It's taken my whole life to come to the realization that creation is the highest, most spiritual act a human being can engage in. Of all the ways to create, art is among the strongest. We all owe a Karma Debt for our lives which can be overcome by giving back something significant to the universe. Creating a child and teaching it to be successful and to survive is a wonderful act of creation. Inventions which improve the lives of people, especially those inventions that don't damage the Earth significantly, is another way to give back. But the artist is truly unique and individualized. I feel so blessed to have inherited the art of music from the Universe through my father. I have been recording a lifetime's worth of music I've written as a gift to the Universe that gave me the ability to hear the cosmic song and convert it to human understanding.

Artists, especially musicians, rarely receive what they are due. People think offering a musician $50 or $100 bucks to play at their party or in their tavern is fair – “they are only ‘working’ for a couple hours.” But how many hours of practice day in and day out went into that ability to “work” a couple hours. I also find it disheartening to go to a club to hear live music being created and see the house at 25% audience capacity or worse. It seems we have our priorities out of place.

If you were given the gift of art – of creation – I encourage to give your art back to the Universe. Be creative every day. It truly is a sacred right to create, and a most high human endeavor.

Make love and art,

Bob

I sit quietly in the meadow and open my chakras. There doesn't seem to be a mystery right now. Everything I observe appears to move in cycles. A seed is a time pattern: it becomes a plant that produces more seeds. A plant grows in the Earth's soil only to become part of that soil to nourish new plants. Water evaporates from the sea, becomes rain, then makes its way back to the sea. Cycles…

So when my Christian friends tell me we only live once, I just smile. This idea of a single lifetime just doesn't match everything I observe. Life is a cycle. It follows the same natural patterns of the Tao, the way the Universe flows. Instead of focusing on trying to be a good person and hanging onto beliefs in order to gain admittance into some imagined everlasting reward, work on evolving yourself. The only thing you can take with you from this life is your spiritual growth.

Reflect on what an amazing thing life is! Ask yourself, “Who am I?” and follow that train of thought to its final conclusion. Meditate on now. It is truly the only thing that is real.

All my love

Bob

I returned last week from a 3-week pilgrimage of studying with my spiritual teacher. I am reminded how fortunate I am to have found a teacher of his caliber because one can't do this in-depth spiritual work by oneself. Spiritual truth has always been gained from studying with a teacher who can transmit shakti to you. It can't be learned from a book or watching a video. This work is not only the most important thing a human being can do but is one of the most difficult. It requires learning to turn off that constant stream of mind chatter we have been immersed in since birth, building and strengthening our chakra system to be strong enough to really deal with life, and evolving our spirit. Enlightenment is the result, and when achieved, you graduate this material life and move to what's next. It requires sacrifice, determination, and perseverance.

We carry so much baggage inside ourselves. Once you learn to start letting it go, this stuff drops into our naval chakra and is burn up to be converted to chi, the energy of life. My teacher says that we take the stuff that is killing us and turn it into that which gives us life. This can be accomplished, and if you have a deep enough need for a spiritual life, a teacher will eventually be made available to you. Don't stop looking and seize the opportunity when it arises. A true teacher may only appear once in a lifetime.

While I was with my teacher, he helped me clean out so much poison inside me that I became physically ill for several days. But it's gone! It feels so good. All that nasty stuff that was restricting the flow of shakti in my system has been turned into life force. When one has changed enough and cleaned out enough junk that you've carried around for lifetimes, one can be reborn; one of the few ways in this life you can actually fundamentally change yourself. This one was a wonderful rebirth for me. I am truly a new person. Even though this path I've chosen has been difficult, it is the most valuable and rewarding thing I've ever engaged in. I'm half way through my 10th year and I am a new person several times over, with my heart filled with love and my soul filled with peace. If I can do this, anyone can. Endure. Preserviere. Evolve.

All my Love – Bob

From My Spiritual Journal, Volume 2, Dated September 17, 2024

"The important thing is to live on the fine line between doing and not doing. We come here [to the Earth] to overcome [/work out] our karma -- how we spent our energy in this and [from] previous lifes. By pushing in one direction, an absence is created in other places. This generates karma. The cycle goes round and round, always putting energy into one thing that creates a vacuum in another – then trying to make it up by filling a void we (inadvertently) created. Round and round we go on the Karma Wheel.

"The way out of this never ending cycle is to rise above it. A problem can't be solved at the same energy level in which it was created – so you have to change, grow, and resolve the karma wheel we are caught in, [again] by rising above it. The tools we have for this is meditation, and through this, [we can] gain spiritual growth [i.e. evolve spiritually], which allows us to rise above our current situation.

