They Call Him Japhy Ryder

Quote by Gary Snyder.

It was Jack Kerouac’s birthday today. Jack was born on March 12^th, 1922 which means that if he hadn’t drunk himself to death in 1969, he would have been 98 today. I would have forgotten about his birthday if I hadn’t been reminded of it by a Facebook friend. Purely by chance I had a Jack related parcel arrive today. It contained two books by Gary Snyder. They are called The Back Country and Earth House Hold. They are American books, published by New Directions in 1969. One book is poetry and the other is prose. I got both books for a total of 99 pence on eBay. That is what I call a bargain.

Gary Snyder was the real-life person who was portrayed as Japhy Ryder the hero of Jack’s second most famous book The Dharma Bums.  He was born on May 8, 1930 which means he will soon be 90 years of age.  Although best known as a poet associated with the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance, he is also an essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist. He has been described as the ‘poet laureate of Deep Ecology’ Snyder is a winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the American Book Award. His work, in his various roles, reflects an immersion in both Buddhist spirituality and nature. Snyder has translated literature into English from ancient Chinese and modern Japanese and was an academic at the University of California. ( I found a lot of that info on Wiki.)

I’m looking forward to reading both these books before I sell them. I have always liked Gary Snyder, ever since reading the Dharma Bums about 45 years ago. He didn’t have the self-destructive side to his nature like Jack and other people associated with the Beats and he practiced what he preached. With his interest in ecology and being aware of the need for humans to live in tune with nature he was decades ahead of other writers. I bet Greta Thunberg would have got on well with Gary.

Talking about being in tune with nature, I have been doing a bit of gardening in between rain showers. Just tidying up mainly. I’m still planning to get out walking soon if the weather cheers up a bit. I’m on day 8 of my yoga as well. This week I have been following the horse racing at Cheltenham, but I haven’t picked a winner yet. It’s the final day tomorrow with the Gold Cup as the big race. I’ll let you know how I get on.

The Secret Heart Of Music

I received a couple of interesting books in the post recently. They are both concerned with Sir George Trevelyan. If you haven’t heard of him, he was a British educational pioneer and a founding father of the New Age movement. In 1942, after hearing a lecture given by Dr Walter Stein, a student of Rudolf Steiner, Trevelyan discovered a spiritual worldview. During his lifetime he explored beliefs in angels, the calming effects of crystals and the power of ley lines, alongside organic farming and communal living. He carried out his pioneering work in the teaching of spiritual knowledge as adult education. The courses ranged from chamber music and drama onto esoteric subjects such as 'Finding the Inner Teacher' and 'Holistic Vision'. He was involved in the establishment of the Findhorn Foundation, the Gatekeeper Trust, and through his friendship with Wellesley Tudor Pole, the Chalice Well  at Glastonbury and the Lamplighter Movement. In 1971, he set up the Wrekin Trust to promote spiritual education and knowledge.

I heard Sir George speak at Glastonbury Festival in 1981, but I can’t remember a word of what he said. What has got me interested in him recently is curiosity about a weekend conference at Loughborough University in 1987 called The Secret Heart Of Music which the Wrekin Trust organised in collaboration with Van Morrison. I have written about this event previously on this blog site. You can find a recording of Van performing at this event on youtube. I hoped I might find further information in these publications. The first book is called Sir George Trevelyan And The New Spiritual Awakening. There is one paragraph on page 161 about the Loughborough event, but sadly nothing that I didn’t know already (See pictures) 

 The other publication is a pamphlet called A Curriculum For Spiritual Training Combining The Ancient Wisdom With Modern Developments In Psychological And Scientific Knowledge. It contains the trust’s agenda for Autumn 1986 and Spring 87. Sadly, there is no mention of the event I am interested in. I don't think the Wrekin Trust exists any more, so I can't contact them.

It would be great to hear from anyone who was there on that weekend. I know there was a brochure published to accompany the conference. I haven’t been able to find a copy of it. If you have a copy that you would sell or loan to me, I would be delighted to hear from you. Also, I would love to see any posters or photographs of the event. Cheers.