Jazz and Spirituality©
While driving on the freeway several months ago, I was listening to a jazz station on the radio and heard — what I later learned was — a “jazz classic.” It was unfamiliar, but tantalizingly beautiful and it didn’t sound at all like the stereotype of “jazz” to me. The lyrics were clearly a love song about dancing, which set my mind spinning toward a number of spiritual quotations and teachings. That’s just what happens to mystics of all types, especially to those who have written three books on Dancing with the Energy! But just what does that title communicate to people? Well, here’s what I listened to as well as what I heard:
≫ “From too much talk to silent touches,
Sweet touches,
We turned our hearts to love
Then tried it, first time romance.
There in the quiet, love learns to dance.”
Love is always about a relationship with someone or something. It generally begins with tentative awareness and often becomes “too much talk” and too little experience. But sometimes that awareness becomes an intimate “knowing,” a “silent touch” which often grows sweeter with experience and eventually grows into the beginnings of love (first time romance). In the intimate quiet of relationship, “Love learns to dance.” The dance often begins somewhat awkwardly with doubt and some fear, but as each partner learns more about the other through experience, the relationship becomes easier, more comfortable, natural.
• “Do you know the relationship that you are all looking for? … You want the relationship between you and YOU [your Higher Self]. … And everything else is just helpful in that, really. … I have reached for thoughts that give me relief. And I have relieved myself all the way into my full connection of who I really am. And now we can just dance and play together.’” ~ Abraham (Channeled by Esther Hicks; San Diego, CA, February 7, 2004)
• “Your [Lower] Self will have you imagine that we [Spirit guides & teachers] will hurt you or control you, but all we wish to do is to assist you to grow and learn, work with you to assist humanity and lead and guide you to a better life. We will help you if you will help yourself, your Higher Self that is. Your Higher Self has all the answers. Your Higher Self knows your path, your destiny, and can lead you through the minefield of life in a far easier way than the Self can.” ~ Maitreya (Teachings — Consideration for Others)
≫ “We loved, we slept, we left the lights on,
The night’s gone, and morning
Finds us caught in life’s most sensible trance.
Turn up the quiet, Love wants to dance.”
There are no secrets (we left the lights on) between us (the soul and the Higher Self); everything is open and known. Night (the dark force) is gone and, in the Awakening (morning) the soul is caught up in “life’s most sensible trance,” the growth of communion (oneness / union) between the soul and the Higher Self (a.k.a. Ascension, Enlightenment, Soul Evolution).
• “The dark force … is the collective subconscious of the [Lower] Self. It is the collective negative energy of the fear, doubt, low self-esteem, etc., which is in every soul who has not raised their vibration to the Higher-Self level.” ~ Maitreya (Newsletter #280)
• “When finally the soul strives for freedom and seeks a higher level of consciousness, there comes a battle between the Lower Self and the Higher Self. The Lower Self has been in charge most of your earth life. The Higher Self is the part of you that is becoming enlightened. The Lower Self does not want to give up control. When this happens, ego purification has to take place. … The soul is confronted with the Lower Self battling to retain control. The Higher Self becomes stronger and more in control, and finally the Ego — the ‘I’ part of us that will not give in — finally succumbs to defeat. Only then can the soul find true enlightenment and become one with the Divine Source.” ~ Maitreya (Newsletter #340)
• “The purpose of the soul on the Earth plane is to grow. … It is about letting go of the [Lower] Self. The Higher Self will always lead you to safety and, may I say, to a better life and better conditions. It does not want you to live in a negative way. It does not control either, but suggests the higher way.” ~ Maitreya (Newsletter #243)
“Turn up the quiet” (second verse) is an unabashed reference to the “Alpha State” of consciousness characterized by a relaxed focus on whatever is at hand. Extolled by Alfred Einstein as the source of his intellectual genius, it is also the “zone” of the athlete, the “flow” of the writer, the “muse” of the artist of every medium, the “mindfulness” or “presence in the moment” of Thich Nhat Hahn. And yes, it is also the state of consciousness of meditation, although certainly not limited to it or by it. This “quiet” is the basis of the Dance in this jazz classic as well as an entire chapter in Book 3 of the Dancing with the Energy! series. And who is asking to “turn up the quiet?” Love (with a capital “L”), your Higher Self.
