I’ve sung Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas to Beloved Adi Da many times over the years — at the Manner of Flowers, at Adi Da Samrajashram, at First People / Great Food Dish, etc. (as one of a small group of singers, and usually also as the keyboardist) — and I’m singing it to Him again (and all of you!) here. It is one of my favorite songs at this time of year.
For me (starting with Judy Garland's original film version), it has always been an emotion-filled song, by turns joyful, playful, nostalgic, and wistful — so that is how I sing it here.
This song as a bridge to God. In Beloved Adi Da’s Company, everything (from Mickey Mouse to cookie-making) becomes “a bridge to God”.
ADI DA: “You must Awaken and discover the Divine World wherein everything is a bridge to the Infinite, One Being.”
And so for me, the words of this song have always taken on a significance beyond the usual secular understanding of the song. They lead me through a consideration that I’ll share with you here.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas Make the Yuletide gay From now on our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in olden days Happy golden days of yore Faithful friends who are dear to us Gather near to us once more
Through the years we all will be together If the fates allow Hang a shining star upon the highest bough And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
That wistfulness: Raymond’s problem. On the surface, the words of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas are purely joyful — "faithful friends" coming together each year in a joyous Christmas celebration. And yet, one of the emotions I feel when I sing this song is wistfulness. So where is the wistfulness coming from? It's that big "IF" in the song: "if the fates allow". In fact, as every one of us knows (more and more, with each passing year), fate (conditional existence) only allows such reunions for a limited number of years. As I sing, I have a vision of a photograph of a gathering of friends, from a Christmas or Danavira Mela many years ago, and, in this vision, each face in the photograph — one by one over the years — turns "ghostly", either through our circumstances (high school, college, living near each other) no longer being shared, or life paths that have moved in different directions, or the passing on of that person. My awareness of that inevitable reality is the source of the wistfulness and nostalgia. The inevitable disappearance of the (mortal) loved one is “Raymond’s problem”, a phrase Adi Da uses, based on the central character of The Mummery Book.
Danavira Mela: A Divine Celebration in the midst of a conditional universe. The joy and playfulness of the song comes from the celebration we can still have together, even in the midst of an ever-changing, conditional universe. One of my (and many other devotees’) favorite quotes of Beloved Adi Da has always been this extraordinary prayer, from “Death is a Perfect Insult” in The Enlightenment of the Whole Body:
“Let us surrender into Infinity with all our friends and hold on to no thing or condition that ever appears. Let us forget all things in present Happiness, and so forgive the universe for all its playful changes. Let us always love one another, and so forgive one another for appearing, for changing, and for passing out of present sight. So be it.”
When I sing this song, I hear it giving further guidance for just how to do this.
Divine Spirit Tree of Light poster: k3tH6fqKscY length: 04:05 date added: December 23, 2021 event date: December 2021 language: English views: 614; views this month: 16; views this week: 3
A video tour of the Adidam Melbourne community's Danavira Mela Celebration decorations and tree, December, 2021.
I Am Here poster: AdiDaUpClose length: 06:27 date added: December 12, 2021 event date: December 1993 language: English views: 898; views this month: 14; views this week: 1
words: Avatar Adi Da Samraj music: Chris Tong sung by: the Adidam New England Choir (with all devotees joining in) choir members: Chris Tong, Paul Caswell, Patricia Rydle, Lisa Alexandra Fry pianist / choir director: Chris Tong date: Danavira Mela, 1993
CHRIS: I just ran across an old audio tape with this recording. The quality is not the best, and the choir is not professional, but there is so much heart-feeling in devotees’ singing, and our Beloved Heart-Master’s Words are so beautiful and heart-moving, that I felt compelled to share this for Danavira Mela.
Adi Da Beloved poster: AdiDaUpClose speaker: Chris Tong length: 03:04 date added: December 23, 2020 language: English listens: 1825; listens this month: 9; listens this week: 2
Problems with the audio player? Try the MP3 download link below. ---------------------------------------------------- Chris Tong sings "Adi Da Beloved" — a devotional version of the traditional Christmas carol, "Angels We Have Heard On High".
Words, musical arrangement, and performance by Chris Tong, in the manner of other ecstatic, dramatic, immersive musical pieces like the “Hallelujah Chorus” (the finale of Handel's Messiah) and “Ode To Joy” (the finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony).
Thanks to my dear friend, Crane Kirkbride, whose own beautiful singing of music like this inspired me to create Adi Da Beloved. Crane also gave me some very helpful singing tips after listening to an earlier version.
