• 882 replies
    marye
    Joined:
    In one of the other topics, one of the folks seemed not to be so sure of the reception he'd get for saying he was a youth minister at his church. In my experience, Deadheads span the full spectrum from Agnostic to Zoroastrian. I've met atheist Deadheads, Muslim Deadheads, Buddhist Deadheads, Catholic Deadheads, Jewish Deadheads, and Wiccan Deadheads. My Deadhead friends are all over the map on this stuff, and as far as I'm concerned one of the real richnesses of the scene is the ability to see how things look to other folks and, sometimes, experience it from their world. Believe it if you need it, if you don't, just pass it on. But talk about it here, and please maintain a safe respectful place to do so.

Comments

sort by
Recent
Reset
  • Gypsy Cowgirl
    Joined:
    I'll say...
    that article, Marye is realy good. I forwarded it to all my Jewish GD freaks ....now it's Sunday again....back to the ole naked praying......
  • noonie
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    AWESOME ARTICLE
    as someone who was raised jewish i couldn't agree more...... peace and hugs to all
  • marye
    Joined:
    great article
    on why Jews are into jambands: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/current/articles/winter2008/cohen.html. Thanks to Barbara Saunders for the pointer!
  • rosa rugosa
    Joined:
    Dawkins! The Salmon of Doubt?
    Glad to hear that I'm not the only Dawkins fan on the site (maybe also not the only one with a Darwin fish and a Stealie on my bumper?)Interesting how very difficult it is to maintain objectivity and mutual respect on a subject that is so fundamental to the core of our beings. I've gotten a tiny bit better at it as I've gotten older. I'm corresponding with a beloved first cousin in another state who is having major health issues, and is querying me about my beliefs - worried that we won't be meeting in heaven (and we won't!) I think the big thing I've learned is to take it in the spirit in which it was offered. I believe this dialogue with my cousin was opened by her in the spirit of love and caring (although I do know her beliefs require her to witness, while mine only require that I not assault you while you are doing so). So I take a deep breath, and reach down into the biggest and best part of myself before answering. I used to get quite angry while being witnessed to by this branch of my family, but I think I may have gotten beyond that now. At least I hope so. I certainly plan to keep me and my Darwin fish away from the North Carolina folks though :) Have any of the Dawkins folks read The Salmon of Doubt by Doug Adams?
  • marye
    Joined:
    nice, tphokie
    enjoy the fest!
  • tphokie1
    Joined:
    What shall we say, shall we call it by a name...
    I love this forum. It's great to hear all the different opinions and to engage in the exchange of ideas. However, at the most basic level the experience of God, the Absolute, the Other, the universe or what ever we choose to call it is not an intellectual excercise (and believe me, no one is more prone to try to intellectualize it than me)! My son and I had a first hand experience of God that was beyond description this weekend. We were at Delfest in Cumberland, MD. On Saturday we heard some really good music. We were enjoying a particularly hot set by Sam Bush when it suddenly began to rain. The rain was most refreshing as it had been a very hot day. Then the rain got harder and they stopped the show due to lightning. We dashed for our tent to ride out the storm. The rain kept coming down harder and suddenly the tent started being pelted with marble sized hail. Then the wind seemed to be coming from everywhere and sheets of rain were coming right through the rainfly. Our tent was becoming a lake! When the hail finally seemed to stop I decided to run for our car that was about 50 yards away. We made it okay and road out the rest of the storm in the car. Sheets of rain were coming down so hard we could not see anything around us. I popped in a CD and listened to Weather Report Suite as it seemed remarkably appropriate. As the music ended the storm subsided. All around us there were tents flattened (including ours) and everyone's belongings were scattered everywhere. The awesomeness of God had just been shown in the power of the storm, but the display of God at work was just beginning. Everyone was asking "Are you alright?" Thankfully everyone was. All around people were lending a hand to put things somewhat back together. Those of us who were staying pitched in to help those who had decided to leave gather up their belongings and get packed up. Everyone was united in helping each other. This was the ultimate display of God at work! This festival will certainly be an experience we will both always remember. "Listen to the thunder shout, I am, I am, I AM"
  • johnman
    Joined:
    exactly
    fuckin' A
  • TxJed
    Joined:
    Live, Love by example
