devamitenblog

Notes from the river house part 2

we’ve had a few interesting visitors to the river house this year...

here’s rafia our tantra-mantra brother and his partner margriet, house guests and dearest of friends

donny and jackie epstein, who together founded the amazing network chiropractor process, stopped by.
here’s donny in the evening, on the deck, working deva over (only joking – donny’s motto is, if the body responds to a whisper, why scream at it)

we found this guy in a tree yesterday...

early morning visitor...

...taking the sun...

..ok i know you can’t see anything, but anyway, this is the famous, and elusive duck-billed platypus.
we’re happy to say he lives in our swimming hole.
he’s a very shy little guy and only comes out to feed early morning

a tree goana – if you stand still for too long, he runs up your body.
he thinks you may be a tree...

humans down by the water

and life goes on.

unsung heroes
the other day i was in the dentist chair, and i suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of appreciation and love for the work he was doing on me (probably due to the laughing gas!).
i realised how much love deva and i receive through your messages and your voices, and i wondered if paul the dentist ever gets the same kind of appreciation.
then i looked at my acupuncturist, and thought the same about him.
so, i want to acknowledge these great guys who work selflessly to make my body run well..
paul newell, dentist extraordinaire.
neil ringe, the best acupuncturist i’ve ever had (love the needles!).
satya, the massage queen.
babaji, who just gives, and gives...with such an open heart.

so, that’s about it for now.
i hope you enjoyed this is little glimpse into our world in beautiful byron bay.
with love from us both, from the river house
miten

Notes from the river house part 1

hi friends
hope this finds y’all in full celebration.
i heard osho talking the other day about not being afraid to take the risky path when you have to make a choice.
...that’s where we’ll find god.

last night at a party for my friend trimurti, i was asked if suffering is a necessary ingredient on the spiritual search.
i had to say yes.
did liberation ever come easy? - i don’t think so.
despite what some ‘satsang’ givers may say.

suffering gives us a perspective on life.
how do we recognise joy without it?
the lotus blossoms out of the mud.

speaking from my own experience, i went through deep anguish and dark nights of the soul before i arrived at my guruji’s feet.
it was preparation.
and it didn’t end there of course, because then began the process of cleansing - of taking a good hard look at myself and the values i’d been fed.
and eventually, through the loving and compassionate eyes of my guru, i came to love the ‘me’ that i saw.
an enlightened being sees the whole world enlightened.
so, no wonder transformation happens around these blessed ones.

when people ask me how to take the joy and bliss that they feel when singing with deva and i, out into their daily lives, i always answer, ‘find community’.
not easy i know, but a spiritual community is the soil in which we can grow...by grow, i mean make mistakes and learn from them without  a sense of guilt or feeling we’ve messed up our lives.
a mystery school is all about experimentation.
how else to meet god...?
we have to step out of our houses.
no good looking at life through the window....better to get up and go outside into the garden – even if it’s raining.
because that’s part of it, too.
sun and rain – both beautiful, both necessary, both gifts of the garden.
...and before you know it, the guru has seduced you out of the garden and into the big wide unknown...and that’s where it starts to get really interesting.

the danger is, getting stuck in the suffering.
misery can become a kind of comfort zone – a habit.
take a look at how many people enjoy it, blaming mum and dad – or anyone else - for the way their life is turning out.
deep celebration doesn’t come easy.
you can’t learn it in books, and you won’t get it from a teacher.
it’s something that arises from within – from example.
that’s why the guru is imperative...that’s only my experience of course, it’s personal.
...but if you know of any better ways, let me know.

since coming off the oz tour, we’ve been enjoying byron bay even more than usual.
we played for a very beautiful and romantic wedding, between our friend laurie, from the brandon bays ‘journey’ team, and her new husband brendon.
what a joyful soul laurie is...here she is with brendon, and brandon herself, who came from her sick bed to facilitate the ceremony.

we escaped from the studio for a couple of hours to play for them.
we came out blinking in the day light.
actually, not true.
kamal’s studio is full of light – it’s the perfect place to record.

we’re so close to completing deva’s new album – a meditation on the moolamantra – and i just feel we are working on one of the most precious of all her albums.
we’re working with ben leinbach, who has recorded many beautiful albums with jai uttal.
here’s ben with his two sons, hugo and axel, just a few days old.

quite a time for him, working on this version of the moolamantra, plus a new album with jai, with his wife about to give birth.
we brought in some great musicians – kit walker, jai uttal, benjy wertheimer, manose (naturally!), peter van gelder (sitar) and even a string quartet.
and not to mention ben himself, who is a great musician in his own right, contributing an array of drums and keyboards, guitars etc.

we wanted to create a kind of mantric symphony, which would meander through landscapes of sitar, bansuri, acoustic piano etc...
and that’s what’s happening.
the piece is around 50 minutes in duration – a beautiful gift for meditators.
deva and i have long held the vision of an extended piece of music, which soothes the spirit and heals the heart.
i honestly feel we’ve achieved it with this recording.
...and i have to say deva has excelled herself – her vocal performances are stunning.
ok, i’m biased...but i know spirit when i hear it.

Shai Maivar

Dear friends, a few days ago we heard of the passing of a beautiful soul. We didn’t know Shai Maivar so well – we’d only met him twice.

First time was at the Omega Ecstatic Chant weekend last September. He was playing cello for Carioca. Still, as with all musicians, a kindred spirit arises, and when Shai showed up at our NYC concert later that month, I was struck by how beautifully joyous and playful he was.

I told him never to come to our concerts without his cello, and that he’d always be welcome to sit in with us. He laughed at this, and promised “Next time!”.
He was an amazing cellist – you have to be to follow Carioca! - and the music they made together, along with Amit, the silver flautist, was one of the highlights of the festival.

And now he’s gone.

A freak accident – he was laying in a hammock and the pole holding it gave way and fell on his head, killing him immediately – and that was it, a bright flame extinguished.
But his light lives on though, through those of us who knew him, and who count ourselves honoured to have hung out with him, even if it was just for a fleeting moment.
Please sing a mantra for him to help him through the Bardo.

 

go with god, shai.