“Eventually, one gathers enough Spiritual Energy [Shakti] to begin to evolve. Sometimes this comes all at once through a flash of enlightenment [or insight], and at other times through years of working on ourselves through daily mediation and intaking of shakti from our teachers and the world around us.”

Probably the most difficult task a human being can accomplish is changing themself. Those who manage this self-change will grow and evolve. It can take years and more likely lifetimes, but spiritual growth is the ONLY thing you can take with you from this life when you leave. I still find it amazing that so many people's true religion is greed. This shows both ignorance and selfishness.

We all have the right to work hard and live a comfortable life, but the more comfortable life becomes, the more we stop struggling and ultimately growing spiritually. If one lives a middle-class lifestyle, what more does one require? Especially with so many people and other creatures dying from starvation or becoming extinct. At some point, too much excess is just wrong, especially when this excess could contribute to a better planet and saving lives.

If you use the fabulous brain you were given, it should be clear that in the scope of the life of a planet (i.e. billions of years), a human life is very short. Think about it: isn't it really foolish to spend most of your time acquiring excess money and possessions only to leave it behind when you pass on? And by spending all our time this way, don't we fail to work on ourselves and grow spiritually? To improve as both a people and a planet, shouldn't we give up our selfish behaviors, put aside our lower emotions of greed and envy, and work together to evolve?

As always, my love goes out to everyone. Be kind to each other and generous always.

I remember as a child I longed to be a scientist. To this day, I hold a deep appreciation for science; its devotion to being methodical in learning the truth of the universe in which we find ourselves, to painstakingly experiment again and again until the light turns on and the truth is revealed. Every postulate can be proved, every new development based on and build from what came before; a system that is consistent and is willing to accept what is discovered, even if it is unpleasant or goes against what we think ought to be. But as I grew, it became clear that there was a major flaw in the science system of understanding: It believes it is the only and absolute truth.

I grew up involved heavily in a Lutheran church with a mother extremely devout to the point of righteousness and absolutism. The church had the advantage over science in some ways, especially the willingness to believe in truth that at this time can't be proved through systematic experimentation. But alas, western religion seems to have the same affliction as science, the belief that they hold the only and absolute truth. Even when it is obviously contradictory to their beliefs. Evolution, for example.

From this, I have learned to be very cautious of absolutism. I draw truth from a variety of sources: Science, spirituality, experience. We are much more than we tend to think we are. Each of us come into this world with a heart, mind, and psychic system, which at a fundamental level, consists of many chakras. Please don't take my word for it; the heart and mind and chakras all can be experienced. We are each touched by the divine. Explore this and see if I am correct.

I feel the best tools a human being can employ are an open mind and an open heart. If you can experience something, it is truth, even if it can't be defined through systematic experimentation. Just because another wearing a priest's robe tells you something is truth, question it, especially if you don't experience it or “feels” wrong. Trust yourself. Approach life with love and an open heart. Use your own mind.

Much Love. Bob

Imagine if you will, a still, mountain pond. Nothing is moving over the surface except a gentle breeze that does not disturb the pond's surface. Then a tremor in the earth dislodges a pebble, named James, and he falls into the water creating a ripple pattern; even, predictable, clean. Another pebble, Amy, soon falls into the water setting off another ripple pattern. The two ripples intersect. The dual wave ripples form a new, strong pattern, clear and understandable. James and Amy's reality intersect, but the result is harmonious. Both understand the reality they created together and there is little confusion. Both see the pattern clearly and understand their combined reality. For them, it was the truth.

Another tremor dislodges 100 or so more pebbles, which all begin to fall into the pond. The patterns formed are no longer clear. It is chaos, with waves rippling pell mell over the surface of the pond, colliding and intersecting in ways that appear random. The newcomers try to define their combined reality. Each feels they contributed to the joint reality, and in truth, they did. However, the result of the input of 100 new pebbles created a reality that wasn't clear to even James and Amy, who wish they could still see the simple reality they used to.

Finally, someone said that they knew the truth. Soon another responded that they knew the truth. Yet both saw it differently. The mountain looked down at the pond and sighed. It said, “That is maya and all the pebbles contributed to it.”

After a while, the ripples subsided, leaving the pond surface clear once more. A bird landed near the water to drink. Looking at the still water, it said, “Now I see the truth,” and drank its fill.

