the Light returns...

Namaste!
I promised pictures but the camera had to take a trip to the sony service repair...timing is key in promises, make them but allow the natural flow of time to unfold...this lesson is always at the surface here in India. Culturally, the we have different sense of time ranging from dinnertime (here 8-9pm), to when things are right to undertake. Westerners here soon drop the "want it now" attitude if they want peace of mind.

Well, news around here is a very small xmas buzz, i mean wee...some children outside my window at noon strolled by singing jingle bells today (the 23rd) and a man in a shop wished me happy xmas when i bought some decorations to give to friends. For me, Xmas has always meant extra special connection to family and friends more than the occiasion itself--- i do miss that, but otherwise...laying on my roof under the coconut trees for 40 min. after a morning of violin practice and an early lake walk, and speeding around on my scooter in sleeveless to pick up a package from home has so far been a grand pre xmas-eve day.
Most of the westerners are gone from Gokulam (Yoga students that is) as the Yoga Shala has a two week break. Kind of like the "off-season" since come Jan. this place will be teeming with foriegners...that's when i will shift my set-up to Saraswatipuram neigborhood and dig into the music even deeper. David G. and I have a new Years performance planned- a kirtan, celebratory participation singing with a local Tabla friend, and we go 3-4 nights a week to do this Kirtan thing at various Westerners and Indian places.

My plans for xmas are to fly to Chennai tomorrow for 5 days to attend the biggest South Indian Music Festival in the world...entire month of Dec. is devoted to concerts, 150 venues thousands of concerts. Nagaraj and Manjunath are playing every day somewhere and I shall dive in. Each venue trys to outdo the next with free food specialties and glam treatment of Artists and audience. Indian Musicians are a joyful, fun lot...more soon.

I've been doing some "inner work" here and one thing has been the interesting process of "The Artists Way" by Julia Cameron. It's core work is morning writing everyday longhand to process and connect with the inner Artist. Week 7 has some great insights: That are especially poignant as I move toward a recording project of a few tracks of my own arrangments with some Local top Indian musicians:
"Do not fear mistakes, there are none" Miles Davis
Drop perfectionism in all things it is a refusal to let yourself move ahead.
Perfectionism is not a quest for the best in ourselves, its the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough- instead move ahead into action to ...RISK most of us talk ourselves out of risk.
We can not escape fear. we can only transform it into a companion that accompanies us on all our exciting adventures.