That's right ya'll.  I made the move.  Steppin' into the future... www.twitter.com/gopalmetro

So now each of you can know every move I make.... And a thrilling adventure it will be, I'm certain.

*grins*

Jai!
~Gopal

Hari Om, All! 

If all goes well (ie we can get the permissions cleared) we should have some bootleg recordings of Jdavyd, Patrick, Arcadia, and I performing Siva Kirtan on Maha Sivaratri in Yogaville.  It's definitely a different sound than what's currently on the page, but I think you'll approve.

If, for whatever reason, we are not able to get these recordings cleared, we hope to be playing much more often in the near future.

Also, keep an open ear for the IDIL(ideal) version of Shambho Mahadeva, an ancient Indian bhajan that I sang for much of my youth.  Good stuff.

Jai!
~Gopal

Self
Self, with a capital S, is an unusual concept in Western culture.  In the current context it represents the Higher Self as compared to the base self or ego.  The Seer or the Witness. 

Most of us walk through life believing in our experiences, believing in full faith what we have been taught, what we have been told to be and to do.  Even the most rebellious still find themselves slave to circumstance and emotional whim, often unconsciously having allowed these things to be bred into them at an early age by the very people or things they are rebelling against. 

The Seer is the element that exists outside of all these bonds, the element that simply watches as though an audience member at a film.

There are a number of different paths to learning about the Self. I'll touch on only two here. 

First, the cultivation of  awareness of breath, leading to awareness of thought, growing to control of the form, then control of the mind. 

Once a person has a grasp of  personal mental and physical control, deprogramming the self-defeating  aspects of our individual characters can begin, replacing them with positive and beneficial thoughts and beliefs that actually allow us to attain our goals and dreams.  Simultaneously, we can also begin to develop an awareness of our own Inner Silence, an awareness of internal peace unaffected by any and all external experience or stimulus.

Through the whole process, learning to appreciate where we are and what is around us, no matter how crappy it might seem, takes a strong role.  For many, an attitude of grace and deep thanks definitely takes practice, but it is worth it.

Upon reaching this point it is really up to the individual to decide where they want to go. 

If they have bonded with Silence then they may start purifying and deconstructing their histories and futures, attaining a state of eternal Now.

Others learn to hone their relationship with their inner Vision and learn to cultivate their Dreams into manifest Realities.

And yet others simply continue on in a state of contented malcontent.

The possibility is truly infinite.  And every path is as entirely unique and as entirely valid as the individual walking it.

------------------------------

Now stepping back a bit...

The second avenue I'll focus on here is sound.  Specifically the direct flow-through of Creative energy into manifest form.  Every time a musician sits with their instrument, sets their mind aside, and simply plays music, they are the essence of Creative spirit.  The cultivation and nurturing of this state of flow-through, of getting the thinking rational mind out of the way, is the focus.  I highly encourage those who simply listen to music to do the same.

Any fan of music either consciously or unconsciously understands it's power.  When you put on an album and just lose yourself to it, when you stop seeing with your eyes and start seeing with your mind and soul.   This is the essence of what we, as people, can do.  We are "The Creators of the Experience" and also "The Ones Who Experience", both the "Quiet" and the "Loud".

Through the expressive arts of Listening and Creating, we get our individual selves out of the way and allow something bigger than any one of us to come into being.  And I sincerely hope you join us in playing and experimenting with this!

-------------------------------

I firmly believe that every person who is willing has the absolute and total ability to achieve their highest state of being.  Every dream a person has can be fulfilled, if they learn how to make it happen (or if they have the strength of will to simply get out of the way). 

That is just the nature of being human.

Jai!
~Gopal

IDIL(ideal) is pronounced “ideal”

The second half first:

(ideal)
- Noun -
Merriam-Webster 1: a standard of perfection, beauty, or excellence
Merriam-Webster 2: an ultimate object or aim of endeavor : goal

- Adjective -
Merriam-Webster 2a: existing as a mental image or in fancy or imagination only
Merriam-Webster 3b: conforming exactly to an ideal, law, or standard : Perfect


And now, the first half second:

I.D.I.L. - In Darkness and In Light
In much spiritual, theosophical, and philosophical lore (contrary to the ever popular Good/Evil mythos), Darkness represents the manifest, all that is perceived by the human mind, the particle state of energy, “Earth”, “Ground” and so on.

Light, on the other hand, represents the un-manifest, all possibility, that which cannot be perceived, the wave state of energy, “Heaven”, “Potential”, et c.

