Annie Besant lectures on "The Higher Self"
and "The Larger Consciousness" in a series of lectures she delivered in India in 1904. Wait! I realize Annie B. is a little obscure, but stay with me for a minute here --
Really, Annie's work is a lot like that song by Steve Winwood you are so fond of:
Think about it, there must be higher love
Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above
Without it, life is a wasted time
Look inside your heart, I'll look inside mine
Things look so bad everywhere
In this whole world, what is fair?
We walk blind and we try to see
Falling behind in what could be
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love
Where's that higher love I keep thinking of?
Okay, I can see you rolling your eyes. I have to confess, I'm not even that much of a fan of Annie, but I needed a relatively benign and inoffensive way in to today's post -- something that wasn't completely scary and off-putting and it's hard because I know readership drops off whenever I get going on the higher consciousness stuff. The problem is I buried my lead (as they say in the stand-up world) by doing William James way back when (see my previous post, "What is Consciousness?" by WIlliam James). That would be a more respectable place to start, wouldn't it -- his brother being Henry James, so you could all distract yourself with vague pleasant memories of that BBC series based on Alan Hollinghurst's "Line of Beauty." The poor young James scholar, living in the attic and being so enamored of Maggie Thatcher and the MP's hateful family.
I just watched it last night. Worth it if only for the performance of the housekeeper who turns out (as JC notes) to be the most frightening one of all -- so often true of faithful retainers. But I digress.
If you are interested (and somehow I doubt you are), Annie's Theosophical Society lectures and writings are on-line, and I have the Internet sites so just ask -- you'll see I'm not that far off about her and Steve Winwood.
The truth is, however, 1904 gets to be very crazy in the spiritual domain and quickly spills over into the occult and before you know it, you're dealing with a whole bunch of folks like Madame Blavatsky and LC Leadbeater and Krishnamurti and Annie Besant is talking to Rudolph Steiner (they part company later) and I can't begin to tell you the plethora of psychics and sages and gurus and crackpots and bona fide spirtual leaders who start cropping up in my research. Those of you who understand my research methods can appreciate what I'm going through.
Plus I haven't even gotten to Aleister Crowley and his connection to 1904 -- frankly, I don't think you're ready for it just yet. For the more inquisitive of you, I note in passing that Crowley's books are routinely kept behind lock and key in the (second-hand, used) antiquarian bookstores I frequent, and that should tell you something. I will not be deterred from taking you there, but be patient, Gentle Reader!
The point is, today is the beginning of the GLOBAL MALA PROJECT [click here: http://www.globalmala.org ] and I will be attending the events tomorrow Saturday 22 September 2007 which will include 108 Sun Salutations for Peace and the chanting of 108 Oms and much kirtan singing and trance dancing and ... there you go with your eye rolling.
108 by the way, is
A sacred number in Hinduism, Buddhism and yoga practices
A mala [pictured above] has 108 beads for 108 repetitions of a mantra
Hindu deities have 108 names, the repetition of which is sacred
Krishna dances with 108 Gopis (cow-herd girls) in the Srimad Bhagavatam
Siva Nataraja dances his cosmic dance in 108 poses
There are 108 earthly temptations to overcome to achieve nirvana in Tibetan Buddhism
Zen priests wear juzu (a ring of prayer beads) on their wrists of 108 beads
Look: we'll be devoting ourselves to prayer and meditation and expanding our consciousnes in order to try and save the world. You're welcome.
Okay, and so here was my alternative entry for today:
Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians died on this date, September 21, in 1904 at his lonely place of exile at Nespelem on the Colville Indian Reservation, Washington. In his last speech to his people he said,
"All men are made by the same great spirit chief. They are all brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have the same rights."
And in the Preface to "The Brown Fairy Book" [1904] Andrew Lang wrote, "All people, black, white, brown, red, and yellow, are like each other when they tell stories."
Really, Annie's work is a lot like that song by Steve Winwood you are so fond of:
Think about it, there must be higher love
Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above
Without it, life is a wasted time
Look inside your heart, I'll look inside mine
Things look so bad everywhere
In this whole world, what is fair?
We walk blind and we try to see
Falling behind in what could be
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love
Where's that higher love I keep thinking of?
