A cool dream...

I had a dream not too long ago. I was some kind of astronaut or something. Anyway, it took place in what seemed like outer space, just endless nothing, void. There were two points, like a spacewalk between a couple of shuttles, a missing bridge over an endless fall to nowhere, you get the point. The space was an easy jump, but if I somehow fucked it up, goodbye forever! Ken Wilber was there, not on the other side beckoning me on like the archetypal teenager who "got there first", but just there. He said, “Don’t worry, if you fall, there’s nothing below you.” Of course, I woke up before I jumped, fell or did anything. I thought about the dream for awhile the next morning, and it hit me like a brick; “Don’t worry, there’s Nothing below you.” Nothing! And it went even further… I put myself back in the dream and missed the jump, just fell and fell and fell…I asked myself, “Who is falling? And this infinite black void all around me, how do I KNOW it’s here?” I saw it clear as day; Awareness or Emptiness is behind all appearances, and It is totally still. Black or white, pleasure or pain, falling or climbing, void or solid, Awareness is the Ground of all of it. And even more, I am That! The space, Ken, the fear, the lesson, the fall, all Mind masquerading as “things”. I stood there in front of my garage and allowed this realization to come over to where I was, as “awake”. It decided to stay, or rather, it was resoundingly true at both levels. Oh, and I’d thank Ken, but neither of us were there! ;)

I Love New York!!!!

I am in NYC today. I visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral. There is a statue inside of the fallen Christ. He is lying in Mary’s arms. There is one just like it in the St. Mary’s Church in York, Pennsylvania where I was baptized and confirmed. Today, I knelt and wept at this beautiful and Sacred monument to the Dying God. I was overwhelmed by a feeling of deep, unfathomable Compassion. I cried and cried and cried. Not a single person looked at me twice. I touched His Blessed Feet, caressed His Wounds, and, in a New York minute, my entire life to this point, passed me by. What is any of this but the Dream of the Christ? Every-Thing surrendered perfectly in Compassion. Good Night and God Bless You all.

Remembering What You Came For...

How many times has it happened…

You’re on your way to the store. All the way there you are in full possession of the knowledge of what you are about to purchase. You park the car, get out, throw open those big glass doors only to completely FORGET everything you came to buy.

Satori is remembering what you came for. It is that sudden lightning flash of “Oh, Yeah, Right, thanks!” The Master is simply a kind soul or friend who reminds you that you came for a hammer or the Live “Best of “ CD. He points out that, although this is all real in some sense, you are Big Mind (deep, non-dual Awareness) and all of “this” or the “waking state” is actually more dreaming.

Like the amnesia experienced at the front of the store, forgetting that we are Big Mind is also temporary, provided we remember on our own, or just break down and call home.

Muchas Gracias, Senor Genpo Roshi! I’m comin’ home with a brand new hammer, the Live “Best of” CD AND a big fat empty Mind!

Sundays, India and the American Mut

Hello everyone.

Ahh..Sunday. I love Sundays. Auspicious in everyway. In fact, Heaven must be the eternal Sunday. What would we do without that blissful day of rest at the end/beginning of every week? How would we possibly get to Monday, let alone those dreadful Tuesdays!

Here is a picture of my current meditation piece; Shiva as Nataraja, The Dancer…and without a doubt, THE archetypal Rock Star. Imagine the music He must be dancing to here. Talk about Inspiration…I forget to eat when I’m sitting in front of it.

I was thinking today about India. My body is American, a mut-amalgamation of Polish, German, English and God knows what else. My deepest Self is the Unborn, Uncreated Infinite and Pure Awareness. My soul is Indian.

The Hindu polytheistic system as a means of psycho-spiritual purification is second to none. The pure genius of the Hindu Religion (which is actually so diverse and multi-faceted that it shatters the egoic tendency toward limit and classification) is in that there is a God and Goddess for, not only everyone, but more importantly, every need that comes with being born.

In Saraswati, I find the ego-less River Flow of Creativity. In Kali, I find release from the terrible fear of separation and mortality. In Shiva, I find the resolution of the opposites, the “sensuous yogi”, the Transcendental Bliss and Freedom of the fully integrated Being of Bliss.

The really amazing thing is that I have never been to India, physically speaking. But in Spirit, I have never left.

Thanks for checking in, until next Sunday..love, EK

Hello All!

I just shared a bottle of wine with my neighbor, Todd. He’s a great guy, and from what I hear, an awesome foot doctor. He’s totally hip and is always trying to amp up his knowledge of the inner realities in order to facilitate more healing in his profession. I think we have a lot in common.

After he and his family left and while still a little tipsy, I decided to photograph myself spinning my little Tibetan prayer wheel. I thought that it would be a good way to get this whole journal going…um…spinning.

Right now, my daily life consists of writing music and changing the diapers of my two little goddesses. In the space between these totally sublime activities, I will try to come up with some interesting things to post here.

For those of you checking in from LIVE land; our greatest hits record will be coming out for Christmas. Included will be a DVD with all of our videos (over 20) and some, still to be determined, special content. Unfortuntately, my idea for a “picture in picture” erotic movie running simultaneously with all of the videos was turned down by Walmart…(kidding). HOWEVER, what has not been turned down by the forces of homogeny and wickedness in the world, is the yet unwritten but full of transcendental promise, piece about LIVE by Ken Wilber. Stay tuned!!! And put away about 24.99 for November :)

Til next time, your notionally separate friend in Big Mind, Eddie K.

Here we go!

Hi, I’m Eddie Kowalczyk of the band LIVE. I’ve been known as Ed too, but all my friends call me Eddie. You’re on Integral Naked, so that makes me a friend, whether you like it or not ;)

OK, here are some feathers in my cap. LIVE has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. Their album “Throwing Copper” was recently acknowledged by MTV2 as one of the top 22 CD’s of all time. Most recently, the song “Heaven” from the 6th studio album, Birds of Pray, was one of the most played songs of the year 2003/04 at the Hot AC radio format.

But, of course, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

If you’re logged onto Integral Naked then you have noticed something happening. Consciousness is Here and Now and is shining like a silver lining. It is peeking out ever so slightly yet gloriously from behind the cloud of unknowing in this world.

Also, by being logged onto Integral Naked, you are somewhat aware of the fact that Ken Wilber is a god among men. Ken Wilber is actually only part human, the smallest part that walks, talks and, we assume, shaves his own head. The rest of the Wilber iceberg is all conscious lightning rod. Zipping, zapping, blasting around, combining, introducing, writing, creating, building and doing everything with an effortlessness and a smile that is awe-inspiring. Thanks Ken.

I read a “Brief History of Everything” in 1996. Finding that book, randomly laid on a table at Coliseum Books in NYC, changed my life forever. Upon finishing it, I knew why I was born, why everything is born, and where everything is headed.

I remember meeting Ken for the first time at the Boulder house back in 1997. I was stunned to find that he had every single LIVE album as well as every video and performance that had ever been on TV. It is a memory I will cherish for a long time, even more than MTV Unplugged. If there be soul brothers, we be that.

Integral Naked is like the tip of Shiva’s Trident, like Atlantis found, like a radiant chip from the holy grail (whatever the holy grail is, just ask Dan Brown I guess). How can you say too much about saving the world? About Integral Consciousness? You can’t. The vacuum bag on the hoover of ego-dominated and strangled being has a little hole in it and the Light is pouring through. Isn’t it beautiful!!!!