Podcasts about Meher Baba

Mick Brown discusses his book 'The Nirvana Express', which chronicles the West's engagement with Indian spirituality from the mid-19th century to the present. He explores key figures such as Edwin Arnold, Krishnamurti, Meher Baba, and Osho, highlighting their influence on Western perceptions of Eastern teachings. The discussion also touches on the impact of psychedelics in the 1960s and the ongoing legacy of these spiritual traditions in contemporary society. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/mick-brown/ | @mickbrownwriter https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/the-nirvana-express/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nirvana-Express-Search-Enlightenment-Went/dp/1805260197 LISTEN ON PODCAST Apple podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keen-on-yoga-podcast/id1509303411 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5iM9lcw52JskHUZ2eFvVxN WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/@keenonyoga SUPPORT KEEN ON YOGA Subscribe, like and share our videos Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infoRf Patrons €10 per month: https://www.keenonyoga.com/patrons/ FOLLOW ADAM https://linktr.ee/Keenonyoga Website: www.keenonyoga.com Instagram:  @keen_on_yoga | @adam_keen_ashtanga  Key Points ·       The book explores the West's engagement with Indian spirituality since the mid-19th century. ·       Edwin Arnold's 'The Light of Asia' was pivotal in introducing Buddhism to the West. ·       Theosophy played a significant role in shaping Western perceptions of Eastern spirituality. ·       Krishnamurti's rejection of theosophy marked a significant shift in spiritual teachings. ·       Meher Baba attracted a following of influential women in the early 20th century. ·       Aleister Crowley was a complex figure who blended Eastern and Western esoteric traditions. ·       Paul Brunton introduced key Indian figures to the West, including Ramana Maharshi. ·       The 1960s saw a surge in interest in Eastern spirituality, fueled by psychedelics. ·       Osho's community in Oregon became infamous for its controversial practices and lifestyle. ·       The conversation highlights the ongoing influence of Eastern teachings in contemporary Western spirituality.  

The highest state of God, beyond form, attributes, and reality, is known as the "isness" state beyond eternity, infinity, and consciousness. Even the concept of infinity is a manifestation of the unbounded absolute. The immense complexity and multi-layered nature of the divine emphasize that even the most advanced spiritual practices and realizations only scratch the surface of God's true essence. God's nature is beyond reality and illusion, and that non-duality begins even further down in our universe. The highest state is defined as neither perception nor non-perception, neither consciousness nor unconsciousness, and neither eternity nor non-eternity.Sat Mindo Damalis is an enlightened spiritual teacher and author of “Enlightened Authentic Self”. Mindo has helped over 1000 people to raise their Levels of Consciousness and has helped them to discover their Highest True Potential, Freedom and Power!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.divinemarga.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.galacticacademy.org⁠

Nicola Masciandaro is Professor of English at Brooklyn College (CUNY) and a specialist in medieval literature. In this episode we discuss the life and work of Meher Baba.Masciandaro's page: https://www.brooklyn.edu/faculty-staff/nicola-masciandaro/Meher Baba info: https://www.mehercenter.org/meher-baba/life-and-work/---Become part of the Hermitix community:Hermitix Twitter - / hermitixpodcast Support Hermitix:Patreon - / hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpodHermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLKEthereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74

The guys welcome the inimitable Dave Hill to discuss the overtly positive acapella hit Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin. How would you feel if you were being kicked out of your home and some guy is telling you that being sad about it is making other people sad? Just shut up already. Special Guest: Dave Hill.

Mick Brown's The Nirvana Express: How the Search for Enlightenment Went West (Oxford UP, 2023) is a riveting account about the West's engagement with Eastern spirituality across a century. It traces the life of multiple characters that intersected across time and space to create a network of interlinking stories about saints, salesmen and scoundrels all involved in spirituality. From Edwin Arnold, whose epic poem about the life of the Buddha became a best-seller in Victorian Britain, to the occultist and magician Aleister Crowley; and from spiritual teachers Jiddu Krishnamurti, Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi to the controversial guru Rajneesh, The Nirvana Express is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West's search for enlightenment. Archit Nanda is PhD scholar in Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Mick Brown's The Nirvana Express: How the Search for Enlightenment Went West (Oxford UP, 2023) is a riveting account about the West's engagement with Eastern spirituality across a century. It traces the life of multiple characters that intersected across time and space to create a network of interlinking stories about saints, salesmen and scoundrels all involved in spirituality. From Edwin Arnold, whose epic poem about the life of the Buddha became a best-seller in Victorian Britain, to the occultist and magician Aleister Crowley; and from spiritual teachers Jiddu Krishnamurti, Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi to the controversial guru Rajneesh, The Nirvana Express is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West's search for enlightenment. Archit Nanda is PhD scholar in Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Mick Brown's The Nirvana Express: How the Search for Enlightenment Went West (Oxford UP, 2023) is a riveting account about the West's engagement with Eastern spirituality across a century. It traces the life of multiple characters that intersected across time and space to create a network of interlinking stories about saints, salesmen and scoundrels all involved in spirituality. From Edwin Arnold, whose epic poem about the life of the Buddha became a best-seller in Victorian Britain, to the occultist and magician Aleister Crowley; and from spiritual teachers Jiddu Krishnamurti, Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi to the controversial guru Rajneesh, The Nirvana Express is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West's search for enlightenment. Archit Nanda is PhD scholar in Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

Mick Brown's The Nirvana Express: How the Search for Enlightenment Went West (Oxford UP, 2023) is a riveting account about the West's engagement with Eastern spirituality across a century. It traces the life of multiple characters that intersected across time and space to create a network of interlinking stories about saints, salesmen and scoundrels all involved in spirituality. From Edwin Arnold, whose epic poem about the life of the Buddha became a best-seller in Victorian Britain, to the occultist and magician Aleister Crowley; and from spiritual teachers Jiddu Krishnamurti, Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi to the controversial guru Rajneesh, The Nirvana Express is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West's search for enlightenment. Archit Nanda is PhD scholar in Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Mick Brown's The Nirvana Express: How the Search for Enlightenment Went West (Oxford UP, 2023) is a riveting account about the West's engagement with Eastern spirituality across a century. It traces the life of multiple characters that intersected across time and space to create a network of interlinking stories about saints, salesmen and scoundrels all involved in spirituality. From Edwin Arnold, whose epic poem about the life of the Buddha became a best-seller in Victorian Britain, to the occultist and magician Aleister Crowley; and from spiritual teachers Jiddu Krishnamurti, Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi to the controversial guru Rajneesh, The Nirvana Express is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West's search for enlightenment. Archit Nanda is PhD scholar in Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies

Mick Brown's The Nirvana Express: How the Search for Enlightenment Went West (Oxford UP, 2023) is a riveting account about the West's engagement with Eastern spirituality across a century. It traces the life of multiple characters that intersected across time and space to create a network of interlinking stories about saints, salesmen and scoundrels all involved in spirituality. From Edwin Arnold, whose epic poem about the life of the Buddha became a best-seller in Victorian Britain, to the occultist and magician Aleister Crowley; and from spiritual teachers Jiddu Krishnamurti, Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi to the controversial guru Rajneesh, The Nirvana Express is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West's search for enlightenment. Archit Nanda is PhD scholar in Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

Mick Brown's The Nirvana Express: How the Search for Enlightenment Went West (Oxford UP, 2023) is a riveting account about the West's engagement with Eastern spirituality across a century. It traces the life of multiple characters that intersected across time and space to create a network of interlinking stories about saints, salesmen and scoundrels all involved in spirituality. From Edwin Arnold, whose epic poem about the life of the Buddha became a best-seller in Victorian Britain, to the occultist and magician Aleister Crowley; and from spiritual teachers Jiddu Krishnamurti, Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi to the controversial guru Rajneesh, The Nirvana Express is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West's search for enlightenment. Archit Nanda is PhD scholar in Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/indian-religions

Mick Brown's The Nirvana Express: How the Search for Enlightenment Went West (Oxford UP, 2023) is a riveting account about the West's engagement with Eastern spirituality across a century. It traces the life of multiple characters that intersected across time and space to create a network of interlinking stories about saints, salesmen and scoundrels all involved in spirituality. From Edwin Arnold, whose epic poem about the life of the Buddha became a best-seller in Victorian Britain, to the occultist and magician Aleister Crowley; and from spiritual teachers Jiddu Krishnamurti, Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi to the controversial guru Rajneesh, The Nirvana Express is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West's search for enlightenment. Archit Nanda is PhD scholar in Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

After what we're rebranding as an intentional hiatus, we thought we'd kick things back off talking about anger. This episode is slightly spicy, very passionate, and, let's be honest, aren't you just glad we're back? --- Meher Baba said: Someone asked Hafiz what spirituality meant and he answered in one ode: “Unless you go against your lower self,you cannot unite with your higher Self.” Now what is the lower self? That which makes you think you are small, that which makes you feel that you are not satisfied, not happy, that which makes others see you as small. So, the meaning of going against the lower self is to transform this in quite the opposite direction. Be that which makes you look big and makes others see you as big. Remain pleased and contented, happy and satisfied. When you are displeased, unhappy or upset and moody, it is your lower self asserting itself. People always put the blame for their dissatisfaction and suffering on others. But the fact is, when one suffers it is one's own fault. Mansari became excited, she was angry and suffered, and she laid it all on Elizabeth, Norina and Lucky. But if she had gone beyond the lower self, she would have taken it calmly, swallowed it and remained unaffected. If you are firm, nothing will upset you. If you try, you will surely have it. I do not want any repression, but I do want transformation. I never for one moment say that you must not get angry. Don't be confused. You must get angry when the occasion arises. But, at once, you must get it out of your head. If you are not hungry, to fast has no meaning. -www.lordmeher.org, p2143Sep, 1940; Meherabad --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/god-in-the-real-world/support

Tree works as a Spiritual Mentor, Kundalini Support, Certified Global TRE® Instructor, Transformational Bodyworker and a Healer from the Shamanic tradition. Tree believes healing trauma can precipitate spiritual awakening and it is from this precept she works. She works with the body releasing contraction and with the nervous system establishing balance - with the understanding that a disregulated nervous system can hold the beingness hostage. She believes enlightenment is achieved not by bypassing the body, but by going into the body. By addressing and releasing trauma bound in the flesh and stored in the nervous system. This is true freedom and the result is presence - embodied. Tree has been a devotee of Meher Baba since she was 21. She and her husband are establishing a Retreat Centre on the Far South Coast of New South Wales, Australia called Meher Farm Healing and Awakening Centre. Tree is the author of Hot Flush Dark Cave describing her healing and awakening journey through the portal of menopause. She is a devoted mother, grandmother and healer - her favourite past time is swimming in the river and the ocean and chanting to God. Website: awakeningthroughthebody.com.au Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded August 3, 2024

What could be more fun than sharing the highest of human existence; and seeing that people are receptive to it? Vasant Swaha goes into detail about the nature of enlightenment and its different expressions. He also shares words and stories from Osho, Meher Baba and many other Masters, portraying how the awakened beings are a gate into the divine. Vasant Swaha is a modern mystic sharing his love, joy, and wisdom in retreats. This talk was from a Satsang during the Summer Retreat at Dharma Mountain, Norway, on the 14th of July of 2024.For more information visit  www.vasantswaha.net

Pete Townshend intended the fifth studio album from The Who to be a science fiction rock opera called “Lifehouse,” as a follow up to the rock opera “Tommy” released in 1969.  After conflicts with their band manager and issues just managing the complexity of what Townshend envisioned the project to be, the rock opera was shelved, and the follow-up was made into a more traditional album entitled Who's Next.The group began recording the album at Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger's house, using the Stones' mobile recording studio, then moved to a more traditional studio in London.  Most of the album is made up of songs originally intended for the Lifehouse project.  Who's Next would see the Who make significant use of synthesizers and other keyboard sounds on this album, making the synthesizers a more integrated part of the songs than on previous albums.  Drummer Keith Moon's style was also more formalized than before, and the overall album was focused on a good sound where previous albums were perhaps tilted toward a sonic projection of the image of the band.Who's Next would contain some of the most iconic songs that the band produced, and retrospectively is considered by many to be the best album The Who ever produced.  The album would reach number 1 on the UK charts, and number 4 on the US charts.Rob brings us this iconic album for today's podcast, and friend of the show Mike Fernandes sits in for Bruce this week.MobileThis lighter song is a celebration of life on the open road.  Roger Daltrey steps aside as Pete Townshend takes over lead vocal duties.  Daltrey actually was not present at the recording of this song, leaving Keith Moon (drums), John Entwistle (bass), and Townshend (vocals, guitar, keyboards) to record it as a power trio.A BargainOften misconstrued as a love song to a woman, this track actually is about a relationship with God.  It contends that sacrificing everything for a relationship with God is not a sacrifice at all, but a bargain.  Much of Pete Townshend's work is inspired by eastern mysticism.Won't Get Fooled AgainThe last track on the album is an 8 1/2-minute epic.  It was originally intended as a closing number to the "Lifehouse" rock opera.  The lyrics offer a critique of both government and revolutionary change, summarized in the phrase "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."  Townshend was inspired to write this song after chasing Abbie Hoffman off the stage at Woodstock.Baba O'Riley The title of the lead track to the album is a combination of two of Townshend's mentors, Indian spiritualist Meher Baba and American Composer Terry Riley.  The repeated phrase "teenage wasteland" was inspired by Townshend's observations of youths at Woodstock strung out on acid. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:The Beat Goes On by Sonny & Cher (from the television variety show “Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour”)The singing duo Sonny and Cher started this sketch comedy and music show in 1971.  It would run for 3 years until their divorce. STAFF PICKS:Sweet City Woman by The StampedersWayne brings us a banjo-laden hit from a Canadian trio.  The lyrics were inspired by an encounter with a girl with wild eyes who came from the prairie to start life in the big city.  It hit number 8 on the US charts and number 1 in Canada.  It also won a number of Juno awards in 1972.  You may remember it from an episode of "Better Call Saul."Take Me Home, Country Roads by John DenverLynch keeps the banjo hits coming with a signature song from John Denver.  It went to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and would become one of four official state songs for West Virginia.  Denver recorded this song in only two hours.Nobody by the Doobie Brothers Mike brings us a lost song from the first album by the Doobie Brothers.  Neither this song nor the album charted when it was released, but it displays a number of riffs and styles which would become staples of Doobie Brothers songs.  It was re-released in 1974 after the group had achieved success, and it reached number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100.Maggie May by Rod Stewart Rob closes out the staff picks with a hit single off Stewart's third solo album "Every Picture Tells a Story."  The lyrics describe the contradictory feelings of a boy in a relationship with an older woman.  The inspiration was a true encounter Stewart had with a woman at the 1961 Beaulieu Jazz Festival.  The song went to number 1 in Australia, the US, the UK, and Canada. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:Orchid by Black SabbathWe close out with a surprisingly soft instrumental from an ordinarily more heavy hitting band. Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock-worthy memes we can share.Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Explore the transformative journey of Sufism from its origins in the 9th century to its modern-day incarnation as Neo-Sufism. Delve into the mystical practices that have captivated millions and discover how Sufism has expanded beyond traditional Islamic teachings to influence global culture, art, and spirituality. What you'll learn in this episode: * The Origins of Sufism: Trace the roots of Sufism back to its early days in the Middle East and its foundational practices. * The Rise of Neo-Sufism: Understand how Sufism evolved into Neo-Sufism, adapting to new cultural landscapes and incorporating contemporary values. * Global Influence: See how Neo-Sufism has spread worldwide, influencing music, visual arts, and personal spirituality, particularly in the West. * Cultural Impact: Explore the contributions of influential figures like Hazrat Inayat Khan and Meher Baba, who introduced Sufism to Western audiences. * The New Religion Debate: Engage with the argument that Neo-Sufism could be considered a new religion due to its unique adaptations and practices. * Sufism's Role in Modern Society: Analyze how Sufism serves as a cultural filter, enhancing personal expression and spiritual growth in today's globalized world. CONNECT & SUPPORT

