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Thomas Howlett, 10th Great Grandfather
May 21, 2013
Howlett Coat of Arms
Thomas Howlett arrived in America on the ship Hopewell in 1630 to live in Boston. He was a carpenter, and had skills as a surveyor. He was active in church and military matters.
Thomas Howlett (1605 – 1678)
is my 10th great grandfather
Thomas Howlett (1638 – 1667)
son of Thomas Howlett
Mary HOWLETT (1664 – 1727)
daughter of Thomas Howlett
John Hazen (1687 – 1772)
son of Mary HOWLETT
Caleb Hazen (1720 – 1777)
son of John Hazen
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
daughter of Caleb Hazen
Martha Mead (1784 – 1860)
daughter of Mercy Hazen
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of Martha Mead
Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)
son of Abner Morse
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse
| Name | Thomas HOWLETT Sergeant, Ensign |
| Birth | 1605, Assington, Suffolk, England |
| Death | 24 Sep 1677, Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts |
| Occupation | Carpenter |
| Father | William HOWLETT (1579-) |
Misc. NotesFrom co. Suffolk, England. Removed Ipswich 1633. Deposed 1658, aged 52. Church member 1630.29One of the first settlers in Agawam (Ipswich) 1632/33. Deputy from Ipswich 1635 and Topsfield 1665 and often employed in running lines and locating towns and farms.Ipswich, Massachusetts Deputy in 1635. Ensign of Ipswich Company under Captain Daniel Dennison, 3rd Regiment, Colonel John Endicott 1636.102Thomas Howlett was twenty-five years old when he came to New England in 1630 aboard the ship “Hopewell” as part of Governor Winthrop’s Fleet. He was a carpenter by trade, with origins in South Elmham Parish of Suffolk County, East Anglia in England. He first settled in Boston, as did a majority of Winthrop colonists, and became a member of the First Church on August 27, 1630. In the spring of 1633 he married Alice French, daughter of Thomas and Susan (Riddlesdale) French, who apparently had emigrated to New England prior to her parents. She was a member of the First Church and was eventually dismissed on September 10, 1643 to the church in Ipswich as “Our sister Alice French ye wife of Thomas Howlet of Ipswich.”Although Howlett later settled in Topsfield where he spent the latter years of his life, he was one of the nine originals of John Winthrop Jr’s 1633 party settling the Indian village Agawam, which the next year became the town of Ipswich. He was sworn a freeman at Ipswich on March 4, 1633.In 1634 Ipswich granted Howlett, in partnership with John Manning and others, on the neck of land on which the town stood, two acres of meadow and two and a half acres of marsh between the town riger and the lands of William Sergient (probably Sargent) and John Newman. Added to this in 1635 was a house lot in the town, thirty acres of upland and ten of meadow at the head of Chebacco Creek and ten acres north of the town toward the Reedy marsh. In 1637 he purchased forty acres from John Perkins, Sr. His later acquired Topsfield holdings are described in his will.Thomas Howlett’s highest political office came to him as a young man, when, in 1635, he represented Ipswich in the General Court. he served on the Essex County Jury of Trials in 1654, 1657, and 1665 and on the Grand Jury in 1650, 1659, 1666, and 1667 and served as Selectman of Topsfield in 1661.In 1640 he was sergeant of the Ipswich military defense company and later became its ensign. In 1643 he, as Sergeant, and ten other militiamen were voted compensation by the town for their three days acting in defense of the Agawam Indians against their tribal enemies. In 1672 he became a Deacon of the Topsfield Church and his contribution of five pounds to the salary of Rev. Jeremiah Hubbard was the largest of those made.There were eight children of Howlett’s marriage with Alice — Sarah (1633/34-1700), John (1633/34-1674/75), alice (1636-1696), Thomas, Jr. (1637/34-1667), Mary (1641/42-1718), Nathaniel (1646-1658), William (1649/50-1718), and Samuel (1654/55-1719/20). On June 6, 1666, after the death of Alice he married Rebecca Smith, widow of Thomas Smith if Ipswich and Newbury, with his step-son, Thomas Smith, in 1671, choosing him as his guardian.Thomas Howlett died in Topsfield, Essex County on September 24, 1677.Military Was in Pequot War32, No. 74, pg. 120, 1920Spouses
| 1 | Alice FRENCH |
| Birth | 9 Oct 1609 |
| Death | 26 Jun 1666, Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts |
| Christen | 9 Apr 1610, Assington (St. Edmund’s), Suffolk, England |
| Father | Thomas FRENCH (<1584-<1639) |
| Mother | Susan RIDDLESDALE (<1584-1658) |
Misc. NotesProbably emigrated to America with her brother Thomas. Alice was dismissed from the Boston Church to Ipswich 16 Jun 1644.
