We do not turn on the lamps in the studio. Six is the number of love, it is the number of Venus. Majid Shabazz shakes bells and tambourine for our ceremony, our ritual. Her droning tamboura brings me to bliss, kindles the flame hidden within my soul, my spirit. His balancing breath is a breeze of energy. He is the ground of mother earth with his bass. How do I overcome my suffering? How do I attain bliss? I attain it through meditation and music.ДЇour elements. He has taught me about existence ( sat) and the expression and knowledge of our existence ( chit). I have been studying with Swami Satchidananda. The evening glow illuminates the brown leaves, brown like your skin. The dusk fades upon the smooth limbs of the trees, smooth like your limbs. The warm Indian Summer sun has set, has sunk in the west. The Sabian symbol for todayвЂ™s astrological degree: вЂњA path through woods brilliant with multicolored splendor.вЂќ I walked through the woods today. They are the hooves of the camel carrying me to your tomb. When Charlie plays bass and Rashied plays drums, the audience claps in time to their rhythms. When I play harp, the Nile River radiates in the sun. When Vishnu plays oud вЂ“ the desert, the pyramids, the sands shimmer. I place the crown of Osiris upon your head.

When Pharaoh plays saxophone, I remember you playing saxophone. Charlie Haden plays bass and Rashied Ali plays drums.

We are at the Village Gate where you and I once played. I remember playing music in ancient Egypt. I remember the bull god and the god Ptah. I read the sacred writings of Paramahansa Yogananda. I needed to find the place of pure consciousness вЂ“ turiya. I played the harp and remembered your smile. I played the piano and thought of you on saxophone, but you were gone. I dreamed of sailing to you through the clouds, of floating with you on the sea. It was the summer of love for everyone else. I remember that hot July day when you died.

Alice coltrane harp recordings