Seriah is joined by Chris Ernst and Saxon/Super_Inframan to discuss questions sent in by patreons. Topics include the role of geographical place in paranormal phenomena, a subtle/energetic world as a counterpoint to the physical world, the Myrtle Plantation and Chloe- a ghost of a non-existent person, ley lines and hot spots, ritual as an activator of the paranormal, the Islamic hajj to the Kaaba in Mecca, portals, Seriah's and a listener's experiences with deceased loved ones, existence after death, dream encounters, a video game analogy, reincarnation, Meher Baba, Filis Fredrick, immediate experiences after death, the bardo in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Seth material, blue light experiences, the Yogic blue pearl, chakras and kundalini, modern-day new age scammers, Chris's crystal healing experiences, Jeff Ritzmann's crystal experiences, the ancient origins of Shamanism, full Indian Yoga tradition vs Americanized commercial yoga, all-time best episodes, Patrick Harper, Jeff Ritzmann, Brothers of the Serpent, Aaron Gulyas, Mike Clelland, Timothy Renner, Josh Cutchin, James Elvidge, “The Universe Solved”, Robert Shoch, Steve Mera, Steph Young, the difficulties of travel, world-wide fascinating sites, the Ellora Caves, the alleged Bosnian pyramid, the “Trap Street” podcast, cave paintings in France, the “dragon man” skull found in China, Andrew Collins, Denisovans and autism, ancient types of humans and interbreeding, Gunung Padang, the band “Fields of the Nephilim”, Jeremy Vaeni, a weird perception of light in a dark room, future experiences, Seriah's UFO encounters, difficulties of recording the paranormal, purposes of mystical experiences, thirty years of “Last Exit for the Lost”, forgotten life experiences, Seriah's autobiography, and much more! This is a truly enjoyable wide-ranging conversation!

Kitty Davy - Jun 26, 1977

Seriah is joined by Chris Ernst and Saxon/Super_Inframan to discuss questions sent in by patreons. Topics include the role of geographical place in paranormal phenomena, a subtle/energetic world as a counterpoint to the physical world, the Myrtle Plantation and Chloe- a ghost of a non-existent person, ley lines and hot spots, ritual as an activator of the paranormal, the Islamic hajj to the Kaaba in Mecca, portals, Seriah's and a listener's experiences with deceased loved ones, existence after death, dream encounters, a video game analogy, reincarnation, Meher Baba, Filis Fredrick, immediate experiences after death, the bardo in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Seth material, blue light experiences, the Yogic blue pearl, chakras and kundalini, modern-day new age scammers, Chris's crystal healing experiences, Jeff Ritzmann's crystal experiences, the ancient origins of Shamanism, full Indian Yoga tradition vs Americanized commercial yoga, all-time best episodes, Patrick Harper, Jeff Ritzmann, Brothers of the Serpent, Aaron Gulyas, Mike Clelland, Timothy Renner, Josh Cutchin, James Elvidge, “The Universe Solved”, Robert Shoch, Steve Mera, Steph Young, the difficulties of travel, world-wide fascinating sites, the Ellora Caves, the alleged Bosnian pyramid, the “Trap Street” podcast, cave paintings in France, the “dragon man” skull found in China, Andrew Collins, Denisovans and autism, ancient types of humans and interbreeding, Gunung Padang, the band “Fields of the Nephilim”, Jeremy Vaeni, a weird perception of light in a dark room, future experiences, Seriah's UFO encounters, difficulties of recording the paranormal, purposes of mystical experiences, thirty years of “Last Exit for the Lost”, forgotten life experiences, Seriah's autobiography, and much more! This is a truly enjoyable wide-ranging conversation! - Recap by Vincent Treewell of The Weird Part Podcast Outro Music is Sick Fantasy by Vrangvendt Download

rWotD Episode 2452: Danthala Venkata Meher Baba Welcome to random Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of a random Wikipedia page every day.The random article for Saturday, 20 January 2024 is Danthala Venkata Meher Baba.Danthala Venkata Meher Baba is a former Indian cricketer. He represented Andhra Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy from 1971 to 1989, he also represented the Hyderabad Ranji Trophy Team in 1978. He was a left-hand batsman and left-arm spinner with 16-year first-class career spanning from 1970 to 1987. He made 2649 runs, with a highest of 134 not out against Goa, He also scored 20 half centuries and took 173 wickets with his slow left arm orthodox bowling with five for 32 being the best bowling figures, he had a total of five five-wicket hauls.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:44 UTC on Saturday, 20 January 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Danthala Venkata Meher Baba on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm Arthur Neural.

At the Right Hand, of the Right Hand.  And like Him,  you have overcome the world,  of thought,  of desire, of fear.  Love is the Father's House, and you are Home.  In today's episode, I share about a recent 'repeat' or echo moment that I managed to see through real-time (managed to unsee time and everything seemingly in it), and my recent visit to Meher Baba's cave on Mount Subasio in Assisi, Italy.  I Love you I Am you nik  Support the show: ▶▶https://www.patreon.com/goodmornings __________________________________________ "His great meeting in the cave with all the saints and masters of the sixth and seventh planes and how they had mapped out the spiritual destiny of the world for the next two thousand years." -Delia DeLeon, The Ocean of Love "There is only breath and God" -St. Francis via Bruce Davis, Simple Peace "Offer God," he said, "your empty cup. The Divine will fill you. Be a chalice for all those who come to you to drink and you will see how much God is with you." -St. Francis via Bruce Davis, Simple Peace Meher Baba in Assisi Book  Psalm 23

"Tunes of the Season: Phish, Grateful Dead, and Merry Jams"Larry Mishkin   discusses Christmas-themed songs performed by various artists, including The Who and Grateful Dead. Larry delves into The Who's rock opera "Tommy," particularly focusing on the song "Christmas" and its critical reception. He transitions to discussing Grateful Dead's rendition of Chuck Berry's "Run, Rudolph, Run" performed at the Felt Forum in 1971 and analyzes its significance in the band's repertoire.Larry further explores the potential residency of bands like Dead & Company at the Sphere in Las Vegas, following U2's shows there. He touches on Phish's upcoming performances at the same venue and discusses the difficulty in acquiring tickets for these highly anticipated shows.Later, Larry reminisces about New Year's Eve shows by various bands, specifically mentioning Grateful Dead's memorable performances during the countdown. He also features unconventional Christmas renditions by Phish and Jerry Garcia with David Grisman..Produced by PodConx   Theme – Rock n Roll ChristmasIf you were in the Mishkin household earlier this morning, you might have heard this blasting out of the speakers:INTRO:               ChristmasThe WhoFebruary 14, 1970University of Leeds, Leeds, England  aka  “Live At Leeds”The Who - Christmas - Live At Leeds (with Footage) (youtube.com)2:00 – 3:17 "Christmas" is a song written by Pete Townshend and is the seventh song on The Who's rock opera Tommy. On the original LP, it opens the second side of the album.  Tommy is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Who, first released on 19 May 1969.[2] Primarily written by guitarist Pete Townshend, Tommy is a double album and an early rock opera that tells the story of Tommy Walker and his experiences through life. The song tells how on Christmas morning, Tommy's father is worried about Tommy's future, and soul. His future is jeopardized due to being deaf, dumb, and blind.[2] The lyrics contrast religious themes such as Christmas and Jesus Christ with Tommy's ignorance of such matters. The rhetorical question, "How can he be saved from the eternal grave?" is asked about Tommy's condition and adds speculation as to the nature of original sin and eternal salvation. In the middle of the song, "Tommy can you hear me?" is repeated, with Tommy responding, "See me, feel me, touch me, heal me." "Christmas" was praised by critics. Richie Unterberger of AllMusic called it an "excellent song."[5]Rolling Stone's Mac Randall said it was one of several "prime Pete Townshend songs" on the album.[6] A review in Life by Albert Goldman considered it beautiful and highlighted the song's "croaking chorus".[7] James Perone said it was "perhaps one of the best sleeper tracks of the collection." Townshend came up with the concept of Tommy after being introduced to the work of Meher Baba, and he attempted to translate Baba's teachings into music. Recording on the album began in September 1968, but took six months to complete as material needed to be arranged and re-recorded in the studio. Tommy was acclaimed upon its release by critics, who hailed it as the Who's breakthrough. Its critical standing diminished slightly in later years; nonetheless, several writers view it as an important and influential album in the history of rock music. The Who promoted the album's release with an extensive tour, including a live version of Tommy, which lasted throughout 1969 and 1970. Key gigs from the tour included appearances at Woodstock, the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival, the University of Leeds, the Metropolitan Opera House, and the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. The live performances of Tommy drew critical praise and revitalised the band's career. Live at Leeds is the first live album by English rock band the Who. It was recorded at the University of Leeds Refectory on 14 February 1970, and is their only live album that was released while the group were still actively recording and performing with their best-known line-up of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. The album was released on 11 May 1970 by Decca and MCA in the United States,[2] and by Track and Polydor in the United Kingdom. It has been reissued on several occasions and in several different formats. Since its release, Live at Leeds has been ranked by several music critics as the best live rock recording of all time SHOW No. 1:                   Run Rudolph RunGrateful DeadFelt Forum at MSG, NYCDecember 7, 1971Track No. 10Grateful Dead Live at Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden on 1971-12-07 : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive0:11 – 1:54 Run Rudolph Run"[2][3][4] is a Christmas song written by Chuck Berry but credited to Johnny Marks and M. Brodie due to Marks' trademark on the character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.[5][note 1] It was published by St. Nicholas Music (ASCAP) and was first recorded by Berry in 1958, released as a single on Chess Records.It has since been covered by numerous other artists, sometimes with the title "Run Run Rudolph".[16] The song is a 12-bar blues, musically similar to Berry's popular and recognizable song "Johnny B. Goode", and melodically similar to his song "Little Queenie", the latter of which was released shortly after, in 1959.During its initial chart run, Berry's 1958 recording peaked at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1958.[22] Sixty years later, the single re-entered the Hot 100 chart at number 45 (on the week ending January 5, 2019), reaching an overall peak position of number 10 on the week ending January 2, 2021, following its third chart re-entry, becoming Berry's third top-ten hit and his first since 1972's "My Ding-a-Ling". In doing so, it broke the record for the longest climb to the top 10 since its first entry in December 1958, at 62 years and two weeks.This Ciip:Out of Brokedown Palace and into You Win AgainPlayed a total of 7 times.This was the first timeLast:  December 15, 1971 Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, MI  SHOW No. 2:     Little Drummer BoyPhishJuly 3, 1999Coca Cola Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta, GAPhish - The Little Drummer Boy - 7/3/1999 - Atlanta, GA (youtube.com)Start to 1:30 Out of Contact to close the second set.  Played it again as the first encore (into, Won't You Come Home Bill Bailery starring Page's dad, Jack, on vocals and kazoo. "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a Czechoslovakian popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941.[1] First recorded in 1951 by the Austrian Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 1958 recording by the Harry Simeone Chorale; the Simeone version was re-released successfully for several years, and the song has been recorded many times since.[2] In the lyrics, the singer relates how, as a poor young boy, he was summoned by the Magi to the Nativity of Jesus. Without a gift for the Infant, the little drummer boy played his drum with approval from Jesus' mother, Mary, recalling, "I played my best for him" and "He smiled at me". Phish has only performed the song three times during the month of December – the debut performance segueing out of “Mike's Song” and into “Whipping Post,” a tease during the 12/28/94 “Weekapaug Groove,” and jammed out of the “YEM” vocal jam (12/2/99) (which melted down until Jon was left singing it to close the set). But the song was jammed out of season during “My Friend, My Friend” (3/18/93) and “Stash” (7/15/93), and teased during “Weekapaug Groove” and “Big Ball Jam” (4/9/94), “Wilson” (8/13/97), “Silent in the Morning” (7/4/99), and "Wilson" (4/16/04). This version is generally considered to be Fishman's most memorable version.  SHOW No. 3:     God Rest Ye Merry GentlemenJerry Garcia and David GrismanNovember 9, 1991Warfield Theater, S.F.God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Jerry Garcia - Bing videoStart – 1:37Out of The Two Sisters to close second set "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" is an English traditional Christmas carol. It is in the Roxburghe Collection (iii. 452), and is listed as no. 394 in the Roud Folk Song Index. It is also known as "Tidings of Comfort and Joy", and by other variant incipits. An early version of this carol is found in an anonymous manuscript, dating from the 1650s it appeared in a parody published in 1820 by William Hone.               Story here is the way Jerry and David play so tight, trading off leads and filling in gaps.  A great sound for a traditional tune.  There are many sides of Jerry and we don't get to see all of them.  Nice to take a break from the traditional Dead stuff and take a look in at what else Garcia was doing during that creative period of his life. SHOW No. 4:                   Stagger LeeGrateful DeadDecember 30, 1985Track No. 6Grateful Dead Live at Oakland Coliseum on 1985-12-30 : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet ArchiveStart – 1:32 As is made clear by the opening lyrics, this is a tale about events that unfolded and played out on Christmas: “1940 Xmas Eve with a full moon over town”.  On some occasions, Jerry was  known to substitute in “Christmas” Eve. "Stagger Lee", also known as "Stagolee" and other variants, is a popular American folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons by "Stag" Lee Shelton, in St. Louis, Missouri, at Christmas 1895. The song was first published in 1911 and first recorded in 1923, by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians, titled "Stack O' Lee Blues". A version by Lloyd Price reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. The historical Stagger Lee was Lee Shelton, an African-American pimp living in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 19th century. He was nicknamed Stag Lee or Stack Lee, with a variety of explanations being given: he was given the nickname because he "went stag" (went to social events unaccompanied by a person of the opposite sex); he took the nickname from a well-known riverboat captain called Stack Lee; or, according to John and Alan Lomax, he took the name from a riverboat owned by the Lee family of Memphis called the Stack Lee, which was known for its on-board prostitution.[2] Shelton was well known locally as one of the Macks, a group of pimps who demanded attention through their flashy clothing and appearance.[3] In addition to those activities, he was the captain of a black Four Hundred Club, a social club with a dubious reputation. On Christmas night in 1895, Shelton and his acquaintance William "Billy" Lyons were drinking in the Bill Curtis Saloon. Lyons was also a member of St. Louis' underworld, and may have been a political and business rival to Shelton. Eventually, the two men got into a dispute, during which Lyons took Shelton's Stetson hat.[5]Subsequently, Shelton shot Lyons, recovered his hat, and left.[6] Lyons died of his injuries, and Shelton was charged, tried, and convicted of the murder in 1897. He was paroled in 1909, but returned to prison in 1911 for assault and robbery. He died in incarceration in 1912. The Grateful Dead frequently played and eventually recorded a version of the tale which focuses on the fictionalized hours after the death of "Billy DeLyon", when Billy's wife Delia tracks down Stagger Lee in a local saloon and "she shot him in the balls" in revenge for Billy's death. Based on the traditional song "Stagger Lee", "Stagolee" or "Stack O'Lee." Robert Hunter wrote a version that he performed solo, and Jerry Garcia subsequently re-ordered the lyrics and rewrote the music for the Grateful Dead's version. More recently Bob Weir has also been performing some of the older traditional versions with Ratdog. Dead released it on Shakedown Street, Nov. 8, 1978 Played 146 times by the Dead1st:  August 30, 1978Last:  June 18, 1995 Giants Stadium  OUTRO:              Santa Clause Is Coming To TownBruce Springsteen and the E Street BandCW Post University, Greenvale, NYDecember, 19756Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (Live at C.W. Post College, Greenvale, NY - December 1975) - Bing video2:15 - 4:00               Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas song featuring Santa Claus, written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie and first recorded by Harry Reser and His Band.[1] When it was covered by Eddie Cantor on his radio show in November 1934 it became a hit; within 24 hours, 500,000 copies of sheet music and more than 30,000 records were sold.[2][3] The version for Bluebird Records by George Hall and His Orchestra (vocal by Sonny Schuyler) was very popular in 1934 and reached the various charts of the day.[4] The song has been recorded by over 200 artists including Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, the Crystals, Neil Diamond, Fred Astaire, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Bill Evans, Chris Isaak, the Temptations, The Pointer Sisters, the Carpenters, Michael Bublé, Luis Miguel, and the Jackson 5 A rock version by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band was recorded on December 12, 1975, at C. W. Post College in Brookville, New York, by Record Plant engineers Jimmy Iovine and Thom Panunzio.[14][15] This version borrows the chorus refrain from the 1963 recording by the Crystals.[16] It was first released as a track on the 1981 Sesame Street compilation album, In Harmony 2, as well as on a 1981 promotional, radio-only, 7-inch single (Columbia AE7 1332).[17][18] Four years later, it was released as the B-side to "My Hometown," a single off the Born in the U.S.A. album.[19] Springsteen's rendition of the song has received radio airplay perennially at Christmastime for years; it appeared on Billboard magazine's Hot Singles Recurrents chart each year from 2002 to 2009 due to seasonal air play. Live performances of the song often saw the band encouraging the audience to sing some of the lyrics with—or in place of—the band's vocalists (usually the line "you'd better be good for goodness sake", and occasionally the key line "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" as well). Sometimes, concert crowds would sing along with the entire song, and the band, who were known to encourage this behavior for the song, would do nothing to dissuade those audiences from doing so, instead welcoming the crowds' enthusiasm. This version remains a Springsteen concert favorite during the months of November and December (often concluding the show), and the band is among the few that keep it in their roster of songs during the holidays. Dead & Co at the Sphere?Phish – sold out fast Merry ChristmasHappy Holidays .Produced by PodConx Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-showLarry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkinRob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-huntJay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesbergSound Designed by Jamie Humiston - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-humiston-91718b1b3/Recorded on Squadcast

