Rock’n’roll music has its roots in gospel music. Elvis Presley* grew up ‘deeply immersed’** in gospel music at his local Pentecostal church in Tupelo, and later at the Baptist church in Memphis. One of the main originators of the rock’n’roll style was Sister Rosetta Tharpe (20-3-1915 – 9-10-73) who recorded her unique style of rhythmic gospel (check out her version of ‘Down by the riverside’) which became popular in the 1930’s and 40’s.
Chuck Berry, considered the ‘most important’** pioneer of rock’n’roll, famously said that his whole career had been ‘one long Sister Rosetta Tharpe impersonation’.
One of her most famous songs is ‘Up above my head (music in the air)’ with the line ‘I really do believe, there's a Heaven somewhere’. She preached against drinking, smoking* and other vices (see ‘This Train’).
Rosetta started her musical career at the age of six, touring with her mother; as she was
already a guitar prodigy. Although she never veered away from gospel music, she lost support among church-goers due to her willingness to perform in ‘less holy’ places such as nightclubs and theatres, with ‘less holy’ people including jazz and big-band musicians.
The internet says: ‘If you are ever having a down day put on some Rosetta, she will definitely lift you up'
Shri Mataji liked most styles of music and, on at least one occasion, encouraged us to sing gospel music (as well as Indian classical).
*In spite of his reputation as a ‘wild kid’, Elvis did not drink or smoke, although towards the end of his life he became addicted to prescription drugs (‘uppers’ and ‘downers’) which led to his early death at the age of 42. Elvis loved singing and gave 1,777 shows in his short career.
The
Kundalini Mangala Ashtakam is a unique variation of the traditional
Hindu wedding and blessing chant, adapted within the Sahaja Yoga
tradition. Rather than invoking the traditional pantheon of deities
in a general sense, this composition systematically invokes the
presiding deities of the seven chakras (energy centres) within the
subtle body, ascending from the Mooladhara (root) to the Sahasrara
(crown). The chant blends Sanskrit and Marathi verses, reflecting the
Maharashtrian roots of the tradition. Each verse closes with the
auspicious refrain:
“Kuryat
Sada Mangalam, Shubha Mangala Savadhan” May
they always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the auspicious
moment is here.
Meaning:
He
who is the primordial seed of the universe, the beloved child and son
of Gauri (Parvati); the protector of the Kundalini energy, who is
adorned with the earth element, the most excellent of the Ganas; who
resides in the Mooladhara chakra, the bestower of purity — Lord
Ganapati — may he always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the
auspicious moment is here.
Verse
2 — Swadhishthana Chakra (Sacral)
Language:
Sanskrit
Ya
kundendu tusharahara dhavala ya shubhra vastravrita |
Ya
veena varadanda manditakara nirmala vidyapradha ||
Bhuva
swami priya suvarada atmaikanishtha prada |
Swadhishthana
sthita viranchi sahitam kuryat sada mangalam ||
Shubha
mangala savadhan ||
Meaning:
She
who is as white as the jasmine flower, the moon, and the snow; who is
clad in white garments; whose hands are adorned with the Veena and
the staff of blessing, the bestower of pure knowledge; the beloved of
the Lord of the earth (Brahma), the bestower of excellent boons and
steadfast devotion to the Spirit; who resides in the Swadhishthana
chakra along with Brahma — may she always bestow auspiciousness; be
attentive, the auspicious moment is here.
Verses
3 & 4 — Nabhi / Manipura Chakra (Navel) and The Void
Prarthuya
charani ramapatisaya kuryat sada mangalam ||
Shubha
mangala savadhan ||
Meaning:
He
who is seated with Goddess Lakshmi in the Manipura (Nabhi) chakra to
protect the principle of self-mastery; who by granting happiness and
wealth brings contentment to the human mind; to cross the ocean of
illusion (Bhavasagara / The Void), let us bow to Lord Dattatreya (the
Primordial Master); let us pray at the feet of the Lord of Ramaa
(Vishnu) — may he always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the
auspicious moment is here.
Verse
5 — Anahata Chakra (Heart)
Language:
Marathi
Anahata
smaru jagat janani lila sambhali ji sadhaka |
Shabdartha
iva ekarupa paridai rahi save mahesha ||
Vanduya
shiva parvati saridai jagavinya ananda |
Prarthuya
charani jagat jananija kuryat sada mangalam ||
Shubha
mangala savadhan ||
Meaning:
In
the Anahata (Heart) chakra, let us remember the Mother of the
Universe who playfully protects the seeker; who remains united with
Mahesh (Shiva) just as a word and its meaning are one; let us bow to
Shiva and Parvati within the heart to awaken true joy; let us pray at
the feet of the Mother of the Universe — may she always bestow
auspiciousness; be attentive, the auspicious moment is here.
