I’m 72, born during the three months between Mick Jagger’s and Keith Richards’ birthdays.
Perhaps I was fated to live at least part of my life in the world of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, like many other war babies (to borrow a U2 title). And I did. After college, some grad school and three years as a Coast Guard officer during the Vietnam years, I, with first wife Candy, split from Portland, Oregon for Hollywood. We prospered, in that we soon got good jobs in the music business. I started in sales, and rose to VP, Rock A&R, then VP Rock Promotion, in 17 years with Capitol Records.
Rock music peaked in the mid-’90’s, after a glorious run. I had received over 30 gold, platinum and multi-platinum record awards. It started in ‘76 with Bob Seger, who finally broke out, after paying years of dues, on my watch. His music still resonates with me in a great way, his lyrics reflecting a kind of wisdom you only get from years on the road. Steve Miller, Paul McCartney & Wings, Iron Maiden, Duran Duran, Bonnie Raitt… (There will be stories!) Later, as a consultant to Capitol, I had hits with Radiohead and Blind Melon.
Then the bubble burst, and just to be sure, I embarked on some self-sabotage.
After, a classic “dark night of the soul” phase, I released my worldly possessions and moved into my yoga teacher’s studio. (There will be stories!) It was an austere life, especially compared to the fast lane, expense account one I had before. I became a teacher of a unique form of yoga, and I mean “form” in the sense of a martial art. It was a specific, high-intensity set, never-changing, like a ritual. Because of its constancy, a class of students would breathe as one. The Chi (life force energy) is palpable in this practice, increasing exponentially with the number of participants. This has been my practice for 30 years, and it has been one of the two best things I’ve learned.
After my teacher passed, I was done with L.A. I went to a 10-day Vipassana silent meditation retreat in the Sierras. On the 11th day, in the parking lot, probably being very empty-mind and suggestible, I heard someone say they were going to Harbin Hot Springs. That was it, I decided on the spot! Me, too!
I was living and working at Harbin a few weeks later. This is where, over ten years or so, my spiritual practice developed. Harbin is an ancient, sacred Native American healing site, and it worked wonders keeping me young in body and spirit. It’s in a canyon, so I was always hiking. Its pools are fountains of youth. I got weekly massage. I ate organic food. I coordinated concerts, dances and movies, personally producing 1001 nights. And, of course, I did my yoga practice.
Early on, I attended a workshop with the world-famous Tantra author, Margot Anand. She, and her teachers, introduced me to the Shiva-Shakti concept. The short version is that, as a shiva, a man is like a knight of old. He honors shakti, the woman. She returns the favor, being in her feminine strength. There is, of course, the yummy sensual part to this coming together.
Harbin’s pools were topped by a small statue of Quan Yin, the goddess of love and compassion.
This was fitting as Harbin was clearly a feminine vortex. Many of the residents and guests would make a trip south from Lake County in the wine country to the ashram of Amma, considered a living Hindu saint, near Walnut Creek. She would be there for a week or two once or twice a year. On my third trip, she gave me a mantra. I’d whisper that every day as I stood naked in front of Quan Yin, after a series of hot & colds. My chi would feel electric. I became convinced that I was receiving Shakti’s blessing, and devoted my practice to the divine feminine.
It worked!!! I met my beloved Shashi. We coexisted in my tiny cabin, which was a hundred steps from the pools, for two years, and then rented a lovely house on Cobb Mountain with a fabulous red bathtub. (There will be stories!). Shashi (aka “Professor Ladybug”) is an amazing healthy lifestyle coach, and we now have a nice kitchen where we make organic paleo meals and Bulletproof coffee. She has mastered my yoga practice, and has inspired me to keep it going into my ‘70’s. Most importantly, we are each other’s muse. We’re launching websites at the same time, largely just to share our enthusiasms. There are business developments that will grow out of our interests, so stay tuned for future rollouts, crowd-funding projects and YouTube videos.
The Valley Fire, the third worst in California history, devastated our county on September 12, 2015. (Right, now we have a 9-12 as well as a 9-11.) Harbin was destroyed, and 1300 homes, over a billion dollars in losses. Our house and immediate neighborhood miraculously survived, although we were evacuated for two weeks. Mr. Handsome, our cat, was welcomed by friends who took us in during the diaspora. Others weren’t nearly as lucky. Once we returned, amid the rubble and endless clean-up, many of us had thoughts of relocation, and many did move away. But Shashi and I realized that friends are perhaps our greatest blessings after each other and our health. We have many here, and I’m so impressed with the number of shiva/shakti-conscious couples in our circle. I’ve seen that good energy attracts more good energy, and the mutual welfare of a community, formal or informal, can be attained.