You have to live as if there's only you and the Ancient One, here. No one else. No thing else. Nothing to think about. Nothing to do. Just the Ancient One, appearing as this moment. Created Love being absorbed by Uncreated Love.* I Love you I Am you nik  *********************** To claim your free gift, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, screenshot it and send it to me at nikki@curlynikki.com! Join us on Patreon to support the show, and tune into and participate in live video Q&As with me!  Support the show *"The created Love gets absorbed by Uncreated Love." Luisa Picaretta "Everything in the Soul must be Love. - Luisa Picaretta  "Sitting quietly, doing nothing spring comes and the grass grows by itself. That's the purest form of meditation. Transcendental meditation." - Osho  “When the flower blooms The bees come uninvited.” - Sri Ramakrishna  "What had to happen has happened; and what has to happen will happen. There was and is no way out except through my coming in your midst. I had to come, and I have come. I am the Ancient One." - Meher Baba 

Margi and Michelle use Meher Baba's “Final Declaration” to guide a conversation around current global conflicts. (https://trustmeher.org/meher-baba-messages/the-final-declaration) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/god-in-the-real-world/support

Feel stuck, but feel Love, too.  That's what gets you unstuck. You don't have to surrender the stuckness,  or love the situation or environment... You just Love the Love, and the stuckness gets healed. The environment changes. Just Love God-- which means Love Yourself. You Love the feeling of Love. You Love that you can hear It, that you can sense It everywhere. You don't want that 'thing',  or that person,  or that situation,  you want THIS (LOVE/GOD/TRUTH/REALITY) You don't need anything but This!  And then This becomes 'that' (what you thought you wanted), and because it's the way of the world,  'that' eventually becomes This again. And then This becomes something else, somewhere else,  someone else,  But It's always just God. It's always just You. You're always only ever meeting YourSelf. I Love you I Am you nik  ************************ To claim your free gift, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, screenshot it and send it to me at nikki@curlynikki.com!  Join us on Patreon to support the show, and tune into and participate in live video Q&As with me!  Support the show "Why were the saints, saints? Because they were cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful and patient when it was difficult to be patient. And because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still, kept silent when they wanted to talk, and were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable. That was all. It was quite simple and always will be.' Francis of Assisi lived this life with all his heart." - Meher Baba 

Joe Szimhart shares his remarkable knowledge of religious belief and helps Jon to assess the value of 'being here now.' Observations about Scientology, Ron Hubbard's childhood, Jon's brief time in a Zen monastery and Joe's experiences in the Church Universal and Triumphant. With reference to the origins of karma as a teaching, the separate 'bodies' of CUT as compared to Hubbard's 'exteriorization'. How groups induce 'transcendent' states through repetition, fixation and mimicry, fasting and sleep deprivation which actually create different neurological states. A wide-ranging discussion taking in many points about Scientology, its offshoot Eckankar, Paul Brunton, TM, Meher Baba and Uncle Tom Cobley and all. Links: Jon's paper, never believe a hypnotist Joe's video Joe's channel Joe's website and check out Jon's spiffy new website!

Seriah is joined by Chris Ernst, Saxon, and Wren. Topics include fate, predestination, a strange incident with a lost dog, free will, the meaning of life, art and creation, cultural biases, Advaita Vedanta, the analogy of a train, destiny and magick, time as a river, Thelema, three levels of guardian angels, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Orphic mythos, challenges in life, the Eleusinian mysteries, Greco-Roman Hades, altruism and responsibility, maturity, Meher Baba, “Stalking the Wild Pendulum” by Itzhak Bentov, creation and oneness, NDEs. Seth material and multiple selves, individuality, Orphism and Buddhism, the cross-pollination of ancient ideas, reincarnating along with other souls, children's memories of past lives, cosmic wave bubbles, unusually familiar strangers, a bizarre experience in Thailand, a bonded group of friends, simulation theory, the concept of physical reality as an illusion, an analogy to computer code, the limits of magick, the paranormal as a tool for understanding reality, a bizarre experience of a “glitching” animal, the problems of perception, Platonic ideal forms, spirituality and ascetism, Gnosticism, religion and the denial of pleasure, greed and materialism, the nature of suffering, the lives of people in previous eras, Rick Rubin, creativity and the phenomenon, Bibliomancy, System of a Down, talented musical acts getting over-played, “The Last Movie” podcast, cyclical lifetimes, “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman, Seriah's late brother's last conversation, a three day window of separation between the body and soul, the phenomenon and spirituality, Jacque Vallee, John Keel, Saxon's experiences with the death of his father, materialism and the fear of death, Wren's encounter with a deceased friend, dreams as a gateway to the underworld, the subconscious and the imaginal, Seriah's dreams of his late mother, Jeff Ritzmann, Greco-Roman necromancy, Seth on death and the body and consciousness, what happens immediately after death, the Elysian Fields and the waters of Lethe, the diversity of life paths, the importance of respecting other opinions, our polarized society, the value of mystery, and much more! The conversation gets truly deep this time!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4656375/advertisement

Bal Natu - Jul 28, 1987

Occultist, Agori, Musician, Hecate devotee and  Asterian Astrologer, Jade Sol Luna is one of the first Westerners ever to reconstruct the Javanajataka into a Greco-Roman format. Jade Luna has traveled extensively around the planet, lecturing and conducting workshops on the shadow aspects of Ancient Roman-Greco mysticism. Jade has traveled to India more than 30 times and spent a great deal of time with various teachers, Saints and Sadhu's in Asia. He has previously presented seminars at various locations world wide. During and after Luna's formal spiritual training, Bhau Kalchuri (disciple of Meher Baba) and Kal Babaji (Khajuraho India), tutored him in advanced mysticism and other forms of classical Indian lore. Jade Luna has now transformed his Indian studies into a Greco-Roman practice, showing the spiritual connection that the Ancient Mediterranean had with India. Jade Luna is the author of Hecate: Death, Transition and Spiritual Mastery, Hecate II: The Awakening of Hydra, Asterian Astrology and 27 Stars. Spiritually, Jade Luna is an Aghori. The Aghori (Sanskrit aghora) are worshippers of the Dark God or Goddess. The Aghori are known to engage in post-mortem rituals. They often dwell in charnel grounds, have been witnessed smearing cremation ashes on their bodies, and have been known to use bones for crafting kapalas which Kali and other Hindu deities are often iconically depicted holding or using) and jewelry. Because of their practices that are contradictory to orthodox Hinduism, they are generally opposed by other Hindus.Many Aghori gurus command great reverence from rural populations as they are supposed to possess healing powers gained through their intensely eremitic rites and practices of renunciation and tápasya. 

Seriah is joined by Chris Ernst, Saxon, and Wren. Topics include fate, predestination, a strange incident with a lost dog, free will, the meaning of life, art and creation, cultural biases, Advaita Vedanta, the analogy of a train, destiny and magick, time as a river, Thelema, three levels of guardian angels, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Orphic mythos, challenges in life, the Eleusinian mysteries, Greco-Roman Hades, altruism and responsibility, maturity, Meher Baba, “Stalking the Wild Pendulum” by Itzhak Bentov, creation and oneness, NDEs. Seth material and multiple selves, individuality, Orphism and Buddhism, the cross-pollination of ancient ideas, reincarnating along with other souls, children's memories of past lives, cosmic wave bubbles, unusually familiar strangers, a bizarre experience in Thailand, a bonded group of friends, simulation theory, the concept of physical reality as an illusion, an analogy to computer code, the limits of magick, the paranormal as a tool for understanding reality, a bizarre experience of a “glitching” animal, the problems of perception, Platonic ideal forms, spirituality and ascetism, Gnosticism, religion and the denial of pleasure, greed and materialism, the nature of suffering, the lives of people in previous eras, Rick Rubin, creativity and the phenomenon, Bibliomancy, System of a Down, talented musical acts getting over-played, “The Last Movie” podcast, cyclical lifetimes, “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman, Seriah's late brother's last conversation, a three day window of separation between the body and soul, the phenomenon and spirituality, Jacque Vallee, John Keel, Saxon's experiences with the death of his father, materialism and the fear of death, Wren's encounter with a deceased friend, dreams as a gateway to the underworld, the subconscious and the imaginal, Seriah's dreams of his late mother, Jeff Ritzmann, Greco-Roman necromancy, Seth on death and the body and consciousness, what happens immediately after death, the Elysian Fields and the waters of Lethe, the diversity of life paths, the importance of respecting other opinions, our polarized society, the value of mystery, and much more! The conversation gets truly deep this time! - Recap by Vincent Treewell of The Weird Part Podcast Outro Music is Dead Harrison with Dance of the Dead Download

Welcome to SEASON 3! To claim your free gift, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, screenshot it and send it to me at nikki@curlynikki.com!  ********************** Notice that just as you can stop your breath for a moment,  you can stop your thoughts for a moment,  which means you can have Peace for a moment.  And once you feel that Peace, even when the breath resumes,  and the mind resumes, you can keep your 'I' on the peace,  you can keep your finger on the pulse,  on that Rhythm,  on that Joy,  even when anger comes, even when sadness comes. Your greatest power is your ability to feel Joy, even in the grief, even in these changes.  Can you see? "Can't you see it's all perfect?" - Maharajji  I Love You I Am You nik "Do not sit with your eyes closed and imagine you are praying to Allah; do not think that just because your eyes are shut you have shut out everything else. Open the eyes of your heart when you pray, and you will understand good and evil. Then stay with the good and discard the bad." -Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, Sufi Quotations- pg. 331 "It happened that in America, there was a man who was very, very efficient in reading other people's thoughts - a mindreader. He was always a hundred percent right. He would sit before you; you would close your eyes and start thinking, and he would close his eyes and start talking about what you were thinking. Immediately that you would think, the thought would be transferred and he would receive it. This is an art. Many people know about it. It can be learned, you can do it, because thought is a subtle vibration. If you are receptive the other mind becomes a broadcasting station, you become the receiver. Thought is a broadcast because ripples arise in the electricity around the man. If you are silent enough, receptive, you will catch them. When Meher Baba was in America, somebody brought a man to Meher Baba. The man had lived for many years in silence. The man sat before Meher Baba, closed his eyes and meditated and meditated and meditated. Again he would open his eyes and look at Meher Baba. It took too long; people became worried. They said, 'You never took such a long time.' The man said, 'Well, what to do? This man is not thinking at all. There is no thought.' The East says, 'Dreaming itself is pathology.' It is a sort of illness; it is a disturbance. When you are really silent, thinking disappears in the day and dreaming disappears at night. Thinking and dreaming are two aspects of the same thing: during the day while you are awake, it is thinking, and at night while you are asleep, it is dreaming. Dreaming and thinking are both the same. When dreaming stops, thinking stops; when thinking stops, dreaming stops. The whole effort in the East has been: how to drop the whole thing. We are not worried about how to adjust it or how to interpret it, but how to drop it." -Osho  Join us on Patreon to support the show, and tune into and participate in live video Q&As with me!  Support the show Beginning Aug 7, 2023 - 'GoOD Mornings with CurlyNikki' will begin hosting ads before and after earlier (not new) episodes. 

