LIVING & LEARNING


✤ Two old rockers into


alternative lifestyles


Jerry Speiser from the 1980s OZ band, ‘Men At Work’, and Stephen Wollaston, from the 1970s UK punk band, ‘The Wasps’, have stories to tell which are nothing to do with rock bands. After leaving their bands they followed their latent interest in things holistic.


AWAKENING TO CREATIVE LIFE SANTOSHAN (STEPHEN WOLLASTON)


R


tha the


Stephen’s band, The Wasps, were one of


London’s first punk rock bands and helped to pioneer punk rock at a time when it was unpopular. Stephen told us that the change from being


a punk rocker to being a known spiritual writer was gradual. At The Wasps’ last gig an innocent member of the audience was set upon by over-zealous bouncers who they thought was responsible for letting off fireworks at the venue and consequently died from the injuries inflicted upon him. At Shrewsbury the


12 APRIL 2011


abbi Michael Lerner reminds us that, “We are the heirs of the long evolution of Spirit. Each of us is the latest unfolding of the event of Creation. Our bodies are composed of the material that was shaped in the Big


Bang. And, so, too, our spirit. The loving goodness of the u


love others.” Spirituality beckons us to embrace the capacity to


love others in inclusive and creative ways. This involves recognising the profound unity we share with all people and Nature. This is more than just a mere knowing, but a spirituality that is authentically lived. When we consider how the Earth is holistic and forever


in the process of evolving, we realise that we are all incredible products of its awe inspiring creativity and how this is an important part of who we are. When we take part in the creativity that exists so abundantly around us, we find enrichment in every moment. Thich Nhat Hanh


universe breathes us and breathes through us, giving us life and consciousness, and the capacity to recognize and l


points this out: “Everyday we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black curious eyes of a child – our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” Yet spirituality comes with responsibilities about non-


harmfulness. Just as any responsible parent would not intentionally wish to harm their children, but would cherish and help them with their growth and appreciate their beauty and abilities, similarly we need to cultivate the creativity of other people and life. Through being at one with this spiritual core of our being we participate more wholesomely in life. And through this comes the realisation that all things touch our lives and are intrinsic parts of who we are. Wayne Teasdale points out how, “Native Americans know that all beings are part of the web of life, and we have responsibilities to this great web of interconnection. Native cultures are keenly aware that nature, the earth, the Great Spirit, and the spirit guides have taught them everything they know. It is all a gift from the divine realm through the mediation of these more familiar spirit guides who inhabit all worlds.” This ongoing search for growth helps us to discover our creative potential and become architects of a harmonious


local hospital was packed to capacity with casualties from the violence


hat broke out at a Wasps concert and led to the group being banned from playing there again. Such violence obviously concerned both Stephen and the band’s members and they subsequently took time off the road and concentrated on writing new material that had less of an anarchic message, as, contradictorily, “None of us would have condoned senseless violence at that time … What we hadn’t foreseen was that some audience members, though by no means all, as the majority of our gigs were peaceful, would take things too literally.”


During this time Stephen was already a


vegetarian because of growing spiritual beliefs and had, through contact with an older musician in a previous group, Elysium, which was fronted by Lady June (whose title was real), been introduced to a basic meditation and mantra practice that lead to a profound life- changing meditational experience at a crucial and near suicidal point in his life. He was only 19 at the time, but found the influence of this episode led him over the years to look deeply into Eastern wisdom and practices and doing an in-depth religious studies degree and post- graduate religious education certificate at King’s College London. Stephen says, “Writing books on spirituality may sound a bit ‘un-punky’, but I would


still advocate not accepting much of the conditioning of contemporary society.


These days: Stephen is a graphic designer, GreenSpirit member and former punk rock musician (The Wasps), He


was given the name Santoshan (contentment) by the yoga master Swami Dharmanana and co-authored ‘The House of Wisdom’ with her (O Books 2007). His latest book is ‘Spirituality Unveiled’ (O Books 2011) which has received glowing reviews and been hailed as “a masterful synthesis” by the writer and East-West psychologist Marian Van Eyk McCain. www.spiritualityunveiled.com


Download this magazine as an e-book: livingnow.com.au


PHOTOGRAPH BY GERED MANKOWITZ, COPYRIGHT BOWSTIR LTD, 2011/MANKOWITZ.COM


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