Apart from being an amazing song, with enough guitar wizardry to shift the axis of the planet, the title track from Jimi Hendrix’s debut album is like a psychedelic spaceship, designed to take the listener’s mind on a journey… but not to “outer” space. Listening to “Are You Experienced?” with the ears of a Buddha, it becomes clearer that perhaps the destination is closer than we think, but more challenging to get to… inner space.

Not only was Jimi Hendrix a guitar god, he was a visionary who left us a wealth of wisdom at a time when there were many seekers. And he amassed quite a flock of disciples with his electric gospel. His genius is multi-dimensional, timeless and unmatched. From the chaotic beauty of his gracefully fierce guitar playing, to the deep, philosophical simplicity of his lyrics and poetry, Jimi Hendrix was an icon.This song is a perfect example of his innate genius and bottomless wisdom.

Was Jimi talking about an acid trip, or was he trying to open your eyes to the truth of your own consciousness? Was he subconsciously sending us all a message through his lyrical dharma? I’ll bet you’ll be amazed at just how deep the rabbit hole can go, once you start climbing into it. If you’re ready to take a little trip with me, then kick back, roll up and listen. You’ll be surprised where you end up, if you delve into the sublime riddle, hidden within the poetry of Jimi’s prose.

In my debut episode, I share my interpretation of the song and just why Jimi and his music mean so much to me, as well as so many millions of others. Just fire up the lava lamp, put on those paisley pants and purple suede boots and step down the ladder of your own mind, to see what’s hiding there…

Links mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.sixstringbuddha.com *https://www.facebook.com/SixStringBuddhaPodcast

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Karma affects every one of us and our collective karma affects the entire planet as a whole. Cause & effect is the law that determines the nature of the karma we create. The lyrics to Rush’s epic song “Natural Science” from their album “Permanent Waves” provide a perfect blueprint to explain these two concepts.

It’s no stretch to say that Rush’s drummer, the late Neil Peart, was certainly a modern day Aristotle, when it came to expressing deep, philosophical lessons, within the context of a song. Using the allegory of the “natural science” of our own planet (as well as inter-galactic space), Peart compares our human world with the macrocosm of the entire universe, beginning with the smallest microorganisms and their symbiosis and the role it all plays in the ongoing story of human life.

What about the collective karma of humanity, over the course of the next millennium? Will mankind survive and evolve, or will we follow in the footsteps of the dinosaurs and eventually become fossils for the next intelligent species to piece together? Can humans learn to peacefully coexist, or will we be responsible for our own demise? The answers to these questions are entirely up to each and every one of us and the actions we take, from moment to moment.

After listening to this episode, you’ll have a clearer understanding of how humans are mutually in control of our own destiny. If we learn to understand our individual karma and the karma of others and also abide by the law of cause & effect, it’s still possible for us to turn things around from the direction we seem to be headed and point us toward a brighter future, devoid of conflict and war. Come with me as I explore the inner workings of the quantum world and its connection to the farthest reaches of the universe and how each one of us plays a role in this cosmic drama.

https://www.sixstringbuddha.com https://www.facebook.com/SixStringBuddhaPodcast

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Through the years, there have been many different schools of buddhist thought, but they’ve all built upon the original teachings of Shakyamuni and passed down what they’d learned to the next generation. They did this by following in the footsteps of their mentor and honored them by living the teachings with integrity, setting an example and then passing the torch to the next disciples, keeping the flame of the dharma burning brightly. Essentially, this is how all humans have learned things, from the dawn of mankind - through the knowledge and wisdom of those that came before them. However, the purity of the wisdom depends entirely on the integrity of the teacher…

This lineage of 'mentor and disciple' is woven into everything we do and having the right mentors throughout our lives can determine the outcome of our life's mission and ultimately, whether we succeed or fail. I wanted to honor one of the most important musical mentors I’ve ever had and exemplify just how his wisdom and influence played such a big part in who I’ve become, musically as well as personally. The lessons I’ve learned by following Edward Van Halen over the last forty two years go far beyond just music...

Losing Edward on October 6th, 2020 was much more devastating to me than even I had imagined it would be and I still feel like a piece of who I am is no longer with me. I put this episode together as a tribute to him and the piece in the second half was written as sort of my own, personal eulogy, that I’d imagined myself reading at his memorial. I asked some of my very best guitar player friends to contribute some music, so that this would be an extra special episode that Edward himself would appreciate! There’s some killer guitar music in this episode and all who contributed are also disciples of King Edward, the "punk kid from Pasadena" who made all of our lives so magical. I’m sure Edward would approve! I hope you enjoy it!

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