Episode 38 - Transforming Global Consciousness through Music

Transcript

Meredith Medland: You’re listening to “Living Green: Effortless Ecology for Everyday People”. I am your host Meredith Medland. And in this week’s episode I will be featuring Steve Robertson. Steve Robertson is the executive director of Project Peace on Earth.

In today’s episode we will also be speaking to Rachelle and James who are traveling on this bus around to many different festivals and locations all around the United States interviewing people about how peace works in their lives. So they are on the “Peace Has Begun” bus tour. We are going to hear all about it.

And right now, here are some highlights from our show.

Steve Robertson: We believe musicians, because of their spiritual practice and devotion, are able to tune in to what Pythagor4as would call “Music of the Spheres”, which would be a serious of frequencies and harmonics which would be analogous to what Abraham Maslow, the industrial psychologist, would of called a state of self actualization or what perhaps yogan Samadhi called “a state of self realization”.

Simultaneously what we look to do is to raise hundreds of millions of dollars concurrently with this event through a telethon. And with that money we will then go into villages and help provide for food, clothing, shelter, remove land mines, help villages become economically sustainable, in the seven day period of time.

We musicians are as close to God as man can be. We hear his voice. We read his lips. And we give birth to the children of God who sing his praise. And if we are not that then we are nothing. And this is indeed why the great composers, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, would at the top of their letterhead of the compositions write ANDG, which meant to the greater glory of God.

Meredith Medland: Steve you are the executive director of this project. Why don’t you first tell us a little bit more about it?

Steve Robertson: The premise of “ Project Peace On Earth” and your in “The Peace Has Begun” bus- which has traveled around the country as a pre promotional vehicle leading up to our large global live aid music concert in September of 2009- the premise of this event is quite unique from other live concerts which have been done previously “Live Earth”, “Live Aid”, “Live Eight”, etcetera, in that we believe musicians because of their spiritual practice and devotion are able  to tune into what Pythagoras would call “Music of the Spheres”, which would be a series of frequencies and harmonics which would be analogous to what Abraham Maslow, the industrial psychologist, would have called “a state of  self actualization” or  what perhaps yogan Samadhi called  “a state of self realization”.

And these would be thoughts like, love, compassion, forgiveness, empathy, the higher orders of the thinking which moves consciousness from a linear right, wrong, good, bad view of the world into more of a holographic perspective of seeing how everything is lovingly and divinely interconnected.

And our belief is the soul already operates on this same frequency. We could call it music of the spheres, ohm, Christ consciousness, amen, Buddha consciousness, Mahatma Consciousness, Christian consciousness, whatever we want to call it. Semantically we believe it is the same thing.

So when we experience the music physiologically through the years and intuitively through the psyche it is literally like two computers talking the same protocol. The law of sympathetic vibration, which would basically mean- for those listeners who aren’t aware of this- if you were to take a tuning fork in one hand and put a tuning for in another, strike a tuning fork in one hand, the frequency off of the tuning fork will carry across and touch the untouched tuning fork and cause it to resonate on a sympathetic frequency.

So we believe this law of sympathetic vibration will enable people who are tuning into this concert, because of the spiritual intent of the composers, to be in sympathetic resonance with this concert.

So the idea is basically if we do a globally telecast live aid concert, take humanity through a six hour musical prayer where every note, every lyric, every composition literally takes humanity on a Shamanic musical initiation, to have them experience their own innate divinity, reach over two and a half billion people with this event and through broadcasting this also from the sacred sites, Stonehenge, Machu Picchuu, Chichen Itza, etcetera, then we can in effect create a hundredth monkey or create a tipping point as “ Malcolm  Gladwell might call it or create a shift in the morphogenetic field as  Ruphert Sheldrake would call it.

And simultaneously what we look to do is to raise hundreds of millions of dollars concurrently with this event through a telethon. And with that money we will then go into villages and help provide for food, clothing, shelter, remove land mine, help villages become economically sustainable in the seven day period of time.