• “God is Love [1 John 4:16]; it is in effect the Higher Self, and all souls are a part of this energy. … While one is in the Self — in fear and controlled by other emotions such as doubt, insecurity and lack of confidence — it is very difficult indeed to be in touch with the Higher Self. Only when one moves out of this by facing fear, can one become aware of the Higher Self and merge with this energy. … When this is cleared and the soul has been able to move on, the most wonderful contact with the Higher Self can begin to take place.” ~ Maitreya (Newsletter #155)
• “God is the Higher Self part of you. … It is an energy in the world of Spirit, but it is also within you. … God does not judge nor does it punish; it is total compassion and love. … Do not fear that God will punish or be disappointed with you; God loves each and every one of you unconditionally, and always will.” ~ Maitreya (Facebook Fan Page)
• “You just want to be WHO-YOU-ARE. And WHO-YOU-ARE is God. WHO-YOU-ARE is Love. … WHO-YOU-ARE is the Source out here on the Leading-Edge. WHO-YOU-ARE is an extension of Source Energy who gets to sift through the details for the pleasure and delight of doing it. WHO-YOU-ARE is an extension of Source Energy who feels only appreciation for wherever you are.” ~ Abraham (Australian/New Zealand Cruise, 2011)
• “In true maternal love God gives us distinct proof that He loves us unconditionally.” ~ Paramhansa Yogananda
• “There is only one God, and yet that energy does not care how you worship it. It just asks you to understand the spiritual part of you and to work with that part of you to enable you to have a better life. … The Divine Being, or God, is about Love — pure love, unconditional love — for all humanity, man and woman, Hindu and Buddhist, Christian and Muslim, each with their own belief system, yet working side by side for a better world.” ~ Maitreya (Newsletter #282)
≫ “Old songs, a new life,
And hearts that understand like ours.
And old dreams find young wings
In silence, in silence.”
Dancing with the Energy is nothing new, but doing so is a conscious choice — moment-to-moment — each and every day. That is the message of the Mystics of all ages, cultures, and religions (“hearts that understand like ours”). They speak the same language, just in different tongues to a new audience in every age (“old dreams find young wings”). If we consciously look at our lives as if everything we do is a “meditation” (the Alpha State, mindfulness, etc.), then “Learning to create meditation in our everyday surroundings makes the ordinary parts of our lives extraordinary. By opening your eyes and seeing your world during your meditations today, you will nurture and develop the true state of peace that lies within you.” ~ Madison Taylor
• “Enter the portals of the New Year with new hope. Remember you are a child of God. It lies with you as to what you are going to be.” … “Think constantly of your connection with Eternal Life, and you shall know your identity with the Supreme Eternal One. ” … “You must be calm to be successful. … Through the portals of silence, the healing waters of wisdom and peace will shine upon you.” ~ Paramhansa Yogananda
≫ “From too much talk to loving touches,
Love touches.
When pure emotion takes the moment,
We take the chance.
Turn up the quiet, Love wants to dance.
Love wants to dance.”
The “pure emotion” in this verse refers to Paramhansa Yogananda’s frequent counsel to “Love God” with true devotion (Bhakti Yoga). In that moment of consciousness “we take the chance” (we “surrender”, let go of all resistance and Allow our life energies to flow freely, naturally, in Alignment with Higher Self).
• “Filling the mind with even the highest of spiritual teachings will not lead to liberation. Forget all you know, observe your experience, and freedom will follow. Discover the sacred in the ordinary. God will not come to you until there is unconditional love and service.” … “God doesn’t mind your faults; He minds how much you love him.” ~ Paramhansa Yogananda
Remember, “Turn up the quiet, Love wants to dance.”
• “God is seeking us far more than we are seeking Him.” ~ Paramhansa Yogananda
Oh yes, that song I heard while driving on the freeway? It is “Love Dance” by Ivan Lins and Gilson Peranzzetta, with lyrics by Paul H. Williams. While there are several very nice versions of it on YouTube, my personal favorite is the original 1980 release sung by George Benson (wait 15 seconds for needle to drop). As I listen, I am reminded of something I wrote many years ago:
• “Wisdom is where you find it. It doesn’t matter who said it or where it was written, only whether it helps you to grow.”
I wish you a very Happy New Year and I invite you to join me to “Turn up the Quiet” in your daily life in 2023. May you find Peace and Joy in the ensuing Dance.
Have a great month!
Dennis
www.DennisDossett.com