Ilia Delio and The Human Mystery, AI, and Art with Patrick Beldio (Part 2)In part 2 of her conversation with Patrick Beldio, Ilia asks “what, or who, is God?” and more about the mystery of being human. Patrick shares more about his teacher Meher Baba and how art, creativity and technology can all play a role in deepening the human spirit.*This the last episode of season 2 of Hunger for Wholeness, but we will return with season 3 in September 2023.ABOUT PATRICK BELDIO“Is it possible for creation to evolve matter without opposition, to progress without the crude means of alternating darkness and light?”Patrick Beldio earned a Ph.D. in religion and culture from Catholic University and an M.F.A. in sculpture from George Washington University. Some of his areas of academic research and teaching are interreligious studies, comparative theology, Hindu-Christian relations, Interfaith dialogue, religion and visual culture, religion and gender, with a focus on Franciscan spirituality, the Integral Yoga of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, and Meher Baba and the Chishti lineage in the West. He is also a professional artist with a studio at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC. His sculptures are in private and public collections across the USA including a monumental sculpture in the Sanctuary of Sufism Reoriented, Walnut Creek, CA. He has volunteered with many service projects including “Francis in the Schools,” which provides material, psychological, and spiritual support to children on the margins.Support the showA huge thank you to all of you who subscribe and support our show! This podcast is made possible in part by a grant from The Fetzer Institute—we are very grateful for their support. Support 'Hunger for Wholeness' on Patreon as our team continues to develop content for listeners to dive deeper. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for episode releases and other updates.

Seriah is joined by AP Strange and Christopher Ernst for a deep dive on the subject of Theosophy. Topics include a weird trip to a graveyard, Madame Blavatsky, the books “The Secret Doctrine” and “Isis Unveiled”, Gary Lachman, Henry Steel Olcott, the I AM movement, Guy Ballard, conspiracy theories, eugenics, the Nazi regime, colonialism, racist concepts in anthropology, Mahatmas, “root races”, Western interpretation of Hinduism, Rudolph Steiner, Lemurians, Atlantians, cognitive dissonance, Indian independence movement, spiritual adepts, Tibet, the Theosophical Society of 1875, the Spiritualist movement, a Coptic magician, ascended masters, UFO contactees, seances, Sufiism, Meher Baba movement, saints and gurus, George Gurdjieff, MIB and space brothers, ascetics, cross-over Muslims and Hindus, Zoroastrianism, Eastern and Western esotericism, vast time period cycles, Buddhism, yogic and tantric practices, Kabbalah , Vedantic tradition, the Indian caste system, the Yuga cycles, the age of Aquarius, the significance of the number 7, Infinite Intelligence, reincarnation through different forms, evolution vs infolution, Aleister Crowley, the concept of avatars, the new age movement, C.W. Leadbeater, Krishna Murti, Maitreya, Buddhi vistas, secret chiefs, ecological systems, Gaea theory, the great white brotherhood, Twin Peaks, David Lynch, transcendental meditation, Mark Frost, opposing mystic lodges, “Vril: The Coming Race”, “The Morning of the Magicians”, “Iron Sky”, scientific materialism and atrocities, George Adamski and Desmond Leslie, William Dudley Pelley, Edgar Cayce, the 1977 book “Healer” by F. Paul Wilson, the death of Blavatsky, Annie Besant and Alice Bailey, the Lucius Trust, William Quan Judge, today's Theosophical Society, Thomas Edison, misconceptions about Theosophy, maya and illusion, Trickster characters, racism, self-mythologizing, anti-colonialism, mystical flapdoodle, Lachman's “The Key To Theosophy” book, Arthur Machen, Austin Osmond Spare, the Seth material, and much more! This is a fascinating conversation loaded with information and connections!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4656375/advertisement

Hunger for Wholeness: Catholicism and Sufism with Patrick Beldio (Part 1)Ilia Delio interviews religious scholar and artist Patrick Beldio. In Part 1, our guests explore Patrick's religious journey, its varied traditions, and how he discovered, and settled into, Sufism. Ilia digs into what practicing Sufism looks like from a Western perspective, the mystic perspective, and wisdom of Patrick's teacher, Meher Baba.ABOUT PATRICK BELDIO“Is it possible for creation to evolve matter without opposition, to progress without the crude means of alternating darkness and light?”Patrick Beldio earned a Ph.D. in religion and culture from Catholic University and an M.F.A. in sculpture from George Washington University. Some of his areas of academic research and teaching are interreligious studies, comparative theology, Hindu-Christian relations, Interfaith dialogue, religion and visual culture, religion and gender, with a focus on Franciscan spirituality, the Integral Yoga of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, and Meher Baba and the Chishti lineage in the West. He is also a professional artist with a studio at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC. His sculptures are in private and public collections across the USA including a monumental sculpture in the Sanctuary of Sufism Reoriented, Walnut Creek, CA. He has volunteered with many service projects including “Francis in the Schools,” which provides material, psychological, and spiritual support to children on the margins.Support the showA huge thank you to all of you who subscribe and support our show! This podcast is made possible in part by a grant from The Fetzer Institute—we are very grateful for their support. Support 'Hunger for Wholeness' on Patreon as our team continues to develop content for listeners to dive deeper. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for episode releases and other updates.

For this weeks creative weirdos I have my friend Chris Ernst back on to talk about be brought up with teachings of Meher Baba and a ton of other stuff. Go give Chris a follow and check out his wonderfully weird movies all linked below! 

Seriah is joined by AP Strange and Christopher Ernst for a deep dive on the subject of Theosophy. Topics include a weird trip to a graveyard, Madame Blavatsky, the books “The Secret Doctrine” and “Isis Unveiled”, Gary Lachman, Henry Steel Olcott, the I AM movement, Guy Ballard, conspiracy theories, eugenics, the Nazi regime, colonialism, racist concepts in anthropology, Mahatmas, “root races”, Western interpretation of Hinduism, Rudolph Steiner, Lemurians, Atlantians, cognitive dissonance, Indian independence movement, spiritual adepts, Tibet, the Theosophical Society of 1875, the Spiritualist movement, a Coptic magician, ascended masters, UFO contactees, seances, Sufiism, Meher Baba movement, saints and gurus, George Gurdjieff, MIB and space brothers, ascetics, cross-over Muslims and Hindus, Zoroastrianism, Eastern and Western esotericism, vast time period cycles, Buddhism, yogic and tantric practices, Kabbalah , Vedantic tradition, the Indian caste system, the Yuga cycles, the age of Aquarius, the significance of the number 7, Infinite Intelligence, reincarnation through different forms, evolution vs infolution, Aleister Crowley, the concept of avatars, the new age movement, C.W. Leadbeater, Krishna Murti, Maitreya, Buddhi vistas, secret chiefs, ecological systems, Gaea theory, the great white brotherhood, Twin Peaks, David Lynch, transcendental meditation, Mark Frost, opposing mystic lodges, “Vril: The Coming Race”, “The Morning of the Magicians”, “Iron Sky”, scientific materialism and atrocities, George Adamski and Desmond Leslie, William Dudley Pelley, Edgar Cayce, the 1977 book “Healer” by F. Paul Wilson, the death of Blavatsky, Annie Besant and Alice Bailey, the Lucius Trust, William Quan Judge, today's Theosophical Society, Thomas Edison, misconceptions about Theosophy, maya and illusion, Trickster characters, racism, self-mythologizing, anti-colonialism, mystical flapdoodle, Lachman's “The Key To Theosophy” book, Arthur Machen, Austin Osmond Spare, the Seth material, and much more! This is a fascinating conversation loaded with information and connections! - Recap by Vincent Treewell of The Weird Part Podcast Outro Music is A Hidden City from Songs of the Drow Download

Access free PDF downloads of Meher Baba's books at MeherSepas Book LibraryFollow us on: MeherSepas.comInstagramFacebookYouTubeAll PodcastsSubscribe to the MeherSepas.com for all the latest information and join the Meher Baba Bi-Weekly Zoom Meetings­­Audio: Shahin#76 DEVINE LOVEGod and Love are identical, and one who has Divine Love has received God.Divine Love makes us true to ourselves and to others. Divine Love is the solution to our difficulties and problems. It frees us from every kind of binding. It makes us speak truly, think truly, and act truly. It makes us feel one with the whole universe. Divine love purifies our hearts and glorifies our being.Start learning to love God by loving those whom You cannot love. The more you remember others with kindness and generosity the more you forget yourself, and when you completely forget yourself, you find God.My Message always has been and always will be of Divine Love. Let the world know it.

Eruch Jessawalla - Jan 4, 1996

Eruch Jessawalla - Jan 4, 1996

Daniel Stone is a follower of Meher Baba. He came to Meher Baba in 1972 after a period of spiritual search that led him to travel overland to India in search of a master. While there he found and received an awakening with Neem Karoli Baba, who then inwardly guided him to Meher Baba, who Daniel recognized and accepted as his master. Meher Baba is widely known and regarded my many throughout the world as the Avatar of our current age, as God in human form, and as a source of spiritual guidance and awakening for all who approach him. Since becoming a follower of Baba, Daniel has been actively engaged in sharing about Baba's teachings and life-work through talks, publications, radio programs, video programs, and music. He serves on the board of directors for the Meher Spiritual Center, the major center for Meher Baba in the West, and has consulted extensively for Baba groups around the world. Videos: Journey in Consciousness - A 7-part series that provides an overview of the teachings and life-work of Avatar Meher Baba. God in Human Form “Avatar Meher Baba: Highlights of His Life and Work” Meher Baba ~ Human Side Of God Books: God Speaks, by Meher Baba (Meher Baba's cosmology)* Discourses, by Meher Baba (Teachings about the spiritual life)* The Silent Messenger, by Tom and Dorothy Hopkinson (an easily accessible overview of Meher Baba's life and his teachings) The God Man: The Life, Journeys and Work of Meher Baba with an Interpretation of his Silence and Spiritual Teaching * Digital copies can be downloaded for free at https://avatarmeherbabatrust.org/online-library/ Websites: Meher Spiritual Center in S. Carolina Journey in Consciousness In his professional life, Daniel is a strategic organizational consultant, providing assistance to a wide variety of organizations including the Centers for Disease Control, the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and many others. He lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with his wife, two cats and a grand-dog. Daniel is also a member of the Evolutionary Leaders Circle where he co-leads a group focused on helping achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. He is also a recording musician, whose first CD of songs dedicated to Meher Baba is entitled “Decorate With Song”. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group Transcript of this interview Interview recorded April 16, 2023 Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

— What is love? To give, and never to ask.  What leads to this love? Grace.  What leads to this grace? Grace is not cheaply bought. It is gained by being always ready to serve, and reluctant to be served. There are many points which lead to this grace: Wishing well for others at the cost of one's self. Never backbiting. Tolerance supreme. Trying not to worry. Trying not to worry is almost impossible - so try. Thinking more of the good points in others, and less of their bad points. What leads to this grace? Doing all the above. If you do one of these things perfectly, the rest must follow. Then grace descends. Have love - and when you have love, the union with the beloved is certain.  ~~~ Meher Baba Valeria interviews Maria O'hia — She believes in trust and faith. She trusts that everything happens for a reason and her faith is that all is well and always will be. It was in college when she adopted this mindset that her life took the direction that led her to where she is now. Away from med school, family, security and safety. At a young age she accepted an arranged marriage, becoming a stepmom to a 12 year old autistic boy. It was only after her first son was born that her life took form and became stable. Maria was fortunate to work with a psychic who told her that she could see in her visions, standing right behind Maria, a long line of people, of tribes, who were hurting and in pain. Maria comes from the Zoroastrian faith, one of the oldest religions in the world. Zoroastrians were discriminated against even to this day. But the history of torture and murder goes back thousands of years. Forced to either revert to the Muslim faith or be slaughtered if reluctant, the Zoroastrians were executed for their simple belief system of good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. Maria had unknowingly been carrying this ancestral trauma all her life. This and her life circumstances led her on the path of healing. She delved into the world of yoga, shamanism, flower essences, reiki, Louise Hay, Ho'oponopono, and Meher Baba. Maria was coined ‘Mother Love' by a saintly hero of India, carrying with him an unending love from beyond, which sparked Maria's inner journey. Maria feels certain, there is a higher purpose to her calling, and every climb, and every peak has been a wonderful awakening. She envisions love that can be seen and then spread throughout the world. Love for oneself. Love for family. Love for all that is divine. Contact Maria at drew@sggmedia.us, or call at (646) 889-1259. You can also visit: https://www.mehercenter.org To learn more about Maria O'hia and her vision, please visit: drew@sggmedia.us or call at (646) 889-1259 - You can also visit: https://www.mehercenter.org           — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well. 

Meditation - Mindfulness - Peace - Suffering. My guest today, Ramananda John Welshon's has practiced meditation for over 50 years and shares his personal journey that led him to studying religion and meditation as his life's work.  Highlights include: His healing journey A miraculous moment His rememberance of Ram Dass and Stephen Levine The difference between mindfulness and meditation What meditation means to him I loved this conversation and the peace I felt being in the presence of someone grounded in love. I hope it will delight you as well! JOHN E. WELSHONS (“Ramananda”) is a contemporary spiritual teacher and meditation teacher whose teachings weave together the world's great mystical and contemplative traditions. He lectures and leads workshops, classes, and retreats across North America. He was a close associate of Ram Dass and Stephen Levine, and trained - in 1976 - with Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. He has traveled and studied extensively in India - spending time at the ashrams of Meher Baba and Neem Karoli Baba. He is the author of three critically-acclaimed books: One Soul, One Love, One Heart; When Prayers Aren't Answered; and Awakening From Grief . Full Show Notes

