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Longing and Ganavya
I remember the first time I heard a piece of music that made me feel something profound stirring. I could not quite articulate what that feeling was at the time, but in retrospect it was a deep sense of longing for something. The song was Purple Rain, and the year was 1987. I was 13 years old. Do you remember the first piece of music you heard that made you feel this way? There are certain musicians who have such a deep longing in their voice, or in the way that they play their instrument, that you too feel this longing. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Alice and John Coltrane, Shyam Das, Bill Evans, Radiohead to name just a few…. Ravi Shankar said: ‘In our culture, we have such respect for musical instruments, they’re like part of God.’ So what is this longing we feel that some music awakens? A longing that can often bring us to tears. It can be described as the longing you feel to be reunited with the deepest part of yourself. You could call it your spirit. That part of you that is not dependent on anything outside of yourself to feel at peace; to feel unconditional Love itself. This kind of music can quiet the thinking mind and help you to move closer to your heart. When the heart opens, it is the doorway to your spirit. Ganavya is one such musician and singer. I have been dreaming of having her with us for a long time, and in the wonderful way that life sometimes unfolds, she is coming to us on March 16th for a Saturday Session! See you there.
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