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This last week, I had a "visit." That's what we Celts call a visitation from Spirit. It was in the form of a DVD I ran across which was centered around the life and work of Leonard Bernstein. Originally broadcast on PBS, as part of their "American Masters" series, I ran across it through Blockbuster, and promptly got on the waiting list so I could enjoy this "visit" from an old friend. It is called "Reaching for the Note." It is available through Amazon, and other sources.

I do consider Bernstein one of "The Reconnections" in my universe. I knew it instinctively when I was a music major at Long Beach State College, and I know it more now, having seen this excellent DVD. One of the main points that was put forth about this man's life was his constant struggle between his dynamic, "public" persona and the "private," creative side of his character. It was as though BOTH SIDES of his nature wanted him, for their own purposes, but he managed to break free sufficiently to create a BRIDGE between the two. And for this achievement, he paid a huge price.......namely, his peace of mind.

It was once written: "No man can serve two masters. He will either love the one and hate the other, or he will hate the one and love the other." This verse, from one of the gospels, has always been used as a justification for polarity in 3D life. One day, when I was communing with the Guides, they continued on in this verse with their own view: "No man can serve two masters, but it is possible for two masters to serve one man." When I heard this, a light went on in my brain! It was perfect! Why couldn't two polarizing forces combine themselves in one person.......creating a bridge between their worlds? It is the very meaning of "hybrid," which we have been studying in the BRIDGE PEOPLE Commentaries.

Well....one of the reasons why this rarely happens in a single life is: it creates a train wreck of emotions and motivations in that life. Some call this "the price of genius." It certainly took its toll on Bernstein. Whether we were talking about the gay, man-about-town persona he created (complete with smart clothing and opera capes), or the social reformer, who directed a celebratory symphony the night the Berlin Wall was taken down......one of the forces that traveling through "Dear Lenny" was so strong and charismatic that it literally threw him off balance at times. Truly, he became THE BELOVED MUSIC MASTER of his time, even though he evoked disdain and controversy among music "purists" throughout the world, primarily for his "popularization" of classical technique and knowledge for "common" folk--colored by his vivacious personality and sense of style.

This variance of public opinion about Bernstein was hardly his greatest problem. At the very least, it was probably a source of great amusement for him. It served to publicize and electrify his public projects and performances. And it brought great financial success. But it took time, and focus, to deal with all those "admirers." When he wanted to compose and create, it took Lenny several days to "come down" from the public spectacle..........and concentrate on the serious themes he felt compelled to produce. Bernstein NEVER felt he created enough quality masterworks, even though his music is loved and admired throughout the world. And this sense of "incompleteness" hounded him to the day of his death. And yet, how could we EVER be "complete" in one life? How could we EVER cover everything significant that comes to us? How could we ever CREATE enough as an individual, to rival the creativity of the Multiverse?

The real dilemma which dogged Bernstein his whole life is the same thing that dogs ALL Bridge People. It was the conundrum of WHERE to place his focus among the options that are presented to a reconnected mind for consideration. Once a person invites "two masters" into his domicile, he immediately invites a host of new desires and passions that accompany each "side" of those energy spectrums. And if a person decides to invite MORE than just "two".........more polarities to unite besides public/private.............such as gay/straight, popular/classical, introvert/extrovert, and so on.........doesn't that life and consciousness become a FREEWAY of neuro-transmissions? How does one consciousness cope with all this?

For every polarity which climbs aboard the Multidimensional Ship (the Bridge, if you will), the host entity must INCREASE internal stature to contain the divergent energy represented by their presence. He (or she) must also EXPAND his definition of SELF, his LIFE MISSION, to harmonize the various opposites that are attracted in. If he cannot do this, he runs the risk of insanity or death. I learned this recently, following the Sedona Conclave, from a Shamanic friend who has been hosting wild energies for years. He said to me one day: "You just get BIGGER in your mind.........bigger than the diseases you heal.......bigger than the problem........bigger than the "dogs" who are fighting with each other over the outcome. BIG ENOUGH to absorb and harmonize the WHOLE situation, so that YOU get to call the shots, and design the ultimate outcome.

