John Raptis,A Great Greek Guitarist.

I have been extremely fortunate in my life, in meeting and sometimes working with some truly excellent musicians.One  of these was Bob Wood, the Scottish Folk singer I mentioned in my previous post.His style is strictly Folk performed brilliantly,whereas John Raptis has a very different style;it's a fusion of Jazz,Blues,Funky Rock and a whole lot of Soul,also performed brilliantly.Mind you, I'm sure if he played Folk it would be top-notch.He is, as I found out when I was lucky enough to work with him,very versatile.

I met him quite a few years ago through someone else.We got on very well together,and before long I was recording some of my songs with him and a few other  musicians  in his Underground studio in Athens.

It was fun and it was great to work with John .His guitar playing and  general.musical skills,not to mention his know-how about recording,always knocked me out.

He was also,unlike some I have met,very humble about his multiple musical abilities.

I'm delighted to see that he is gaining popularity among those people who like to hear music played at its best.  If you like to hear such music,and like the sound of a Jazzy,Funky,Progressive Rock style,with a twist of soul, I am sure you will like his music.He performs at the major clubs in Athens,but before you catch him live,you can hear , for free, some of his music here;http://www.soulincident.com/john_raptis.php.

If you have trouble with the link,try putting John Raptis, Greek guitarist in the Google search engine.



                                                     
                                                       

Traditional Scottish Folk Singer Bob Wood.

If you want to hear some really good quality Folk music,you should check out a traditional Scottish Folk singer and guitarist, Bob Wood.

A good place to start is with his c.d. "When The Moon Sits Fat  On A Scudding Cloud.".

His guitar playing on this c.d. is gentle and mellow and always captures the essential mood of each song.His voice has a distinctive timbre that is perfect for the type of music he performs.So when he sings and plays the guitar,you feel somehow, that he is bringing out the intimate secrets of the songs,that you were unaware of before.

On top of this,all the songs are arranged in a very sparse way with no unnecessary  instruments to distract from the spirit of the song.The players who accompany him are also excellent musicians,with the pipe,slide guitar,harmonica,accordion,keyboard and fiddle, all taking their respective, unobtrusive places in each song.

As Froots Magazine said about the musicians on this c.d."They are never intrusive..." and "The overall mood is haunting, melancholic and reflective."

Bob certainly embraces traditional Folk with a powerful,yet gentle passion.
So if you want to hear authentic,traditional folk- this is truly it.If the link below does not work,write in Google; Bob Wood, Scottish Folk Singer.By the way, he does include a few contemporary songs in his repertoire.

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http://www.bobwood.co.uk/

Cast Out The Money-Changers.

According to the Gospels in the Bible, Jesus only got angry once.He got angry as the Greeks are angry now, and for similar reasons.More of that later.

The people who voted on 6.5.2012 in the Greek elections made it blindingly clear that they reject the over the top austerity measures.

George Papandreou has now got his referendum;the suggested referendum that annoyed the I.M.F.and the E.U. so much.

The people have spoken, but no one seems to have heard them.
So what happens?

A game of musical chairs starts that has no bearing on what the Greeks want or voted for.
What is the President's role here?Surely he should have intervened and simply put in the anti-austerity members in Parliament?

The musical chairs game is played in a desperate bid to give those vastly superior beings than us mere normal people,time to work out how to put in Parliament, only those who agreed to the most savage austerity programme  ever introduced in any country  in the World in peacetime.

I can just imagine the frantic telephone calls bouncing between the money worshipers here and those in the Tower of Babel in Europe.

If the anti-austerity parties are not allowed to govern Greece,it proves,beyond any shadow of doubt, that Democracy (oh, that word is always trotted out,followed by ,how lucky we are to live in one) is dead and rotting in the ballot boxes.

I Know all that rubbish about numbers; how the maths doesn't add up,and how it would be impossible for such parties to get enough seats,or whatever other hogwash we are told.
Desperate times need desperate solutions.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
The trouble is that there is no will whatsoever to allow such anti-bail out  figures to enter the sacred site of Parliament.

"If only we had another few weeks,maybe we can turn the tide".Is this what was being said earlier in the week.?Maybe another election will solve the problem.