Okay, I can see you rolling your eyes. I have to confess, I'm not even that much of a fan of Annie, but I needed a relatively benign and inoffensive way in to today's post -- something that wasn't completely scary and off-putting and it's hard because I know readership drops off whenever I get going on the higher consciousness stuff. The problem is I buried my lead (as they say in the stand-up world) by doing William James way back when (see my previous post, "What is Consciousness?" by WIlliam James). That would be a more respectable place to start, wouldn't it -- his brother being Henry James, so you could all distract yourself with vague pleasant memories of that BBC series based on Alan Hollinghurst's "Line of Beauty." The poor young James scholar, living in the attic and being so enamored of Maggie Thatcher and the MP's hateful family.
I just watched it last night. Worth it if only for the performance of the housekeeper who turns out (as JC notes) to be the most frightening one of all -- so often true of faithful retainers. But I digress.
If you are interested (and somehow I doubt you are), Annie's Theosophical Society lectures and writings are on-line, and I have the Internet sites so just ask -- you'll see I'm not that far off about her and Steve Winwood.
The truth is, however, 1904 gets to be very crazy in the spiritual domain and quickly spills over into the occult and before you know it, you're dealing with a whole bunch of folks like Madame Blavatsky and LC Leadbeater and Krishnamurti and Annie Besant is talking to Rudolph Steiner (they part company later) and I can't begin to tell you the plethora of psychics and sages and gurus and crackpots and bona fide spirtual leaders who start cropping up in my research. Those of you who understand my research methods can appreciate what I'm going through.
Plus I haven't even gotten to Aleister Crowley and his connection to 1904 -- frankly, I don't think you're ready for it just yet. For the more inquisitive of you, I note in passing that Crowley's books are routinely kept behind lock and key in the (second-hand, used) antiquarian bookstores I frequent, and that should tell you something. I will not be deterred from taking you there, but be patient, Gentle Reader!
The point is, today is the beginning of the GLOBAL MALA PROJECT [click here: http://www.globalmala.org ] and I will be attending the events tomorrow Saturday 22 September 2007 which will include 108 Sun Salutations for Peace and the chanting of 108 Oms and much kirtan singing and trance dancing and ... there you go with your eye rolling.
108 by the way, is
A sacred number in Hinduism, Buddhism and yoga practices
A mala [pictured above] has 108 beads for 108 repetitions of a mantra
Hindu deities have 108 names, the repetition of which is sacred
Krishna dances with 108 Gopis (cow-herd girls) in the Srimad Bhagavatam
Siva Nataraja dances his cosmic dance in 108 poses
There are 108 earthly temptations to overcome to achieve nirvana in Tibetan Buddhism
Zen priests wear juzu (a ring of prayer beads) on their wrists of 108 beads
Look: we'll be devoting ourselves to prayer and meditation and expanding our consciousnes in order to try and save the world. You're welcome.
Okay, and so here was my alternative entry for today:
Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians died on this date, September 21, in 1904 at his lonely place of exile at Nespelem on the Colville Indian Reservation, Washington. In his last speech to his people he said,
"All men are made by the same great spirit chief. They are all brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have the same rights."
And in the Preface to "The Brown Fairy Book" [1904] Andrew Lang wrote, "All people, black, white, brown, red, and yellow, are like each other when they tell stories."
George, as long as alcohol and sex exists, life is never a wasted time.
I am similarly a fan of obscure religious ceremonies. I try to appreciate their beliefs and come to a deeper understanding of life, but at the very least I get ideas for accessorizing all those old caftans.
At the last ritual I attended, a song impressed me so much I Googled the lyrics:
All you sentinent beings
I have a good or bad connection with
As soon as you have left this confused dimension
May you be born in the west of Sukharati
And once you're born there
Complete the bhunis and the paths.
I have no idea what this means. In fact, I thought she was singing about being born in a Western supermarket. But at least it points me in a spiritual direction that doesn't include eternal damnation or bingo.
OK, so now I know why you liked the Krishna painting. Others kept asking "What's a Gopis?"
And you know I would never roll my eyes.
Ever.
Really, not even the teeniest little bit.
Now get out there & trance dance this mess around.