The Spiritual Message in Bob Dylan’s Speech 

In some ways Bob Dylan still seems somewhat baffled at his success and the fact that he is referred to as the voice of a generation. He claims that there is no secret to writing beautiful and meaningful lyrics. He has lived his music. He has a respect and love for who came before him ~ his teachers. Their message, their lyrics became so much a part of him that it was only natural that he began to create his own without any thought to fame, celebrity or monetary success. He just tapped in to his own voice. When you find your passion, something you love, live it and allow it to become a part of you. Find your teacher, learn from them, respect their work, practice what they teach, but never forget who you are. Find your own ways, your own voice and be true to who you are. At times you might be criticized and it may get hard, but staying true will allow you to live with yourself with comfort and ease which is much more important than trying to please others. “Voices are not measured by how pretty they are,” Dylan said quoting Sam Cooke. “They’re to be measured by whether they’re telling the truth.” There is so much to talk about in referencing this speech. The obvious is the work on asana ~ practice, practice, practice until it becomes a part of you. But also allow yourself to feel that place inside where you might feel a tug of war between what you feel, what is your authenticity vs. what is expected of you or what you pretend to feel based on others expectations. You might realize that your real joy looks very different. Various situations will present themselves in ways that may compromise your authenticity. That is when the work begins ~ the practice of realizing your truth as opposed to your habit. We rarely verbalize what our values are, but when we do, our intentions become very clear. When we’re clear in our intentions, when we’re definitive inner convictions, we begin to feel a shift. Our relationships feel it as well and then changes can begin.                                     - Debbie Charych