Into the Mountain
Esoteric and not so Esoteric Tidbits
The beauty of music is that each listener is allowed to image and feel his or her own personal connection to the words, rhythm and to the sequencing of the chord structures. There will always be multiple interpretations of the song.
Those who are familiar with my work in the Esoteric Acupuncture Series may wonder about the connection of this music to Esoteric Acupuncture. One of the reasons why this music project came to fruition was because the number of people who have told me over the years that they could not understand the Esoteric Acupuncture books. So, I decided to take a short break and write something less complex.
Remember, the basic concept of Esoteric Acupuncture is to pierce the dense temple (physical, emotional and mental bodies) to then allow an opportunity to connect with the finer frequency Inner Higher Spiritual Heart Center. Another fundamental premise of Esoteric Acupuncture is to balance the opposing, yet complimenting, Heart System with the Kidney System. One higher level of the Heart System is connected to Jnana Yoga and the higher levels of Love/Wisdom/Stillness. In one aspect of Chinese Medicine, the kidneys are associated with drumming, rhythm and music. When someone gets up and dances, he or she is grounding to the Earth through the acupuncture site of Di Chong (Kidney-1) translated as “Earth’s Thoroughfare.” The “Into the Mountain” CD is a representation of the kidney aspect of drums and music (and grounding to Earth) combined with the messages of moving toward the Heart Center expressed through the words and vibration of the musical tones. Some of the messages are esoteric, some are not so esoteric (exoteric).
Disc 1
The CD “Into the Mountain” is a conceptual journey through music to assist in the shifting of the listener into his or her Heart Center. This is a 21st Century concept album, unlike the traditional rock concept albums of the 1970’s and 1980’s where all the songs and music carried a similar feel and vibration to the listener. I wanted to present various types of music that carried a similar inner message, but with rhythms and chord changes that did not fit one specific genre of music.
There is a gigantic massive black hole that sits at the edge of our universe (or maybe exists outside of our universe) that is projecting a frequency (wave) that permeates our whole universe and the Milky Way Galaxy where Earth is located. This extremely low frequency is so low, that no human ear can detect this frequency. Yet the wave is penetrating everyone’s consciousness and sending information to every living entity in our world.
Sometimes those who meditate may strike a bell, bowl or gong before the the meditation to signal the start of the sit. The frequency of the tone also assists in centering an individual. The Into the Mountain CD begins by lightly striking a large Buddhist bowl (used in the One Drop Zendo of Los Angeles) and having this short note blend into the first song “Festival of Hearts.”. Just like the very low tone from the massive black hole that permeates through the consciousness of every living entity, this inaudible tone from the Buddhist bowl energetically permeates throughout both discs of the CD with the purpose to help center the listener of this music. The very last song on disc 2 ends with a slightly longer tone from the striking of the same Buddhist bowl/bell.
Festival of Hearts begins with an Okinawan (Japanese) feel and moves into an American country-folksy feel. The instrumental melody is played on a ukulele.
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“Sunny Street” is my response to all the negative programming of fear, deception and mistrust being broadcast daily through the news and political talk shows. Instead of unifying and opening our hearts, these daily broadcasts have created tension, anger and much divisiveness. I have not seen this much division in the United Sates for many decades.
“Sunny Street” is a tribute to the city festiveness of expression that can be felt in East Los Angeles and that whole side of town. I incorporated congas, timbales, organ and wanted to have a 1970’s feel. I call this my East L.A. song. People have their own opinions of the Eastside versus the Westside, Central or South Los Angeles or the Valley. I feel there is always some underlying celebration and joyful festivities inherent within the cultures that have their roots in Mexico, Central and South America. Would you rather live in a world of harmony, friendship, playfulness and sharing, or the opposite world of fear, anger and division? You have choices in your life.
In this place called planet Earth
We are all just doing time
How do you choose to live your life?
How do you choose to use the time?
I choose to walk on a sunny street
I personally choose to walk on a sunny street where our inner sunshine and inner light have an opportunity to enhance the collective Heart Field of the planet.
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The music of “Flight of the Seagull” has a very different feel than “Sunny Street.” “Sunny Street” is an expression of joy permeating city life. “Flight of the Seagull” is my expression of the energies of life closer to flowing waters of lakes, bays, rivers, oceans and the energies related to those living in an environment closer to nature and not so congested like inner city life.
Fly away, just trying to see
Fly away, trying to break free….
Fly away, fly away with me
“Trying to see” refers to trying to see our own inner truths. “Fly away trying to break free” refers to the recognition and an attempt to break away from the shackles that keep us imprisoned in a programmed mind of a fear-based reality.
