THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF WESTERN CLASSICAL MUSIC

In western classical music, the melodic harmonious scale discovered by the Pythagoreans called the diapason, musical scale, or octave, corresponds with the essential harmony inherent in the Soul of mankind.

Every note struck by a musical instrument touches its correspondence in the emotions of the soul, and when this is in harmony, evokes a feeling of delight and pleasurable contentment.

Each musical instrument sounds a different voice in this magnificent symphony.This is why Classical Music is healing and therapeutic. If there is too much dissonance it becomes disturbing.

One day while meditating upon the problem of harmony, Pythagoras chanced to pass a brazier's shop where workmen were pounding out a piece of metal upon an anvil. By noting the variances in pitch between the sounds made by large hammers and those made by smaller implements, and carefully estimating the harmonies and discords resulting from combinations of these sounds, he gained his first clue to the musical intervals of the diatonic scale. He entered the shop, and after carefully examining the tools and making mental note of their weights, returned to his own house and constructed an arm of wood so that it: extended out from the wall of his room. At regular intervals along this arm he attached four cords, all of like composition, size, and weight. To the first of these he attached a twelve-pound weight, to the second a nine-pound weight, to the third an eight-pound weight, and to the fourth a six-pound weight. These different weights corresponded to the sizes of the braziers' hammers.

P.D.Ouspensky notes in his book The Search For The Miraculous that if you divide 7 into 10 you arrive at the ratios of the musical scale which coincide with the construction of the Sufi Enneagram. (see Wikipaedia for notes on the Enneagram)

To a degree music is rooted in Nature, that is in bird song, the babbling brook, waves breaking on the sea shore, the rustle of leaves in trees, and certain animal sounds. In man, as part of nature there is the desire to dance and sing when happy.

The ancients believed that the movement of planets created a music of the spheres. Mystics like Kabir heard the 'unstruck music' deep in the spiritual heart; and heaven is often envisaged as a region where angels play musical instruments and sing.

Probably the most conspicuous ancient thought about music is the doctrine of ethos, which describes the effects of sound on human behaviour and therefore its moral influence. Aristotle, in his Politics, explains how the different kinds of music, imitating specific feelings (anger, kindness, love), can affect a human being with the same kind of feelings. Therefore, says Aristotle, someone who listens to the wrong kind of music will grow up to a bad person, and vice-versa. Consequently, Aristotle (and also Plato) recommended the right kind of music in the education of young citizens. The doctrine of Ethos describes the effects of music on the human soul.

Sacred Music lies in the holy melodies of plainsong and polyphony and to-day we have Church Music and the great Symphonic Masses. Oratorios and Requiems.

Atonality and excessive discordance without melody and harmony are disturbing to the Soul and are listened to with difficulty.

Lawrence Ball has wriiten that any form of music can be used for meditation. The important thing is that it should not disturb one's attention from becoming aware of itself. It establishes an "energy discussion" with the deep unarticulated realm of experience. If music can assist in taking a large percentage of attention off itself into the interior of the Self, then it can be particularly useful.

Schopenhauer one of the few Philosophers who have written about the metaphysics of music says that melody is the soul of music. So melody pleases us greatly as it is the composer's soul speaking to our soul.

 

Alan Jacobs

GOLDEN ROAD TO SAMAKAND

THE GOLDEN ROAD TO SAMAKAND

PROEM

Sweet to ride forth at evening from the wells,
When shadows pass gigantic on the sand,
And softly through the silence beat the bells,
Along the Golden Road to Samarkand.

We travel not for trafficking alone;
By hotter winds our fiery hearts are fanned:
For love of knowing what should not be known,
We take the Golden Road to Samarkand.

James Elroy Flecker

FROM THE GOLDEN ROAD TO SAMARKAND

We're carted in a cosy caravan of dreams,
Driving fast across vast desert waste.
Nothing we see is exactly as it seems,
From mirage to death we race in reckless haste.
The Master Sheikh cries "wake up you sleepy one,
Within you shines the Great Almighty Sun!".

