Everyman's Journal 2011

Everyman's Journal 2011, #27

Feb 2

There's this little offering ritual I've been enjoying each Sunday I attend a certain local church.... inside the money collecting basket is another little basket with pieces of paper in it. You're invited to take one, which I always do, as they each have a message. It's kind of in the spirit of a 'fortune cookie', but more spiritually focused. This week my lottery draw gave me one with the word EFFICIENCY printed on it.

It's an appropriate tone for these times, as here in Yuma, this is the peak of the year.... the summer slowness is long gone, the winter visitors are here in throngs, and thus, an increase in 'opportunity' is also happening. So, being spiritually and physically efficient is a good practice, especially when necessarily balanced with detachment from the ego-fruits of one's activity. The end result is simply well-delivered 'selfless service'.

And for me, one major thing that is also happening is that an old love has returned... to become a new service mission opportunity. I speak here of my love of singing, and in particular, group singing.

As it was a year ago, the idea of creating a Sacred Music Circle was again put forward by some friends during the early January Peter Victor satsangs, with the request that I, as a musician, be involved with leading it. Peter encouraged me to accept this, and this year a space to do it was also offered, at a new yoga studio located conveniently near to my home. All the other necessities have just fallen into place also.... to the result that our first gathering is this coming Sunday, in a 'competition' to the Super Bowl time slot (which I had not even noticed until today :-). Perfect, right? (Absolutely, it has to be.)

In preparation, today I borrowed a friend's non-working harmonium, offering to exchange repairing it for its use at the kirtans for a while. I worked on it this afternoon, enjoying the work as much as the painting I had planned on doing, the act of repairing an instrument triggering appreciative remembrances of the thousands of hours of my life which had been spent repairing and rebuilding my customer's pianos in Santa Fe during my quarter-century plus career doing that there. But the real joy was experienced as I vocally 'test-drove' the harmonium after the basic repairs were done.

For then, with the accompaniment of the harmonium, I viscerally reconnected with what the essence of chanting is all about.... sitting in the sangha (the group of brother/sister beings with whom we/I share 'the journey'), releasing to a very large degree the individual identity, and becoming fully merged with the fifth chakra devotional love-current being created by the words and melodies of sacred phrases being repeated over and over and over, until the heart is ecstatic. It is a beautiful path to journey to our Godness on....

I have a deep gratitude arising... and an intuitive sense that this grace is being given to all of us here as a way to use the powerful non-intellectual language of music to link up our hearts and know ourselves as a one. And I am personally feeling inspired by a 'blur of ten-thousand visions' of what further miracles may possibly unfold from this grace as it extends. To me, this is pure dharma in action.... never forced or pushed or hyped, one activity following and arising from another which was before it.... all actions in the chain just gently arising in response to the heart-call of the sangha. Truly the most natural of openings, like a blossom which has awaited its time knows with certainty that it IS now time to open.... that is the sensibility...

Inside of the mystical circle of blessings that surrounds each of our lives, we are always guided without accident, no matter the appearances. To live awake to this present tense Presence is to release all doubt and fear of future lack. This is when life itself becomes most magically musical, as we then simply become incarnate instruments of joy, brought together to counter all apparent suffering with the ecstasy of the Love we actually Are.

Namaste,

David

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My partnership request.... Please consider yourself an important gateway this message is passing through on its way to others. Please do 'send it on'. Thank you.

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Rev. David Seacord

Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag

david@davidseacord.com

www.davidseacord.com

(my fine art website)

www.davidseacord-everymansjournal.blogspot.com

(archived writings and poetry, circa 2002 to 2004)

www.davidseacord-acimcommentaries.blogspot.com

(archived 2010 writings on the lessons of A Course in Miracles)

www.everymansjournal2011.blogspot.com

(archived entries of this years Everyman's Journal)