And then document this in a reality TV show called “Project Peace On Earth” so that anyone who has contributed the slightest amount of money- and this may be just a little girl  who only has twenty-five cents to contribute she- gets to see exactly how her dollars and cents have helped to transform the life of a child.

So it really is a way to use music as a catalyst to shift consciousness and as I am sure you know the Upanishads which predates the bible actually means “the last song”. The Bhagavad-Gita means “songs celestial” and in the Bible the word “the word” means “primary harmony”.

There is indeed no coincidence behind that. Also given the fact that the first bone to develop in the fetus is the ear bone and the last essence to go when you die is also your hearing. And it is in fact the only art form where both hemispheres of the brain are engaged simultaneously.

So we believe very clearly  that as the [Suphey] monstra Hasra Kongsays,” There is no greater way to attain spiritual enlightenment and/or awareness than through music, if only the music is rightly understood.” In other words, if musicians are really there performing from a space of –as an example, father, mother, God, let me be the space from which the divine blessing of your grace touches and transforms the heart of humanity- has a very different effect on people then singing their latest pop or hit song because it is relative to selling records.

This is really about musicians singing from their heart and from their soul to the soul and spirit of humanity to awaken people to see how powerful we can really be when we are loving first with our self and with other people.

And I think indeed, unfortunately, our world is often times very reflective of the biblical statement that the Christ once said,  “ Love thy neighbor  as thyself.” And I think, unfortunately, we are. We are loving our neighbors exactly as we love our self, which is not so good.

And this also creates larger context for people to understand that this old paradigm conversation of “I have the right God and you don’t. And that makes me good and you bad, and me righteous and you evil.” And once you have someone classified at the stage of evil men can rationalize going into villages and raping women and killing babies and burning the villages down. And then they get to go home and sleep like a baby because God said it was ok to do this.

And this is just crazy because at the subtext of all of these great spiritual text- which I have read- the Bible, the pomoshats,  etcetera., they all basically say be loving, be loving with yourself, be loving with others. But if you don’t truly…if you are not really able to look into the mirror and see your own divinity it is quite difficult for you to see that same divinity in another person’s eyes.  And if you don’t see that divinity in another person’s eyes you can hardly recognize that divinity in the eyes of the animals. And if you don’t see that divinity in the eyes of the animals it is near impossible for you to see  the divinity in mother earth; who quite frankly I am convinced really knows how to take care of herself.

But our priorities as children and if we can’t get humanity to hear the cry of children who have lost there arms do to being in the wrong tribe or don’t have clean water to drink or don’t have food to eat, we will not get humanity to hear to hear the cry of mother earth as chainsaws cut down the Phyla of the lungs of mother earth in the form of trees. So to me it is kids first. This is why the native Americans in all of their practices say first let nothing be done to harm the children.

Meredith Medland: Let’s talk a little bit about some of the musicians that you will be having at the concert and how those connections have been happening for you.

Steve Robertson: Well, right now we have Sheryl Crow confirmed and “Apple of The Black Eyed Peas”. I am in contact and relationships with most of the major performers is the category of New Age music. Rosanna Arquette is one of  our producers and Rosanna , obviously, had a long term relationship with Peter Gabriel and she just completed a film called “All We are Sane”, which is quite- if you haven’t seen it- an absolutely amazing on the who is who of the rock and roll world.

And indeed, what we are really looking to do is inspire musicians- if I can, to paraphrase an acquaintance of ours, Ed Harris, the actor who just did this film “Copying Beethoven”. It is about his relationship with a woman who is scribing the music for him. And he is an unpleasant person with her. And he finally says to her, out of frustration he says, “ I am very abusive to you. Why is it that you want to be with me?” And she says, “Because I hope one day I can write great music like you by being so near you.” And he sits down with her very seriously, very close like we are sitting here now, and he says, “The vibrations on the ear are the breath of God.”

We musicians are as close to God as you can be. We hear his voice. We read his lips and we give birth to his children of God d who sing his praise. And if we are not that then we are nothing.