A boy had cause to cross that golden sand,
To find his fond father in Samarkand.
His journey was beset by many trials,
The brave lad trekked for miles and miles.
He trudged on when all seemed sadly lost,
He persisted regardless of all human cost.
Grace came in camel shape, the beast had strayed,
So back to his father, his way was safely made!

The fierce blazing heat of noon-day Sun,
Afflicts each caravan on its lonely way.
The camels yearn for water, but there is none,
Until they reach some oasis, one blessed day.

The Sheikh cries "The Sun is like God's will,
Driving your caravan across the golden sand;
Water's like Real Truth, which you need to fill
Your heart, and cut your knot of bondage band!"

A traveller traversed across that desert plane,
Soon he became thirsty from the blazing heat,
He prayed for water from a fall of rain,
To save his life, his journey then complete.
He glimpsed an oasis, 'twas a mirage it seems,
Such is our wasted life, a caravan of dreams!

The Sheikh calls "come to my tavern, there drink
The ecstatic ruby wine of love divine!
Enquire into who's that one who thinks?
Soon you'll find your inner Sun sublime,
That lights your mind of wandering dreams,
And makes you see a world that only seems
As Real, when its all a false delusion;
That's the very root of mind's illusion!"

A pilgrim knocked hard at the tavern door,
Alas he found it locked and firmly closed.
No answer came although he did implore
The Sheikh to help in what he then proposed.
Then he heard a voice within the tavern cry,
"My son, to ego mind, you first must die!"

The One Eternal Sheikh is our blessed Self,
Not treacherous, perverted monkey mind,
Like some diabolic demonic elf,
It flits from every tree to tree it finds.

So hearken to the wisdom of one's Master Sheikh,
As he teaches freedom and the way to wake.
The Sheikh in the desert on the golden way
Frees us from the bleak jail of every day.

A man met his Master one blessed day,
And enquired, "how free myself from 'mind'?"
The Master said "if you turn within my way,
In search of your own false self you'll surely find,
The real freedom you so urgently desire,
Be reborn again in God's great sacred fire!"

Alan Jacobs

VIDEOS ON VIMEO

All Alan Jacobs's Videos on Vimeo
Vimeo is the home for high-quality videos and the people who love them.
vimeo.com/user13835837/videos/all/sort:date

Corrections- these aren't mine- a mistake has been made by Vimeo. they are videos made by a friend Paula Marvelly.

HOMEWARD BOUND

FROM ALAN JACOBS ADVAITA VEDANTA

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

HOMEWARD BOUND

"Sadhak, from your true home you've badly strayed,
Your haven the Self is a bright light displayed,
You've become lost in sad egotistic thought,
Your own Real Self Divine must again be sought.
Be like the prodigal son and come back home,
You'll be welcomed never more again to roam
From that fiery spark divine there in your heart,
From which in essence you must never depart".
The aspirant heard his wise master's sage word,
And like a quick faithful homing pigeon bird,
Flew back to enquire into his natural source,
An action pursued without shame or remorse.
He distinguished Self from ego's froth and foam,
And through Sat-Guru's Grace he found his way home.

MUSICAL SONATA

Great music moves us from darkness to light.
From basso profondo to treble height,
All's in harmony keyed with the whole,

Well performed it uplifts our jaded soul.
Classical music's a gift from God to man,
To raise his spirit while on his mortal span.
We must be grateful to all those who play,
To enliven us during each night and day.

A young violinist lifted high his bow,
Then played on the strings both quick and slow.
The sublime melody went straight to the heart,
Reminding us of great music's magic art.
We must ever be grateful for music on earth,
Well performed it grants soul a refreshing rebirth.