Then we would be bombarded from all angles on how foolish it is to reject a life of misery,and how we should keep the bankers rich,and how we have to make sacrifices while the Politicians and the bankers won't.And it is, of course, all for our own good.
 Yes, for our own good to have 10 years of fewer jobs,less service, crumbling health care,crippling taxes, lower pensions,lower wages,no workers rights, rising crime,more sickness, suicides, and the list goes on and on.

It's laughable in a sick way.
Who but a fool or a banker or the super rich, would want that.

The arrogance of those who hold power is astonishing.The peoples wishes mean zilch.Only the Elite are allowed to carry their plans through;any sniff of opposition is crushed in any way possible.

Today though, things have changed, as the latest opinion poll  claims that the most popular anti-austerity party would win any elections next month.So the powers that be are in a frantic rush to form a government now that supports the old, dead deal.
It is a true Greek drama.
Two thousand years ago Jesus had a similar drama.

The only time that Jesus got angry was, according to Mathew 21.12.,when he saw the money changers in the Temple.He over turned their tables and cast out the money changers,as he cast out demons from people.

Most Greeks believe in Christ and believe His life should be an example for us.all.

It is so good to see the Greek people following Christ's example.

How To Wake Up From Your Fevered Dream.Chapter Sixteen

As  implied in the previous chapter, love is almost looked upon by some as not being realistic in this world,and sort of 'soft'.How absurd!
This only goes to show how far we have drifted from our true selves.If you accept that you are really love and love is all there is,you will get my meaning.
Doesn't it strike you that all the true great teachers of mankind declared that love was the answer to all our questions.They kept talking about love.They knew without any doubt what this amazing display of light and sound was based on: love.

Why then,all this non-love stuff?
The hate, the violence, the suffering?
Such questions we have been  asking for ever.
The answer to these questions , is not to ask them!

To ask such questions is a bit like you on the Titanic,and asking why the ship is sinking.What you should be doing is trying to escape.

How do you go home, when you have to go home, when you are already home, but don't  know it?

How do you cross the river,when you have to cross the river,to get to the other side,when the other side is the place you are now standing on?

Non attachment and love.
No grasping,no clinging, no planting seeds.
Simple clear awareness without judging.
Behind everything though is- love.

"Love then,in the sense of compassion with the eyes of wisdom,is indeed the greatest force we know,and totally and utterly applied all day would change the individual beyond recognition and in time mankind".
Christmas Humphreys in his book A western Approach To Zen.
In the same book Humphreys tells us that Thomas Merton once had a long talk with the Zen Master D.T. Suzuki.At the end of the conversation Suzuki said;"The most important thing is love".
This is interesting because a lot of people accuse Zen of being 'too cold'

"let us love one another, for love comes from God.Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God".1.John 4.

"Whoever does not love, does not love God, because God is love".1.John 4.

"The law of love will work, just as the law of gravitation will work whether we accept it or not.Just as a scientist will work wonders out of various applications of the laws of nature,even so, a man who applies the law of love with scientific precision can work great wonders"'Gandhi.

"The person who discovered the law of love was a far greater scientist than any of our modern day scientists"Gandhi.

With the above sayings in mind, here is another exercise to help you be closer to who you really are.

The Sun gives us life.Without the Sun,life, as we know it, would not be.

Imagine the Sun's rays- it is easier to do this when the Sun can be seen, but if it isn't visible, it doesn't matter, because we all know that the Sun is up there in the sky- penetrating into your whole being.

Think of the Sun's rays filled with positive energy,good vibrations, and that its light is love itself.
Feel these rays of all that is good caressing and nourishing all the organs of your body.They are healing any ailments, any parts of you not in harmony,anything in you, including the mind, that is not right.

You feel filled with a positive force,and  that the healing energy of the Sun has flooded your entire being.

As you go about your daily activities, think of yourself as a transmitter that is sending love energy out from you.This love energy should go out to everyone you meet, including those who cause you conflict.

"Only the soul that loves is happy'" Goethe.
To return to Christmas Humphreys He once said: "Perhaps our love for our brothers is the measure of our awakening:"
That is the end of this chapter.The next chapter will follow shortly.