Multi-Instrumentalist, Joseph "Pepe" Danza

One of my articles recently included in the Yoga Barn's newsletter:

International Musician, Pepe Danza, Brings Sacred Chants and Rhythms to the Yoga Barn

BALI, Indonesia – On May 22, 2011; Yoga Barn guests were treated to a multi-instrumental sound healing, meditation, and prayer performance from Uruguayan sound sculptor, Joseph “Pepe” Danza. Danza, a traveling musician with 35 years of world music experience, wove a mystical music-tapestry at the live recital using many instruments from various indigenous traditions.

“Wherever I would go, I would spend years trying to understand and get into the culture,” said Danza, who is a collector of over 400 instruments and is trained in the musical practices of Africa, Japan, India, and Tibet as well as his native South America.

According to Danza, his “Ocean of Sound” performance was a 100 percent improvised musical experience involving voice, woodwinds, crystal bowls, and percussion instruments, among others.

Integrating the full range of his multiethnic music gifts, Danza’s sound alternated from ethereal wavelike swells to frenetic drum solos, and he often played different musical instruments simultaneously and in unorthodox ways. Danza skillfully blended the entire range of his voice into his music: from impromptu chants to staccato rhythmic stabs.

“It’s very shamanic,” noted accompanying musician, Sparrow Deviyani, implying that Danza’s unrehearsed mystical sounds could induce powerful altered states through what Danza called a “sonic journey.”

Guests in the audience each took what they needed from the different sound modes on offer. Some sat or lay on their backs in meditative states while others moved their limbs to the rapid beats that would phase in and out of Danza’s music performance.

Pepe Danza comes to Bali and the Yoga Barn annually and will return in February of 2012. He considers Bali as “one of the highest civilizations on earth right now.” “As a whole, they live in a sacred way,” Danza said with appreciation.

As someone who honors the sacred dimensions of his own work, Danza emphasized the spiritual undercurrents that he offers, “I develop my techniques to a very high degree and then get out of the way,” he said, “I gather all these treasures in a ceremonial way.”

Danza will travel to Vancouver, Uruguay, and Mexico over the next few months. Learn more about him by visiting his website: http://www.pepedanza.com/home.html  

Balinese Mystic Jero Ayu

Last month, I met twice with Jero Ayu. She is a young mystic, who is reported to be highly respected by Bali’s Hindu clerical establishment. For a prodigy to take the island’s ancient religious order by storm is no small task.

Ayu endured a tragic childhood and gained her extraordinary ability to channel and memorize ancients texts mysteriously after falling ill and sinking into a coma. When she returned to consciousness, she claimed she was able to "communicate with spirits." She apparaently went on to passed tests of knowledge, religious scholarship and spiritual wisdom--all after only a week of training-- a monumental achievement that normally takes priests-in-training 10 years to complete.

According to one source, after Ayu experienced her near death episode that sent her into a coma for days, she gained an uncanny ability to recite ancient mantras and sacred texts by heart, as well as an incredible knack for speaking the Chinese language fluently—she was reported to have been a poor Balinese native prior to these events, who had never left the island let alone be exposed to other languages.

It was said that Ayo had activated the incarnation of a spiritual master when she almost died, and took on the essence of "Kuan Yin," a Buddhist figure of compassion. Her subsequent feats of healing and mastery of the ancient texts and rites made waves, and elevated her personal shrine into a place of pilgrimage for Hindus and Buddhists alike. She now receives visitors from all over Asia.

During my brief visit with her, which included a Full Moon ceremony, I watched her as she channeled different energies, and conducted healings and offered blessings for those who came to her.

Balinese Hinduism is a special blend of two indigenous spiritual traditions from India—Hinduism and Buddhism. Indonesia recognizes 5 official world religions—Islam, Hinduism, Catholicism, Christianity, and Buddhism. On Bali, one of Indonesia’s smallest islands and popular tourist destinations, ceremony and spirituality are a big part of life. It seems that at every corner, there is a shrine, temple, sacred carving, or an offering being shared with the Spirits. Bali is also known for its prolific mysticism, popularized by Laurence Blair's "Ring of Fire" and Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love."