ECSTACY

FROM ALAN JACOBS ADVAITA VEDANTA

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

ECSTASY
Just be pure space for light to happen in,
And climb above the hurley burley of worldly din.
That globe is filled with heavenly joy and bliss,
Crowned by blessings of our Divine Mother's kiss.
Nothing can mark or mar that ecstatic state,
Which man must reach before it is too late,
Or be condemned to another life of toil,
In turmoil of the world dream ever on the boil.
Sadhak struggled for years and years to find
Real Self, to lose false ego which did bind
His soul in brazen band and iron chain.
He wandered down many a fenced off lane,
Then God inspired, deep inside himself he peered,
Brahman, that great almighty power soon appeared.

ROSE OF BEAUTY

FROM ALAN JACOBS ADVAITA VEDANTA

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

ROSE OF BEAUTY
I wished to write a poem of beauty and love,
A sonnet of homage to our great Lord above.
Beauty is our doorway to feel the Divine,
Red rose at sunset glows radiantly sublime;
It's perfume fills the air to refresh one's Being;
To see the rose in bloom is a grand gift of seeing.
It tells us God's pure Love that's unconditional,
We praise Him with all worship reverential.
A worried man walked along a busy street,
Lost in dreamlike thought, he saw nothing but his feet,
Until he passed a garden and glimpsed a blushing rose.
He felt, God bears my fears, he knows, he surely knows.
His burden became much lighter as he strolled along,
Singing quietly to himself a sweet devotional song.

IN A NUT SHELL

FROM ALAN JACOBS ADVAITA VEDANTA ON FACE BOOK

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

IN A NUT SHELL
With equanimity welcome all that happens as Grace,
If you like or dislike it, that's not the point each day.
As we want demonic ego mind to be quickly effaced,
Surrender is the best possible infallible way.
Combined with practice of Self Enquiry it's very strong,
And will bring the ardent devotee to Self Realisation,
Leading him away from bad tendencies sadly
wrong,
Removing all impurities necessary for liberation.
These are the golden keys of Sri Ramana's teaching,
With persistent determination the sadhak will find,
He'll enter the spiritual heart and soon be reaching,
The blessed bliss of sat chit ananda, heaven's kind.
This is the best practice clearly stated in a nut shell,
Our Holy Task is to make needed efforts often and well.

LONG POEMS FOR AWAKENING

Here is a Press release of my new Poetry Collection
LONG POEMS FOR AWAKENING

October 2012 will see the publication of Alan Jacob s Poems for Awakening. Aimed at readers who love classical poetry and
are interested in mind / body / spirit literature, these three long poems follow on from his previous collection 108 Sonnets
For Awakening and are especially written for those interested in or practic

ing a spiritual path of any denomination.
I have long been interested in spirituality and mysticism, and am currently the President of the Ramana Maharshi
Foundation, says Alan when talking about the inspiration behind his poems.
The first poem Zenda is a swashbuckling adventure story based on the famous novel the Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony
Hope. It raises the whole question of personal identity and is largely composed in Byronic Stanzas.
The Pearl Fishers is set in Sri Lanka and is an adventure story based around a Pearl Fishing Boy. Diving for pearls is a
metaphor for diving into the spiritual heart to find the pearl of great price . He is assisted by a Ferryman called
Skanda and Uma, his sister. The poem is composed in Spencerian Stanzas.
Ashtavakra is a saga based on the classical India Classic the Ashtavakra Gita which tells how the crippled Ashtavakra
brought King Janaka to self realisation. It is written in rhyming couplets in the manner of Rumi.
The last poet to tackle such themes was T.S Eliot, observes Alan, whose previous works include Poetry For the Spirit,
Peace of Mind, The Dalai Lama, Native American Wisdom, Mahatma Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, Reflections, Mysterious London and
When Jesus Lived In India.
About the Author: Alan Jacobs lives in North London and was the proprietor of the Alan Jacobs Gallery, before retirement. Interested in
spirituality and mysticism from an early age, he is the current president of the Ramana Maharshi Foundation and a regular contributor to the
poetry magazine Reflections.
PUBLICATION DATE October 2012
ISBN: 9781780883045 Price: £8.99
PRESS RELEASE
PRESS PACK
for author interviews, review or competition copies, articles, photos
or extracts please contact Jane Rowland
Tel: 0116 279 2299 Email: marketing@troubador.co.uk
troubador p ublishing, 9 priory business park, wistow road, kibworth, leicester le8 0rx