Verse
6 — Vishuddhi Chakra (Throat)
Language:
Marathi
Akasha
samrahu nicharachari nada jave vaikhari |
Rahuni
kamalata shodashadala siddhi save vanila ||
Madhuri
samajivanasa karuni dei jana samashtila |
Vanduya
charani radharamanala kuryat sada mangalam ||
Shubha
mangala savadhan ||
Meaning:
Pervading
the animate and inanimate creation like the ether (Akasha element),
where sound becomes the spoken word (Vaikhari); residing in the
sixteen-petalled lotus (Vishuddhi chakra), bringing perfection and
sweetness to speech; granting a balanced life to the collective
humanity; let us bow at the feet of the Beloved of Radha (Lord
Krishna) — may he always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the
auspicious moment is here.
Verse
7 — Agnya Chakra (Third Eye)
Language:
Marathi
Ajna
chakri virajala isave yeshu mahalakshmicha |
Premabhava
vikasinya jagiya dei kshamashilata ||
Moksha
marga prakashuni swateje dei jana tapaswita |
Sashtange
namuya jagat jananila kuryat sada mangalam ||
Shubha
mangala savadhan ||
Meaning:
In
the Agnya (Third Eye) chakra resides Lord Jesus along with Mother
Mary (Mahalakshmi); who, to blossom the feeling of love in the world,
bestows the power of forgiveness; illuminating the path to liberation
with his own radiance, he grants ascetic power to the people; let us
bow with all eight limbs (sashtanga) to the Mother of the Universe —
may she always bestow auspiciousness; be attentive, the auspicious
moment is here.
Verse
8 — Sahasrara Chakra (Crown)
Language:
Sanskrit
Ya
brahmachyuta rudra krishna yeshu stuvanti divyai stavai |
Vedai
sanga padakrama upanishadai gayanti yo samaga ||
Dhyanavasthita
tadgatena manasa pashyanti yo yogino |
Sa
devi parameshi adishakti kuryat sada mangalam ||
Meaning:
She
whom Brahma, Vishnu (Achyuta), Shiva (Rudra), Krishna, and Jesus
praise with divine hymns; whom the Sama-Veda singers glorify through
the Vedas, their branches, the Upanishads and their sequences; whom
the Yogis behold in their minds absorbed in deep meditation; may that
Supreme Goddess, the Primordial Power (Adi Shakti) — always bestow
auspiciousness.
Meaning:
That
alone is the auspicious time (lagna), that alone is the good day;
that alone is the strength of the stars, and that alone is the
strength of the moon. That alone is the strength of knowledge, and
that alone is the strength of the Divine — O Primordial Power (Adi
Shakti), when I remember Your two lotus feet. Be attentive!
Originating on the island of Java in what is now Indonesia, the Dharmasunya (1418) uses the terminology of the South Indian Saivite tradition to explain, in Old Javanese and Sanskrit, the ascent of the Kundalini through the chakras and nadis to the Sahastrara. Originally written on palm leaves in Java, with copies made also in Bali.
Canto III, verses 3,5 There is a river, ancient and remote [the Sushumna nadi], which, penetrating through the mountain’s centre, emerges at its summit; On that summit there is a pool, glittering like crystal, its pureness constantly radiating forth; Within it is the nectar of immortality – he who finds it is able to achieve the highest bliss of firm union, The recognition of concepts ceases and one experiences supreme pleasure, beyond the power of words to describe. … Lovely is this lake whose waters flow over a great waterfall, constantly tumbling downwards [the divine nectar]; A small part of the river is borne along by the breath, sprinkling on its way the agni mandala [located between Agnya and Sahastrara]; That is the reason for drops [of nectar] developing and multiplying in our hearts, becoming manifold in our minds; Hold firmly to the means of union, let your powerful sense organs be subdued or eliminated.
Canto XVII, verse 1: How blissful is the holy man who achieves holy union, all at once he’s calm, motionless, self-motivating, firm, without thoughts, a Perfect One, the sole Truth, excellent, without abode, his presence in all things cannot be discerned, for he who has already achieved his goal is regarded as the Ultimate with the Inconceivable and Immaterial One.
Source: Extracts from the translation by Geoffrey Forrester, The Dharmasunya (the philosophy of the void): an Old-Javanese treatise on yoga and liberation (Honours sub-thesis, Australian National University, Canberra, 1968) Note: This text should not be confused with later Indonesian texts with the same or similar name.