Episode 159 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Itchycoo Park” by the Small Faces, and their transition from Mod to psychedelia. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a twenty-five-minute bonus episode available, on "The First Cut is the Deepest" by P.P. Arnold. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources As so many of the episodes recently have had no Mixcloud due to the number of songs by one artist, I've decided to start splitting the mixes of the recordings excerpted in the podcasts into two parts. Here's part one and part two. I've used quite a few books in this episode. The Small Faces & Other Stories by Uli Twelker and Roland Schmit is definitely a fan-work with all that that implies, but has some useful quotes. Two books claim to be the authorised biography of Steve Marriott, and I've referred to both -- All Too Beautiful by Paolo Hewitt and John Hellier, and All Or Nothing by Simon Spence. Spence also wrote an excellent book on Immediate Records, which I referred to. Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan both wrote very readable autobiographies. I've also used Andrew Loog Oldham's autobiography Stoned, co-written by Spence, though be warned that it casually uses slurs. P.P. Arnold's autobiography is a sometimes distressing read covering her whole life, including her time at Immediate. There are many, many, collections of the Small Faces' work, ranging from cheap budget CDs full of outtakes to hundred-pound-plus box sets, also full of outtakes. This three-CD budget collection contains all the essential tracks, and is endorsed by Kenney Jones, the band's one surviving member. And if you're intrigued by the section on Immediate Records, this two-CD set contains a good selection of their releases. ERRATUM-ISH: I say Jimmy Winston was “a couple” of years older than the rest of the band. This does not mean exactly two, but is used in the vague vernacular sense equivalent to “a few”. Different sources I've seen put Winston as either two or four years older than his bandmates, though two seems to be the most commonly cited figure. Transcript For once there is little to warn about in this episode, but it does contain some mild discussions of organised crime, arson, and mental illness, and a quoted joke about capital punishment in questionable taste which may upset some. One name that came up time and again when we looked at the very early years of British rock and roll was Lionel Bart. If you don't remember the name, he was a left-wing Bohemian songwriter who lived in a communal house-share which at various times was also inhabited by people like Shirley Eaton, the woman who is painted gold at the beginning of Goldfinger, Mike Pratt, the star of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), and Davey Graham, the most influential and innovative British guitarist of the fifties and early sixties. Bart and Pratt had co-written most of the hits of Britain's first real rock and roll star, Tommy Steele: [Excerpt: Tommy Steele, "Rock with the Caveman"] and then Bart had gone solo as a writer, and written hits like "Living Doll" for Britain's *biggest* rock and roll star, Cliff Richard: [Excerpt: Cliff Richard, "Living Doll"] But Bart's biggest contribution to rock music turned out not to be the songs he wrote for rock and roll stars, and not even his talent-spotting -- it was Bart who got Steele signed by Larry Parnes, and he also pointed Parnes in the direction of another of his biggest stars, Marty Wilde -- but the opportunity he gave to a lot of child stars in a very non-rock context. Bart's musical Oliver!, inspired by the novel Oliver Twist, was the biggest sensation on the West End stage in the early 1960s, breaking records for the longest-running musical, and also transferred to Broadway and later became an extremely successful film. As it happened, while Oliver! was extraordinarily lucrative, Bart didn't see much of the money from it -- he sold the rights to it, and his other musicals, to the comedian Max Bygraves in the mid-sixties for a tiny sum in order to finance a couple of other musicals, which then flopped horribly and bankrupted him. But by that time Oliver! had already been the first big break for three people who went on to major careers in music -- all of them playing the same role. Because many of the major roles in Oliver! were for young boys, the cast had to change frequently -- child labour laws meant that multiple kids had to play the same role in different performances, and people quickly grew out of the roles as teenagerhood hit. We've already heard about the career of one of the people who played the Artful Dodger in the original West End production -- Davy Jones, who transferred in the role to Broadway in 1963, and who we'll be seeing again in a few episodes' time -- and it's very likely that another of the people who played the Artful Dodger in that production, a young lad called Philip Collins, will be coming into the story in a few years' time. But the first of the artists to use the Artful Dodger as a springboard to a music career was the one who appeared in the role on the original cast album of 1960, though there's very little in that recording to suggest the sound of his later records: [Excerpt: Steve Marriott, "Consider Yourself"] Steve Marriott is the second little Stevie we've looked at in recent episodes to have been born prematurely. In his case, he was born a month premature, and jaundiced, and had to spend the first month of his life in hospital, the first few days of which were spent unsure if he was going to survive. Thankfully he did, but he was a bit of a sickly child as a result, and remained stick-thin and short into adulthood -- he never grew to be taller than five foot five. Young Steve loved music, and especially the music of Buddy Holly. He also loved skiffle, and managed to find out where Lonnie Donegan lived. He went round and knocked on Donegan's door, but was very disappointed to discover that his idol was just a normal man, with his hair uncombed and a shirt stained with egg yolk. He started playing the ukulele when he was ten, and graduated to guitar when he was twelve, forming a band which performed under a variety of different names. When on stage with them, he would go by the stage name Buddy Marriott, and would wear a pair of horn-rimmed glasses to look more like Buddy Holly. When he was twelve, his mother took him to an audition for Oliver! The show had been running for three months at the time, and was likely to run longer, and child labour laws meant that they had to have replacements for some of the cast -- every three months, any performing child had to have at least ten days off. At his audition, Steve played his guitar and sang "Who's Sorry Now?", the recent Connie Francis hit: [Excerpt: Connie Francis, "Who's Sorry Now?"] And then, ignoring the rule that performers could only do one song, immediately launched into Buddy Holly's "Oh Boy!" [Excerpt: Buddy Holly, "Oh Boy!"] His musical ability and attitude impressed the show's producers, and he was given a job which suited him perfectly -- rather than being cast in a single role, he would be swapped around, playing different small parts, in the chorus, and occasionally taking the larger role of the Artful Dodger. Steve Marriott was never able to do the same thing over and over, and got bored very quickly, but because he was moving between roles, he was able to keep interested in his performances for almost a year, and he was good enough that it was him chosen to sing the Dodger's role on the cast album when that was recorded: [Excerpt: Steve Marriott and Joyce Blair, "I'd Do Anything"] And he enjoyed performance enough that his parents pushed him to become an actor -- though there were other reasons for that, too. He was never the best-behaved child in the world, nor the most attentive student, and things came to a head when, shortly after leaving the Oliver! cast, he got so bored of his art classes he devised a plan to get out of them forever. Every art class, for several weeks, he'd sit in a different desk at the back of the classroom and stuff torn-up bits of paper under the floorboards. After a couple of months of this he then dropped a lit match in, which set fire to the paper and ended up burning down half the school. His schoolfriend Ken Hawes talked about it many decades later, saying "I suppose in a way I was impressed about how he had meticulously planned the whole thing months in advance, the sheer dogged determination to see it through. He could quite easily have been caught and would have had to face the consequences. There was no danger in anybody getting hurt because we were at the back of the room. We had to be at the back otherwise somebody would have noticed what he was doing. There was no malice against other pupils, he just wanted to burn the damn school down." Nobody could prove it was him who had done it, though his parents at least had a pretty good idea who it was, but it was clear that even when the school was rebuilt it wasn't a good idea to send him back there, so they sent him to the Italia Conti Drama School; the same school that Anthony Newley and Petula Clark, among many others, had attended. Marriott's parents couldn't afford the school's fees, but Marriott was so talented that the school waived the fees -- they said they'd get him work, and take a cut of his wages in lieu of the fees. And over the next few years they did get him a lot of work. Much of that work was for TV shows, which like almost all TV of the time no longer exist -- he was in an episode of the Sid James sitcom Citizen James, an episode of Mr. Pastry's Progress, an episode of the police drama Dixon of Dock Green, and an episode of a series based on the Just William books, none of which survive. He also did a voiceover for a carpet cleaner ad, appeared on the radio soap opera Mrs Dale's Diary playing a pop star, and had a regular spot reading listeners' letters out for the agony aunt Marje Proops on her radio show. Almost all of this early acting work wa s utterly ephemeral, but there are a handful of his performances that do survive, mostly in films. He has a small role in the comedy film Heavens Above!, a mistaken-identity comedy in which a radical left-wing priest played by Peter Sellers is given a parish intended for a more conservative priest of the same name, and upsets the well-off people of the parish by taking in a large family of travellers and appointing a Black man as his churchwarden. The film has some dated attitudes, in the way that things that were trying to be progressive and antiracist sixty years ago invariably do, but has a sparkling cast, with Sellers, Eric Sykes, William Hartnell, Brock Peters, Roy Kinnear, Irene Handl, and many more extremely recognisable faces from the period: [Excerpt: Heavens Above!] Marriott apparently enjoyed working on the film immensely, as he was a fan of the Goon Show, which Sellers had starred in and which Sykes had co-written several episodes of. There are reports of Marriott and Sellers jamming together on banjos during breaks in filming, though these are probably *slightly* inaccurate -- Sellers played the banjolele, a banjo-style instrument which is played like a ukulele. As Marriott had started on ukulele before switching to guitar, it was probably these they were playing, rather than banjoes. He also appeared in a more substantial role in a film called Live It Up!, a pop exploitation film starring David Hemmings in which he appears as a member of a pop group. Oddly, Marriott plays a drummer, even though he wasn't a drummer, while two people who *would* find fame as drummers, Mitch Mitchell and Dave Clark, appear in smaller, non-drumming, roles. He doesn't perform on the soundtrack, which is produced by Joe Meek and features Sounds Incorporated, The Outlaws, and Gene Vincent, but he does mime playing behind Heinz Burt, the former bass player of the Tornadoes who was then trying for solo stardom at Meek's instigation: [Excerpt: Heinz Burt, "Don't You Understand"] That film was successful enough that two years later, in 1965 Marriott came back for a sequel, Be My Guest, with The Niteshades, the Nashville Teens, and Jerry Lee Lewis, this time with music produced by Shel Talmy rather than Meek. But that was something of a one-off. After making Live It Up!, Marriott had largely retired from acting, because he was trying to become a pop star. The break finally came when he got an audition at the National Theatre, for a job touring with Laurence Olivier for a year. He came home and told his parents he hadn't got the job, but then a week later they were bemused by a phone call asking why Steve hadn't turned up for rehearsals. He *had* got the job, but he'd decided he couldn't face a year of doing the same thing over and over, and had pretended he hadn't. By this time he'd already released his first record. The work on Oliver! had got him a contract with Decca Records, and he'd recorded a Buddy Holly knock-off, "Give Her My Regards", written for him by Kenny Lynch, the actor, pop star, and all-round entertainer: [Excerpt: Steve Marriott, "Give Her My Regards"] That record wasn't a hit, but Marriott wasn't put off. He formed a band who were at first called the Moonlights, and then the Frantiks, and they got a management deal with Tony Calder, Andrew Oldham's junior partner in his management company. Calder got former Shadow Tony Meehan to produce a demo for the group, a version of Cliff Richard's hit "Move It", which was shopped round the record labels with no success (and which sadly appears no longer to survive). The group also did some recordings with Joe Meek, which also don't circulate, but which may exist in the famous "Teachest Tapes" which are slowly being prepared for archival releases. The group changed their name to the Moments, and added in the guitarist John Weider, who was one of those people who seem to have been in every band ever either just before or just after they became famous -- at various times he was in Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Family, Eric Burdon and the Animals, and the band that became Crabby Appleton, but never in their most successful lineups. They continued recording unsuccessful demos, of which a small number have turned up: [Excerpt: Steve Marriott and the Moments, "Good Morning Blues"] One of their demo sessions was produced by Andrew Oldham, and while that session didn't lead to a release, it did lead to Oldham booking Marriott as a session harmonica player for one of his "Andrew Oldham Orchestra" sessions, to play on a track titled "365 Rolling Stones (One For Every Day of the Year)": [Excerpt: The Andrew Oldham Orchestra, "365 Rolling Stones (One For Every Day of the Year)"] Oldham also produced a session for what was meant to be Marriott's second solo single on Decca, a cover version of the Rolling Stones' "Tell Me", which was actually scheduled for release but pulled at the last minute. Like many of Marriott's recordings from this period, if it exists, it doesn't seem to circulate publicly. But despite their lack of recording success, the Moments did manage to have a surprising level of success on the live circuit. Because they were signed to Calder and Oldham's management company, they got a contract with the Arthur Howes booking agency, which got them support slots on package tours with Billy J Kramer, Freddie and the Dreamers, the Kinks, and other major acts, and the band members were earning about thirty pounds a week each -- a very, very good living for the time. They even had a fanzine devoted to them, written by a fan named Stuart Tuck. But as they weren't making records, the band's lineup started changing, with members coming and going. They did manage to get one record released -- a soundalike version of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me", recorded for a budget label who rushed it out, hoping to get it picked up in the US and for it to be the hit version there: [Excerpt: The Moments, "You Really Got Me"] But the month after that was released, Marriott was sacked from the band, apparently in part because the band were starting to get billed as Steve Marriott and the Moments rather than just The Moments, and the rest of them didn't want to be anyone's backing band. He got a job at a music shop while looking around for other bands to perform with. At one point around this time he was going to form a duo with a friend of his, Davy Jones -- not the one who had also appeared in Oliver!, but another singer of the same name. This one sang with a blues band called the Mannish Boys, and both men were well known on the Mod scene in London. Marriott's idea was that they call themselves David and Goliath, with Jones being David, and Marriott being Goliath because he was only five foot five. That could have been a great band, but it never got past the idea stage. Marriott had become friendly with another part-time musician and shop worker called Ronnie Lane, who was in a band called the Outcasts who played the same circuit as the Moments: [Excerpt: The Outcasts, "Before You Accuse Me"] Lane worked in a sound equipment shop and Marriott in a musical instrument shop, and both were customers of the other as well as friends -- at least until Marriott came into the shop where Lane worked and tried to persuade him to let Marriott have a free PA system. Lane pretended to go along with it as a joke, and got sacked. Lane had then gone to the shop where Marriott worked in the hope that Marriott would give him a good deal on a guitar because he'd been sacked because of Marriott. Instead, Marriott persuaded him that he should switch to bass, on the grounds that everyone was playing guitar since the Beatles had come along, but a bass player would always be able to find work. Lane bought the bass. Shortly after that, Marriott came to an Outcasts gig in a pub, and was asked to sit in. He enjoyed playing with Lane and the group's drummer Kenney Jones, but got so drunk he smashed up the pub's piano while playing a Jerry Lee Lewis song. The resulting fallout led to the group being barred from the pub and splitting up, so Marriott, Lane, and Jones decided to form their own group. They got in another guitarist Marriott knew, a man named Jimmy Winston who was a couple of years older than them, and who had two advantages -- he was a known Face on the mod scene, with a higher status than any of the other three, and his brother owned a van and would drive the group and their equipment for ten percent of their earnings. There was a slight problem in that Winston was also as good on guitar as Marriott and looked like he might want to be the star, but Marriott neutralised that threat -- he moved Winston over to keyboards. The fact that Winston couldn't play keyboards didn't matter -- he could be taught a couple of riffs and licks, and he was sure to pick up the rest. And this way the group had the same lineup as one of Marriott's current favourites, Booker T and the MGs. While he was still a Buddy Holly fan, he was now, like the rest of the Mods, an R&B obsessive. Marriott wasn't entirely sure that this new group would be the one that would make him a star though, and was still looking for other alternatives in case it didn't play out. He auditioned for another band, the Lower Third, which counted Stuart Tuck, the writer of the Moments fanzine, among its members. But he was unsuccessful in the audition -- instead his friend Davy Jones, the one who he'd been thinking of forming a duo with, got the job: [Excerpt: Davy Jones and the Lower Third, "You've Got a Habit of Leaving"] A few months after that, Davy Jones and the Lower Third changed their name to David Bowie and the Lower Third, and we'll be picking up that story in a little over a year from now... Marriott, Lane, Jones, and Winston kept rehearsing and pulled together a five-song set, which was just about long enough to play a few shows, if they extended the songs with long jamming instrumental sections. The opening song for these early sets was one which, when they recorded it, would be credited to Marriott and Lane -- the two had struck up a writing partnership and agreed to a Lennon/McCartney style credit split, though in these early days Marriott was doing far more of the writing than Lane was. But "You Need Loving" was... heavily inspired... by "You Need Love", a song Willie Dixon had written for Muddy Waters: [Excerpt: Muddy Waters, "You Need Love"] It's not precisely the same song, but you can definitely hear the influence in the Marriott/Lane song: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "You Need Loving"] They did make some changes though, notably to the end of the song: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "You Need Loving"] You will be unsurprised to learn that Robert Plant was a fan of Steve Marriott. The new group were initially without a name, until after one of their first gigs, Winston's girlfriend, who hadn't met the other three before, said "You've all got such small faces!" The name stuck, because it had a double meaning -- as we've seen in the episode on "My Generation", "Face" was Mod slang for someone who was cool and respected on the Mod scene, but also, with the exception of Winston, who was average size, the other three members of the group were very short -- the tallest of the three was Ronnie Lane, who was five foot six. One thing I should note about the group's name, by the way -- on all the labels of their records in the UK while they were together, they were credited as "Small Faces", with no "The" in front, but all the band members referred to the group in interviews as "The Small Faces", and they've been credited that way on some reissues and foreign-market records. The group's official website is thesmallfaces.com but all the posts on the website refer to them as "Small Faces" with no "the". The use  of the word "the" or not at the start of a group's name at this time was something of a shibboleth -- for example both The Buffalo Springfield and The Pink Floyd dropped theirs after their early records -- and its status in this case is a strange one. I'll be referring to the group throughout as "The Small Faces" rather than "Small Faces" because the former is easier to say, but both seem accurate. After a few pub gigs in London, they got some bookings in the North of England, where they got a mixed reception -- they went down well at Peter Stringfellow's Mojo Club in Sheffield, where Joe Cocker was a regular performer, less well at a working-man's club, and reports differ about their performance at the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, though one thing everyone is agreed on is that while they were performing, some Mancunians borrowed their van and used it to rob a clothing warehouse, and gave the band members some very nice leather coats as a reward for their loan of the van. It was only on the group's return to London that they really started to gel as a unit. In particular, Kenney Jones had up to that point been a very stiff, precise, drummer, but he suddenly loosened up and, in Steve Marriott's tasteless phrase, "Every number swung like Hanratty" (James Hanratty was one of the last people in Britain to be executed by hanging). Shortly after that, Don Arden's secretary -- whose name I haven't been able to find in any of the sources I've used for this episode, sadly, came into the club where they were rehearsing, the Starlight Rooms, to pass a message from Arden to an associate of his who owned the club. The secretary had seen Marriott perform before -- he would occasionally get up on stage at the Starlight Rooms to duet with Elkie Brooks, who was a regular performer there, and she'd seen him do that -- but was newly impressed by his group, and passed word on to her boss that this was a group he should investigate. Arden is someone who we'll be looking at a lot in future episodes, but the important thing to note right now is that he was a failed entertainer who had moved into management and promotion, first with American acts like Gene Vincent, and then with British acts like the Nashville Teens, who had had hits with tracks like "Tobacco Road": [Excerpt: The Nashville Teens, "Tobacco Road"] Arden was also something of a gangster -- as many people in the music industry were at the time, but he was worse than most of his contemporaries, and delighted in his nickname "the Al Capone of pop". The group had a few managers looking to sign them, but Arden convinced them with his offer. They would get a percentage of their earnings -- though they never actually received that percentage -- twenty pounds a week in wages, and, the most tempting part of it all, they would get expense accounts at all the Carnaby St boutiques and could go there whenever they wanted and get whatever they wanted. They signed with Arden, which all of them except Marriott would later regret, because Arden's financial exploitation meant that it would be decades before they saw any money from their hits, and indeed both Marriott and Lane would be dead before they started getting royalties from their old records. Marriott, on the other hand, had enough experience of the industry to credit Arden with the group getting anywhere at all, and said later "Look, you go into it with your eyes open and as far as I was concerned it was better than living on brown sauce rolls. At least we had twenty quid a week guaranteed." Arden got the group signed to Decca, with Dick Rowe signing them to the same kind of production deal that Andrew Oldham had pioneered with the Stones, so that Arden would own the rights to their recordings. At this point the group still only knew a handful of songs, but Rowe was signing almost everyone with a guitar at this point, putting out a record or two and letting them sink or swim. He had already been firmly labelled as "the man who turned down the Beatles", and was now of the opinion that it was better to give everyone a chance than to make that kind of expensive mistake again. By this point Marriott and Lane were starting to write songs together -- though at this point it was still mostly Marriott writing, and people would ask him why he was giving Lane half the credit, and he'd reply "Without Ronnie's help keeping me awake and being there I wouldn't do half of it. He keeps me going." -- but for their first single Arden was unsure that they were up to the task of writing a hit. The group had been performing a version of Solomon Burke's "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", a song which Burke always claimed to have written alone, but which is credited to him, Jerry Wexler, and Bert Berns (and has Bern's fingerprints, at least, on it to my ears): [Excerpt: Solomon Burke, "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"] Arden got some professional writers to write new lyrics and vocal melody to their arrangement of the song -- the people he hired were Brian Potter, who would later go on to co-write "Rhinestone Cowboy", and Ian Samwell, the former member of Cliff Richard's Drifters who had written many of Richard's early hits, including "Move It", and was now working for Arden. The group went into the studio and recorded the song, titled "Whatcha Gonna Do About It?": [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Whatcha Gonna Do About It?"] That version, though was deemed too raucous, and they had to go back into the studio to cut a new version, which came out as their first single: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Whatcha Gonna Do About It?"] At first the single didn't do much on the charts, but then Arden got to work with teams of people buying copies from chart return shops, bribing DJs on pirate radio stations to play it, and bribing the person who compiled the charts for the NME. Eventually it made number fourteen, at which point it became a genuinely popular hit. But with that popularity came problems. In particular, Steve Marriott was starting to get seriously annoyed by Jimmy Winston. As the group started to get TV appearances, Winston started to act like he should be the centre of attention. Every time Marriott took a solo in front of TV cameras, Winston would start making stupid gestures, pulling faces, anything to make sure the cameras focussed on him rather than on Marriott. Which wouldn't have been too bad had Winston been a great musician, but he was still not very good on the keyboards, and unlike the others didn't seem particularly interested in trying. He seemed to want to be a star, rather than a musician. The group's next planned single was a Marriott and Lane song, "I've Got Mine". To promote it, the group mimed to it in a film, Dateline Diamonds, a combination pop film and crime caper not a million miles away from the ones that Marriott had appeared in a few years earlier. They also contributed three other songs to the film's soundtrack. Unfortunately, the film's release was delayed, and the film had been the big promotional push that Arden had planned for the single, and without that it didn't chart at all. By the time the single came out, though, Winston was no longer in the group. There are many, many different stories as to why he was kicked out. Depending on who you ask, it was because he was trying to take the spotlight away from Marriott, because he wasn't a good enough keyboard player, because he was taller than the others and looked out of place, or because he asked Don Arden where the money was. It was probably a combination of all of these, but fundamentally what it came to was that Winston just didn't fit into the group. Winston would, in later years, say that him confronting Arden was the only reason for his dismissal, saying that Arden had manipulated the others to get him out of the way, but that seems unlikely on the face of it. When Arden sacked him, he kept Winston on as a client and built another band around him, Jimmy Winston and the Reflections, and got them signed to Decca too, releasing a Kenny Lynch song, "Sorry She's Mine", to no success: [Excerpt: Jimmy Winston and the Reflections, "Sorry She's Mine"] Another version of that song would later be included on the first Small Faces album. Winston would then form another band, Winston's Fumbs, who would also release one single, before he went into acting instead. His most notable credit was as a rebel in the 1972 Doctor Who story Day of the Daleks, and he later retired from showbusiness to run a business renting out sound equipment, and died in 2020. The group hired his replacement without ever having met him or heard him play. Ian McLagan had started out as the rhythm guitarist in a Shadows soundalike band called the Cherokees, but the group had become R&B fans and renamed themselves the Muleskinners, and then after hearing "Green Onions", McLagan had switched to playing Hammond organ. The Muleskinners had played the same R&B circuit as dozens of other bands we've looked at, and had similar experiences, including backing visiting blues stars like Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, and Howlin' Wolf. Their one single had been a cover version of "Back Door Man", a song Willie Dixon had written for Wolf: [Excerpt: The Muleskinners, "Back Door Man"] The Muleskinners had split up as most of the group had day jobs, and McLagan had gone on to join a group called Boz and the Boz People, who were becoming popular on the live circuit, and who also toured backing Kenny Lynch while McLagan was in the band. Boz and the Boz People would release several singles in 1966, like their version of the theme for the film "Carry on Screaming", released just as by "Boz": [Excerpt: Boz, "Carry on Screaming"] By that time, McLagan had left the group -- Boz Burrell later went on to join King Crimson and Bad Company. McLagan left the Boz People in something of a strop, and was complaining to a friend the night he left the group that he didn't have any work lined up. The friend joked that he should join the Small Faces, because he looked like them, and McLagan got annoyed that his friend wasn't taking him seriously -- he'd love to be in the Small Faces, but they *had* a keyboard player. The next day he got a phone call from Don Arden asking him to come to his office. He was being hired to join a hit pop group who needed a new keyboard player. McLagan at first wasn't allowed to tell anyone what band he was joining -- in part because Arden's secretary was dating Winston, and Winston hadn't yet been informed he was fired, and Arden didn't want word leaking out until it had been sorted. But he'd been chosen purely on the basis of an article in a music magazine which had praised his playing with the Boz People, and without the band knowing him or his playing. As soon as they met, though, he immediately fit in in a way Winston never had. He looked the part, right down to his height -- he said later "Ronnie Lane and I were the giants in the band at 5 ft 6 ins, and Kenney Jones and Steve Marriott were the really teeny tiny chaps at 5 ft 5 1/2 ins" -- and he was a great player, and shared a sense of humour with them. McLagan had told Arden he'd been earning twenty pounds a week with the Boz People -- he'd actually been on five -- and so Arden agreed to give him thirty pounds a week during his probationary month, which was more than the twenty the rest of the band were getting. As soon as his probationary period was over, McLagan insisted on getting a pay cut so he'd be on the same wages as the rest of the group. Soon Marriott, Lane, and McLagan were all living in a house rented for them by Arden -- Jones decided to stay living with his parents -- and were in the studio recording their next single. Arden was convinced that the mistake with "I've Got Mine" had been allowing the group to record an original, and again called in a team of professional songwriters. Arden brought in Mort Shuman, who had recently ended his writing partnership with Doc Pomus and struck out on his own, after co-writing songs like "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Sweets For My Sweet", and "Viva Las Vegas" together, and Kenny Lynch, and the two of them wrote "Sha-La-La-La-Lee", and Lynch added backing vocals to the record: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Sha-La-La-La-Lee"] None of the group were happy with the record, but it became a big hit, reaching number three in the charts. Suddenly the group had a huge fanbase of screaming teenage girls, which embarrassed them terribly, as they thought of themselves as serious heavy R&B musicians, and the rest of their career would largely be spent vacillating between trying to appeal to their teenybopper fanbase and trying to escape from it to fit their own self-image. They followed "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" with "Hey Girl", a Marriott/Lane song, but one written to order -- they were under strict instructions from Arden that if they wanted to have the A-side of a single, they had to write something as commercial as "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" had been, and they managed to come up with a second top-ten hit. Two hit singles in a row was enough to make an album viable, and the group went into the studio and quickly cut an album, which had their first two hits on it -- "Hey Girl" wasn't included, and nor was the flop "I've Got Mine" -- plus a bunch of semi-originals like "You Need Loving", a couple of Kenny Lynch songs, and a cover version of Sam Cooke's "Shake". The album went to number three on the album charts, with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the number one and two spots, and it was at this point that Arden's rivals really started taking interest. But that interest was quelled for the moment when, after Robert Stigwood enquired about managing the band, Arden went round to Stigwood's office with four goons and held him upside down over a balcony, threatening to drop him off if he ever messed with any of Arden's acts again. But the group were still being influenced by other managers. In particular, Brian Epstein came round to the group's shared house, with Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues, and brought them some slices of orange -- which they discovered, after eating them, had been dosed with LSD. By all accounts, Marriott's first trip was a bad one, but the group soon became regular consumers of the drug, and it influenced the heavier direction they took on their next single, "All or Nothing". "All or Nothing" was inspired both by Marriott's breakup with his girlfriend of the time, and his delight at the fact that Jenny Rylance, a woman he was attracted to, had split up with her then-boyfriend Rod Stewart. Rylance and Stewart later reconciled, but would break up again and Rylance would become Marriott's first wife in 1968: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "All or Nothing"] "All or Nothing" became the group's first and only number one record -- and according to the version of the charts used on Top of the Pops, it was a joint number one with the Beatles' double A-side of "Yellow Submarine" and "Eleanor Rigby", both selling exactly as well as each other. But this success caused the group's parents to start to wonder why their kids -- none of whom were yet twenty-one, the legal age of majority at the time -- were not rich. While the group were on tour, their parents came as a group to visit Arden and ask him where the money was, and why their kids were only getting paid twenty pounds a week when their group was getting a thousand pounds a night. Arden tried to convince the parents that he had been paying the group properly, but that they had spent their money on heroin -- which was very far from the truth, the band were only using soft drugs at the time. This put a huge strain on the group's relationship with Arden, and it wasn't the only thing Arden did that upset them. They had been spending a lot of time in the studio working on new material, and Arden was convinced that they were spending too much time recording, and that they were just faffing around and not producing anything of substance. They dropped off a tape to show him that they had been working -- and the next thing they knew, Arden had put out one of the tracks from that tape, "My Mind's Eye", which had only been intended as a demo, as a single: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "My Mind's Eye"] That it went to number four on the charts didn't make up for the fact that the first the band heard of the record coming out at all was when they heard it on the radio. They needed rid of Arden. Luckily for them, Arden wasn't keen on continuing to work with them either. They were unreliable and flakey, and he also needed cash quick to fund his other ventures, and he agreed to sell on their management and recording contracts. Depending on which version of the story you believe, he may have sold them on to an agent called Harold Davison, who then sold them on to Andrew Oldham and Tony Calder, but according to Oldham what happened is that in December 1966 Arden demanded the highest advance in British history -- twenty-five thousand pounds -- directly from Oldham. In cash. In a brown paper bag. The reason Oldham and Calder were interested was that in July 1965 they'd started up their own record label, Immediate Records, which had been announced by Oldham in his column in Disc and Music Echo, in which he'd said "On many occasions I have run down the large record companies over issues such as pirate stations, their promotion, and their tastes. And many readers have written in and said that if I was so disturbed by the state of the existing record companies why didn't I do something about it.  I have! On the twentieth of this month the first of three records released by my own company, Immediate Records, is to be launched." That first batch of three records contained one big hit, "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys, which Immediate licensed from Bert Berns' new record label BANG in the US: [Excerpt: The McCoys, "Hang on Sloopy"] The two other initial singles featured the talents of Immediate's new in-house producer, a session player who had previously been known as "Little Jimmy" to distinguish him from "Big" Jim Sullivan, the other most in-demand session guitarist, but who was now just known as Jimmy Page. The first was a version of Pete Seeger's "The Bells of Rhymney", which Page produced and played guitar on, for a group called The Fifth Avenue: [Excerpt: The Fifth Avenue, "The Bells of Rhymney"] And the second was a Gordon Lightfoot song performed by a girlfriend of Brian Jones', Nico. The details as to who was involved in the track have varied -- at different times the production has been credited to Jones, Page, and Oldham -- but it seems to be the case that both Jones and Page play on the track, as did session bass player John Paul Jones: [Excerpt: Nico, "I'm Not Sayin'"] While "Hang on Sloopy" was a big hit, the other two singles were flops, and The Fifth Avenue split up, while Nico used the publicity she'd got as an entree into Andy Warhol's Factory, and we'll be hearing more about how that went in a future episode. Oldham and Calder were trying to follow the model of the Brill Building, of Phil Spector, and of big US independents like Motown and Stax. They wanted to be a one-stop shop where they'd produce the records, manage the artists, and own the publishing -- and they also licensed the publishing for the Beach Boys' songs for a couple of years, and started publicising their records over here in a big way, to exploit the publishing royalties, and that was a major factor in turning the Beach Boys from minor novelties to major stars in the UK. Most of Immediate's records were produced by Jimmy Page, but other people got to have a go as well. Giorgio Gomelsky and Shel Talmy both produced tracks for the label, as did a teenage singer then known as Paul Raven, who would later become notorious under his later stage-name Gary Glitter. But while many of these records were excellent -- and Immediate deserves to be talked about in the same terms as Motown or Stax when it comes to the quality of the singles it released, though not in terms of commercial success -- the only ones to do well on the charts in the first few months of the label's existence were "Hang on Sloopy" and an EP by Chris Farlowe. It was Farlowe who provided Immediate Records with its first home-grown number one, a version of the Rolling Stones' "Out of Time" produced by Mick Jagger, though according to Arthur Greenslade, the arranger on that and many other Immediate tracks, Jagger had given up on getting a decent performance out of Farlowe and Oldham ended up producing the vocals. Greenslade later said "Andrew must have worked hard in there, Chris Farlowe couldn't sing his way out of a paper bag. I'm sure Andrew must have done it, where you get an artist singing and you can do a sentence at a time, stitching it all together. He must have done it in pieces." But however hard it was to make, "Out of Time" was a success: [Excerpt: Chris Farlowe, "Out of Time"] Or at least, it was a success in the UK. It did also make the top forty in the US for a week, but then it hit a snag -- it had charted without having been released in the US at all, or even being sent as a promo to DJs. Oldham's new business manager Allen Klein had been asked to work his magic on the US charts, but the people he'd bribed to hype the record into the charts had got the release date wrong and done it too early. When the record *did* come out over there, no radio station would play it in case it looked like they were complicit in the scam. But still, a UK number one wasn't too shabby, and so Immediate Records was back on track, and Oldham wanted to shore things up by bringing in some more proven hit-makers. Immediate signed the Small Faces, and even started paying them royalties -- though that wouldn't last long, as Immediate went bankrupt in 1970 and its successors in interest stopped paying out. The first work the group did for the label was actually for a Chris Farlowe single. Lane and Marriott gave him their song "My Way of Giving", and played on the session along with Farlowe's backing band the Thunderbirds. Mick Jagger is the credited producer, but by all accounts Marriott and Lane did most of the work: [Excerpt: Chris Farlowe, "My Way of Giving"] Sadly, that didn't make the top forty. After working on that, they started on their first single recorded at Immediate. But because of contractual entanglements, "I Can't Make It" was recorded at Immediate but released by Decca. Because the band weren't particularly keen on promoting something on their old label, and the record was briefly banned by the BBC for being too sexual, it only made number twenty-six on the charts. Around this time, Marriott had become friendly with another band, who had named themselves The Little People in homage to the Small Faces, and particularly with their drummer Jerry Shirley. Marriott got them signed to Immediate, and produced and played on their first single, a version of his song "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me?": [Excerpt: The Apostolic Intervention, "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me?"] When they signed to Immediate, The Little People had to change their name, and Marriott suggested they call themselves The Nice, a phrase he liked. Oldham thought that was a stupid name, and gave the group the much more sensible name The Apostolic Intervention. And then a few weeks later he signed another group and changed *their* name to The Nice. "The Nice" was also a phrase used in the Small Faces' first single for Immediate proper. "Here Come the Nice" was inspired by a routine by the hipster comedian Lord Buckley, "The Nazz", which also gave a name to Todd Rundgren's band and inspired a line in David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust": [Excerpt: Lord Buckley, "The Nazz"] "Here Come the Nice" was very blatantly about a drug dealer, and somehow managed to reach number twelve despite that: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Here Come the Nice"] It also had another obstacle that stopped it doing as well as it might. A week before it came out, Decca released a single, "Patterns", from material they had in the vault. And in June 1967, two Small Faces albums came out. One of them was a collection from Decca of outtakes and demos, plus their non-album hit singles, titled From The Beginning, while the other was their first album on Immediate, which was titled Small Faces -- just like their first Decca album had been. To make matters worse, From The Beginning contained the group's demos of "My Way of Giving" and "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me?", while the group's first Immediate album contained a new recording of  "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me?", and a version of "My Way of Giving" with the same backing track but a different vocal take from the one on the Decca collection. From this point on, the group's catalogue would be a complete mess, with an endless stream of compilations coming out, both from Decca and, after the group split, from Immediate, mixing tracks intended for release with demos and jam sessions with no regard for either their artistic intent or for what fans might want. Both albums charted, with Small Faces reaching number twelve and From The Beginning reaching number sixteen, neither doing as well as their first album had, despite the Immediate album, especially, being a much better record. This was partly because the Marriott/Lane partnership was becoming far more equal. Kenney Jones later said "During the Decca period most of the self-penned stuff was 99% Steve. It wasn't until Immediate that Ronnie became more involved. The first Immediate album is made up of 50% Steve's songs and 50% of Ronnie's. They didn't collaborate as much as people thought. In fact, when they did, they often ended up arguing and fighting." It's hard to know who did what on each song credited to the pair, but if we assume that each song's principal writer also sang lead -- we know that's not always the case, but it's a reasonable working assumption -- then Jones' fifty-fifty estimate seems about right. Of the fourteen songs on the album, McLagan sings one, which is also his own composition, "Up the Wooden Hills to Bedfordshire". There's one instrumental, six with Marriott on solo lead vocals, four with Lane on solo lead vocals, and two duets, one with Lane as the main vocalist and one with Marriott. The fact that there was now a second songwriter taking an equal role in the band meant that they could now do an entire album of originals. It also meant that their next Marriott/Lane single was mostly a Lane song. "Itchycoo Park" started with a verse lyric from Lane -- "Over bridge of sighs/To rest my eyes in shades of green/Under dreaming spires/To Itchycoo Park, that's where I've been". The inspiration apparently came from Lane reading about the dreaming spires of Oxford, and contrasting it with the places he used to play as a child, full of stinging nettles. For a verse melody, they repeated a trick they'd used before -- the melody of "My Mind's Eye" had been borrowed in part from the Christmas carol "Gloria in Excelsis Deo", and here they took inspiration from the old hymn "God Be in My Head": [Excerpt: The Choir of King's College Cambridge, "God Be in My Head"] As Marriott told the story: "We were in Ireland and speeding our brains out writing this song. Ronnie had the first verse already written down but he had no melody line, so what we did was stick the verse to the melody line of 'God Be In My Head' with a few chord variations. We were going towards Dublin airport and I thought of the middle eight... We wrote the second verse collectively, and the chorus speaks for itself." [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Itchycoo Park"] Marriott took the lead vocal, even though it was mostly Lane's song, but Marriott did contribute to the writing, coming up with the middle eight. Lane didn't seem hugely impressed with Marriott's contribution, and later said "It wasn't me that came up with 'I feel inclined to blow my mind, get hung up, feed the ducks with a bun/They all come out to groove about, be nice and have fun in the sun'. That wasn't me, but the more poetic stuff was." But that part became the most memorable part of the record, not so much because of the writing or performance but because of the production. It was one of the first singles released using a phasing effect, developed by George Chkiantz (and I apologise if I'm pronouncing that name wrong), who was the assistant engineer for Glyn Johns on the album. I say it was one of the first, because at the time there was not a clear distinction between the techniques now known as phasing, flanging, and artificial double tracking, all of which have now diverged, but all of which initially came from the idea of shifting two copies of a recording slightly out of synch with each other. The phasing on "Itchycoo Park" , though, was far more extreme and used to far different effect than that on, say, Revolver: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Itchycoo Park"] It was effective enough that Jimi Hendrix, who was at the time working on Axis: Bold as Love, requested that Chkiantz come in and show his engineer how to get the same effect, which was then used on huge chunks of Hendrix's album. The BBC banned the record, because even the organisation which had missed that the Nice who "is always there when I need some speed" was a drug dealer was a little suspicious about whether "we'll get high" and "we'll touch the sky" might be drug references. The band claimed to be horrified at the thought, and explained that they were talking about swings. It's a song about a park, so if you play on the swings, you go high. What else could it mean? [Excerpt: The Small Faces, “Itchycoo Park”] No drug references there, I'm sure you'll agree. The song made number three, but the group ran into more difficulties with the BBC after an appearance on Top of the Pops. Marriott disliked the show's producer, and the way that he would go up to every act and pretend to think they had done a very good job, no matter what he actually thought, which Marriott thought of as hypocrisy rather than as politeness and professionalism. Marriott discovered that the producer was leaving the show, and so in the bar afterwards told him exactly what he thought of him, calling him a "two-faced", and then a four-letter word beginning with c which is generally considered the most offensive swear word there is. Unfortunately for Marriott, he'd been misinformed, the producer wasn't leaving the show, and the group were barred from it for a while. "Itchycoo Park" also made the top twenty in the US, thanks to a new distribution deal Immediate had, and plans were made for the group to tour America, but those plans had to be scrapped when Ian McLagan was arrested for possession of hashish, and instead the group toured France, with support from a group called the Herd: [Excerpt: The Herd, "From the Underworld"] Marriott became very friendly with the Herd's guitarist, Peter Frampton, and sympathised with Frampton's predicament when in the next year he was voted "face of '68" and developed a similar teenage following to the one the Small Faces had. The group's last single of 1967 was one of their best. "Tin Soldier" was inspired by the Hans Andersen story “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”, and was originally written for the singer P.P. Arnold, who Marriott was briefly dating around this time. But Arnold was *so* impressed with the song that Marriott decided to keep it for his own group, and Arnold was left just doing backing vocals on the track: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Tin Soldier"] It's hard to show the appeal of "Tin Soldier" in a short clip like those I use on this show, because so much of it is based on the use of dynamics, and the way the track rises and falls, but it's an extremely powerful track, and made the top ten. But it was after that that the band started falling apart, and also after that that they made the work generally considered their greatest album. As "Itchycoo Park" had made number one in Australia, the group were sent over there on tour to promote it, as support act for the Who. But the group hadn't been playing live much recently, and found it difficult to replicate their records on stage, as they were now so reliant on studio effects like phasing. The Australian audiences were uniformly hostile, and the contrast with the Who, who were at their peak as a live act at this point, couldn't have been greater. Marriott decided he had a solution. The band needed to get better live, so why not get Peter Frampton in as a fifth member? He was great on guitar and had stage presence, obviously that would fix their problems. But the other band members absolutely refused to get Frampton in. Marriott's confidence as a stage performer took a knock from which it never really recovered, and increasingly the band became a studio-only one. But the tour also put strain on the most important partnership in the band. Marriott and Lane had been the closest of friends and collaborators, but on the tour, both found a very different member of the Who to pal around with. Marriott became close to Keith Moon, and the two would get drunk and trash hotel rooms together. Lane, meanwhile, became very friendly with Pete Townshend, who introduced him to the work of the guru Meher Baba, who Townshend followed. Lane, too, became a follower, and the two would talk about religion and spirituality while their bandmates were destroying things. An attempt was made to heal the growing rifts though. Marriott, Lane, and McLagan all moved in together again like old times, but this time in a cottage -- something that became so common for bands around this time that the phrase "getting our heads together in the country" became a cliche in the music press. They started working on material for their new album. One of the tracks that they were working on was written by Marriott, and was inspired by how, before moving in to the country cottage, his neighbours had constantly complained about the volume of his music -- he'd been particularly annoyed that the pop singer Cilla Black, who lived in the same building and who he'd assumed would understand the pop star lifestyle, had complained more than anyone. It had started as as fairly serious blues song, but then Marriott had been confronted by the members of the group The Hollies, who wanted to know why Marriott always sang in a pseudo-American accent. Wasn't his own accent good enough? Was there something wrong with being from the East End of London? Well, no, Marriott decided, there wasn't, and so he decided to sing it in a Cockney accent. And so the song started to change, going from being an R&B song to being the kind of thing Cockneys could sing round a piano in a pub: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Lazy Sunday"] Marriott intended the song just as an album track for the album they were working on, but Andrew Oldham insisted on releasing it as a single, much to the band's disgust, and it went to number two on the charts, and along with "Itchycoo Park" meant that the group were now typecast as making playful, light-hearted music. The album they were working on, Ogden's Nut-Gone Flake, was eventually as known for its marketing as its music. In the Small Faces' long tradition of twisted religious references, like their songs based on hymns and their song "Here Come the Nice", which had taken inspiration from a routine about Jesus and made it about a drug dealer, the print ads for the album read: Small Faces Which were in the studios Hallowed be thy name Thy music come Thy songs be sung On this album as they came from your heads We give you this day our daily bread Give us thy album in a round cover as we give thee 37/9d Lead us into the record stores And deliver us Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake For nice is the music The sleeve and the story For ever and ever, Immediate The reason the ad mentioned a round cover is that the original pressings of the album were released in a circular cover, made to look like a tobacco tin, with the name of the brand of tobacco changed from Ogden's Nut-Brown Flake to Ogden's Nut-Gone Flake, a reference to how after smoking enough dope your nut, or head, would be gone. This made more sense to British listeners than to Americans, because not only was the slang on the label British, and not only was it a reference to a British tobacco brand, but American and British dope-smoking habits are very different. In America a joint is generally made by taking the dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant -- or "weed" -- and rolling them in a cigarette paper and smoking them. In the UK and much of Europe, though, the preferred form of cannabis is the resin, hashish, which is crumbled onto tobacco in a cigarette paper and smoked that way, so having rolling or pipe tobacco was a necessity for dope smokers in the UK in a way it wasn't in the US. Side one of Ogden's was made up of normal songs, but the second side mixed songs and narrative. Originally the group wanted to get Spike Milligan to do the narration, but when Milligan backed out they chose Professor Stanley Unwin, a comedian who was known for speaking in his own almost-English language, Unwinese: [Excerpt: Stanley Unwin, "The Populode of the Musicolly"] They gave Unwin a script, telling the story that linked side two of the album, in which Happiness Stan is shocked to discover that half the moon has disappeared and goes on a quest to find the missing half, aided by a giant fly who lets him sit on his back after Stan shares his shepherd's pie with the hungry fly. After a long quest they end up at the cave of Mad John the Hermit, who points out to them that nobody had stolen half the moon at all -- they'd been travelling so long that it was a full moon again, and everything was OK. Unwin took that script, and reworked it into Unwinese, and also added in a lot of the slang he heard the group use, like "cool it" and "what's been your hang-up?": [Excerpt: The Small Faces and Professor Stanley Unwin, "Mad John"] The album went to number one, and the group were justifiably proud, but it only exacerbated the problems with their live show. Other than an appearance on the TV show Colour Me Pop, where they were joined by Stanley Unwin to perform the whole of side two of the album with live vocals but miming to instrumental backing tracks, they only performed two songs from the album live, "Rollin' Over" and "Song of a Baker", otherwise sticking to the same live show Marriott was already embarrassed by. Marriott later said "We had spent an entire year in the studios, which was why our stage presentation had not been improved since the previous year. Meanwhile our recording experience had developed in leaps and bounds. We were all keenly interested in the technical possibilities, in the art of recording. We let down a lot of people who wanted to hear Ogden's played live. We were still sort of rough and ready, and in the end the audience became uninterested as far as our stage show was concerned. It was our own fault, because we would have sussed it all out if we had only used our brains. We could have taken Stanley Unwin on tour with us, maybe a string section as well, and it would have been okay. But we didn't do it, we stuck to the concept that had been successful for a long time, which is always the kiss of death." The group's next single would be the last released while they were together. Marriott regarded "The Universal" as possibly the best thing he'd written, and recorded it quickly when inspiration struck. The finished single is actually a home recording of Marriott in his garden, including the sounds of a dog barking and his wife coming home with the shopping, onto which the band later overdubbed percussion, horns, and electric guitars: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "The Universal"] Incidentally, it seems that the dog barking on that track may also be the dog barking on “Seamus” by Pink Floyd. "The Universal" confused listeners, and only made number sixteen on the charts, crushing Marriott, who thought it was the best thing he'd done. But the band were starting to splinter. McLagan isn't on "The Universal", having quit the band before it was recorded after a falling-out with Marriott. He rejoined, but discovered that in the meantime Marriott had brought in session player Nicky Hopkins to work on some tracks, which devastated him. Marriott became increasingly unconfident in his own writing, and the writing dried up. The group did start work on some new material, some of which, like "The Autumn Stone", is genuinely lovely: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "The Autumn Stone"] But by the time that was released, the group had already split up. The last recording they did together was as a backing group for Johnny Hallyday, the French rock star. A year earlier Hallyday had recorded a version of "My Way of Giving", under the title "Je N'Ai Jamais Rien Demandé": [Excerpt: Johnny Hallyday, "Je N'Ai Jamais Rien Demandé"] Now he got in touch with Glyn Johns to see if the Small Faces had any other material for him, and if they'd maybe back him on a few tracks on a new album. Johns and the Small Faces flew to France... as did Peter Frampton, who Marriott was still pushing to get into the band. They recorded three tracks for the album, with Frampton on extra guitar: [Excerpt: Johnny Hallyday, "Reclamation"] These tracks left Marriott more certain than ever that Frampton should be in the band, and the other three members even more certain that he shouldn't. Frampton joined the band on stage at a few shows on their next few gigs, but he was putting together his own band with Jerry Shirley from Apostolic Intervention. On New Year's Eve 1968, Marriott finally had enough. He stormed off stage mid-set, and quit the group. He phoned up Peter Frampton, who was hanging out with Glyn Johns listening to an album Johns had just produced by some of the session players who'd worked for Immediate. Side one had just finished when Marriott phoned. Could he join Frampton's new band? Frampton said of course he could, then put the phone down and listened to side two of Led Zeppelin's first record. The band Marriott and Frampton formed was called Humble Pie, and they were soon releasing stuff on Immediate. According to Oldham, "Tony Calder said to me one day 'Pick a straw'. Then he explained we had a choice. We could either go with the three Faces -- Kenney, Ronnie, and Mac -- wherever they were going to go with their lives, or we could follow Stevie. I didn't regard it as a choice. Neither did Tony. Marriott was our man". Marriott certainly seemed to agree that he was the real talent in the group. He and Lane had fairly recently bought some property together -- two houses on the same piece of land -- and with the group splitting up, Lane moved away and wanted to sell his share in the property to Marriott. Marriott wrote to him saying "You'll get nothing. This was bought with money from hits that I wrote, not that we wrote," and enclosing a PRS statement showing how much each Marriott/Lane