    I like Johnman's example of how to "spread the word", living by example. My problem with someone attempting to enlightening me with the "Word of Jesus" is that organized religions have had almost two thousand years to tweak the "Word". For me, this does not take from the truths being offered, but leads me to question why it is so important to believe that Jesus literally spoke these exact words. Please enlighten me as to how we can have so many different Christian sects, all proclaiming that theirs is the true path. Explain why "the Word of God" has been edited by mere mortals so often. For me, it boils down to one very important principal, Love. The Church controlled science itself for hundreds of years, and science has succeded in blinding us to many truths that were evident to archaic religions, many of which used entheogens as their sacrament. Science has all but taken enchantment from our lives, but asks us to accept just one unexplainable miracle on faith, the big bang. From there it attempts to explain everything. Entheogens can open up the mind to other realities, the existence of Gaia and other answers, very different from what we are force-fed from birth. What was the Church's reaction to their use? Not exploration and understanding in search of truth, but denial and destruction in the name of control ("the fruit of Satan"). How can it be that knowledge of sacred plants, which were used for thousands and thousands of years, is only now, in the last sixty years or so, being revealed to the rest of the world? I am not refering to synthetics such as LSD, but to the natural entheogens, which allow for a connection to the "whole" of existence. I am not suggesting that everyone trip on the entheogen of their choice. I do not believe that this is our purpose here on Earth. I am suggesting that life is much more complex than what most of us have been brought up to believe, and is becoming ever more complex ever more quickly. It is important that we do not close our minds to what is possible just because it does not fit in the Judeo-Christian mindset. I cannot question the existence of Jesus, whom I do believe exists, or of the power of prayer, which I fully believe in. But neither can I question the existence of the buddha or Muhammad, or of other realms beyond normal understanding. The message is the same. Ultimately, Love really is the answer. Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor.
  • hippyjameZ
    Joined:
    Terrapin Station..
    The other night, i was listening to Terrapin Station... and i found a new perspective to it.... its really amazing finding new meaning to songs that are over 30 years old...!!! I had imagined the song was set in a Christian-based theme.. And the Lady of course would be GOD, and the Sailor would be the Believer, and the Soldier would be the non-believer... and the lyric says "I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance" Pretty powerful stuff...makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck!
  • WalpoleChinaCat
    Joined:
    Preaching about Christ
    To answer Johnman from a few days ago. Yes its hard to spread the word of Jesus cause people don't want to usually hear it There is a great quote which I believe is Franciscan and it states " to preach the gospel and sometimes use words" Sometimes actions speak louder than words in this case My best example for this is to follow the 7 Corporal Works of Mercy Going back to the commandments that were previously posted here Love yourself as you would your neighbor Yes there are a lot of people out there that do not "love themself" but all relationships between people are really based on this. The reason why some peole waiver in this notion is becuse they are lacking faith Faith in something whether it be a God or a belief or a set of values As a former youth minister I gave a talk to my 9th and 10th grade students on the topic of realtionships and I told them they first have to have one with themselves,. Any other relationship would not be valid without believing in that. I explained to them that their destiny has already been predetermined by God and the "bad choices" they make lead them way from that plan thus changing their realtionship with themselves Just my 2 cents Keep on writing or posting I'll be back The CAT
user picture

Member for

17 years 6 months
Forums
In one of the other topics, one of the folks seemed not to be so sure of the reception he'd get for saying he was a youth minister at his church. In my experience, Deadheads span the full spectrum from Agnostic to Zoroastrian. I've met atheist Deadheads, Muslim Deadheads, Buddhist Deadheads, Catholic Deadheads, Jewish Deadheads, and Wiccan Deadheads. My Deadhead friends are all over the map on this stuff, and as far as I'm concerned one of the real richnesses of the scene is the ability to see how things look to other folks and, sometimes, experience it from their world. Believe it if you need it, if you don't, just pass it on. But talk about it here, and please maintain a safe respectful place to do so.
user picture