When I arrived at Ayu's temple residence after a breathtaking motorcycle ride through the Balinese countryside, I could tell that there was something special and ancient about the energy in her compound. It made me pause, smile, and breathe deeply in acknowledgement. Others were waiting to be blessed by Ayu when I got there, including priests who were much older and more established. I sat at a balee close to the mouth of her shrine next to an older man who was a credentialed priest. He had arrived especially for her. We talked about his reasons for visiting against the backdrop of a 12-second pre-recorded Chinese mantra, which looped over and over. The words of the mantra paid homage to Kuan Yin and after a while created a hypnotic atmosphere.

Before I was given the go ahead to enter the shrine area for prayer, blessing, and meditation, Ayu personally approached me and gave me a warm welcome. Her handshake was gentle and tender. I thought I sensed an electrical charge go into my body when we made physical contact. She definitely had a strong presence.

I noticed that Ayu’s shrine was adorned with the color red, with many Chinese decorations—it was a totally different environment than any other Balinese holy site I had encountered, but her traditional clothing along with the dress of her visitors clearly suggested that she and her guests were all Balinese Hindus.

I thought at first that the unfamiliar décor and Chinese recording might have been a special way to celebrate the Chinese New Year. When I finally got a closer look, I realized that this was the normal view of the shrine. I must have witnessed a half-dozen images of Kuan Yin posted all around the area of worship. There were also other shrine elements that drew from Buddhism, Daoism, and Hindu mythology, as well as flowers, incense, and holy water containers.

My guide and friend, who was one of her followers, explained to me that Ayu united three energies—those of: Kuan Yin, Shiva (who is said to be present in Bali’s Mount Agung), and a well known Balinese water goddess. Three different forces and energies united in one. When I visited her again at night, I finally witnessed her channel Kuan Yin.  Later that same evening she also took on what came across to me as a more irreverent male energy-- a spirit who appeared to represent wealth or commerce— With her eyes still closed, Ayu proceeded to light a cigarette and down two shots of liquor and take on an entirely different persona.

Whenever she would slip into her alternative identities, the crowd around her would huddle together, all eager to receive a nugget of wisdom or advice from the visiting energy she was reportedly channeling.

We proceeded to make an offering, receive a blessing, meditate, light incense, and pray. Afterwards, I received a personal blessing and message from Ayu and was sent away with a smile, a meal, and an invitation to return any time.

I saw that Ayu’s youthfulness kept an atmosphere of lightness and friendship among her visitors. Although I could not understand a word she said, she did not set herself apart from the rest the way some priests do and often joked and made her visitors feel at ease with humor and cheerful banter. Occasionally, Ayu would sit behind other meditators and place her hands at either side of their spine in what looked like an energy transfer.

I believe that Ayu may have undergone one of those radical shamanic experiences or awakenings that cracked her open and initiated her as a human bridge to the spirit world. She emerged from her traumatic episode with a knowing and a power that allowed her to introduce a unique combination of elements to an ancient culture. Her status among the priests allowed her to safely advance and share her shapeshift experiences with her people-- a rare occurance. While winning over the religious establishment with her wisdom, was a stunning enough feat all on its own, fortunately for her, the institutions of worship from her society opted to support and integrate her powers, and open up space for her unique mystical gifts to thrive. As a result, she now provides an alternative for worshippers on the island, seemingly without threatening her peers or the current order. But who really knows if there are those who feel threatened?

Ayu is said to be preparing for a visit to other parts of the world, including Australia and China.

Why Shamanic Tools?

In a prior entry, I discussed the simplistic lifestyle of the Ancients and how it was suggested that they had an easier time of accessing Spirit in the past. I noted that our ancestors may have channeled wisdom from outside realms using shamanic tools during an era when it was acceptable to tune in to explore the mind’s gifts.