Face Dances is the ninth studio album from the Who, and the first release after the death of drummer Keith Moon three years earlier.  During those three years the Who would release the film Quadrophenia and the concert retrospective film The Kids Are Alright.  Front man Roger Daltry would try out acting, and Pete Townshend would release his second solo studio album.  When the group got back together for Face Dances, Phil Collins expressed an interest in joining the band.  However, Kenny Jones (Small Faces, Faces) had already been asked to join.  John “Rabbit” Bundrick also contributed keyboard work on this album, and would eventually join as a full time member of the Who.  These joined previous members Daltry, Townshend, and bassist John Entwistle.  The album was highly anticipated, and was a commercial success, reaching number 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number 2 on the UK Albums chart.  Critical reviews were mixed at the time, and the band has expressed some friction with producer Bill Szymczyk who conducted the final mixing without the full band's input.  Regardless, the album is a staple of early 80's rock and many of the songs have achieved a timelessness about them.Brian brings us this album for today's podcast. You Better You BetThe first single and lead-off track to the album was a staple of the new cable station - MTV.  It was the Who's last top 20 single, reaching number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Townshend developed the song during a period of clubbing with the daughter of a friend.  The video was a black and white studio session.  Don't Let Go the CoatThis deeper cut was the second single, and was inspired by Townshend's guru Meher Baba and his statement that his followers “hang fast to the hem of my robe,” meaning to stay true to his teachings.  It also may have been inspired by Townshend's parents who would pick him up after his binges on drugs and alcohol.The Quiet OneBassist John Entwistle takes an unusual turn as lead singer on this self-referential deep cut.  It was the B-side of the single “You Better You Bet.”  Entwisle said it was a song trying to explain that he wasn't really quiet, but that he started being quiet and got stuck in the pigeon hole of that label.Another Tricky Day“This is no social crisis, just another tricky day for you...fella!”   John Bundrick inspired this song, and it claims that what we're going through is nothing unique, but is just another tricky day.  The song is the final track on the album, and the video is in the same style as the first single - a black and white studio session. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Main theme from the television series “Dynasty” John Forsythe, Linda Evans, and Joan Collins starred in this prime time soap opera. STAFF PICKS:Skateaway by Dire Straits Bruce brings us a song about a girl who skates around the city, ticking off the drivers, weaving in and out of traffic, and listening to the local rock and roll station on her headphones.  This is the lead single from the Dire Straits album Making Movies,  and the album title is pulled from the lyrics of this song.Precious to Me  by Phil SeymourDrummer, singer-songwriter, and guitarist Phil Seymour wrote this song with a throwback doo-wop feel.  This is the first single from his first solo album.  It hit number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Seymour also contributed backing vocals to Tom Petty's “American Girl” and “Breakdown.”He Can't Love You by the Michael Staley Band Wayne features a one hit wonder featuring saxophonist and E. Street Band member Clarence Clemons.  It made it to number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was the 40th song played on MTV.  The Michael Stanley Band is big regionally in Ohio.I Love a Rainy Night by Eddie RabbitBrian's staff pick is a crossover country hit.  It hit the top of both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country charts.  It describes the feeling that comes from a good rain at night.  Rabbit started writing the song in the 60's, but didn't develop it until this album.   INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:Toccata by SkyThis prog rock group covers the classical piece "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" by J.S. Bach made it on the British singles charts. 