We have few traditions in our spiritual practice, but welcoming in the new year is one. We connect in person or on Zoom and sit in deep meditation as the old years rolls on and the new one is born. It is a time to really let go of all the baggage we collected during the previous year and not carry it forward. Rudi once said the easiest way to let go of the old is to walk to a street corner and turn your back on it all, and simply walk away leaving the troubles, stress, negative energy, and tribulations behind you. Don't look back.

I invite everyone to JUST LET IT GO. The past is gone and the future hasn't been written. There is only NOW. A simple and understandable concept, yet simply being in the NOW seems to be one of the most difficult of human endeavours. Make 2026 the year of rebirth. Start your new life today. Let go of the old. Sing, dance, and welcome in the new, fresh vibrations of 2026. The past is gone if you let it go. Don't add to the weight you already carry.

My love to all!

We all have learned certain “truths”/"lessons" in life of which leave no doubt in our minds as to important keys to the living puzzle. I am going to share some of mine in this post and I invite everyone who feels compelled to share theirs as well. Maybe we can learn from each other. Ok, here are 4 things I know are true:

1. Everything is ok; not good or bad, but ok. Everything is as it should be.
2. 95% of everything I thought was real turns out to be Maya. And the other 5% is questionable.
3. We all are more the same than we are different.
4. We are exactly where every decision we have made in our lives have led us. We can decide to change…

Here are some words of wisdom/truths that came to me in the form of song lyrics:

• Right and wrong, good and bad, are just ideas someone had; reality is often just a fad (From Alone on the Painter CD)
• Magic always comes to mark ordeal's end (From A Prelude to Happiness on the Serpent Power CD)
• You can't take it with you, except your progress. It's not free this undertaking; there's no end to success (From The Carnival Fantastic on the Serpent Power CD)
• You can steer against the current; you can feel you're in control. You pretend that you're important, Master of the dice you throw. But each cycle has an ending, you might buy a few years. And when it's time to stop pretending, you can let go of all of your fears (Also from The Carnival Fantastic on the Serpent Power CD)
• The chain I wear, I forged long and hard. It just occurred, I could will it apart. I can change who I am, I can become a different man. The change lies deep within my heart (From Destiny on the Painter CD)
• Destiny is fate that we control, thoughts in my mind become real. I used to think that there were answers but now I just trust how I feel (Also from Destiny on the Painter CD)
• Hope is not the answer and neither is belief. Anger offers power but it never brings relief. Happiness guarantees that sometimes you'll be sad, just as things we think are good imply that there is bad. (From Firebird on the On Letting Go CD)
• Life is not a contest, to win or lose. It's more like a garden to grow what you choose (From Free Time on the On Letting Go CD)
• Patients is a virtue, yeah but sometimes it's a curse… (From Godmother on the On Letting Go CD)
• Faith in yourself is all you need to feel alive. Avoid those who judge - let your conscious be your guide. Help each other keeping love as your drive. Weed out your judgements and your garden will survive, it will revive, oh yeah it will thrive! (From Judgements and Classifications on the On Letting Go CD)
• Honor, virtue and duty are goals worth striving for. Faith in yourself is your anchor,and peace is your roots and your core (From Karma's Song on the On Letting Go CD)
• Illusions always hide in the things we think are real; the answers always change because the questions are concealed. (From Learning to Swim on the Painter CD)
• Cause and effect are deceitful twins. Duality is the root of sins. And when we finally see that all is really one, the healing will have begun (From Maya on the On Letting Go CD)
• If you should falter remember this my friend: A battle without struggle is a war lost in the end, and everything of value is won for a price, but if you are patient you will never have to fight (From The Mystic Sea on the Serpent Power CD)
• If you treat the world as if a young girl, instead of something to be conquered. You'll find she rhymes, she dances in time, and joy will keep your heart reassured (From Nothin' to Stand On on the Painter CD)
• The faster I push to get over the hill, the harder the journey becomes… (From Oracle on the On. Letting Go CD)
• Run like a river, weave in and out with the flow. The path of least resistance is the way I should go. Run like a river, fluid and strong; inevitables seem conquerable when you're right where you belong (From Run Like A River on the Painter CD)
• There was so much time to wonder, and so much time to be free. I'm a me I remember, but who is the real me? (From So Much Time on the Serpent PowerCD)
• Balancing marbles on a string, I just can't manage everything… (From Strings and Things on the upcoming double CD Rock Opera Remembering Tomorrow).