| Marriage | 1 Jan 1633/34, Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts |
| Children | Sarah (1633-1700) |
| Alice (ca1636-<1696) | |
| Thomas (1637-1667) | |
| Mary (1641-1718) | |
| John (1643-1675) | |
| Samuel (1645-1719) | |
| Nathaniel (ca1646-1658) | |
| William (1649-1718) |
| 2 | Rebecca SMITH |
| Death | before 1 Jan 1634/35 |
| Father | Thomas SMITH |
| Mother | Alice |
I am an Okie
May 21, 2013
— 1 Comment
I was born in Tulsa in 1951, and although I moved to Pennsylvania when I was 4, I visited Oklahoma many times in my childhood. When the musical Oklahoma came out in 1955 I was thrilled and learned the words and music to sing ad infinitum. I was the soundtrack of some of my best years. I identified with my Oklahoma birthplace which was reinforced by frequent visits, and visiting Tulsans at our home in Pittsburgh. My parents hung out and had musical hootenannies with other petroleum engineer friends from Tulsa who had come to PA like my dad, to specialize in fracking for Gulf Oil. They brought much of their Okie lifestyle with them including Woody Guthrie, hickory chips and barbecue.
I went to Tulsa and drove all over the state a few years ago on my first ancestry discovery trip. I did feel very at home, although perhaps not in political alignment with the population. I particularly loved the grapes at the farmers market that reminded me of the grapes my grandpa grew when I was very young. While driving with my uncle to Bartlesville I asked as a joke what we do in case of a twister. He said we jump out of the car and hide in a drainage culvert. I started noticing how infrequently these culverts were there on the side of the road, and started having thoughts of vulnerability. I imagined hustling my fairly nimble but old uncle out of the car and into the ditch to save our lives and I just did not like that idea at all. I made it back and forth across Kansas and Oklahoma without incident, but did find graves and documents from my ancestors who lived through the dust bowl. I respect and admire those Boomer Sooners and pioneer petro peeps who formed the history of the Cherokee Strip and my family tree. I am sad that my fellow Okies are suffering so much natural disaster and destruction in their lives. Although I still feel the pride of being from Oklahoma, I know I could not handle living with the terror of tornadoes in my territory. I have adjusted to wildfires and floods here in Arizona as my natural disasters of choice. I wish the state of my birth a full and speedy recovery.
Athlete Archetype
May 20, 2013
— 2 Comments
At the crossroads of sports performance and fitness training is a special intersection of interest and comparison. We compete with ourselves in many sports. Team sports have an extra dynamic, but freestyle sports played or performed by individuals offer a chance to bend the meaning of sports and scoring. Winter and summer X games are good examples of these evolving sports and athletes. Tricks and styles evolve each year to new heights and dangers. Extreme sports involve heavy risks, so most folks prefer to watch as fans. Others find sponsors and spend all their time in training or competition. What is the healthiest blend of training, practice, participation, and admiration of others? What is the best way to avoid injury and stay fit while playing or competing?
I believe prehabilitaion is important, mentally and physically. Life requires variety, balance, flexibility, and range of motion. In a healthy athletic training routine personal willpower and strength of spirit are the qualities we admire and aspire to reflect. The athlete archetype is the symbol of transcending limits. Physical limits, including handicaps, are frequently overcome in Special Olympics and Senior Olympics through training and competition. Expectations that build esteem for the whole sport and all the players are the healthiest. Entitlement, either to cheat or misuse athletic ability for selfish ends, is the shadow aspect of this archetype. Winning at all costs, taking power over others, flexing strength beyond games and into inappropriate settings is the activity of the bully, shadow athlete. Football thugs in Europe display this kind of trashy sportsmanship. The false sense of invulnerability and entitlement that lives on the dark side of competition is the enemy of good health and balance. Games are played on and off the field and the clock. All or none, win or loose mentality does not belong in every aspect of life. Check your inner athlete, and how your games are played to learn more about your own beliefs about winning, loosing, and dedication.
