I already told you how reggae took over my musical life when I was 22, so NOW what do I write about? Oh! How about how mantras found their way to me? Good idea!
It all began… [scene fades out, then fades back in, to a time long ago and far away] when I was but a seedling, sprouting up into life. Certainly, before all hell broke loose in my family (story for another time). I recall being 7 and having some sense that what I was being told and taught wasn't real. Honestly, it was confusing because I didn’t even know what that meant, but there was always some niggling thought in the back of my mind that said, “this isn’t real.
Jump forward to my early teens, when I had a series of mystical experiences (no, not drug induced… not yet at least) that brought in a different angle — that there was far more to existence beyond what appeared to be going on. I shared those stories on the Johnny Carson show in a parallel universe.
And the next big influence on the way to mantras arrived when I was introduced to Master Chen Ming Kan and Master Po, two Shaolin priests. Okay, they might have been fictional characters in the TV show, Kung Fu, but either way, the depth of what those two sages shared still holds up today, and they were like a magnet drawing me toward some mythical, metaphysical, philosophical pot of gold.
Finally (I know, that’s what YOU were thinking!), my first actual exposure to mantras came when I was 16, learning Transcendental Meditation with my sister, Lori. And it was during that experience that I started consciously connecting with something deeper within me. Yes, it was white hippies teaching, hardly Master Po, but my seed mantra, chanted for 19 minutes, twice a day, began to lead me on a most incredible adventure. [End Scene]
Truly, that journey was the genesis of this first of many reggae mantra albums to come. And I hope that these tracks support each and every one of you. Sacred sound, the vibrational essence of mantras, can be both healing and enlightening.
Don’t worry, next week I’ll continue this riveting story with what I ate for breakfast on Tuesday!
Until then, if you haven't heard "Shiva Shiva Shiva Shambho" yet — or if you have and want to go deeper — here it is:
🎧 Listen now on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6bAZUI4Zc0hSInPm0u8yNI
🎧 Listen now on all other platforms:
https://found.ee/Shiva-Shiva-Shiva-Shambho-Single
🎬 Lyric Video:
With gratitude, Bodhi
P.S. — Share this with someone on their own path. You never know what might resonate.
P.P.S. — If you know anyone who practices mantra meditation, does kirtan, or loves roots reggae, send this their way. This project lives at the intersection of those worlds, and I’d love for it to reach as many wonderful people as possible.