In the dark, I light a lantern with my heart

Dear Friends,

This weekend, I had the rare occasion to attend a concert. I had somehow come across the notice for this concert a month ago, and found it intriguing. It was called: Songs of the Desert Sufis, with Rajasthan Josh and Friends. Now I had never attended an Indian music concert before, but it promised to be lively and colorful. Indeed it was, and, as it turned out, just the tonic to take in between two Celebration of Life Services. This group was from a state in India called Rajasthan. The music in the first half featured folk songs from the 12^th, 14^th, and 17^th centuries. This particular concert was dedicated to the late Aga Kahn, and to a musician recently killed by the Taliban, because his songs were those of tolerance, peace and love. The carpet carefully laid out on the stage had first been used by the famous musician, Ravi Shankar.

The audience was filled with women dressed in beautifully colored silk saris. The second half of the concert featured a fusion between local, contemporary artists, and these same elderly musicians from India – simply amazing, the music transcended gender, age, race and country of origin – with mutual respect and the overall love of music, it was well received by the audience. Luckily, there were screens up that held English translations of the songs, many of them being love songs. Think of the poetry of Rumi, and you will know what I am talking about.

This fusion of music was like a marriage and the old quotation: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue. Blue, or bleu, in this case, meaning something raw or pure. I immediately thought of our church service, The Act of Consecration of Man, and what the founders of our church had sought: a Movement for Religious Renewal. Through the guidance of Rudolf Steiner, seven sacraments were re-enlivened with not the past, but the future, in mind.

The enemy may tear down our churches, temples and monuments, but they cannot tear down what lives in our hearts and souls - the music goes on.

Wherever the darkness is touched by the Light, there manifests rainbows of color.

May the Sun Spirit, proclaimed by St. John the Baptist, ray into your hearts.

Dedicated to Tamara Alexandra Machala, 1969-2016: Educator, lover of animals and nature.