 And this is indeed why the great composers would- at the top of their compositions write- ANDG, which meant to the greater glory of God.

Meredith Medland: What has it been like taking this bus to different festivals?

Steve Robertson: Oh it is just a real blessing. There is a….we are seeing a real movement of people wanting  to have peace in the world and really coming to the recognition of outer peace is really a reflection of inner peace. It is as simple as this. I mean, most people who have done studies of various spiritual text all conclude the same thing. But as to the three that we actually live that and express that within a world that we are in a relationship with and as professionals that often times does not get into the truth of the matter.

We’re used to living our world through the lens and the  mask of the way we want people to perceive us rather than to just be from the heart because in truth I really believe when we think about this deeply we are only going to be here for a hundred years total, from womb to tomb, and the fact of the matter is when each of us indeed draw our last breath I think we will really conclude that our life will be evaluated.

And whatever capacity that we see that degree we see that as to we have been loving in the world and to what degree we make the world to be a little bit better of a place. And if we can get people to understand here and now that that is possible and it is not some future experience that we get to- and this is why we are saying peace has begun. We are not saying we are trying to create peace. We are here saying it is in motion. Be a part of it and find peace within your own heart.

So our broadcast journalists James and Rachelle which are traveling on a bus- we are going to major cities, colleges, tourism areas around the country, and we  are interviewing people, leading edge thinkers, national best selling authors, leading film  directors. How do they create peace in their own life?

We have shot over 260 hours of video footage of leading edge experts in the areas of prenatal parenting, self esteem, drug and alcohol prevention, health and fitness, etcetera, all from the perspective of how peace is at the very foundation of this.

So that we move peace again from this idealistic, we hope we get their one day over the rainbow, into this is how we create peace now in our life. This is how we be peace and the be peace component of this is helping to educate people about how peace can be brought into their life so that someone who may not give a lot of thought to this goes, “Well look, I can see the direct benefit of this peace in my life, in the relationship I have with the woman I am married to or in the context of my family, and in the context of the school that my kids go to, and in the community.

So that then the having peace, being peace, and the doing peace- which is applying the educational components we are trying to share with people – becomes the having peace, which is the social dashboard that says, “Look crime and violence has gone down due to peace. Teenage obesity has gone down due to peace. High school graduation rates have gone up due to inner peace.”

And indeed having a state of inner peace does reflect a state of self love and this is what the great spiritual text of all pointed to “Love they neighbor as thyself.”

Meredith Medland:  And “be, do, have” what a fantastic formula.

Steve Robertson: “Be, do, have” exactly right.

Meredith Medland: We are going to take a break to thank our sponsors. Before we go to the break I just want to wrap it up with you by asking, so for you what are the ways that you are creating peace in your life outside of  this project that takes up so much of your life already?

Steve Robertson: Without question music plays one of the most intrical roles in my life in promoting peace. I am a pretty guy, as you can probably see. I am six three and a little bit heavier than I want to be but I used to race motocross professionally and I played football.. I was a line back. I was a full back and always lived a, sort of, machismo life.

And when I was in college I became a DJ. I did an hour of hard core new wave music. Back in the 80’s, that was like the Ramon’s, the Vapors, Producers, REM, B52’s and then I did an hour of electronic space music like Michael Field, and Tangerine Dream, and Vangelis, and people like this and I just began to notice the dicatomies in how I experienced music always looking for this euphoric high that music has the ability to create for you.

And I found that with most of the new wave music it was analogous to me of eating a chocolate bar. I got a really quick high and then I was really tired and agitated. I found with this southern, sort of, music, which was brand new to be- and by the way I went to school at Louisiana Tech., which is quite frankly not considered one of the cultural meccas of the world but never the less we had a very progressive radio station and this was in 1981.

And when I first heard the artist Mike Goldfield I was like, “This is the most amazing music I have ever heard in my life.” And my friends and I, as we grew up racing motorcycles, were the super music aficionados. We had ever album that was out there. When I heard this guy I said, “This is fundamentally different from anything else that I have ever heard before.” And it really led me on this journey to try to understand why.