In this episode we speak to Patrick Beldio, academic professor, sculptor, devotee of Mehar Baba and Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, about the intersection of theology and religious studies in his work. We discuss the nuances of the scholar-practitioner model of scholarship and how one can approach an integral pedagogy from this perspective. Stephen and I read a chapter from Patrick's upcoming book Mirra Alfassa: Divine Mother and Child of Tomorrow, titled Spiritual Dualite: Mirra's Intellectual and Spiritual Influence on Sri Aurobindo, and we discuss with Patrick how he approached building a methodology for this work. The conversation explores the deep rooted Western influences in the formation of Integral Yoga and cross-cultural approaches to symbology in the Mother's life. We end by briefly discussing Sri Aurobindo and the Mother's vision of the supramental manifestation and the transformation of the human into a radially new androgynous sexless being. Patrick Beldio is a scholar of comparative religion and theology with a focus on Hindu-Christian studies, the Integral Yoga of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Meher Baba and the Chishti Sufi lineage in the West, and Franciscan Spirituality, with sub-interests in art, gender, and sustainability studies. His current book project is Mirra Alfassa: Mother & Child of the Divine of Tomorrow (working title), which critically analyzes the role and influence of Mirra (aka the Mother, 1878-1973) on the Integral Yoga that she and Aurobindo Ghose (aka Sri Aurobindo, 1872-1950) co-created. The book evaluates Mirra's influence on Aurobindo's spiritual practice and teaching and critically describes the nature of their relationship, intellectually and spiritually. It also focuses on how Aurobindo influenced Mirra's teaching in Pondicherry, India and how she developed their yoga tradition after his passing and then explores her relevance today. Beldio is also a professional sacred artist with a studio at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC. His sculptures are in private and public collections across the USA. www.reunionstudios.com The EWP Podcast credits East-West Psychology Podcast Website Connect with EWP: Website • Youtube • Facebook Hosted by Stephen Julich (EWP adjunct faculty, program manager) and Jonathan Kay (PhD student, EWP assistant) Produced by: Stephen Julich and Jonathan Kay Edited and Mixed by: Jonathan Kay Introduction music: Mosaic, by Monsoon on the album Mandala Music at the end of the episode: Sound - Space Entanglement (4x + 1), from becoming - song: contemplative transnomadic sono - fictioning by Jonathan Kay Introduction Voiceover: Roche Wadehra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this episode we speak to Patrick Beldio, academic professor, sculptor, devotee of Mehar Baba and Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, about the intersection of theology and religious studies in his work. We discuss the nuances of the scholar-practitioner model of scholarship and how one can approach an integral pedagogy from this perspective. Stephen and I read a chapter from Patrick's upcoming book Mirra Alfassa: Divine Mother and Child of Tomorrow, titled Spiritual Dualite: Mirra's Intellectual and Spiritual Influence on Sri Aurobindo, and we discuss with Patrick how he approached building a methodology for this work. The conversation explores the deep rooted Western influences in the formation of Integral Yoga and cross-cultural approaches to symbology in the Mother's life. We end by briefly discussing Sri Aurobindo and the Mother's vision of the supramental manifestation and the transformation of the human into a radially new androgynous sexless being. Patrick Beldio is a scholar of comparative religion and theology with a focus on Hindu-Christian studies, the Integral Yoga of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Meher Baba and the Chishti Sufi lineage in the West, and Franciscan Spirituality, with sub-interests in art, gender, and sustainability studies. His current book project is Mirra Alfassa: Mother & Child of the Divine of Tomorrow (working title), which critically analyzes the role and influence of Mirra (aka the Mother, 1878-1973) on the Integral Yoga that she and Aurobindo Ghose (aka Sri Aurobindo, 1872-1950) co-created. The book evaluates Mirra's influence on Aurobindo's spiritual practice and teaching and critically describes the nature of their relationship, intellectually and spiritually. It also focuses on how Aurobindo influenced Mirra's teaching in Pondicherry, India and how she developed their yoga tradition after his passing and then explores her relevance today. Beldio is also a professional sacred artist with a studio at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC. His sculptures are in private and public collections across the USA. www.reunionstudios.com The EWP Podcast credits East-West Psychology Podcast Website Connect with EWP: Website • Youtube • Facebook Hosted by Stephen Julich (EWP adjunct faculty, program manager) and Jonathan Kay (PhD student, EWP assistant) Produced by: Stephen Julich and Jonathan Kay Edited and Mixed by: Jonathan Kay Introduction music: Mosaic, by Monsoon on the album Mandala Music at the end of the episode: Sound - Space Entanglement (4x + 1), from becoming - song: contemplative transnomadic sono - fictioning by Jonathan Kay Introduction Voiceover: Roche Wadehra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Performances - Jul 16, 1992