Let It Snow! poster: AdiDaUpClose speaker: Chris Tong length: 01:39 date added: December 23, 2020 language: English views: 881; views this month: 5; views this week: 0
Chris Tong sings the holiday classic, "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", one of the (many) songs he played (on keyboards) and sang for Avatar Adi Da during the Celebration of Danavira Mela during the years of His human lifetime.
Musical arrangement and performance by Chris Tong. More about the musical arrangement here.
Adi Da Samraj at a cookie-making occasion in First People (now called "Great Food Dish") at the Mountain of Attention Sanctuary on December 23, 1995, as part of the Celebration of Danavira Mela. Outside, devotees sing holiday songs for Him, as He looks out the window, listens to the music, and sings a few notes Himself. Inside, devotees attend Him as He turns cooking-making into an art form.
Danavira Mela, celebrated at Adi Da Samrajashram. A slideshow containing festive scenes from Qaravi, Lion's Lap, Picture Perfect, Cow Catcher, and the Inner Courtyard of the Matrix. The video clip ends with pictures of Beloved Adi Da granting Darshan while sitting in front of the window of His bedroom (which is decorated for the season).
The soundtrack includes holiday music, and devotee John Mackay's "There Is Only Light" (from the album, Danavira), which draws on the Qawwali tradition of Sufi devotional music, and resonates with the celebration of Light-In-Everybody.
Bhagavan Adi Da performs a decoration puja on the Spirit-Tree of Light in Is-Da-Happen, on Adi Da Samrajashram, on November 18, 2007, as part of the celebration of Danavira Mela.
Danavira Mela in New Jersey, 2016 poster: adidam77 length: 02:33 date added: December 21, 2016 event date: December 18, 2016 language: English views: 2430; views this month: 12; views this week: 3
The public celebration of Danavira Mela in the Adidam Ashram house in Saddle River, New Jersey, December 18, 2016.
Featured: The Danavira Mela tree, with ornaments depicting scenes from Adi Da's life.
Light-in-Everybody poster: AuraBakkerMedia length: 02:42 date added: December 31, 2012 event date: 2012 language: English listens: 6583; listens this month: 9; listens this week: 1
Light-in-Everybody is a song written for the Celebration of Light-in-Everybody, with Love and Light and Joy, and Gratitude to Heart-Master Adi Da Samraj.
Led by Antonina Randazzo, they are singing one of the chants for the season, This Is The Great Gift. The words are drawn from Adi Da's Sacred Texts. The music is by devotee and award-winning composer, Ray Lynch.
When All Is Gone To Love poster: DawnHorsePress length: 05:15 date added: November 23, 2012 language: English listens: 4341; listens this month: 13; listens this week: 5
"When All Is Gone To Love" is Track 6 of the CD, Danavira: Giver of Light. This is an album of joyous holiday music for Danavira Mela, the season of Light-in-Everybody — or any time of year you’re moved to dive into an uplifting stream of devotional rhythm!
"When All Is Gone To Love" credits: Words: JoAnne Sunshine Vocals: JoAnne Sunshine and Mel McMurrin Guitar: David Epstein Flute, Keyboards: John Mackay Arranged by: John Mackay Recorded by: David Thompson, Lake County Mixed by: David Thompson and John Mackay
Light Imagery created by Ute Posegga-Rudd against the backdrop of music and chanting from the Adidam Music Guild, based on the Word of Adi Da Samraj. "There is Only Light" is by John Mackay, from his album, Danavira.
There Is Only Light poster: 2012spirit length: 05:06 date added: October 29, 2010 language: English views: 5729; views this month: 18; views this week: 3
Light Imagery created by Ute Posegga-Rudd against the backdrop of music and chanting from the Adidam Music Guild, based on the Word of Adi Da Samraj.
"There is Only Light" is by John Mackay, from his album, Danavira. It draws on the Qawwali tradition of Sufi devotional music (exemplified by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan). Read Adi Da's appreciation of the Qawwali musical tradition here.
The Giving Tree poster: adidam23 length: 06:45 date added: May 21, 2010 language: English views: 6375; views this month: 14; views this week: 6
An artistic offering about the "Divine Spirit-Tree of Light", an expression of happiness that is part of Adidam's annual celebration of the Season of "Light-In-Everybody".
Accompanied by Naamleela's musical version (from her album, Eyes In Other Worlds) of Adi Da's poem, "I served to priest the pharoahs", from Crazy Da Must Sing.
For more about the celebration of Light-In-Everybody, read here and read Naamleela's The Danavira Mela Book.
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