Eckankar ,The Justified Ancients of Mu and Spiritual Protection
Part 1 - Eckankar & The Justified ancient of Mu
When I was offered a role as a “counsellor” on a summer camp "
Camp Kiwago" at
Bear Mountain for children from homeless families of New York city, I was excited and a little uncertain what to expect.
This was to be my first experience of living and working in a foreign country however some of my experiences were stranger than others.
During the twelve weeks I worked on camp I was to have many rewarding and happy times with the children and other camp workers. However I also experienced some problems. I was initially somewhat surprised at how different my own culture was to those of the children and co-counsellors I was working with. Granted I did not have a language barrier to contend with but in those first few weeks there were moments when I felt quite isolated.
It was the early nineties and I was fresh out of university. The few cassettes I had packed in my bag were acid house and rave music which was all the rage at the time in London. Unbeknown to me House music in New York was considered by most the preserve of the gay scene whereas Hip Hop R&B was the music of the black community . Rock & Pop were the styles mostly consumed by white audiences. American music markets were far more segregated along racial lines than in Britain.
Added to this my hair at the time was dyed blonde much like one my favourite DJ’s “
Mr C” of the Shamen. Some of my peers on camp put 2 and 2 together and made 5 concluding I was homosexual. This misjudgement was compounded by the fact I had been given a book of Celtic artwork by my parents the previous Christmas and was in the habit of doodling what I considered tribal designs. However some of my colleagues had the mistaken impression I was actually voodoo practitioner who listened to voodoo music, even they realised my acid house tapes were not your typical New York house.
As rumours of ”my sexuality” spread across camp while most of the staff kept their distance others ostracised me. Two members of staff the camp caretaker and his wife the dance teacher (who were themselves viewed with some suspicion) made efforts to befriend me.
As it transpired they were members of a religious group known as “Eckankar” (perceived by some as a religious cult) They explained that Eckankar was known as the religion of the light and sound of God (Eck being a term for the Holy Spirit ) Eckankar's spiritual teachings apparently had an ancient lineage. (Although they seem to have borrowed heavily from the Satsang movement.) Eckankar they explained was led by the living
Eck Master who taught them methods of spiritual cultivation. Experienced Eckist’s practised “Soul Travel”. While asleep their souls would travel to golden temples where they would be instructed by masters both alive and dead. Eckist’s kept dream diaries and owould receive notice of their graduation in the post following a meeting with the Eck Master in a dream. The most simple Eck
dream yoga practise was to chant “
Hu” as a love song God.
I took their religious beliefs with a pinch of salt As I was somewhat aware of the activities of religious cults but was happy of their friendly disposition.
Some days after I had been introduced to their beliefs it was my day to host the camp radio station. There was some expectation around this event as most were aware I would not be playing the usually “R Kelly Naz and Wu Tang mix that was popular that summer.
I decided to wake the campers that morning with music by "
The KLF” also known as "
The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu" further more knowns as "
The Jams" and the lyric “Lie down on the floor and keep calm.. This is Radio Freedom” followed by a volley of gunfire and plenty Of Mu Mu’s
This I thought would hold particular appeal because as an encouragement to the kids to drink plenty of milk at breakfast their was a tradition that the first table to finish their jug of milk should make "Moo Moo" noises like a cow and be rewarded with a second Jug of milk .
There was some disagreement amongst staff as to whether this practise was counter productive due to the chaos that invariably ensued and the pressure on the younger children to drink their milk far too quickly. However kids loved it and the traditionalists had got their way.
That morning I arrived at breakfast sporting my Justified Ancients of Mu T-shirt to a chorus of "Moo Moo"
Later that afternoon two very concerned Eckist’s approached me with serious faces explaining they had need to talk to me privately. They explained that within Eckankar The religion of the light and Sound of God was ancient an ancient book of Sounds which can be thought of as the language of God some of these sounds having very powerful effect one such sound “Hu” which Eckist sing as a love song to God another word “MU” which is taught to only high level Eckist because of its destructive effects.
The Camp had unknowingly stumbled on this knowledge through the breakfast tradition of calling Moo. The disorder caused by the vibrations of the sound was evidenced in the children’s frenzied behaviour at breakfast and including the vomiting that often followed the over drinking . The Eckists explain that Lemura or Mu as it became known was in fact the lost continent of Atlantis which had fallen into the sea as a result of the vibrations caused by it inhabitants continually referring to it as Mu the Eckists explained it was important that I read some Eck books to get me up to speed ?
Part 2 - Eckankar & Spiritual protection
My new found popularity amongst the camp following my DJ slot on the radio was a relief but I was not popular with everyone.One co counsellor nicknamed "Buddha" (because he smoked allot of weed),who owned a lovely pair of Black and White Nike airs (as used in the 1st terminator film) and who was particularly homophobic, had decided gay people were not fit to work with children.
Buddha decided to use the camp custom of playing practical jokes on one another to hurt me.He procured from the hardware store some very sharp taks and embedded them in my sleeping bag, knowing it was my habit at night to jump onto my bed in my cabin without turning the light on (which would wake the kids.) I cant emphasise enough the nasty injury this would inevitably have caused me.
I later learned he had told a number of my co counsellors about his planned "prank".They were all very uncomfortable about it but out of some sense of loyalty to their "brother" couldn't be seen to grass him up.
It was at this time the camp caretaker and dance teacher who had told me about Eckankar came to me and offered me a book about spiritual protection which they suggested I read.I began reading it and inevitably reciting the protection mantra.
That evening I attended supper with everyone as was customary ,there was a very weird atmosphere and people seem awkward with me I pulled one colleagues aside and asked what is going on and he explained that afternoon , one of my colleagues "Triceptor" who was particularly popular ,due to his charisma and the fact he was a young Basket Ball player for the New York Knicks on hearing of Buddhas plan had gained the courage and gone to the camp director and informed her of Buddha's plan. Buddha had been dismissed! When I returned to my cabin all that was left of
Buddha was his Nike Airs under my bunk which were my size!