That's enough for now. Again, I invite everyone to share their lessons of truth from life so I can learn from you. It is an amazing thing, this life we have. What a joy it is to share the world with everyone. Thank you for letting me into your life by reading my blog.

Open your hearts!

– Bob

“Hope is not the answer and neither is belief.” (From Firebird on our On Letting Go CD). In our culture, “hope” is considered a positive, pure emotion, something to place faith in. But it is not. Hope us akin to wishing, which is maya. It is certainly true that we have the ability to make things occur with thought energy, but hoping is a blind wish that things will work out in our favor. Don't waste time hoping, a passive experience at best.

Visualization through meditationis a much more proactive tool. Fantasizing is a product of our immense imaginative power and can help with visualization if we don't get lost in it, but avoid “believing” as much as possible. Stick with what you KNOW and can EXPERIENCE. Spend time daily in quiet meditation to develop your chakras. As you develop spiritually, you begin to see the truth and trust life because you experience it. This is very different than hope and belief. My teacher S says there are 3 aspects to life. 1) Gaining your Humanity: learning to live with an open heart by developing our chakras and filling your heart with love to work out your karma; 2) Spirit: connecting with “God” (or whatever you feel comfortable calling it). Open your crown chakra and connect. 3) Kundalini: The power that resides resting in your root chakra needs to rise up your spine and opens your crown chakra. All these things are the result of a lot of work, but as far as I'm concerned, are the purpose of life. Experience tells us that anything of value we gain comes from working at it, not “believing” it comes for free. Learn to transform all the negativity and suffering into love and joy.

I'm asked sometimes about my own spiritual practice and why it isn't just a substitute belief system. I know because it is visceral; I can feel it. It takes work to make it happen, but sitting quietly and opening my chakras allows the flow of shakti into me. I can feel it. I feel my chakras open and the spiritual energy flow. As a result of daily practice, my life has improved. I no longer get depressed or worry about things. The experience of this vast inner life has opened so many possibilities in my life. I'm so glad I had the fortitude to continue my practice because it takes time and effort. So far, it is the most valuable aspect of this lifetime. I truly wish this for all who are seeking spiritual enlightenment. Find a real teacher and practice, practice, practice. Every day. You can learn from books, but real knowledge comes from experience.

Love and blessings!

Each of us enters this life from a previous state of development. We all have our own individual karma to work out during this life. In order to work out our karma, we must evolve to a higher spiritual place then we are now. To accomplish this, we must develop a strong chakra system (as my teacher S calls it) within us so we can connect to our higher self, god, higher creative energy, the spirit of the universe, whatever you want to call it. It is from there that we receive all wisdom and deeper understanding. This is a lifelong journey. However, we are also granted the ability to explore the physical world and gain a wide variety of experiences. Between inner guidance and outer experience in the world, we evolve.

Coming from the condition of being ADHD, I tend to cycle through a series of activities. As I lose interest in one I start becoming interested in another. The driving interest brings me a lot of inner joy and satisfaction. I've come to accept this pattern and I no longer become saddened when one project fades from my scope of interest. I simply pack the stuff I was exploring and working on and shelf it, while I pull out the material I need for where my drive and interest have directed me. There are some projects I hope I complete in this life and many I know I likely won't. The older one gets, the more he is reminded that life is a short-time experience. That is ok. I've accepted all these things as simply how my life works, and I am at peace with it.

However, the one constant I strive to maintain is my spiritual practice. I see so many join our group and then soon leave again. No judgement; they likely got what they needed at the time they were here. Not everyone is ready to commit to their own development. Many are “digging holes” as Rudi called it, looking for a practice that resonates for them. I've seen some that come to meditation practice for a while, leave, and return again. It is another pattern. Whatever people choose to do is where they are, and it's not about being right or wrong. These are mental constructs anyway; part of maya. Whatever we do leads to learning and gaining experience. If we generate a lot more karma than we overcome in this life, it just adds to what needs to be overcome and worked out in future lifes.

I don't focus on suffering as the path to Enlightenment. As far as I can tell, it is a valid path. Life is more like a mountain. Even if it looks different from the North side than the South, it's still the same mountain. I don't see the personification of God in all things either, but recognize that is another valid path to Enlightenment for some. The important thing I see is to stay away from “belief systems." They only entrap you. Develop your inner life as well as your outer life. Life seems to work more pleasantly when balanced. After you've selected the practice you feel is right for you, try to discipline yourself enough to remain on it as long as you can. Do some inner work every day. Grow. Love. Expand. Enjoy.