Rachel Manija Brown's parents moved her to an ashram in India when she was seven years old to worship the guru Meher Baba. Rachel stayed there until she was twelve, but never considered herself a follower of him. She wrote a memoir about the experience, All the Fishes Come Home to Roost. Her mother still lives at the ashram. Rachel has an MA in clinical psychology, worked as a trauma therapist (AMFT), and currently works as a life coach. She also writes professionally under her own name, Lia Silver, and as one of a group of writers who share the pen name, Zoe Chant. Rachel Brown joins Ms. Bernstein to share the traumas of her childhood in India in hopes that it might offer solace and hope to others who relate to her experiences. Together the two Rachels unpack the complex emotional journey of Ms. Brown's formative years and the difficulties that followed, the two therapists then broaden the conversation, comparing their treatment techniques for those suffering from complex post-traumatic stress. Before You Go: Rachel expands on the concept of toxic positivity that Ms. Brown described from her time in the ashram, outlining the common cliches and pointing out its inherent dangers. More info on Rachel's Counseling work here: https://www.rachelmbrown.com/ More info on Rachel's books here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/175143.Rachel_Manija_Brown You can sign up for Rachel's webinar series LIVING IN FREEDOM here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/webinar.html Thanks to all of our newest Patreon supporters: Kim, Janet Imp, Tori Parham, Matthew Krueger, Jennifer Loidolt, Tamsin McDonnell, Ann Gentry, Latechia Hogue, Alishia L'Heureux, MR J G GARDEN, Elaine L Garcelon, Amanda Davis, Arianna, Eliza, Jill Epps, Kim Tilley, Stefanie Schroeder, Shauna, Patricia Glica, Jill Carnay, Simrat Khalsa,and, Heidi Meyer! To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination You can help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show!

*cues Dru Hill*"You are everything, and everything is you."Everyone, too. Past. Present. Future. These are your words. Your other voice, sounding in and AS the one true Voice, the silent One. I Love you, Niknikki@curlynikki.com Bonus content:▶▶https://www.patreon.com/goodmorningsGo(o)d Mornings merch:▶▶https://www.patreon.com/goodmorningsWeekly LIVE Meditation, Tuesdays at 7pm ET (FREE on Spotify)▶▶ https://spotify.link/meditationDaily LIVE Group Meditation at 6:30am ET (FREE on Spotify LIVE)▶▶ https://apps.apple.com/id/app/spotify-live/id1517524960_________________________________Today's Quotes:   "I  was Rama, I was Krishna, I was this One, I was that One, and now I am Meher Baba. In fact, in this form of flesh and blood, I am the same Ancient One who alone is eternally worshiped and ignored, ever remembered and forgotten.I am that Ancient One whose past is worshiped and remembered; whose present is ignored and forgotten, and whose future advent is anticipated with great fervor and longing."-Meher Baba, 1959"When You Know You're the Ocean, You're Not Afraid of the Waves."-Tara Brach "This silence, this moment, every moment, if it's genuinely inside you, brings what you need. Live in silence."-Rumi"All needs can lead us first to more silence. Daily we can remind ourselves to approach the silence first so that everything we need comes so much easier. When we want shelter we can begin by taking shelter in the quiet presence. When we want food or companionship we can first nourish ourselves with the stillness and let the silence be our closest companion. As we are open, the natural order of things can answer all our needs either directly or by guiding us to the easiest solution. The more we feel our needs with the silence, the more love can reach deeper inside us, bringing the perfect shelter, the perfect food, and the perfect companion who expresses most what the silence wishes for us. As life brings our desires to the silence, we find that we need less. The path of receiving the peaceful presence leads us to letting it fulfill us. Our continued happiness lies in the kind attentions of the silence."- Davis, Bruce L.. Monastery Without Walls: Daily Life in the Silence Support the show