events which included Trance Dance with Rishi and the band; Heart Dance with Yatro and Nishok; Morning Satsang; Osho Evening Meeting; the Celebration Concert with Milarepa and the band; and the heartful soaring Sannyas Celebration. Many thanks to musicians Tarisha (keyboards, vocals), Suvarna (violin and vocals), Sudhi (violin), Prabodh (bass), Shanti Dharma (congas), Rishi (drums). Special thanks to Shaun for mixing. And to the whole Osho Leela Team, my deepest gratitude.

This is the first time I can remember that I’ve been in the States and not Europe in summer. It has been a welcome break from touring and all the traveling this involves. More importantly, it has given space for new adventures and possibilities.

“It is only in adventure continuous adventure, that life grows to higher and higher plenitudes, that it reaches to the Himalayan peaks.” Osho

I was in India the first three months of New Year. I had two events with the band: one in the state of Gujarat, the other in Himachal Pradesh close to The Himalayas. I also participated in a 21-day silent retreat in February that was a nourishing process for my heart and soul. And, there were many adventures in between — everything reminding me that India is a place I remain deeply connected with. I kept a good diary on Facebook with many photos and text. So rather than repeat it all here, I would like to reference this link: www.facebook.com/oneskymusic.

Year Of The Dance

One of my favorite representations of the Divine is the Nataraj, god(dess) of dance. I can’t imagine a better theme for 2016. Travels take me East this first day of the New Year. Let the adventure begin!

Pausing a moment for one last look back at 2015, just to smile and say Thank You. It’s been a great year, impossible to predict, full of adventures and surprise around every corner. I am grateful for it ALL. I turn now to face the way ahead. The sky before me is clear, an empty canvas waiting for what will be. Best wishes to everyone for a magical Year 2016!

“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty. You want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it … Let this be the criterion always: Anything that makes you festive, anything that gives you celebration, anything that makes you dance and sing to such an extent that you disappear in your dancing, in your singing, in your celebration — is the only true religion I know of.” Osho

There have many postings of the USA tour photos already on Facebook and the Meetup sites, but these collections are some of my favorites. I realize while it’s hard to capture all the many wonderful highlights with such a narrow selection, scrolling through these galleries gives a good sense of the magic, however indescribable it may be.

The tour really does move in what Osho describes a vertical dimension, where timelines don’t procede predicatably horizontal, but from peak to peak. It really is true, and I’ve said it many times, every year I can’t imgaine how the next can possibly top the previous. But, I am always humbled. And also grateful. Because so much goes into making it possible: from all the planning and logistics that start twelve months before, to all the organizers who do this from the goodness of their heart and the simple joy of sharing; to the band, the amazing musicians I am fortunate to play with; to the flow of searching souls who find their way to the venues from all corners of the USA and World. Indeed, it is quite a galaxy of details that must mesh seemlessly. Quite a miracle, to say the least.

It amazes me each year that I am never able to see ahead how things are going to be and look. It is like staring at a blank canvas, or looking deep into a night sky with no stars. Then at some point,  quite suddenly actually, things start rolling. And by the first chords of the first event, it is all happening as if a switch is remembered, flicked, and the carnival lights go on. And it just goes and goes and goes, building momentum like some giant wave of energy as we move from place to place. Then, in the blink of an eye things come full circle, it’s over, and I find myself again alone. Yet, something beautiful has moved inside me and I realize, smilingly, a fresh, new perspective has bloomed, shining from the inside out. Ahhh … what to say? Except …This!

New York

Chicago

Atlanta

Dallas

San Diego