Rev.-Capt William Perkins, 9th Great Grandfather
May 19, 2013
— 4 Comments
Perkins coat of arms
William Perkins was born in England, educated at Cambridge, and moved to New England in 1632. He served in the military and taught school after arrival. He was a very well educated man.
1. Rev.-Capt. William Perkins, son of William Perkins Merchant Taylor and Catharine Unknown, was
born on 25 Aug 1607, was christened in All Hallows, Bread Street, London, Eng., and died on 21 May 1682 in
Topsfield, MA at age 74.
General Notes: Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: immigrants to New England
1620-1633, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 1995, Three volumes.
From George Walter Chamberlain, History of Weymouth, Boston, 1923.
“Capt. William Perkins, the first schoolmaster of which there is any record, was voted ?10 for six months
schoohng, 10 Mar. 1651 (Weymouth Town Records.) He entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, as a
pensioner at Michaelmas Term, 1625; afterwards immigrated to Christ’s College from which he
graduated, A.B., at lent term, 1627-28.
“He was son of William Perkins, a merchant tailor, of London, and was born 25 Aug. 1607, and came
in the ship William and Francis, leaving London, 7 Mar. 1631-32. This ship arrived at Boston, 5 June,
1632. (Drake’s, The Foumders of New England, 11.) He was made a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay
Colony, 3 Sept. 1634. He married at Roxbury, 30 Aug. 1636, Elizabeth Wootton, and removed to
Weymouth in 1643, where he resided till 1652, when he removed to Gloucester, and in 1655 to
Topsfield. He became the first munister of the latter place. He was deputy from Weymout in 1644 and
Captain there in 1645. He died at Topsfield, 21 May, 1682, aged 75 years.
“The General Court entered the following record on 7 Oct. 1641: ‘Mr. Willi Perkins, for his fathers
50, is granted 400 acres of land.’ (Massachusetts Bay Colony Records, 1:338.) He was to ‘have power to
end small causes at Waymoth,’ 29 May, 1644, and again, 14 May, 1645. (Ibid. 2: 73, 97.) He was a
deputy at the General Court, 29 May, 1644, and was called ‘Lieut. Wm. Perkms’ (Ibid. 66) and ‘Capt.,’ 4
Nov. 1746 (Ibid. 184.).”
——————–
William Perkins, 1607-82, A Study, The Essex Genealogist, vol 3, pp 65-76, May 1983, iss.2
William Perkins (1607 – 1682)
is my 9th great grandfather
daughter of William Perkins
daughter of Sarah Perkins
son of Mercy Bradstreet
daughter of Caleb Hazen
daughter of Mercy Hazen
son of Martha Mead
son of Abner Morse
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
son of Jason A Morse
son of Ernest Abner Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse
We know from the Cambridge Alumni association that he was a preacher and a teacher:
Adm. at EMMANUEL, 1624. S. of William, merchant tailor, of London. B. there, Aug. 25, 1607. Schools, London and Colchester (Mr Danes). Matric. Michs. 1625. Migrated to Christ’s, Nov. 15, 1626. B.A. 1627-8. Went to New England, 1632. Resided at Roxbury, Mass., adm. a freeman of the Massachusetts Colony, 1634. Moved to Weymouth, Mass., 1643. Sent as deputy to the General Court, 1644; lieutenant, 1644, and captain, 1645, of the local military company; served as schoolmaster and preached occasionally. Removed to Gloucester, Mass., and taught school there, 1651-5. Retired to Topsfield, Mass., 1655. Died there, May 21, 1682. (Peile, I. 378; J. G. Bartlett.)
Faith in Institutions
May 18, 2013
— 6 Comments
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- church in Plymouth
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- graves in Plymouth
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- Pilgrim
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- Wampanoag woman
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- cannons above church Plymouth
The 40th anniversary of the Watergate investigation is a national watershed moment. Credibility has been destroyed in all American political and religious institutions during those 40 years. The population forced to pay for the corrupt system has lost the belief that government works in their best interests. Religious institutions have been exposed and now have lower status and less respect. When I voted to end the war in Viet Nam the situation was known as “The Generation Gap”, as if this was the first, last ,and only generation so violently opposed to the politics and lifestyle of the previous. I suspect that each generation has a gap of various depth and breadth to be digested by the course of history. After my parents were dead I became interested in my ancestry. This study has shown me the drastic, religious and political beliefs of their ancestors. My father’s side is full of teachers, and my mother’s is full of preachers.