Fly away into the wind
The idea of wind implies something nebulous, something that cannot be captured or corralled, something free. Wind also refers to spirit.
On one level, this line refers to letting yourself feel free or going to that place in your consciousness where you can be free, if only for a moment. Some people are so constricted they believe that they cannot let go of their shackles or any of the outer rules. On another level, the line “Fly away into the wind” refers to activating the energetics associated with the acupuncture point known as Feng Fu or Du-16. The translation of Feng Fu is “Wind Mansion.”
The acupuncture site of Feng Fu (Du-16) is also the activation point for an advanced Hindu chakra known as the Taluku, Talu or Lalana Chakra. Djwhal Khul calls this chakra the Alta Major Center. “Fly away into the wind” esoterically means consciously knowing about this center, then consciously activating the site to begin the process of moving toward the field of “Sound Without Sound.” This field is a very fine frequency heart realm and known only to the highest seekers of the Inner Ageless Wisdom Teachings. Feng Fu (Du-16) and the “Sound Without Sound” field is the sister activation site to Yintang (Ajna Center) the realm of “Sight Without Sight.”
Look up, nothing but the skies so blue
Look down, see nothing but deep oceans blue
In these times my head seems to swirl
It feels like I’m in between worlds
This is the inner world or the in between world of the deep meditator, or the other world of the naga sadhus, shamans, curanderos/curanderas, sangomas or the Australian Aborigines. You don’t quite know where you are. This is just another inner state of consciousness that requires we go into an inner aspect of our Heart Center.
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“Couldn’t See the Truth” is about not trusting our Higher Inner Spiritual Heart and instead letting our programmed left brain constantly make the decisions. How many times have you had a very strong intuitive gut message (solar plexus chakra) or a higher frequency heart (Anahata/Heart Chakra) intuitive message, yet let your left-brained, rational mind determine the outcome of your decision(s)? Once you allow yourself to trust your inner heart, you will begin to reside in the world of knowing. You will know things by heart. The masculine left-brained (concrete mind) definition of “knowing something by heart” refers to rote memorization. You’ve done thing so many times you know it by heart. The feminine right-brained (abstract mind) definition refers to the knowing aspect of the heart, which is the world of clairsentience — another of our inherent senses. Let us embrace another of our many inherent senses — the state of one’s Inner Knowingness.
There is a joyous interplay between Jean Sudbury on both violin and viola intertwining her notes with the sounds emanating from a 120-stringed butterfly harp played by Edwing.
The singing verses slide into an instrumental section at the end. I originally had planned a more blues-jazzy feel for this section. Using an open “C” tuning on the ESP acoustic-electric guitar plus the feel of the violin in this section naturally moved the music into a more country, folky flavor. I wanted to have multiple players adlibbing at the same time, kind of what is sometimes done in New Orleans jazz, but with our own flavor of music.
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The lyrics for “Keep Smiling” were written by Ynez Anthony and is the state of consciousness that has the power to change the world into a much more harmonious existence. It does not take much to smile, and does not require any outside energy or effort from an external source. Yet a simple sincere smile is very powerful and can change the day for yourself and for others. Enough smiles around the world will change our planet into a much more peaceful, joyful place to live.
Let it shine, let it shine
Shine your light all around the world
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“Snowflake Thoughts” refers to the impermanence of things in our 3-D world, to the changes constantly occurring in our lives and how our personal remembrances of events seem to float away with time
But like the passage of time
Snowflakes melt and flow away
Although we usually remember those events and people that touched our inner heart, often two people may have very different views of the same event(s) that they shared in the past.
Fragrance of compassion
You left in the air
I remember oh so well
Those snowflake thoughts
I keep close in my heart
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On one level, “Leaves Turn Green” seems to be telling a story about a wanderer who has many places to see and people to meet, and will return home in spring when the leaves turn green. The wanderer will be returning home to his or her partner/lover.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, green refers to the liver system that is associated with spring and our ability to physically see things. Springtime is the time for new birth, new growth, cleansing and excitement — “spring is in the air.” But in the Chinese system, the liver system (wood) is sometimes thought of as the bully and has been nicknamed “the general.” The bullying is expressed in the Chinese Medical syndrome known as “Wood Attacks Earth” (stomach) resulting in digestive issues. This bullying aspect often results in the liver system “thinking” it has control over the heart system.