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

Hey, great name there brother-sister.I hope that one of the enduring legacies of Fare Thee Well is that no one has to treat being a Deadhead as a contradiction to any other aspect of their life. When more non-Heads realize how many Head have been living in their midst all these years, they might start to recognize the common traits in them.
user picture

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

The blue moon this weekend makes me look back.: 5 young adults in my extended family went to FTW there with their Deadhead parents (not exactly dragged there). Each came away ready to confess: There is NOTHING like a Grateful Dead concert. The full sensory immersion, plus the overflowing love, peace and harmony shown by everyone there, did much more than would any amount of listening to recordings. But full credit to the band, to continue to experiment and innovate, to improvise new music in front of a massive crowd which did have its skeptics. Morgan40, I read the article you link below. There is unquestionably a message of hope and redemption running through the Dead music, but it would be too much to say that it is only draws on Biblical influences (which I know you did not). In the same way, I would not want anyone to think that my avatar implies I see a unique link between my faith and Dead-ism. That’s not any more true of my stealie than someone who inserts their favorite team logo on the Face.
user picture

Member for

9 years 6 months
Permalink

what`s your religion. Music takes your spirit and gives you wings so you can soar upt to heaven if you want to.I`m very grateful to the spirits that my baby-grandson , born July 31 - two days ago - is healthy and so beautiful........
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

9 years 4 months
Permalink

amen, amen. Thanks for your note, Graceful Dead. I feel very blessed by the Fare Thee Well event. I was fortunate enough to fly into the states and attend the last night. It was a bit sad to say good-bye, but really i feel like the music means as much to us now, and can lead us to shine our love lights into the future. Know our love will not fade away. Hey, btw... did you happen to see the following article??? http://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionnow/2015/07/once-in-a-while-you-ge… Peace be with you and yours, a sister down under
user picture

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

Turn around and I'll be there like a road leading home.We are everywhere⚡️
user picture

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

Heard Phil yell that after Box of Rain encore 12-18-93 Oakland col. Great show!!
user picture

Member for

16 years 2 months
Permalink

I'm In Adelaide. I was lucky enough to see both Santa Clara shows. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to the guys as a group, but we can't say goodbye to the Music. What they started 50 years ago is still evolving, and will continue to as the legitimate genre it has become. Thanks, Guys! See you at Bluesfest, loveandpeace (Sat Tedesci Trucks, Lucas Nelson and Promise of the Real, and Joe Bonnamassa)
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

9 years 4 months
Permalink

I'm in Melbourne. We're an American family with three children, who came here four years ago. I was blessed to attend the last night in Chicago... my original hometown. It was a beautiful night, spent with folks from tour 20+ years ago. I have to admit that i felt both inspired and sad after the shows. The spirit of the shows lingered for weeks and i was completely blown away by how the music and the vibe of a show was just as relevant and important for me now, as it was back then. In fact, it felt like it had just been too, too long. We need that music, and i think you are right... it's so important, that it will evolve and stay alive. anyways... i'll have the check out bluesfest. Any music suggestions are welcome, as i haven't got a clue down here. Peace be with you and yours, jennifer
user picture

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

Three observations about the infectious lilt that is the pace of Grateful Dead music (and that gives Deadheads their characteristic walk while listening to Jehovah's favorite choir). John Mayer said that the pace of Dead music made him notice how different it was from "everything ..processed and quantized and gridded out – to hear 'Tennessee Jed' played with that lope.." And in Kreutzman's recent interviews he stated that one of the main lessons he learned from Garcia about music was to play "a really full four beats. Don't rush to the end of the bar". Finally, learning that the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds have joined the Giants in planning Grateful Dead nights (thanks for the tip from Holly Hiker), makes me speculate that a steady, measured pace of things might make for more overlap between Dead fans and baseball fans than there is with football fans. I'm runnin', but I take my time.
user picture