RADIO BROADCAST

CELESTIAL RADIO

At 10.00am (UK TIME) Tomorrow  Thursday  25th October  on the Internet Broadcasting Station
CELESTIAL RADIO

I will be talking on Sri Bhagavan's Teachings with Readings. I shall also read some poetry based on His Teachings.The programme goes on until 12:30 .It is interspersed with meditational music.

To hear last week's show on Self Enquiry and Surrender with Poetry, visit Celestial Radio and click Listen Again and then click

Oct 18 and  10am

Celestial Radio - Parveen Smith - Angelic Reiki & Aura-Soma ...

www.clusterofstars-angels.co.uk/19.html

Happy Birthday Celebrations To Celestial Radio 1 Year Not For Profit Health And Well Being Radio Station Thanking All The Staff/ Sponsors/ Guests / Listeners ...

LORD OF SOULS

FROM ALAN JACOBS ADVAITA VEDANTA
SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

LORD OF SOULS
Be wedded to the Great Lord of Souls,
It is He that heals and makes us whole,
His names are many, Brahman or God,
All signify the Self of this fallen clod,
Whom as Sat Guru He'll soon redeem,
To wake sad sleeper from his bad world dream,
Leading him back to his natural state,
If he makes right effort before too late.
When He's ready and vasanas are cleared,
He'll remove ego which makes him affeared.
So be grateful to the Great Lord of Souls,
For coming to save us and making us whole.
He pities the poor undeserving 'me'
Transforming him into Self who is also He.

AMAZON REVIEW

A REVIEW OF MY NEW BOOK JUST APPEARED ON THE AMAZONS

I KIND OF LIKE IT, BUT I FEEL THE REVIEWER HAS GONE OVER THE TOP. I WOULD NOT COMPARE MYSELF WITH THESE LUMINARIES

108 Sonnets for Awakening by Alan Jacobs

I loved reading these poems. They express spiritual truths easily and beautifully. The sonnet form seems to suit the spiritual subjects perfectly. It's a great challenge to use a form like the sonnet - which is quite strict - and be completely natural, and even liberating. There is hope, longing, beauty and most of all reassurance in the radiant spiritual nature of reality in these poems. They are great examples of the close link between spirituality and poetry, as evidenced by poets like Rumi, Kabir and Walt Whitman. Alan Jacobs is their worthy spiritual and poetic descendant.

FIRE

AGNI*

THERE’S FIRE in ruby red, and fire at heart,
In hearth’s glowing grate, in passion’s flower,
In the night watchman’s light house tower.
Flame is sacrifice in the goldsmith’s art,
In forked lightning’s flash of thunderous power,
In rosey blushing dawn’s awakening start;
In red hot lava, with its flowing molten part,
In scarlet sunset’s radiant dusky hour.
Fire scatters galaxies like seeds of grain,
Stars are diamonds in God’s eternal crown,
Comets dance as planets watch, peering down.
The milky way’s a lustral bridal train,
Waltzing, whirling, walking on an astral plain,
Suns light up streets in this celestial town.

THERE’S FIERCE FIRE in germ of golden grain,
In heart of kindly King who sports a crown,
In neck of swan that’s gliding river down,
In monstrous belch of engine hauling train.
In glowing windows in everybodies’ town,
In fireflies flickering by night in verdant plain,
In stormy clouds proudly pregnant before the rain,
In angry rage of a self-righteous frown.
Fire dwells in stems of roses, red at heart,
In bees that drink from pollen’s virgin flower,
In the war torn ravage of a blazing tower,
In autumn leaves gilded by nature’s art,
In magic moments of the witching hour,
In such wonders, fire plays the most potent part!