Little is known for certain about the life of Alain de Lille, also known as Alanus de Insulis. Born in c.1116 in the town of Lille in Flanders (now part of Belgium), Alain arrived in Paris to further his education in 1136, probably spending time in the schools of Paris and Chartres, before taking up teaching in the centres of Paris and Montpelier. He lived into his eighties, being regarded as one of the most eminent scholar-theologians in Paris. At some time in his later years Alain joined the Cistercian order of monks in the region of Montpelier. His passing occurred in 1202 and he is buried in the Cistercian motherhouse of Citeaux.
Alain was known to his contemporaries for a number of works, including the Anticlaudianus de Antirufino (see below), De fide catholica contra haereticos, a four volume study of those the Catholic Church regarded as heretics including the Cathars, the Waldensians, and the Muslims and Jews, and the De arte praedictatoria ( ‘On the Art of Preaching’).
De planctu naturae.
Though barely mentioned by his contemporaries, De planctu naturae (On the Plaint of Nature’) is the work for which he is now best known. This is a work of satire and a rhetorical showpiece in which Alain could use his stylistic flourishes, wordplay and show his erudition. It has influences of Plato’s Timaeus and the Cosmographia of Bernard Silvestris, as well as earlier authors in the Latin tradition such as Martianus Capella and Boethius. James J.Sheridan in the Foreword to his English translation observes:
With the possible exception of Martianus Capella, the Latin of the De planctu Naturae is the most difficult I have ever encountered. Throughout most of the work there are two layers of meaning and in a number of places there are three. In addition, puns are an ever recurring feature; most of these cannot be expressed in English. The result is that parts of it defy an accurate and idiomatic translation.
The subject of the Planctu is the betrayal of Nature by man, and her subsequent complaint before the sorrying poet who has summoned her:
… a woman glided down from an inner palace of the impassible world and could be seen hastening her steps in my direction. Her hair shone with no borrowed sheen but with one special to itself and, presenting an image of light-rays, not by mere resemblance but by a native lustre surpassing the natural, it made the maiden’s head image a star-cluster. (Bk 2 Prose 1)
The description of this divine maiden goes on for many pages leading to a dialogue between her and the poet during which she reveals herself to be Nature.
In her speech to the poet, Nature describes Wisdom:
Wisdom, that gives orders, rests in the citadel of his head and the other powers, like demi-goddesses, obey her as if she were a goddess. For native ability, power of reasoning, as well as the faculty of recalling the past dwell in the various compartments of the head and obey Wisdom with enthusiasm. In the heart, as in the middle of the earthly city, Magnanimity has taken up her abode; she has sworn military allegiance to Wisdom, as commander-in-chief, and carries out operations according to the decisions of Wisdom’s command. (Bk 6 Prose 3)
Later in the Planctu there is another description of Wisdom:
Nevertheless wisdom alone, a noble possession, surpasses all other goods. Though scattered she remains concentrated, when expended she returns, when shared with one and all, she experiences an increase. Through her the noble treasure of knowledge is born in the secret depths of the mind, the fruits of interior delight are secured. (Bk 10 Prose 6)
Anticlaudianus de Antirufino
Though it has been called a sequel, the Anticlaudianus is essentially a restatement of the theme of the De planctu. Wetherbee’s summary (1972:211) is masterly:
…This time Nature decides to create a single man in whom all the flaws of fallen man will be eliminated. She summons the Virtues to a council, and it is resolved that Prudentia will be sent to ask God to create a soul for the new being. A chariot is made by the seven Arts, and Prudentia sets out, drawn by the five senses and guided by Reason. She comes at length to the seat of Theologia, with whom, after abandoning all of her equipage except the sense of hearing, she ascends still further, beholding the Virgin and Christ, and finally entering the palace of the “arbiter celestis aulae.” God agrees to make the necessary soul, and Prudentia returns to earth. Nature prepares a body, Concord unites it to the soul, and all the Virtues bestow their gifts on the new man. Meanwhile Allecto and the Furies, having heard of the new creation, muster an army of vices to overthrow him. These are encountered ty the Virtues in a psychomachia, the happy outcome of which leads to a restoration of the Golden Age.
There are many descriptions of the goddesses in the Anticlaudianus. One of the most striking is in Book 5 where Phronesis approaches the maiden known as the Queen of the Heights and gives a speech which begins:
0 Queen of the heights [lit. pole], goddess of heaven, daughter of the Artist supreme - for your divine face teaches that you are no mortal, nor do you lament our race’s taint – your countenance proves you a goddess, your sceptre proclaims you queen, and your glory shows you are born of God: To you the abode of the gods lies open, and the way of heaven, the bounds of Olympus, the world beyond our world, the realm of the Thunderer - and the throne of God and the fate beyond. (V:178-85, trans. Newman) .
