written for the Band of Writers, First Unitarian Church of San Jose, March 30 2018
with links to song and idea references and more links to soul-trippy songs below
First, read this little poem; it's good for what ails ya
OK, now for your soul trip.
I've written so much already about soul trips; where else can I go? Do I still need to find my way home?
I'm a Soul Tripper, one-way ticket yeah. It took me so long to find out, but I found out. I found out that I have a soul; that I AM a soul. They don't teach that in school; they didn't have schools for souls. We do now. Because America took a soul trip, and I hopped on board; even became a navigator. But that's in the past. The best soul trip is to stop tripping; to stop getting tripped up. The soul is here and now, not somewhere else. I've been found out.
Take a trip to where you already are. Take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship. My hands can't feel to grip. You just get on board, don't need no ticket. It's free to be yourself, to let go and let your soul drive you. Peace of mind is waiting there. Lost souls we are, lost in the fog. Guides, come help me find my way back to myself. Because we are more than our individual souls, but part of a greater soul, both within and without; a greater soul and souls to guide us. Our hands need to grip the steering wheel of our own ship, and at the same time, let go of the trolls that trip us up, so we can take the journey back to here.
Lots of scenery on our soul trips, though, and lots of sound and music. Lots of songs from America's soul trip. It's a soulstice trip, full of spirals and merry-go-rounds. Orange and pink blossoms of Spring. Candles in the wind. Fires going out, and getting lit again. It's a singing trip. Easter rabbits have given us the call. Going backwards and forwards, attention and intention at once. Procreation through divine marriages. Revelations of fountains, pouring out porage on paper. Word trips that trip us up, and remind us of the truth again. Remember to make our souls trips full of joy, and take someone along, listen to your guides, and make friends along the way, through both work and play.
Who is my favorite superhero?
My favorite superhero is me, myself and I, even though he doesn't exist yet. My hero lives in my sweet imagination, pictured in kodacrome. My higher self is unfolding. And although my superhero doesn't exist yet, I have known many models to inspire me. There's a lot of people I see, often younger than me now. And lots of older folks from history.
I spiral through the music of my superhero Bach, and cartwheel through Mozart's great finale. I circle around Beethoven's circle of fifths and triads of thirds. As fate knocked on his door, he opened it and music flowed through. I play with playdough and have plenty on my circular plate with Plato, and I skipped and jumped through the hoops to the existentialists and new age visionary philosophers. And inside every circle is a cross, and Jesus rose from his on Easter. He shows me the way to resurrection, from where surely my super hero self will rise one day.
Joseph Campbell showed us the hero's journey, the soul trip to our higher self. And we take many adventures through many circles, back to the beginning we go, cavorting through hula hoops of horoscopes and hallelujahs. Happiness is a good soul journey to heroism, an elixer of exaltation. Exclamation point!
Mr. Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan
original Candle in the Wind from 1973
Witchi Tai To by Everything is Everything
Itchycoo Park
Tomorrow Never Knows by The Beatles
the making of Tomorrow Never Knows and the "soul" trip as I called it above, by Soundbreaking documentary
That's the Way It's Gonna Be by Lee Mallory
Interstellar Overdrive by Pink Floyd
Dr. Jimmy by The Who
Ticket to Ride by The Beatles (if Beatles songs are taken down from you tube, search again!)
Penny Lane by The Beatles
Paper Cup by the Fifth Dimension
Hole in My Shoe by Traffic
Incense and Peppermints
The White Ship by H.P.Lovecraft
Fifth Dimension by The Byrds
Eight Miles High by the Byrds
The Hero's Journey
What Floats My Boat (2023), Band of Writers essay by Eric A Meece, with lots more music links to soul-trippy songs
My all-time favorite rock oldies
Bach, chakras, tarot
Reflections on Reality and its Reflection