 FIRE flares golden in fine flaxen flowers,
Like the divine spark shining in every heart:
The flame of genius fans the painter’s art,
Fire hides in God who wields such powers.
In pent up horses before the races start,
In swift descent of angels at a blessed hour,
In a volcanic burst, viewed from a lofty tower.
In each life spirit, fire plays an essential part.
Fire acts when an evil house burns down,
Fire’s wild with wrath and wastes a wicked town;
Fire burns useless stubble from the harvest plain,
Fire bakes the bread, worked from winnowed grain,
Fire inspires the Sage, his votaries to train,
In the Kingdom of Creation, Fire's the crown!

*A Triadic Sonnet using the same rhyme endings on the same subject in three sonnets

FIRE

FIRE

Almighty God spoke on high to holy Moses,
From a bed of thorns, like our prickly world.
In compassion He mercifully proposes
To set that bush on fire, and then unfurled

His great message 'I AM' of mighty power!
To burn the dross which clouds the errant soul,
And fill with joy and bliss man's every hour,
To recreate his life and make it whole.

This fire was One that eats all other fire,
A fire that burns all things be they dry or wet,
A fire that glows in snow and ice to inspire
A mode of fire, like a crouching lion all set

To reveal himself in many forms and names,
That can never ever perish or expire,
Shining and roaring mid life's strange games,
Blazing, sparkling a fiercesome white hot fire

That flies and fans madly in stormy gale,
That burns without wood or any other fuel,
That renews itself each day never to fail:
Fire, emblem of man's promised renewal.

I08 SONNETS FOR AWAKENING

A REVIEW OF MY NEW BOOK JUST APPEARED ON THE AMAZONS

I KIND OF LIKE IT

108 Sonnets for Awakening by Alan Jacobs

I loved reading these poems. They express spiritual truths easily and beautifully. The sonnet form seems to suit the spiritual subjects perfectly. It's a great challenge to use a form like the sonnet - which is quite strict - and be completely natural, and even liberating. There is hope, longing, beauty and most of all reassurance in the radiant spiritual nature of reality in these poems. They are great examples of the close link between spirituality and poetry, as evidenced by poets like Rumi, Kabir and Walt Whitman. Alan Jacobs is their worthy spiritual and poetic descendant. 

 

EUTOPIA

EUTOPIA

This review of my recent Novel Eutopia just appeared on Amazon.com

I kind of like it.

 Eutopia: The Gnostic Land of Prester John (Paperback)
Vedanta, Teenage sex, Hospice, Realization, Arts, Paintings, History, Poetry, Religions, Adventures, Wisdom,

Philosophy and Enlightenment are few of the subjects that are well covered by this British author.

Captivating from beginning to the end, the reader cannot afford to miss any paragraph.

Your visualisation will be on gear from the very beginning. Actually, during the first few chapters,

I had to put the book down and laugh out loud more than a couple of times.

Justin Hart is the name assumed by the adventurer but what is in the name?

Name really offers the prelude to his ultimatum of profound learning.

I congratulate this very knowledgible author for well blending of eastern wisdom with Prester John's teachings.

A must read for anyone who is seeking for the answers!

EARNESTNESS

ALAN JACOBS ADVAITA VEDANTA

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

EARNESTNESS
Life’s not some glamourous gambling game,
A throw of mindless roulette on life's wheel
Of scarlet-red time, and jet-black space;
A play of dice numbered by some numb brain:
It is much more than that my dearest friend!
We slipped from our Natural State the Self,
And fell into a gross material dream.
Our angel wings were badly bruised and hurt.
After suffering, we prayed to come back home,
And in His Grace, God-Love sent His unique Sage,
To wake us from our dark nightmarish plight,
Repeating birth and death through many lives,
Drowning in a whirlpool of sad predestined fate .
Surrender and Self Enquiry are His cure.
The mind which sent us on this ego trip
Of failing, now yearns to find one's Self again,
It will aid us, if real earnestness is there .