In the Hindu Chakra system, green is associated with the Anahata (Heart Chakra). In Esoteric Acupuncture, home is the state of consciousness of the highest Spiritual Shen (an extremely fine vibrational frequency of the heart). The line “when the leaves turn green I’ll be coming home” esoterically refers to the maturation of the liver system. This means that the liver now recognizes and “bows’ down to the true ruler, our heart system. The greening of the liver system also refers to now being aware of one’s inner sight and wanting to spend more energy exploring one’s inner path, rather than wanting to sightsee and experience the outer world from the reference of one’s 3-D vision. The greening of the liver system also means that the power of the liver system is moving into and recognizing the true power of the heart, which is associated with the color green. “When the leaves turn green I’ll be coming home” means that a person is finished with his or her sightseeing and other outward searches and is now ready to begin the inward search to rediscover one’s true home — first the Inner Higher Spiritual Heart. If the inner urge is strong, very centered and the individual has both dedication and perseverance then eventually one may reach a state of consciousness known as one’s Original Shen, which is the first compactified step coming from pure consciousness (waves) to eventually densify into a physical 3-D reality.
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Disc 2
Pentatonic Heaven is an instrumental piece and is the first tune on the 2nd CD. The song was composed and played by Edwing on a 120-stringed Butterfly Harp. Pentatonic means 5 notes in the scale, and the number 5 is the esoteric number for magic. I wanted to start the 2nd disc with a certain meditative, soothing feel and breath “magic” into this concept album designed to assist into moving into one’s Heart Center.
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“Tear for Tibet” was written as an acknowledgement from the western world that we share your plight and are encouraging you in Tibet to stay strong, even during forced, foreign occupation of your country. The song is partially written in 7/4 timing and partially in 4/4 timing.
A portion of this foreign control has to do with controlling the numerous rivers that flow out from Tibet. Water is associated with the 2nd chakra (Swadthisthana) that controls will power, money, sexual energies and fear. Water Law has more power than Land Law. Why is money called currency, as in the currents of the river or ocean? Why are the storage places for money called banks, such as in the banks of the shore? Esoterically, water = power = money = control. Those who control the water and money control the external powers — your external currents. But, external force and power can be offset by internal power and by controlling your internal currents— your Higher, Inner Spiritual Heart Center.
The line: “you will be free in the end” refers to staying spiritually in your Higher, Inner Spiritual Heart Center. No matter what the external world brings you, if you keep your internal Twin Flames consisting of your lower Cinnabar Field/ Dan Tien (2nd chakra) strong and aligned with your inner Shendao Flame (Heart Chakra), you will be able to maintain your inner freedom in your spirit. You will be free inside, in your heart where it matters the most. The outer cannot control the inner, unless you allow that to happen.
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The title of the CD “Into the Mountain” refers to the concept of a person being aware of and attempting to activate the Brahmarandra Chakra located within the cranium and directly below the Sahasrara (Crown Chakra). Although the Brahmarandra Chakra may not be known as “The Mountain Chakra,” this is the name I call this chakra. Even if you are working with raising kundalini and you have dissolved the lower grathis (knots) that block the ascension of kundalini, kundalini will usually stop at the location of The Mountain Chakra. If your goal is to move kundalini up to the higher chakras, then It is best to activate and open The Mountain Chakra in order to have an opportunity for kundalini to move upward and communicate with the Sahasrara (Crown Chakra).
“Walk the Mountain” is a suite or a walk through various stages of one’s inner journey. The song begins with an instrumental introduction using an Asian (Japanese) motif. Some western listeners who are not familiar with the sound from those first few chords may think the song starts off in a dark or gloomy mood. I do not think of those opening chords as dark or melancholy. That chord sequence allows the song to next glide into what I call a western feel and moves into a cowboy chord with the use of a D major chord on the second fret. The singing begins with the idea of the relaxing energetics of a walk along a mountain pathway with the relaxing, clean, fresh air of country life. This is the opposite energy from a city with so much energy and much more tension.
Before the 2nd guitar solo, there is a line that says:
Sometimes I wish I could walk it with you
This mountain walk is not meant for two.
These lines refer to the idea that inner meditation cannot be done holding hands with another or by talking with another. Inner meditation and one’s inner Soul Journey has to be done individually and is a Solo Journey.
The 2nd guitar solo is a journey through one’s inner cleansing and removing some heaviness from one’s soul. The sound is created by the screaming tones from a 1950’s Fender Telecaster guitar. This section then moves into a transitional section eventually moving into the last section.
A violin is added on the last section and is beautifully played by Jean Sudbury. There is a slight hint of an Appalachian flavor with the violin. This moves into a ukulele solo.
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The last song in the CD is an instrumental tune “Christ Be With Me” written and performed by Edwing. I wanted to end this Mountain Journey, or Into the Mountain, with a soothing, meditative piece. As mentioned earlier, the CD ends with a tone made by the ringing of a large Zen bowl.
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