It really wasn’t until I started to work on this project and I kept trying to articulate to people why this music was fundamentally different. I read Bernie Siegal book “Love Medicine and Miracles” and I got about- and this is when that book first cam out- and I got about half way through that book and I said, “This guy is not talking about healing from cancer. Bernie is talking about unconditional love for yourself.” And that is when the light bulb went off. I said, “That is what is coming through these musicians.”

It is not coincidence that, as an example, Vangelis says, “I function as a channel through which music emerges from a chaos of noise.” These musicians are listening for these sacred frequencies and they are trying to be, I believe, the most un-obstructive space through which that music can emerge through them.

And that is why when you here this music of typically in Van Allison- some major rock stars are able to tune into the same frequency- but when you hear it and you get goose bumps nobody has to convince you.

Meredith Medland: Precisely! Well thanks very much for all your wisdom and your comments. And you’re obviously well read and well researched and really walking your walk. So thanks so much for being with us today.

When we come back from the break we are going to speak to a few of the other people here on tour with you.

So thank you so much Steve.

Steve Robertson: Oh thank you so much. It has been an honor. Thanks for letting us share.

Meredith Medland: You are listening to “Living Green: Effortless Ecology for Everyday People”. For more information on our show or text or transcripts you can go to www.livinggreenshow.com

[Sponsor break]

[Music Playing]

Rachelle Escaravage: Looking in bottle is just an amazing place for people to showcase who they really are, I think, that other part of their personality that they don’t let out everywhere until special occasions like “Lightening in a Bottle. But it was definitely colorful.

I think for both James and I, first of all, we graduated from university and discovered that the type of media and the type of stories in main stream media is not the type of work that we wanted to continue doing. I know that I got into journalism to give people a voice that aren’t normally making the headlines. So for us wanted to really come up with something unique that would make us feel great at the end of the day.

And you hear there is great news out there. There is wonderful news out there. Instead of hearing and being bombarded with war, and how many soldiers are dying, and how many Iraqis that are dying, we’d rather, kind of, plant the seed and talk to people about peace and how that can create that into their own lives. And it has been so rewarding. It’s been a beautiful experience.

Of course, it is challenging at times as you literally get over some of the speed bumps but it a lot more rewarding, in the long run, for us too and we really feel that. We feel that coming. As far as people see the bus, they see the bus and they are like,” What is this? What is going on here?”

So it is a whole movement. It is not just as simple as us talking to people. It is beyond us. And I think that we are really learning that it is not necessarily just our will and that we are really being used to do something much bigger than we may have started off with.

James Conolly: For me it has been a dream. I have wanted to travel around the United States and see as much as I can for a very long time. And to be able to tie what I love in story telling and parlay it with traveling I think that it is a dream come true. I couldn’t imagine being able to do those two things together in a more positive way. When we are asking people about peace and framing it through this, kind of, awesome angle, it is so sublime.

But we are a thirteen point six foot moving affirmation. As we drive down the freeway people look at us like, “Yes. Yeah. Dude cool.” So it is rewarding in a lot of ways because we come across these sections of the population where we don’t normally get exposed to them. I mean, you come to “Lightening in a Bottle” and your surrounded by people who are well read and they have a fair amount of consciousness when it comes to peace and the green movement, and a number of things.

But we are also coming into contact with truck drivers and other cross sections of the population that their voices aren’t always heard when it comes to topics like peace. And while Rachelle may ask someone, how do you create peace or what is your vision for peace. And they may say, “Just bomb them.” Or “Send another bomb over there like we did the first time.”

While that may be there initial knee jerk response to what we are doing or there idea of peace, you know, when you peel back the layers of the onion you’ll find that peace is kind of from the inside out. You start hear and then work outwardly and you project peace. This is called “Project Peace on Earth” but it is a double  ontondra because you are projecting peace onto the world. So it is very special.

