We went into studio 3 and shook. That's it really, we shook for 2 hours. 20 minutes in, I was looking around bored to death, bored even with the yelps, belches, squeaks, moose-like moans and hysterical laughter emanating from the shakers. Sometimes they used blessed liquid tobacco, shooting a little bit up each nostril with plastic syringes which were then placed in water. One lady was in paroxysms, stamping and rolling around in glee. I could tell she was more than a mere shaker; she had been to the Ashram in Bali, and done the five day course. Later, in the sit-down, she told us that the guru had appeared before her with a special simple message that she just had to share. She was nice, nicer than I am; but she had that air of a disciple, a vibe that makes me wary.
Still, I can't say that nothing happened. I did feel a sense of change on a psychic/psychological level. After a period of feeling strangely blank, suddenly I have the germ of an idea well worth following up. Perhaps shaking works in the same way that speaking in tongues or jiving around to the rapture works; whether the connection is to the subconscious, the divine or the dao, a loosening can occur, and it can be useful. It is an interesting method. As ever with such things, a belief system becomes part of the overlay, not necessarily useful or interesting.
Friend enjoyed it. Her eyes were sparkling and she was enthused, so I am very glad that we did it. Does it generate any change other than a sense of feeling good for a while? We'll have to see. It did not enhance my ever dubious sense of direction; From Herne Hill I found myself wandering round the desolation of Peckham, where a metaphysical understanding of London's night buses might have come in handy. There's never a guru around when you need one.
Comments
When I wish to shake I listen to Norah Jones' "Chasing Pirates". This is true, if obscure.
(Still not trying to make your head hurt).
It produces a very sweet kind of shake. The video's very cool too: for you, in case you haven't seen it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTxythHY09k
That's Ravi Shankar's little girl that is, showing she inherited some of dad's chops.