"Meditation is for you to go deep down into yourself, to achieve all that your Sahasrara wants to give you, to achieve that height of detachment, of understanding. It’s only through meditation.
So, what happens in meditation is that your awareness crosses over Agnya, goes above and it’s now stationed in the Sahasrara, in thoughtless awareness. Then the reality of Sahasrara, the beauty of Sahasrara starts pouring in your own character, in your own temperament.
Unless and until your Sahasrara is opened, all the blessings of the Divine Power cannot come to you, it cannot. Maybe you might get some money, you might get some jobs, you might get this and that, but your own development is only possible when you meditate and your Sahasrara is completely open and open to Truth. Now, the Truth is that this Divine Power is compassion, is love. This is the Truth.
This is it, we have to learn, is to say that, “It’s this Divine Power which will solve our problems.” As human beings, it is a very difficult state and this state only can be achieved through meditation. But I am not saying that you go on meditating for hours altogether, not necessary. But with full faith in yourself and in the Divine Power, if you work it out, I am sure, it’s not difficult to rise to that state of consciousness.
That is what we have to achieve.
Only your Sahasrara can reflect the light of the Divine. So, your Sahasrara is extremely important. You must meditate to enrich your Sahasrara, to cure it, to make it completely nourished by the Kundalini.
But you will know that you are meditating when you can get into thoughtless awareness, then you will know. Your reaction will be zero. Look at something, you will just look at it. You won’t react, because you are thoughtless. You won’t react. When that reaction is not there, then everything, you will be surprised, is Divine, because reaction is your Agnya’s problem.
Once you are absolutely thoughtlessly aware, you are one with the Divine. So much so that Divine takes over every activity, every moment of your life and looks after you and you feel completely secured, one with the Divine and enjoy the blessings of the Divine.
May God bless you! "
Excerpt: May 10th 1998, Sahasrara Puja , Cabella (Italy)
“I’m sending you out to find the greatest treasure in the world.”
Said a small boy, adjusting his short trousers, to a group of children in the middle of the building’s courtyard. He bellowed, summoning his “heroes” to take on a near-impossible mission. Anyone passing by would have seen nothing more than children playing, but for us (yes, I was one of those scruffy kids), we were in the court of a king, or at least that’s what our imagination told us.
“I, warrior of the House of the Owl, shall mount my white horse and set off at once on this quest,” I declared at ten years old, adjusting an enormous cape that existed only in my mind.
And so I spent many summer afternoons playing with my friends. Living in distant worlds. Sometimes lost in endless caves, other times searching for hidden treasures. Until the years went by, and adulthood began trying to convince me that these magical worlds were just child’s play.
While most of my friends stopped searching for the greatest treasure on earth, I carried on. Now I drew the adventures on sheets of paper, one panel after another in comic books. It gave me a lot of joy. I finished secondary school, and it was time to choose my career. How was I supposed to pay the bills by drawing?
The adult world started building all sorts of barriers and obstacles to silence my imagination. How do you choose between an artistic life, doing what you love but not having enough money to pay the bills, and a more financially stable life where you make art in your spare time?
That’s when I began to meditate and practise Sahaja Yoga. And if there was ever any doubt about which career to follow, Sahaja gave me the answer.
Through meditation, you can quiet your thoughts and, in doing so, reduce the influence that social or family conditioning can have over you. You know when your uncle says, “How are you going to make a living from drawing, boy? That guy who draws caricatures in the central square sleeps under a bridge.” Well, meditation makes your uncle shut his trap. And in that silence, you can connect deeply with your true self. And my self was crystal clear: keep your bum on the chair and keep drawing.
Well, that’s exactly what I did. And the treasure hunt in the courtyard carried on. I became a graphic facilitator and, together with my wife, founded a company called Visual Scribing. Drawing allowed me to translate many people’s imagination onto paper, and my own as well. I drew strategic diagrams for companies like Amazon. I travelled all over the United Kingdom, illustrating citizens’ experiences of their financial lives for the Bank of England. I created scenarios around the challenges UNICEF field agents face in their work, helping them reorganise their operation. And I kept telling my stories, I wrote and illustrated two books, A Girl in the Himalayas and New World, with more on the way.
And after all these years, I realised something. On the pages of my book, at the top of the Himalayas, I once again felt the joy and freedom that only imagination can give me. And I thought: little David found it.
“This is the greatest of treasures, my king.”
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