Mindrolling – Raghu Markus – Ep. 364 – Degrees of Epiphany with David Silver

Mindrolling alumni, David Silver, rejoins to share epiphanies inspired by incredible encounters he has had with cultural icons from around the world.

From elephant parties with John Lennon, a mixtape request from Gaddafi, to his friendship with Bob Marley, to meeting Malcolm X – David’s stories are truly ones of grace, humor, compassion, & wonder.

Immediate Activist: John Lennon & The Elephant in the Room (4:58)

David Silver, pulling from his upcoming book of selected stories from his life, shares an experience he had in New York with John Lennon. It was an album release party for a band Lennon sometimes played with, called Elephants Memory. Upon arriving at the party, David saw a baby elephant put on display, shaking in fear. While David had no pull with the club owner, John Lennon instantly zoomed in on the elephant as well, displaying a compassionate use of his power by having the scared animal safely removed.

“That’s a story, and it’s about many things. It’s about being nice to animals, and sometimes being an activist instantaneously, rather than institutionally. I became an immediate animal activist because I saw some suffering.” – David Silver

For more David Silver diving into The Beatles, Karma, Bob Marley, Maharajji, Satsang, and Mindrolling, check out Ep. 1 of The Indie Spiritualist

Reggae Connections: Gaddafi Needs a Mixtape, & Marley’s Message (19:25)

Prompted by Raghu, David shares a wild story of getting a surprise call from the morally-questionable Libyan revolutionary leader, Muammar Gaddafi, requesting a specific reggae mixtape he heard on a yacht party. Then, completing the reggae connection, David describes his time spent with Bob Marley, depicting him and his music as a true and potent prophetic and shamanic vessel for Jah’s radiant message of love and oneness.

“You got this sense that [Bob Marley] truly was a vessel…He was truly a very deeply spiritual man, who was flawed like everyone, but he only performed for a purpose of vitalizing his audiences with a spirit that he felt constantly all the time.” – David Silver

David & Raghu explore music as an ally for spiritual awakening while diving into firsthand tales of Bob Marley and John Coltrane, on Ep. 3 of Mindrolling

A Life of Epiphanies: Malcolm X & Beyond (43:23)

Choosing from his myriad stories, David touches on his time in college in the 1960s when he had the opportunity to meet one of his idols, Civil Rights Leader, Malcolm X. Just when David thought he was not going to be let into the speech, Malcolm X, himself, brought him inside and sat him in in the front row for a life-changing talk. Instances of grace, synchronicity, and wisdom have highlighted David’s life, which is why he sees moments like this through the lens of epiphany, rather than autobiography.

“Epiphany is a word I bandy around in my own head because it’s such a useful, flexible word. It can mean anything from an incredible concert you went to, to having Darshan of a Master either on a physical level or the super-physical level, and everything in between.” – David Silver

For a deep and moving look into the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement, specifically, Dr. Martin Luther King, tune into Ep. 11 of Sufi Heart

    

Featured image via Peter Simon