When you are talking about a traditional media, NBC, CBS, all these outlets that have traditionally been these huge pillars and of importance for what takes place in the world as a chronicle or a beacon, they are not located anywhere in the world anymore. When you talk about NBC, CBS, they have nobody on ground level in Africa. They have nobody on ground level in Asia.

So how can you really say that we cover the world or this is world news tonight? Is it really? It is not world news tonight.  And with the advent of the internet and all these amazing technologies, now Rachelle and I have one camera, a lap top, an AT&T air card and we can do absolutely everything that we need to from this bus and can literally do the same quality and quantity of reports that NBC does except that they have a host of people behind the scenes when it is only two of us and ten thousand dollars worth of equipment.

Meredith Medland: Life is changing.

Male: It is changing. It’s changing. And the playing field is becoming much more even. Where as, traditionally their number of viewers and sponsors have really kept them in the upper echelon of importance when it comes to journalist. It is not happening any more. People can do this on there own through the internet and it is being proved so every day.

Meredith Medland: Exactly!

Well you know, one of the things that I think has changed the most is really we know that energy goes where our attention is. And that is really where things are changing is that knowing where the direction is that we are heading becomes more important than all the different things that support us.

And so with that I want to transition over to the man that is driving the bus and teaching Kundalini Yoga. So hello! Hello! Hello! Tell us a little bit about who you are, what you are up to, and where you are taking everybody to next..

Sarab Strong: My name is Sarab Strong. The way I got connected to the bus was just one of those gut level feelings that I wanted to…You know, I had my own projects going on. I though this is silly. I should go do something for someone else.
Take advantage of “the law of cause and effect” and serve.

I got a phone call from this friend of mine who said, “Hey, we need a bus driver.” I happen to have a commercial truck driving license. And it was about this tour, this musical tour. And then just one thing led to another and as I heard about “Project Peace on Earth” and then the guy that was sponsoring the bus, it just sounded right. One of those things where as soon as I put up the thoughts they bounce back immediately.

So I jumped on. I said,” The one thing I’ve got to do is I’ve got to teach yoga because as long as I can do that I am ok. But the pay, I don’t care about that as much as I want to do yoga. So that is what we are doing. We teach yoga classes in route. They interview people  about peace.

For me this is personally like the young adult life I never had because I went into yoga when I was 20, so I didn’t do any of this. I went from high school to teaching yoga. So this is like interesting to see what I didn’t go through from 20 to 50. It all fits in perfectly.

Meredith Medland: Let’s talk about Kundalini yogi. What are some of the things you want to share with our listeners before we wrap up our podcast today.

Sarab Strong: Kundalini yoga is called “the yoga of awareness”. The word Kundalini technically means awareness. Ok. It technically means awareness. In all of the yogas that is the objective, to raise the Kundalini, which basically means get the human potential stirred up.

So whether you do Hatha yoga or Tsonga yoga or whatever yoga you do the goal is to be more conscious. It isn’t just to have  a nice but and look good in leotards. That is not the objective. The objective is to be conscious, to see your life as a movie, to not react, to just understand that the reality is God, there is no…you are the only god that you are ever going to meet. There is not some guy that you are going to meet some day out there. That is not it. It is right here, right now. Have the experience.

And Kundalini yoga just makes you more clear and I consider it the premier self actualization technique but , you know, everybody has there opinion. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think it was the best , but someone else will say that there thing is the best for them, so…

Meredith Medland: We are going to wrap up our podcast for today. Thank you so much for all your love. Peace has begun here. So get on the bus. Peace has begun.

My name is Meredith Medland and I am reporting to you here live from “Lighting in a Bottle 2008”. And that wraps up our coverage for this fantastic weekend. Special love and attention  to our videographer and audio recorder, Yonic. And we are giving it out to you.

So keep checking out those summer festivals and you can expect more from us here at “Living Green”.

My name is Meredith Medland. And we will be back next week.

[Music Playing]

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