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

You know who I mean. For their unrivaled track record of creativity and innovation, continuing even today, in light and sound. For the highest level of musicianship, sustained over many decades. For the breadth and durability of their own songbook. For their lively and invigorating interpretation of the traditional American songbook. And of course the testimony of the fan base, who the word "loyal" does not begin to describe. No other band has ever had anything like that following, neither in their heyday nor continuing so long, long after.
user picture

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

A mighty giant had laid down to join his ancestors. But he fell across the trail in the Pacific rain forest that we were hiking on. The forest service cut the tree to re-open the path, and left the fresh face of the trunk at about eye level, leaning up the hill side where it fell. The outer edge of the bark was a deep rust color, and the color had been seeping down in the month or so since it fell. In successive rings, though, the inner core had brighter and brighter tones, until the central core was virtually white. And centered there was a pattern that resembled a tree in outline, with a great canopy spread above the center point, and a vast root system below. At the well spring of life for that large creature was the very idea of Tree, the Form of what each tree of its kind should be. Though this particular embodiment of that concept was now to begin its very prolonged decay, it is succeeded by many, many others which sprang from the same source. Or maybe I am projecting my feelings about my father in his decline.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Sounds like compassion ,pouring out of the pores. Very Beautiful, THANK YOU ,GOD BLESS .
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

PEACE ,TOO AWL,KEEP ON TRUCKIN. YEAH, LOV LIFE !
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WAIT,THEY REALLY DO ,EASIER SAID THEN DONE I KNOW ,BEING AS ONE WITH IN IS A GOAL,YOU CAN ALWAYS UP,WERE EVER YOU GET YOUR ENERGY FROM ,BE GRATEFUL!
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Going thought some hard times ,same as everybody else ,just looking around,man its a different world,been sleepin,lol lol ,wake up tomarrow ,[spellings bad]lol.PEACE.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

English!LOL
user picture

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

I do hope that what sounded like a very good night for you did not turn in to a bad day come morning.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

All is Good,All is Well,opened up a couple more doors, Thanks for Asking, Hows things on your end?
user picture

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

Thanks for asking, 1973. My Dad died two weeks ago; myself and my siblings were at his side, trying to comfort his passage. We can always wish that the inevitable will be put off a little longer, but his very long, very fruitful life had finally run its course. All of his 15 young adult grandchildren participated in his funeral (and two great-grandchildren delighted the very large crowd that gathered). One grandson did him proud, and moved everyone in attendance, by reading a passage from Saul of Tarsus: "Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you." What more could you want?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

Very sorry for your loss.....it is never easy.....it sounds like your dads memory was honored and will continue to be.
user picture

Member for

9 years 6 months
Permalink

I'm sorry. May God's peace be with you and your family. What God did in Saul's life, renaming him Paul, is amazing. HE can change us all one person at a time.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Im truly sorry for your loss,Saul to Paul,WoW, Strenth,Love,God Bless...
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Prayers With You ...
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!!!
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Thank You !!!
user picture

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

It is my impression that a high percentage of Dead Heads are 5-for-5 on the beliefs that William James lists in his 1902 book "The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature" as the "characteristics of religious life": 1. That the visible world is part of a more spiritual universe from which it draws its chief significance; 2. That union or harmonious relation with that higher universe is our true end; 3. That prayer or inner communion with the spirit thereof—be that spirit 'God' or 'law'—is a process wherein work is really done, and spiritual energy flows in and produces effects, psychological or material, within the phenomenal world. 4. A new zest which adds itself like a gift to life, and takes the form either of lyrical enchantment or of appeal to earnestness and heroism. 5. An assurance of safety and a temper of peace, and, in relation to others, a preponderance of loving affections.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

Tom you hit the nail on the head, those words ring true here. glad that you are enjoying your new musical stash.... please pay it forward...