Take these broken wings and learn to fly

A short photo essay from Rishikesh

George looks into the future from his place of spiritual awakening,

he peers curiously at this pilgrim on holy refuge from another time and place,

sees this confused buddha knowing that impermanence would someday bring us together in the spiritual ruins of immortal youth

Walking through Maharishi’s “Beatles Ashram”

that chanted and changed the musicians that

changed the world forever, the stale world I grew up in,

with Cassius Clay and Oswald too,

all the talking ‘bout a revolution,

you say its evolution...

listening to that shockingly blank White Album

composed here on hallow ground:

Get back... Get back to where you started from...

With Helter Skelter slouching to San Francisco

flowers in their hair, rings on their bell-bottomed toes

The British Invasion spilled backwards in blood

in the streets, up to your ankles,

“Oh, will you, won't you want me to make you?

(Ahh)
I'm coming down fast, but don't let me break you

(Ahh)”

Cry, baby, cry

Make your mother sigh

I wasn’t expecting it, I have to confess -

not after Vajrasana, Deer Park, the charnel grounds

and Maha Parinirvana Stupa.

But this place has power.

The zhigpa here is strong!

~ * ~

I sit down lotus on a ledge

near the back of a meditation hut,

looking out over Mother Ganges, just as they must have,

always the same river twice, lighting up the charras,

just as they must have did,

And thinking to no one in particular -

“George would’ve sat here, in samadhi”

just like I am now, directly cognizing all one form,

And just then Blackbird singing in the dead of my ear drums,

joined in chorus by some loud ass bird in the brush

who would not stop crying “who WHO!”... “Is that you?”

And George breaks in from across the universe:

Your were only waiting for this moment to arise...

You were only waiting for this moment to arise...

George was the quiet Beatle. I liked that.

As the youngest child, I saw in him for the first time

the difference between being spiritual and religious.

Yes, I loved him from the start,

I’d listen to “She’s so HEAVY!” the driving bass and screaming guitar over and over in the dark,

when my brother was away.

The Beatles conquered America at a time America needed

to be conquered,

More popular than Jesus! John would be crucified for it.

And they let us know a spiritual world existed out there

imminently, beyond our suburban walls.

The world was a better place with George & John in it,

and they left it better than they found it.

Imagining all the people, living life in peace.

I wasn’t the only one! We were not alone...

Won’t you come out to play?

The sun is up

the sky is blue

it’s beautiful

and so are you...