THE HOLY TASK

THE HOLY TASK

Spiritual heart and intelligence well knows,
But ego mind betrays us and delivers blows.
When will this holy war cease in perfect peace,
And the Grace of the Guru grant us release?
That's an earnest question each sadhak will ask
As he ploughs the hard ground of the holy task,
Self enquiry and devotional surrender,
The certain way for ego mind to render
Itself at the feet of Sat Guru in the Heart,
Who has promised he will never ever depart
Those who zealously practice his wondrous teaching,
Which from Arunachala he was ever preaching.
So we continue to strive at the Holy Task,
Who Am I? is the urgent question we must ask.

HE FEEDS AMONG THE LILIES

He Feeds Among The Lilies

Lover:
"How fair, how beautiful you are, my darling
darkling dear,
Your eyes that smile behind your veil are doves,
Your raven locks are flocks of goats in sheer
Descent from snow-capped Gilead in droves.
Your teeth are like a herd of sheep short shorn,
Come from washing in pure Jordan's streams,
Each with twin lambs is blessed not one unborn,
Your lips a ruddy scarlet thread that gleams,
Cheery cheeks are peachy pairs of pomegranate
Demure within a veil of windswept fields,
Your neck is like King David's tower of granite,
Upon which hang a thousand warrior's shields.
Your twin breasts, a pair of soft young roes
Fondly feed among the lovely lilies white,
Until dawn breaks with tender colours of the rose
And darkest shadows flee before the light.
I'll rise and reach your magic mountains of myrrh,
And holy hills of fragrant frankincense,
There is no flaw in thee, so fine, so fair,
From Lebanon, my bride of higher mind and
sense!

From Lion's lairs and Leopard's craggy haunt
You ride to ravish heart my beloved bride,
With one quick flick of your glancing eye you
flaunt
The jewel which chastens and awes my stubborn
pride.
Your lips sip sweetness as the honey comb,
Milk and honey lie latent 'neath your tongue,
The fragrance of your royal robe is fresh like foam,
A rose garden sealed is my bride so young,
Enclosed by crystal spring and sparkling fountain,
Cinnamon scent of orchard fruit and Orient spice
Stream down the slopes of the sacred mountain,
With aloes, henna, nard and saffron rice."

Beloved:
"Awake, north winds, and gently harden
My plants, blow winds softly when it suits,
Let my dear Lover enter my secret Garden
To taste so quiet and still, my favourite fruits."

*A free version of part of the Song of Solomon

GOD RULES

Alan Jacobs Advaita Vedanta

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

GOD RULES
Why spend time reading more trivial books?
Filling mind with busy bewildering words.
Words are like noisy birds cawing like rooks,
If a Jnani speaks it's meant for ears to have heard.
The Self can't be found in any book or tome,
It can only be known in one's heart at home.
Mind's ever chattering why feed it with more
Ideas and concepts merely to amuse or bore.
Each life's a strand of predestined karma,
The whole forms a perfect panorama,
A woven tapestry of rich world drama
"God rules" said Sri Bhagavan Ramana.
The world riddle's unsolved by reading and talking,
But meditation and sadhana will end all squawking.

TE DEUM SESTINA

TE DEUM SESTINA

My hymn is sung to that great and holy One,
Who dwells in splendour, a radiant light,
That shines in every heart, and every Sun
Of Self-effulgent beauty, blazing bright.
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done!
Make our actions worthy in Thy holy sight.

Oh Lord, we pray to keep Thee ever in our sight,
Oh Thou, whom we adore, our God, the holy One.
Thy rays of grace and love are always bright
In strength and power, as in the golden Sun.
Keep us from wavering, fix our hearts on light,
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done!

Thou art All and Thy mighty will be done!
Not foolish will of ego, lest it darkens sight
And screens us from Thee, oh majestic One.
Thy blinding brilliance of eternity bright
Is stronger, deeper, than summer’s noon-day Sun.
Let’s bathe in Thy blissful balm of blessed light.