These are the two aspects of God or Divinity. The line that splits this Godhead in half, the place in between, the realm in which we exist, is Human awareness.

With this understanding classic definitions take on an interesting light.

Looking from a Yogic perspective:
As paraphrased from the ancient text of the Guru Gita – The syllable "Gu" is Darkness, and "Ru" is light.

As standard Sanskrit definitions:
"Sat" means existence
"Dev" means God or Godhead

Satguru is one who exists In Darkness and In Light
Satgurudev is one who exists as Godhead in the union of Darkness and Light

Yoga is union or yoke. The practice of Yoga creates the union of Darkness and Light, thus creating the state of Satgurudev

For a student of Yogic thought the implications of this understanding are vast (as compared to the semi-traditional definition of the Guru as an external figure who is "the remover of the darkness of ignorance", and which implications are also vast), but the depths of that discussion are for another time.

Most major faiths have a parallel that can be interpreted in a similar fashion. The Tao, The One, and  the Ten Thousand Things from Taosim. Genesis 1:1 (not to be confused with Genesis 1:4 where the Naming begins) and Genesis 1:27 (God creating mankind and giving us the same power and dominion as itself. If God is in fact an external or separate aspect) from the Islamic/Judeo-Christian Faiths. Portions of Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The communion with nature from many international Native and Tribal faiths. And it goes on…

It is both a fascinating subject of study, and leads to a fascinating spiritual practice that can achieve quite significant results (depending on what you want/are looking for). And, of course, it can be understood and interpreted in many, many different ways.  As a matter of fact, no matter what the stated agreement, these things get understood by ever individual in an entirely unique manner.

--------------------

So, when you put the two elements together, IDIL and (ideal), it creates a concept and a vision. A path of understanding and awareness that leads the way to manifest Self-awareness. It exemplifies that state of Highest Perfection, however the individual might interpret it.


Is this understanding “correct”? Maybe, maybe not, but it certainly works for us.

Jai!
~Gopal

Folks kept telling me it was too dry (or bland... or boring) *grins*.  Ahh well, I'm a bit of a fan of 1890's scientific papers.  Their use of logic and common sense back then was awesome!  (a poor statement for today I'm afraid. *grins*)


~GM






To know.  To exist.  To simply be...



As essence, we are energy.  If you go deep enough, look far enough, it is all the same.  The tree, the car, our bodies, our thoughts, are all made of the same thing, impulses of energy.  As defined by physics, this energy comes in two forms, particle or wave.  In religion it is referenced in many different ways, in Taoism it is Yin (the particle, the manifest, the dark, what we perceive) and Yang (the wave, the unmanifest, the light, what is always possible), in Christianity it is Heaven (the light, or pure potential) and Earth (the dark, or all that is perceived), in Hinduism it is Gu (the dark), and Ru (the light).  If you look, every major faith, and most minor ones, carry some reference to this dual state. This duality is our interface, through understanding it and through the utilization of the tools of our mind and consciousness we are able to do many wonderful things.  In fact, through study, practice, and refinement, we are able to create and experience any and all possibility.  Anything that we can dream, any thing we can imagine, we can make real and we can dissolve.



According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the ancient source book of most modern Yogic practice, all perception exists for the experience and release of the perceiver.  What does this mean?  If you sit quietly and simply watch your thoughts, and if you do it for some time, learning to let them be separate from you, to just let them flow by without identifying with them, without believing that your thoughts are YOU, an awareness develops. You will eventually discover the Perceiver, that place in you that is entirely unaffected by your environment, by the desires and opinions and circumstances of those things and people around you, and by even your own apparent desires, emotions, and thoughts.  The Perceiver is your higher self, often referenced with a capital S as Self.  The Self is beyond all concerns, cares and desires, the Self just is.  Now, the Self has some pretty incredible things to say if you care to listen.  By listening to the Self, we are able to fulfill our destiny, our Ishta-puja or chosen path, and by listening solely to the Self we can exist in a state of pure and consistent joy.  By devoting our life to this higher Self, by listening and trusting and knowing our own unique Rightness, by referencing our self and our actions only against that individual Truth within and by respecting the individual Truth in all others, by existing in that state of Peace and unique Truth, all weight is lifted, the entire world opens up, all possibility exists NOW.  And we are released.  We exist in that state of perfect experience and release, In Darkness and In Light, a seeming paradox.  But an existence that is very real, and very attainable.  It is the ideal.