Perhaps I was fated to live at least part of my life in the world of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, like many other war babies (to borrow a U2 title). And I did. After college, some grad school and three years as a Coast Guard officer during the Vietnam years, I, with first wife Candy, split from Portland, Oregon for Hollywood. We prospered, in that we soon got good jobs in the music business. I started in sales, and rose to VP, Rock A&R, then VP Rock Promotion, in 17 years with Capitol Records.
Rock music peaked in the mid-’90’s, after a glorious run. I had received over 30 gold, platinum and multi-platinum record awards. It started in ‘76 with Bob Seger, who finally broke out, after paying years of dues, on my watch. His music still resonates with me in a great way, his lyrics reflecting a kind of wisdom you only get from years on the road. Steve Miller, Paul McCartney & Wings, Iron Maiden, Duran Duran, Bonnie Raitt… (There will be stories!) Later, as a consultant to Capitol, I had hits with Radiohead and Blind Melon.
Then the bubble burst, and just to be sure, I embarked on some self-sabotage.
After, a classic “dark night of the soul” phase, I released my worldly possessions and moved into my yoga teacher’s studio. (There will be stories!) It was an austere life, especially compared to the fast lane, expense account one I had before. I became a teacher of a unique form of yoga, and I mean “form” in the sense of a martial art. It was a specific, high-intensity set, never-changing, like a ritual. Because of its constancy, a class of students would breathe as one. The Chi (life force energy) is palpable in this practice, increasing exponentially with the number of participants. This has been my practice for 30 years, and it has been one of the two best things I’ve learned.
After my teacher passed, I was done with L.A. I went to a 10-day Vipassana silent meditation retreat in the Sierras. On the 11th day, in the parking lot, probably being very empty-mind and suggestible, I heard someone say they were going to Harbin Hot Springs. That was it, I decided on the spot! Me, too!
I was living and working at Harbin a few weeks later. This is where, over ten years or so, my spiritual practice developed. Harbin is an ancient, sacred Native American healing site, and it worked wonders keeping me young in body and spirit. It’s in a canyon, so I was always hiking. Its pools are fountains of youth. I got weekly massage. I ate organic food. I coordinated concerts, dances and movies, personally producing 1001 nights. And, of course, I did my yoga practice.
Early on, I attended a workshop with the world-famous Tantra author, Margot Anand. She, and her teachers, introduced me to the Shiva-Shakti concept. The short version is that, as a shiva, a man is like a knight of old. He honors shakti, the woman. She returns the favor, being in her feminine strength. There is, of course, the yummy sensual part to this coming together.
Harbin’s pools were topped by a small statue of Quan Yin, the goddess of love and compassion.
This was fitting as Harbin was clearly a feminine vortex. Many of the residents and guests would make a trip south from Lake County in the wine country to the ashram of Amma, considered a living Hindu saint, near Walnut Creek. She would be there for a week or two once or twice a year. On my third trip, she gave me a mantra. I’d whisper that every day as I stood naked in front of Quan Yin, after a series of hot & colds. My chi would feel electric. I became convinced that I was receiving Shakti’s blessing, and devoted my practice to the divine feminine.
It worked!!! I met my beloved Shashi. We coexisted in my tiny cabin, which was a hundred steps from the pools, for two years, and then rented a lovely house on Cobb Mountain with a fabulous red bathtub. (There will be stories!). Shashi (aka “Professor Ladybug”) is an amazing healthy lifestyle coach, and we now have a nice kitchen where we make organic paleo meals and Bulletproof coffee. She has mastered my yoga practice, and has inspired me to keep it going into my ‘70’s. Most importantly, we are each other’s muse. We’re launching websites at the same time, largely just to share our enthusiasms. There are business developments that will grow out of our interests, so stay tuned for future rollouts, crowd-funding projects and YouTube videos.
The Valley Fire, the third worst in California history, devastated our county on September 12, 2015. (Right, now we have a 9-12 as well as a 9-11.) Harbin was destroyed, and 1300 homes, over a billion dollars in losses. Our house and immediate neighborhood miraculously survived, although we were evacuated for two weeks. Mr. Handsome, our cat, was welcomed by friends who took us in during the diaspora. Others weren’t nearly as lucky. Once we returned, amid the rubble and endless clean-up, many of us had thoughts of relocation, and many did move away. But Shashi and I realized that friends are perhaps our greatest blessings after each other and our health. We have many here, and I’m so impressed with the number of shiva/shakti-conscious couples in our circle. I’ve seen that good energy attracts more good energy, and the mutual welfare of a community, formal or informal, can be attained.