Lead us from nescient dark to conscious light!
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done!
And ever mindful, we’re resting in Thy sight;
Thou art father, mother, friend, oh holy One,
Thy perennial fire is shining clear and bright,
Deep in our hearts, flames Thy splendid inward Sun.

Thou within us, who hides, is also in the Sun,
Dark clouds are dispelled by thy beacon light.
On bended knee we praise Thee, primordial One,
Who through grace revealed, demists our frosted sight.
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done!
Polish the mirrors of our souls, make them bright.

Oh jewel of faith, that sparkles diamond bright,,
And shines fiercely like our bosom friend, the Sun,
Thaw our frigid hearts with warmth and light,
Thou art All and Thy mighty will be done!
Oh, let our deeds be worthy in Thy holy sight,
To hymn our love for Thee, oh great and holy One.

Praise to the wondrous One, burning beryl bright,
Make Thy wisdom light to guide us, as the Sun,
And may Thy will be done, in Thy all knowing sight!

DOES IT MATTER

 SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

 DOES IT MATTER?
 Let there be birth as a human being,
 Or a God in some ethereal sphere,
 A high mountain where clouds float near,
 Or forest fox from huntsmen ever fleeing,
 Or mosquito, blood juice always stealing.
 Cow whose lush green grass is ever dear,
 Worm who through mud does slyly steer,
 Bird who through azure sky flies wheeling.
 What is this compared to sporting in bliss
 Of great Sri Ramana's blessed benediction?
 Receiving His grace would be tragic to miss,
 Meant for poor jiva's Self Realisation.
 If we offer Him our mind each night and morn,
 Does it matter into which form we'll be reborn?

VICTORY

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

VICTORY

Victory to the powers of Great Lord Ramana!
Which flow from the blessings of His kind
Removal of sorrow from my mundane mind.
He frees me from great grief of samsara
To know soul's lagoon flooded by Nirvana.
Such awakening from hypnotic sleep we find
Are streams that cleanse the soul, they wind
Through dense mud and mire of false ajnana.
They cause destruction of pain and sorrow,
We live in the present, no fear for tomorrow.
We thank Bhagavan with all our might and main,
Chanting His praises for sacred is His Name.
We read the miracles of His great life story,
And bathe in the light of His effulgent glory.

DISTRACTIONS

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

DISTRACTIONS
Too many cravings in this madcap world,

Spell danger for the Sage's devotees,

As into useless distractions they are hurled.

All these carnal diversions that one sees,

Steal from Self Enquiry and surrender

To Sat Guru abiding in the heart,

Prescribed practices we're meant to render

To reach moksha from which we'll never part.
We need supreme faith in the Divine will,
Inscrutable it is for good and not for ill,
God leads and guides us in our sadhana,
To final glory of sat chit ananda.
No more need be said except gratitude,
Best to keep quiet and rest in beatitude.

CELESTIAL MUSIC

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

CELESTIAL MUSIC
Creation, from galaxy to gene, dear friend,

Is a musical dream, an harmonic blend

On pianolas programed by a  maestro supreme.

The ground base is struck, His enigmatic theme .

The tune, a uniquely melodic one

For each instrument is uniquely done,

Through assonant chords and dissonant notes,

The whole concerto grosso spatially floats,

Creating ethereal music of the spheres,

For the sole enjoyment of celestial ears.

Yet we are more than piano rolls of sound

We flow 'continuo' as monochords profound,

By improvisation from a cosmic force,

Out of the silence of an infinite source.

CELESTIAL RADIO

CELESTIAL RADIO

At 4.00pm (UK TIME) Monday October 15 on the Internet Broadcasting Station
CELESTIAL RADIO (See their Home Page) I will be giving an outline of Sri Bhagavan's Life in 5 minute talks interspersed with music. In the last half hour of the programme which lasts one hour I will be answering questions by the Presenter Parveen Smith about Ramana's Teachings and my own experience.

