Kevin James
This is my story with music and chanting…
At the age of 21 I walked away from the beginning of a music career, feeling that I wasn’t ready. I was also feeling dissatisfied with the Victorian mainstream culture I grew up in and wanted to experience something different.
I traveled to South East Asia and discovered that
there was a lot more than the sheltered life I had left behind.
When I first discovered the teachings of the East
I remember it so well…
I was in a book shop in Penang Malasia, there was a wall of books with just one small book sticking out.
I had a strong feeling to buy it so I did so and I took it back to where I was staying opened it up and found myself weeping as I read just the introduction. It was a book on the Tibetan teaching of Dzogchen.
Dzogchen is the natural, primordial state or natural condition of the mind. It explained that our ultimate nature is said to be pure, all-encompassing, primordial awareness or naturally occurring timeless awareness. This “intrinsic awareness” has no form of its own and yet is capable of perceiving, experiencing, reflecting, or expressing all form. It does so without being affected by those forms in any
ultimate, permanent way.
The analogy given by Dzogchen masters is that one’s nature is like a mirror which reflects with complete openness but is not affected by the reflections, or like a crystal ball that takes
on the colour of the material on which it is placed without itself being changed.
I had never heard anything like this before but somehow I felt like for the first time, something was reflecting what was always inside of me yet was never reflected back, and somehow I felt less of a stranger in this world.
It was a feeling of home.
After that I discovered chanting in India where I learnt my first Bhajan and the teachings of Ramana Mahashi.
On returning to Australia, I went on a path of self discovery that led me to the tropics near Cairns, where my search strengthened.
I remember reading 6 spiritual books at a time.
I really wanted to experience what I was learning and my heart called me to turn to nature.
I disconnected from the mainstream culture for 10 years. I didn’t hate my culture, I felt that I was a crusader,that my dissatisfaction was leading me to find something to offer, to improve. But first I had to unplug from the system to find out what that was. I began living very simply, no TV, radio, newspapers, no electricity and ate a diet of only raw food. I even spent one year as a fruitarian.
I did odd jobs for people and was a carer for a friend with a spinal injury for a year.
I lived on a raw food healing community in a house with only one wall for very little rent.
After years outside of mainstream society,
I spent allot of time thinking about what
I could do with my life that would be of the most
benefit to me, my family, friends, community and the world.
With the best of my wisdom I felt that the most
important thing I could do was to help myself
and others become more consciously aware and
connected to the heart, each other and the earth.
The message was coming from everywhere that
a radical change was needed within the
consciousness of humanity.
Somehow I always knew this time would come
and I think that the days of waiting for someone
or something to save us are gone.
It is now time to work together and I know that
we are joining with many who are recognizing
the need for reconnection and positive co-creation
of a new way.
Through my own inner guidance I have been called to the work of bringing people together and reconnecting through group singing.
I have recently been joined by my partner Mel playing the Harmonium and singing.
We are presenting devotion, prayer and mantras
with a universal approach that is applicable to Now.
“We create heaven or hell on earth, and it’s our
responsibility not to wait any longer. Heaven is here, right now, in our hearts.”