Today, we talk about shamanic technology or tools as those natural instruments or substances that are used by a shaman to heighten their senses or travel to other realms/altered states and gain insights not normally accessible —others call this psychonavigation.

With shamanic technology, I come at life with the view that I can overcome my challenges because I believe we each carry the necessary wisdom within us to do so.

There is also an intention to heal and an implicit trust in a shaman’s goal of reminding the individual about their innate power to make the best choices. Under this model, technology is used as a support for raising the consciousness and elevating the mind. In other words, the nature of shamanic tools is to quiet or focus the mind’s busy operations and machinelike functions, so Spirit can be set in motion. Much like a hidden force activating the lotus flower to open in bloom from the murk of mud and water, these tools remind us to use our inner resources to honor our natural path and have faith in the process of development.

It seems to me that while we consider modern technology to be neutral, most new tools are “designed” to inhibit our psychonavigation powers and elevate the hyper-processing behavior of the “monkey mind.”

From the ages of industry to information, we have been more focused as a society on producing toys, machines, and other tools that provide luxury, maximize efficiency, and increase access to entertainment. Many argue that the costs outweigh the benefits of these new models and the multimillion dollar marketing campaigns that go with them because they create a culture of dependency and wastefulness. These designs are in stark contrast to the direct experience of clarity brought about from the shamanic tool. And its ability to help us explore fresh ways of thinking independently.

There are three key considerations that come to mind here: while new technologies are great for improving certain functions, any tool or technology in a profit-driven society is frequently subject to abuse and misuse. Multiple threats to health, for example, are associated with side effects and unintended consequences of modern technology. We’re aware of the damage done to eyes by peering at monitors for too long, or the health risks of using microwaves, synthetic pharmaceuticals and cellphones, to name a few. Other technological terrors like modern weaponry and factory farms are self-explanatory.

Secondly, efficiency and mass consumption of replaceable parts and products as a goal makes it easier to routinely deplete and pollute natural resources; destroying the environment and distancing us further from nature’s lessons, chi energy, and holistic healing. An assault on nature is an attack on the self.

Finally, while all these matters exist, we cannot roll back time and we cannot be deterred. We cannot deny that we are in an high-tech age, and we can’t reject what is already here. As modern shamans, this truth makes it incumbent upon us to be facilitators of a modern consciousness, to help form communities that integrate technology creatively and constructively. The few shamans of old who are left are deliberately keeping the knowledge and wisdom of the ancients alive for people like us to receive it and bridge the gap, finding ways to unite the two worlds.

In coming full circle, hope can be found in our capacity to awaken to our potential; as original thinkers; and as those who can combine the best elements of the past’s high awareness and the future’s opportunities for advancement. I’d like to think more about ways our work can merge the two and realign appropriate modern technologies into shamanic tools-- or at least to prevent them from actively dumbing us down. One possibility is a shamanic intermediary network or guild, to more formally explore some of these concepts and present positions that represent us as a collective.

###

“One of the science fiction fantasies that haunts the collective unconscious is expressed in the phrase "a world run by machines," in the 1950s this was first articulated in the notion, "perhaps the future will be a terrible place where the world is run by machines". Well now, let's think about machines for a moment. They are extremely impartial, very predictable, not subject to moral suasion, value neutral and very long lived in their functioning.

Now let's think about what machines are made of, in the light of Sheldrake's morphogenetic field theory. Machines are made of metal, glass. gold, silicon, and plastic ; they are made of what the earth is made of. Now wouldn't it be strange if biology were a way for earth to alchemically transform itself into a self-reflecting thing. In which case then, what we're headed for; inevitably what we are in fact creating, is a world run by machines. And once these machines are in place, they can be expected to manage our economies, languages, social aspirations, and so forth, in such a way that we stop killing each other, stop starving each other, stop destroying land, and so forth. Actually the fear of being ruled by machines is the male ego's fear of relinquishing control of the planet to the maternal matrix of Gaia.”

--Terence McKenna