Thursday's show, Oct. 18th which is 1.5hrs 10am, will also be about Ramana, sharing his quotes and understandings . So in fact I have 2 shows next week On Ramana.

Alan

AUTUMN GOLD

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

AUTUMN GOLD
Autumn auburn dawn streaks pillowing clouds,
Pebbling, piebalding them in piecemeal array,
As grace removes our troubled mind's grey shrouds,
We're set to welcome another auspicious day.
Are we in an Egyptian scarab beetle's state,
Shoveling dung before us 'til wings do sprout,
And we yearn to fly away to freedom, there to wait
A transformed fate, in purer perfect peace no doubt?
Autumn comes and golden leaves fall from weeping trees,
According to God's predestined heavenly will.
Their radiant tones remind us that we please
Him most, when we practice surrender to the fill.
Fiery red and gold are autumn's awesome tones,
Our scarab shell falls off and soul speeds home!

BUTTERCUP

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

BUTTER CUP
Wild winsome golden yellow flowering cup,
From which busy bees sweet nectar sip.
The bee's an emblem of our spiritual trip.
The brave effort pilgrim needs to awaken
From sleep, ceasing to be always shaken,
Sniffing at vainest pleasures with lustful lip,
Licking at each luscious bit. We lose our grip

If ego indulges in each poisonous drip.
Child Krishna cupped and supped butter's sweet taste,
Churned from fresh milk for healthy nourishment.
If we wish to be free from soul's direst detriment,
Then we too must churn the mind with all due haste,
Using the great rod of Self Enquiry, God's instrument,
To save us from sad samsara's painful punishment!

HOME

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

HOME
Real home lives between laughter and tears,
Rising from a vale of dreams and needless fears.
It's not a horrid hovel but a place of growth,
To maturity of soul which beckon both.
Walk on to that perfect home of Realisation,
The pure peaceful state of Self Liberation.
Don't get lost in slums of conceptualisation,
Becoming a mere parrot of verbalisation,
But dive deep into the heart of our home,
Ganges of Self will refresh the soul to roam.
Its an end to horrid morbid melancholia,
A new birth of bliss and sweet euphoria.
In our true home we'll find our heavenly joy,
A state of blessed Being that shall never cloy.

IN A NUT SHELL

SONNETS OF EXPERIENCE

IN A NUT SHELL

Bhagavan's Teaching's a juicy fruit,
Full of paradox every one to suit,
But delve inside you'll find a tasty nut,
And the answer starts by saying "But
Because Self is veiled by the errant mind
Of thoughts and habits, so you must find
The way to remove this dark occlusion".

Self Enquiry and Surrender are His conclusion.
The shewd sadhak stores this radiant ruby nut,
So whenever he feels he's stuck in a rut,
He can recall the great mystery of Grace,
And the source of ego try hard to trace.
Then when this fiend is found; down it falls!
And his own True Self will answer all his calls

LONG POEMS FOR AWAKENING

My new poetry collection Long Poems for Awakening has just been published. Three long poems include Zenda, a swashbuckling adventure raising the question of personal identity. Pearl Fishers, another adventure indicating the technique of Diving Into the Heart and a new poetic rendition of the famed Ashtavakra Gita. See Amazon.com and uk

EGO MIND

Egotistic mind is a devilish terror,

Continually leading us into error,

Wandering mad cap illusive and perverted,

It ever causes intent to be diverted

From Self Remembrance the primary aim of life,

The blissful state of sat chit anandda rife.

It must be controlled by disciplined rigour,

Using breath control and japa with vigour,

Otherwise 'twill waste life's ulitmate aim

To free oneself from samsara in the name

Of Truth and state of blest Self Realisation,

No more in earth's prison house but liberation.

So demon mind is a wicked merciless thief

To end his tyranical days will bring great relief.

MY AUTHOR'S PAGES

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alan-Jacobs/e/B008GJQ3HG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://www.amazon.com/Alan-Jacobs/e/B008GJQ3HG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1