Tracing a spiritual and political timeline of my ancestors has shown me that rebellion was frequent and sometimes drastic. My ancestors rebelled against religious and political institutions by moving to America in the 1600’s. The entire protestant reformation was an act of rejecting an overly powerful Catholic church to become more pure. After crossing the Atlantic for religious freedom my ancestors founded and preserved institutions in the colonies. Other members of my family firmly rejected the Puritan way of life, setting out to live free in new territories rather than submit to the religious fascism of the Pilgrim fathers. The Wampanoag branch of my family tried hard to wipe out the British presence for good during King Philip’s War. I had family members in the military on both sides of the Civil War, when that happened. There may have been a few settled, stationary generations, but when I look at the ethical will of my ancestors they were generally busy rebelling and rejecting institutions as much as they were preserving them. A dynamic historical tension can be found in the cultural traditions of my ancestors. This explains why my parents were so crazy. It was imperative to reject the beliefs they embodied. It probably also explains why my own generation’s traditions and habits need a vigorous review. Generation gaps are forever. Barry Goldwater is fully dead, and only a faint glimmer of the military industrial complex as our worst internal nightmare has been superseded by the much freakier medical pharmaceutical complex. We have a new fall of civilization to manage now.
Robert Boyd, 16th Great Grandfather
May 17, 2013
— 2 Comments
Alnwick Castle
My 16th great grandfather was born into a fancy Scottish family. Politics, diplomacy and treason were part of life in Scotland under King James III:
Robert Boyd (d.c.1470) Lord Boyd, was a Scottish Statesman.
A son of Sir Thomas Boyd (d. 1439), Robert Boyd belonged to an old distinguished family, of which one earlier Sir Robert Boyd, had fought with Sir William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.
Created Lord Boyd in 1454, he was one of the Regents during the minority of King James III, in 1460. He conspired with his brother, Sir Alexander Boyd, and obtained possession of the King’s person in 1466 and was made by Act of Parliament sole Governor of the Realm.
He negotiated the marraige between James and Margaret of Norway in 1469 and secured with it the cession of the Orkney Islands by Norway. He was appointed Great Chamberlain for life, and Lord Justice General in 1467.
Conflict broke out between the King and Boyd family. Robert, and his son Thomas Boyd, 1st Earl of Arran (who was married to Princess Mary), were out of the country involved in diplomatic activities when their regime was overthrown. Robert, 1st Lord Boyd was pronounced guilty of treason and fled firstly to Alnwick, Northumberland. His brother and assistant, Sir Alexander Boyd, was captured and beheaded on November 22, 1469.
Robert 1st Lord Boyd fought in the English service in the French wars, and died in exile.
He married Mariotta, daughter of Sir John Maxwell of Calderwood, and had numerous issue. One of his daughters, Elizabeth, married Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus.
Robert Boyd (1425 – 1470)
is my 16th great grandfather
daughter of Robert Boyd
son of Annabella Boyd
daughter of Robert Lord Gordon
daughter of Catherine Gordon
son of Lady Elizabeth Ashton
son of Capt Roger Dudley
daughter of Gov Thomas Dudley
son of Anne Dudley
daughter of John Bradstreet
son of Mercy Bradstreet
daughter of Caleb Hazen
daughter of Mercy Hazen
son of Martha Mead
son of Abner Morse
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
son of Jason A Morse
son of Ernest Abner Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse
Lord Boyd conspired with his brother, Sir Alexander Boyd, and obtained possession of the young King’s person in 1466 and was made by Act of Parliament sole Governor of the Realm; and Great Chamberlain for life, and Lord Justice General in 1467.[4] Early in that year he procured the marriage of his eldest son, Thomas, (created Earl of Arran for that occasion) with Mary, elder sister of James III, which aroused the jealousy of the other nobles[1] and made his eventual downfall inevitable since the King regarded the marriage as an unforgivable insult.
