Gelb was the frontman for the band Low Max from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, and during his career, he’s recorded with the late Vic Chesnutt; Johnette Napolitano from Concrete Blonde; and Isobel Campbell of Belle and Sebastian.
In our last interview, Gelb touched briefly on a time in his life when he turned to spirituality and meditation to help him break from addiction. Today, Gelb is refocusing on what he learned studying transcendental meditation and he wants to work with others as a meditation guide, teaching silent mantra meditation “to help people deeply relax” and ease anxiety. Gelb told The Range this form of meditation is perfect for people in recovery and others who need help “developing self worth.”
Gelb asked the Range if we could share some of his meditations, beginning with this one for the Easter holiday.
Disciples asked Jesus: “Tell us what our end will be” Jesus said: If you havent found the beginning why ask about the end? For where the beginning is, the end is also. Blessed are those who stand at the beginning, for they will know the end, and they will not taste death.
The sages, yogis & spiritually awakened have been telling us this in their own words for thousands of years. Go within and find the light (meaning awareness). Find the still bliss and quell the mind and in transcendence you will come to know unknowing.
An anonymous christian monk in the 1400’s wrote about the cloud of unknowing and contemplative prayer came from this. Where you would have a cloud of forgetfulness below you and a cloud of unknowing above to unite with the creator. Focus on the I AM God within the soul, the fragment of God within and the essence of life.
As the Buddha said, do not believe what anyone tells you, even me, go within and find the truth, it will get revealed, more will be revealed in the stillness.
All cultures have used sound, rhythm and vibration to go within and connect to the spiritual presence. American Indians have their ceremonies, Christians have their hymns, Jews doven, the Hindus and Buddhists have mantras. These are all forms of Mantras. When we do this the frontal lobes light up like in no other action.
The root word Man means “think” “mind” intent” and Tra means “freedom of bondage” or “protection” So the Mantra is a way to get us spiritually centered and had have the freedom of the bondage of our self centered minds or protection from our thinking. From repeating a mantra we gain consciousness or awareness that directs our thinking rather than compulsive thinking from self centeredness.
Aummm is the sound of the vibration of the cosmos which stems from the beginning that we stemmed from. This is a simple sound that can be repeated for 20 minute silently in our heads that will deeply relax the body and connect us with cosmic energy in abundance through this meditation. we actually get a little of this when sleeping but are usually unaware of it.
Do the mantra twice a day for 20 minutes, 8 hours apart, best done before breakfast and dinner. From each 20 minutes you will get 8 hours of energy. DO NOT TRY NOT TO THINK or to control anything. Just repeat the mantra in yr head, if thoughts come fine they are important, if you have to itch scratch it, if the phone rings answer it and just keep returning back to the mantra for the 20 minutes. Then just sit for 2 minutes with eyes closed when done.
This will transform all aspects of your life if you prioritize the 20 minutes twice a day. Because you will become extremely physically relaxed and gain great consciousness and awareness. Any meaningless sound generated from your heart should also work.
If you focus on God using the cloud of unknowing and the cloud of forgetting you may find unity with creation or oneness with your creator.
Most of us developed a false constitution from childhood, school, home, peer groups and tv despite their good intentions, that cultivated a false inner constitution in us that is not authentic to being. We were taught happiness would come from the physical material world but our essence is of spirit. This has lead to great blind discomfort and why so many people look for relief of such discomfort in drugs, alcohol, sex, relationships, money and food.
This is what Jesus was referring to when he said “why ask about the end when you do not know the beginning”.
This is what The Buddha was referring to when he spoke of “form & emptiness” and Jesus meant when he said “be in the world but not of the world’.
Meaning we are here in the now on the planet, but also of infinite spirit and energy.
If we lack the spirit and are focused on only the physical material world we are being directed by the false inner constitution and never knew “the true beginning”.
So go within to the silence by using a mantra aligning us with the universal vibration and rewrite the constitution to a true one. Come to know the beginning and then you will know the end as it is all one.
If you have felt a nervous hole in your gut. It has been filled with self. When we go within in solitude the hole will be filled with the sunlight of the spirit. You will rewrite the inner constitution to one of authentic being. Than the constitution will dictate happiness, being in the moment, self love & you will come to know peace. Then you will attract others that have come to know the same into your life.
with love ~ricky gelb
RecoveryMeditation.org 