George Harrison: The Rising Sun

Many dramatic moments  littered this morning's landscape with negativity as I struggled to get my daughter off to school. I'm learning more and more how complex the psychology of a child can get as all kinds of things are at play within their heads giving rise to spontaneous outbursts of anger, rebellion and tears. From desk changes at school where friends become separated by rows, like waves in an ocean, impossible lengths away now hindering necessary chatter and the passing of messages. How dare a teacher spoil such fun by being attentive towards their student's joyful distractions that add a little fun to the moments of such a banally structured day?! And oh yes, great despair is injected into one's lunchtime experience at the realization that one's mom just isn't as "cool" as the other children's mothers who apparently have no reservations on packing their lunches with  snacks filled with hydrogenated oils and trans fatty acids. Frustrations to all of these things explode outwards in the most precarious and inopportune of moments-getting ready for school in the morning when the timeline is most critical.

After coming home from dropping my daughter off I found myself turning on my son's favorite show while settling him down comfortably on the couch with his favorite stuffed friends and calling him out sick from school. Yes, most likely just about every strand of virus has run its course through our family. My son now is working through his second ear infection in just more than a month.

I've been feeling quite drained lately , spiritually and otherwise, from all of this sickness and from the lack of any moments to myself. I haven't been reading, writing , meditating or hiking much at all lately. Instead I've been dolling out medicine, wiping noses and changing sheets. I guess that all comes with the job description but there comes a point when one needs an opportunity to recharge, to fill what is empty. When what is empty stays empty for too long the effects of such a state soon manifest themselves and leads to suffering, for oneself and others that have to endure the byproducts of one's inner lamenting and parched spirit. In his book Original Goodness,  Eknath Easwaran points more than once to the important fact that meditation is not only a blessing to the one who meditates but blesses others as it produces peace to flourish within ourselves and then outwards  in our relationships and interactions. I longed for such peace to flourish within after such a morning of turmoil.

I recently was perusing through different chants on YouTube when I came across George Harrison's video of singing "Om Hare Hare Om". It was a beautiful song and led me this morning to see what else I could find from George Harrison that might provide me with a little spiritual fodder and inspiration as I moved forward in my day. Well, I was not disappointed , in fact quite elated when I came across the song "The Rising Sun" from his album "Brainwashed", that was finished and released  almost a year after his death. George Harrison, like so many artists,  left us too soon at the age of 58.

I didn't expect the lyrics to rise up in my consciousness and resonate with  memories of my deepest experiences received in meditation the way they did. I could relate to so many of the verses and I just find it so inspiring that such lyrics were written that describe so beautifully the sense of oneness that defines all that Is and that can be directly experienced.  If you've meditated, practiced mindfulness, or perhaps had a moment out in the natural world where a profound sense of interconnectedness filled you with a sense of awe , hope and joy I think you will appreciate the sentiment and experience this song relays. I know it refreshed me greatly this morning and inspired me to mope less and become more present in the moment.

 

                                                          The Rising Sun

On the street of villains taken for a ride
You can have the devil as a guide
Crippled by the boundaries, programmed into guilt
Til your nervous system starts to tilt
In a room of mirrors you can see for miles
But everything that's there is in disguise
Every word you've uttered and every thought you've had
Is all inside your file the good and the bad

But in the rising sun you can feel your life begin
Universe at play inside your DNA
You're a billion years old today
Oh the rising sun and the place it's coming from
Is inside of you and now your payment's overdue
Oh the rising sun, oh the rising sun

On the avenue of sinners I have been employed
Working there til I was near destroyed
I was almost a statistic inside a doctor's case
When I heard the messenger from inner space
He was sending me a signal that for so long I had ignored
But he held on to my umbilical cord
Until the ghost of memory trapped in my body mind
Came out of hiding to become alive

And in the rising sun you can hear your life begin
And it's here and there nowhere and everywhere
Though it's atmosphere is rare
Oh the rising sun and the place that it's coming from
Is inside of me and now I feel it constantly
Oh the rising sun, oh the rising sun

And in the rising sun you can feel your life begin
Universe at play inside your DNA
You're a billion years old today
Oh the rising sun and the place it's coming from
Is inside of you, now your payment's overdue

Oh the rising sun, ooh

Is there any verse in the song that speaks to your own experience or stands out to you? Please share in the comments section. Thank you!