Al Jardine has been searching for “the state of pure being” for more than 40 years. His pursuit began in 1967, after he learned Transcendental Meditation from its founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi while The Beach Boys were on tour in Paris. Today he and Mike Love are the only members of The Beach Boys that still practice TM.
“We became [Yogi’s] disciples, so to speak, from America,” Jardine says. “And The Beatles were his disciples across the pond, in England.”
A couple years ago, Jardine stumbled upon a book that turned out to be just as epiphanic as TM: Lars Muhl’s The O Manuscript, a trilogy consisting of The Seer, The Magdalene and The Grail. It begins with a seer bringing Muhl back to a healthy state after an unexplained illness left him bedridden without mobility for three years – a voyage into another reality where a more authentic way of being ensues.
“[The O Manuscript] is a beautiful journey into a man’s life of discovery,” Jardine explains. “I would call it an adventure story into a spiritual realm. [Mulh’s] message is similar to Transcendental Meditation: If you just take a few minutes a day and practice going within one’s self, you can discover that inner-peace that you’re searching for your entire life. Lars’ method is discovery and with TM, you work your way toward [discovery] by practicing a mantra.”
The O Manuscript struck Jardine so profoundly that when The Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary tour stopped in Denmark last year, he invited Muhl to the show to meet in person backstage.
“I was a huge Beach Boys fan in the ’60s and I still am,” Muhl says. “So for me, meeting Al was like a fairy tale. We got acquainted and clicked just like that, so when we were invited to [Big Sur] we had to come.”
It took Muhl seven years to complete the 720-page book that entranced Jardine. He likens every minute he spent writing it to “walking on water.” That same enchantment seems to rub off on its readers, who are eager to spread the word after they finish it.
“It’s magical that the book has found its way around the world by word of mouth,” Muhl says. “There are so many layers in the Manuscript; some things I don’t even remember writing but every time you read it you find something new.”
On Saturday at the Henry Miller Memorial Library, Muhl will discuss his masterwork and its potential to heal while Jardine will examine parallels between the teachings of the Maharishi and The O Manuscript.
Of course, the afternoon will also include an assortment of music. Muhl was a professional musician for more than 35 years – he sold a total of 1 million records as a member of Dragon Five (1967), Daisy (1968-74), Warm Guns (1979-84) and as a solo performer – before he gave it up to follow a more mystical path. His wife Ghita Ben-David, one of Europe’s most renowned sound healers (the use of the energy of sound to expand consciousness), will accompany him. She was the driving force behind Muhl’s decision to return to music after abandoning it for 12 years.
“After I met Ghita, I started playing songs again,” Muhl says. “I didn’t feel like I was going back; it felt more like going forward to something completely new for me that’s deeper and beyond performance.”
Muhl and Ben-David’s Healing the Space Between Us – Muhl’s first recordsince 1999’s Till the End of Time – is an endearing all-acoustic album produced without using any modern technology.
“We wanted people to feel the actual depth of what we were doing instead of a lot of electronic devices,” Muhl says. “They’re songs of healing that came when we were just sitting at the piano; a lot of [the album] was pretty much composed in an instant.”
The tranquil harmonies on the folk ballad “Angel” present a simple refrain to a higher power: “Hold me and lead me every day.”
On a few tunes, Muhl and Ben-David will also join Jardine, who will have a couple backing strings players with him. Though Jardine hasn’t really thought about a set list yet he guarantees a performance of The Beach Boys’ early classic “All This is That.” The song features quintessential Beach Boys harmonies and a chorus that plays out like a mantra-like chant. It’s a fitting selection since it’s about choosing an inner or outer path to self-discovery.
“Pet Sounds, Smiley Smile and Friends have always been an inspiration for me,” Muhl says. “When my band practiced in the ’60s we’d always try to do all the voices like [The Beach Boys]. Coming to [HMML] and getting to perform with Al is like coming full circle.”
Jardine appears to be just as much in awe of Muhl.
“I’m still searching for that center that Lars has discovered through his path,” he says. “A state of pure being, which is our natural state, I guess. [Lars] found that path and now he’s teaching others how to find it.”
An Afternoon with Lars Muhl and Al Jardine happens 2-5pm Saturday, July 6, at Henry Miller Memorial Library, a quarter mile south of Nepenthe Restaurant on Highway 1, Big Sur. $20-$30 suggested donation (the first 100 people to donate $30 will get a copy of the limited first edition of The O Manuscript). 667-2574.
(1) comment
Like Al J. and the Beach Boys. I've also done TM for a long time, and it's effects have been pronounced in my life . I look forward to reading the O Manuscript.
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