The way to do this, I have found.........is NOT to simply get bigger in your EGO. That is a dead-end street. The ego is not the vehicle for carrying such a load. It is just a passenger, on a lifelong journey. A JOURNEY-IST, who records data and takes pictures of the trip. To contain and care for all the divergent forces that are climbing aboard this wayward vehicle we call "Reconnection," it takes a WHOLE UNIVERSE, a Planetary Oneself to accommodate the load. So begins our Reconnection to Oneness, my friends. And yet, within each individual life, there is a singular experience of "reunion"........a solitary journey that compacts and abbreviates the process into ONE LIFE........which is holographic in nature, which has ties and connections to ALL LIFE, everywhere.......sending overflows of incoming data to various parts of the planet or galaxy to be stored and processed for integration. (I must write more about this soon, as it seems to be presenting a problem for many (the overflow, I mean)..........and that doesn't really have to be).

The name of this DVD comes from a quote by Bernstein, who once described his life purpose as a continual "reaching" for that one bold note, that one expansive place in music, which would encompass and express ALL that music (and he) has to offer in this lifetime. In Reconnections parlance, we speak of this as "The Gathering of the One." And Bernstein certainly managed to gather in some "Ones"...........experiences of confluence.........which remain for us, long after his apparent departure from Planet Earth.

My fondest memory of Lenny, and the beginning of my study about him, came with our performance of his famous choral presentation "Chichester Psalms" in my college choir. The piece is magnificent, done all in Hebrew (Bernstein is most noted for the application Hebrew heritage to his music), full of Bernstein's characteristic dissonances and counter-harmonies comparing and contrasting ALL parts of life in 3D, as he (and humanity) continues to reach for that "one note." I loved the piece so much that I still have a copy of it, done as a Memorial for Bernstein after his death--by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Camarata Singers.

And this last Friday afternoon, while I was strolling down Broadway on Capitol Hill, waiting for my son Jeffrey to finish his explorations through his favorite music store, I saw a poster on the "upcoming events" board, advertising a performance of "Chichester Psalms" at St. James Cathedral in Seattle. How's THAT for synchronicity? I grabbed a couple of friends and headed over there for the Saturday performance and I was electrified.........both by the church (I love going there) and by the quality of the music.

This composition has three movements to it, and the second movement is of Psalm 23 (the Lord is my Shepherd). It features the boy David, singing of his love for God. It is usually performed by a counter-tenor (singing in a very high falsetto-like voice), which is pretty cool in and of itself. However, for this performance, led by Karen Thomas (a woman I want to get to know more about).......the part is sung by an actual boy soprano, a young man who has performed with the Northwest Boy Choir since 2002. He was slight of stature, had long hair.....done up in a ponytail. And his voice was so sweet and clear that my friend, Cheri (who is a choir director and performer herself), said that his voice was better than the counter-tenor on the record. Indeed, during that movement he BECAME the boy David there on the mountainside for us.

Here is a fairly decent reproduction of this movement, featuring a real counter-tenor (turn on speakers). He wavers a bit in his presentation, but the chorus is quite good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqWt3YY0ORo

I guess I've reached a place in my life where it doesn't take much to get me going. One little "nudge" by a Spirit Guide and I'm off........like a toboggan, sliding down a hill. And the journey of last Saturday, with it's synchronicities and the reminiscence of the DVD, was just enough to pull me out of the sea of introspection that many of us are visiting now. Once again, my thanks to Maestro Bernstein, who never fails to "direct" a grand performance..........and also to all parts of the chorus and orchestra of life..........who keep on singing, keep on praying, keep on CALLING OUT........until this Grand Acceleration we are in completely births itself.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us, all the days of our ONE LIFE. And we shall become a House of the Lord, forever............"

Daniel. 3/11/2007