Tree By The River Teaching

One of my sessions at Slot Festival was held under a tree in the main open space. It was also next to a river [almost] so I thought it appropriate to give my esoteric spiritual teaching called "A Tree By the River", a teaching that uses the whole body in a physical way to meditate on some spiritual truths that transform.

Photo by Florian Honisch, a very big German man and apostle to the poor.

Some of you reading this blog post were there on the grass, wiggling your toes and lifting your arms and fully participating. Thanks for coming and being good sports. Here's some things about the 'Tree By the River' that you might want to know.

1. The "Tree by the River" got sampled by DJ Kenny Mitchell in Japan.

I did this teaching many years ago in Japan and DJ Kenny Mitchell, who co-taught my session on Friday, was there with me in Japan. He recorded it and integrated the teaching into a track on the Brooklyn and Beyond CD. Its called "Movement" and you can hear a sample of it here. Obviously its the best track on the album and much better than my friend Roger Ellis who was sampled on Track 2.

A spectacular photo of DJ Kenny Mitchell at Slot by TallSkinnyKiwi.

2. I originally received this esoteric spiritual teaching from a guru in India.

I use the word "guru" quite liberally here. The teaching "A Tree by the River", as I said during the session, is an adaptation of the Universal Disciple teaching from Bro Tom, a spiritual teacher in India. You will see a lot of parallels between his teaching and mine. The idea is that the early  church had a pattern of life-transformation that was passed on to each other – and that is why so many key words and concepts (word-spirit, put off-put on, etc) appear in the writings of various New Testament writers. Or in other words, if someone wanted to follow Jesus, there was a commonly understood body of teaching that would be given to new believers.

Oh – and I should be honest – Brother Thom gave the teaching at a Seminary in USA before he went to India which is where I heard it. But it sounded good to say it that way and I figured it would give some of my more discerning readers a buzz.

3. The outline of the Tree By the River has disappeared mysteriously from my old blog but when I get around to it, I will write up a new post and give you the teaching here so you can remember it.

Thanks everyone for coming along and giving me so much enjoyment. Every blessing to you as you mediate on the word of God and allow God's life to flow through you and into your world so that people will eat from your fruit and see that God is good. Remember the passage we started with:

Blessed is the man
      who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
       or stand in
the way of sinners
       or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law
of the LORD,
       and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by
streams of water,
       which yields its fruit in season
      and whose leaf does not wither.
       Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 1