Lord Boyd obtained the cession of the Orkney Islands to Scotland, 8 September 1468, from Christian I, King of Norway, for whose daughter Margaret, he negotiated a marriage with James III. While absent for that purpose he and his son Thomas (the Earl of Arran) and his brother (and coadjutor) Sir Alexander Boyd, were attainted for high treason, whereby his peerage became forfeited. He was living Easter 1480/1, and died before October 1482, it is said, at Alnwick in Northumberland where he had fled in 1469.[1]
James III’s biographer sums Boyd up as an unscrupulous political gambler and an inveterate optimist. To forcibly assume guardianship of an underage King was, indeed, a familiar path to power in mediaeval Scotland, but it was also a dangerous path. Boyd underestimated the dangers, overestimated his support, and made the fatal mistake of marrying his son to the King’s sister, an insult the King would not forgive.[5]
FamilyRobert Boyd belonged to an old and distinguished family, of which one earlier Sir Robert Boyd, had fought with Sir William Wallace and Robert The Bruce.[4] He was the son and heir of Sir Thomas Boyd of Kilmarnock (died 9 July 1439).[1] Robert married Mariot (or Janet), daughter of Sir Robert Maxwell of Calderwood. She died after 25 June 1472, apparently early in 1473.[1] They had three sons:[6]
- Thomas, Earl of Arran, was in Denmark when his father was overthrown. However, he fulfilled his mission, that of bringing the king’s bride, Margaret, to Scotland, and then, warned by his wife, escaped to the continent of Europe. He is mentioned very eulogistically in one of the Paston Letters, but practically nothing is known of his subsequent history.[4]
- Alexander, who became head of the family after the death of James, the son of his elder brother Thomas.
- Archibald of Nariston, and afterwards in Bonshaw. Archibald is recorded as being of Nariston in 1472, but it appears that there was a question over his right to the property and he had lost possession by 1500. In 1502 Archibald and his wife Christian Mure had a lease of Bonschaw and Dririg. He was dead before 4 May 1507, when Christian Mure, his widow, and her sons, paid a year’s rent on taking over the lease. She was living 28 January 1523. They appear to have had two sons and’ three daughters.[6]
[ edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Cokayne 1912, p. 260.
- ^ Paul, James Balfour, ed., “The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland A.D. 1424-1513, Edinburgh (1882), p. 126
- ^ Shaw, M.S., W.S., Ed., “Some Family Papers of the Hunters of Hunterston”, Edinburgh (1925), pp. 3-4
- ^ a b c Hugh 1911, p. 353.
- ^ MacDougall, Norman James III Revised edition John Donald Edinburgh 2009
- ^ a b Balfour 1904, pp. 145,146.
Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). “Boyd, Robert Boyd”. Encyclopædia Britannica. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 353,354. http://www.archive.org/stream/encyclopaediabri04chisrich#page/353/mode/1up.- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Cokayne, George Edward, ed. (1912). Complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct or dormant (Bass to Canning). 2. London: The St. Catherine Press, ltd.. pp. 260,261. http://www.archive.org/details/completepeerageo02coka.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Balfour, Paul, James (1904). The Scots peerage; founded on Wood’s edition of Sir Robert Douglas’s peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom. 5. Edinburgh: D. Douglas. pp. 145,146.
Peerage of ScotlandPre ceded byNew Creation Lord Boyd1454–1482Succeeded byJames Boyd
Communication Loop
May 16, 2013
— 4 Comments
Butterfly convo
“The single biggest problem in communication
is the illusion that it has taken place.” GB Shaw
Are you in communities? Are you a leader? Do you create valuable content? Does the internet make you compulsive and lonely? I have read several posts lately about the brains of depressed people, and the effects of loneliness on health. It appears that insomnia, which seems to afflict most Americans now, can be a result of altered and damaged circadian rhythms. Depression makes the day/night self timer malfunction. Isolation from live social contact proves to be as damaging to overall health as smoking or obesity. It destroys the self monitoring abilities we learned in elementary school to survive in a social world. Now that social order has been redefined, healthy relationships are less likely to evolve. Human lovingkindness is essential for mental and physical health and well being.
Time spent with screens is not without merit, but if life is to be lived fully screen time has to be secondary to real human interaction. Screen communication increases the chances of faulty assumptions on everyone’s part. We normally present ourselves in the best light possible, keeping the shadow issues away from the public forums. We know others must edit along the same favorable lines to give a spin on their life and times that makes them appealing. How much noise is generated and how much valuable exchange? The answer is never final. It is a mix of magical electronic connections and spammy, even dangerous, invasions of privacy. Caveat emptor, gentle reader. The internet is what you make of it.
