“We are the mirror and the face in the mirror. / We are tasting eternity. / We are pain and what cures pain. / And the sweet cool water in a jar of rain.” – Rumi
On October 5, 2019, the Wild Moon Bhaktas were invited to lead a kirtan event at Patti Roberts’s Sacred Waters yoga and spiritual center in Jordan, MN. It was a delight! Here we are:
On July 13, 2019, the band played at one of our favorite places, Big River Yoga, in Minneapolis. This is a lovely center just a couple blocks from the Mississippi River. Here are a couple of photos from the event.
On May 11th, 2019, the Wild Moon Bhaktas’ 6 person big band and Kirtan Path played three hours of chants to the Divine Feminine at Tula Yoga in St. Paul. We donate a portion of the proceeds to environmental causes, in honor of our Mother Earth! Here are some images from the event, and the flyer.
We performed our second annual Sacred Chants of Yogananda event, with the Wild Moon Bhaktas and Rev. Alan Pritz at Weyerhauser Chapel at the Macalester Campus in St. Paul. It is a beautiful room and we filled it with the music of the great Paramahansa Yogananda! Many Americans have been touched by his teachings, and a number of them came out to sing his deeply devotional chants.
“Night and day, night and day, I look for Thee night and day. Door of my heart, open wide I keep for Thee.” – Yogananda
Our 20th annual night of music, chanting, poetry and sacred dance in honor of Sufism’s greatest poet, Jelaluddin Rumi. With the Wild Moon Bhaktas, Hakim Bushnell of Light Upon Light Sufi Center and Rev. Ted Tollefson. Over a hundred people came to Tula Yoga in St. Paul for the event, which features an open mic. People come up and recite their favorite Rumi poem while the Wild Moon Bhaktas’ provide background music. Pictured is the band, and Ted Tollefson providing an introduction to the evening.
Andrea Sullivan will by performing with the group periodically. Andrea brings years of experience as a performing musician and kirtan and chanting lover. She sings, plays the harp and violin. Join us in welcoming Andrea to the group!
We are happy to announce the release of our second CD! Lovingly created over four years! Includes some of our favorite chants, Om Mani Padme Hum, La Illaha, Durgayai, Rama Bolo, and Why Not Wake Up? We recorded with expert world beat engineer Greg Shutte at Bathtub Shrine Studio. Guests artists included Barbara Meyer and Kitty Newton on vocals, Greg Shutte on percussion, Peter Schimke on keyboards and Blair Krivanek on guitar. And of course, the Wild Moon Bhaktas, Gary Waryan, tablas, David Ballman, vocals, tambura and percussion, Christine Larson, vocals and violin and David Schmit, vocals, guitars and accordion.
We keep on keepin’ on! The Wild Moon Bhaktas have played well over 100 chanting, kirtan & spiritual music events in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Here is a portion of a poem by Kabir, the 15th century Indian luminary of the Bhakti-Yoga movement:
Throw away all thoughts of imaginary things, and stand firm in who, you, are. If you don’t break your ropes, while you are still alive, do you think ghosts will do it for you after? If you make love with the Divine now, in the next life, you will have the face of satified desire.
October 2018 will mark our 9th year leading chanting and kirtan events in Minnesota. We look forward to another year of communal chanting, sacred music, joy, spiritual awareness and deepening consciousness. Join us for one of our events. Here is the flyer for our next event, Saturday, September 8th at Big River Yoga in Minneapolis.
Ten Year Anniversary Celebration
The Wild Moon Bhaktas’ blend of Indian devotional kirtan, chants in English and Sufi poetry has been transporting audiences into meditative states and joyful, energized spaces now for over a decade! As of this date – November 9, 2019, we have played 161 chanting concerts. Here is the flyer for the event.