Michael Dalzell for Shiatsu
May 16, 2013
— 3 Comments
Michael Dalzell
Yesterday I returned to Supportive Care for Healing at the U of A Cancer Center where I am the substitute client for last minute cancellations. I look at the rotating offers I get as sort of a Zen oracle of healing. All of the therapists are very talented, and the room is spacious and comfortable. I go when I can, and always feel good as a result. Since shiatsu is an offering that just did not come up for me on the zen cancellation calendar, I decided to book an appointment in advance to try the work of Michael Dalzell. My neighbor Mindy told me how much she enjoyed her treatment with him, so onto the table I went. It was an excellent call. The stretching movements not only loosened me from within, some kinks that had developed while driving, flying, and traveling for two weeks departed. I am now loose as a goose and ready to put the finishing touches on the summer garden this weekend. Michael does all his work at cancer centers around Tucson because he finds it very rewarding to help this population. The benefits are well documented for patients undergoing heavy radiation and chemo treatments. He sees a lot of success using shiastsu as a healing modality. I am going back next week for two hours. If you want to schedule a treatment with him or the other fine therapists at Supportive Care for Healing call the super helpful volunteer desk at 520-694-1812. They will so hook you up.
Tucson Farm Report
May 15, 2013
— 2 Comments
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- baby grapefruit
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- loaded peach tree
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- pole beans
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- flat leaf parsley
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- apricots
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- basil and marjoram
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- Lakota squash
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- cherry tomatoes
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- globe artichokes
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- Mr Stripey tomato
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- Jerusalem artichokes and honeysuckle
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- hollyhock
My garden grows more important to me all the time. Growing fruit trees and grape vines is satisfying and tricky too. We have to keep the birds and pests from consuming too many of the products. This year we are lucky with a big peach crop. They are tiny, cling peaches you can pop right into your mouth in one bite. Leaving them on the tree to ripen fully makes for a very full flavored peach. They are getting ripe this week, and I plan to get more than the birds. We are eating and sharing globe artichokes now, and starting to have ripe tomatoes. We make and drink lots of tea and flower essences. The herbs are used for baths, cooking, and tea mixtures. The Lakota squash might be a healthy crop, but it and the Jerusalem artichokes are new crops for us this season. So far, everything looks happy and healthy.
Music, A Family Tradition
May 14, 2013
— 2 Comments
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- Kripalu
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- radiance
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- with dad
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- with harmonium
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- with student
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- parting with group
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- mom and daughter
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- turbans
Music is part of many spiritual practices and worship ceremonies. Musical exposure at an early age is a gift. If parents appreciate and play music for a child, singing and dance will be a natural part of life. In my household folk music and piano rolls were always being played and sung during my childhood. I played classical music on the piano, but I absorbed American and English folk music from my parents, who invited friends over to play and sing music. The Moore-Khalsa home is full of musical talent and knowledge, but of a different sort. They are more meditative and prayerful ,kind of musical monks. They harmonize well together, making a joyful noise.
We were given an added treat during the Thomas Moore weekend at Kripalu recently. His wife and daughter gave a special evening program on Saturday night. The Kundalini yoga session was directed by Hari Kirin Kaur Khalsa, Tom’s wife. The musical accompaniment was done by their daughter , Ajeet Kaur, and her band. I sat myself right next to the musicians for max vibrations during the demonstration. Drum, guitar and harmonium formed the instrumental background for chants. Sanskrit mantras were used. These chants have specific meaning and results when repeated. One specific breathing and mantra round was taught to combat insomnia. I sleep well normally, but had a profoundly deep sleep that night. I felt the results of the chanting and movement in my body and mind. Ajeet’s clear sweet voice carried the group into focused concentration. The twin brothers who played guitar and drum were also accomplished and well rehearsed in this music. The total package was a pleasant and instructive voyage into the technique of Kundalini yoga. The people in our class all reported a positive experience. It was fun to be included as her talented parents encourage her musical career by working with her. She has recorded a CD with her band and is setting out to soothe the planet with her musical talent. Our group was lucky to meet her as she sets out on this adventure.
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