Sunday, April 1, we gathered to celebrate Solomon’s life and wish him God-Speed into his new adventures beyond this physical life. So many friends and family filled Angelico Hall, at Dominican in San Rafael. Here I offer my speech, and will post a gorgeous musical tribute by the two Terrys – Terry Riley on piano, and Solomon’s Terry-Dad, Terry Haggerty on guitar. These two musical masters had never played together before this tribute to Solomon.
It is good to be here with all of you, here to celebrate Solomon.
When Shabda and I were in our late twenties we met Joe and Guin Miller. These amazing elders were real Godparents. They led a walk in Golden Gate Park every week. On holidays there were sometimes more than a hundred people walking from the Hall of Flowers to the ocean. I used to meet with Guin and a group of young women she invited to her apartment above the Theosophical Lodge in SF – some of you have been there – and she would play the piano for us, then we would talk and eat cake. Once I got up the courage to ask her about how it really was for her to have lost her son in the war. Her boy and Shabda had the same birthday. She was quiet for a minute, then said, He’s still with me. She was smiling. I didn’t get it. I thought she was hiding some terrible grief. Now I understand.
When Solomon was just a week old, Joe Miller gave me a large ring for him. When he was grown, I tried giving it to him several times but he said – You keep it, Mom. (He didn’t wear rings). That ring was set with a Mariam Stone, from the formation of the Himalayas, an alchemist’s stone which allows the wearer to “keep cool under pressure and allows him to transform grave, even hopeless situations into creative and positive ones!” I wear it now.
When Solomon turned eleven, and my Uncle Willy, Senator Bill Proxmire had served in the Senate for 29 years, Shabda, Solomon, and I went to Washington DC for a visit. Imagine this: Solomon and his father sitting in the Senate dining room each dressed in suit and tie. The great liberal Teddy Kennedy stopped by the table. So did extremely conservative Jessie Helms, who nodded to us and turned to Solomon – who somehow managed to really look like a small-sized politician – and said, “Well, you look like a fine young man,” then reached out and shook Solomon’s hand. Solomon had the uncanny ability to be at the energetic pitch, and fit in wherever he found himself. After he left, my uncle leaned toward his great nephew and said: “He’s one of the bad guys!”
What a lucky mother I am to be invited to Burningman with both Ammon and Solomon 5 times! In 2003, Ean Golden took me and my good friend Wendy Carlisle in the open top bus where he DJ’d the night-time cruise. Way out on the playa stood a gigantic Steel frame that held five rectangular rock slabs – each supporting ten or more people – that swung gently from chains. That evening a sizable crowd filled the space below. As our bus slowly approached that lit-up scene we heard the beats, tum tum tum, tum, then the sound of Solomon’s music over an enormous speaker system grew louder. There he was, at the turntable, spinning in the portable playa DJ studio, making people happy. What a party! How many moms get to do that?
In 2004, while traveling and working in Europe, his curiosity lead him to search for the Jewish Cemetery near Cologne, Germany. Finding it locked, he leapt the fence, found and photographed the tombstone of his namesake Solomon Solomon, his great-great grandfather; the beloved patriarch of a family that no longer existed in Germany.
He took me to see the film Scratch, when it first came out. He explained about the DJ genre and the legendary Philippine scratch-masters. So when he gave me a photo of himself with Mix-Master Mike at the Warriors game, I framed it and put it on the wall. A few months later we had our house painted, and a surly painter stopped in his tracks and asked me, who is the guy with Mix-Master Mike? That’s my son, I told him. I wish you’d seen his face! He was really nice to me for the rest of the job.
One afternoon, when Shabda was traveling, Solomon called and asked if he and Nicole could pick me up and take me to GunBun Winery then out to dinner in Sonoma. That wine-country estate goes back to 1858! Solomon introduced me to the owner, who seemed to be really glad to see my son. What an afternoon! The ride through the wine country with Solomon and Nicole in his then white Audi, with new mixes he wanted to share, followed by dinner at The Girl and the Fig on the Square. Much laughter and fun ––even with his mom. That was Solomon.
Then there was Las Vegas. He got me compt’d a pool-side room in the Hard Rock Hotel, where he and Chris Clouse played a dinner set on Tursdays. At 1AM he was to play the Taboo Room in the MGM Grande. I had my friend Palden with me and we took a cab. The lobby is enormous. There was a pounding beat, and a long line to get in. I addressed the bored looking Hollywood-type who held a clip board at the door. I’m DJ Solomon’s Mom! I shouted. He looked at me deadpan, took in the dreads, my age, my clothing. Then he said: Well, that’s a first! And stamped my hand and hers. We went in and waited for Solomon. Soon, I saw him. He arrived and connected his computer to the sound system and began, no introduction, and no more than 6 seconds between the exiting DJ’s last tune and his first––– all without slowing down the momentum – I understood. DJ Solomon would be just fine doing what he did. He was a consummate professional, a star.
When Solomon cruised, he often took me with him, now it’s my turn to take him along. I recently wrote down these words:
Take me with you, Mom, into your life, and what you do. Let me bring the balance and glide of boarding into the continual challenge of your everyday life. And please keep loving Nicole….. Thank you. <> <> <>
New post of Youtube Shabda, Tamam and Chris Clouse at the memorial: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvdSk-PKNs0>
Nicole’s speech came next. Here are some excerpts: Solomon did not want to leave us grieving too long — let’s respect him that way.
Let’s let Solomon continue to be a source of happiness, energy, love and compassion.
Let’s continue to be enriched by his life, not diminished by his passing… Let’s try to make Solomon’s way of being our way of being…
Mirabai said:
What an exquisite tribute to an extraordinary man, and a rare mother-son relationship. I am not so worried about you, Tamam. You have flown through years of the grief process in weeks. I am in awe, and I bow to you. Such grace.
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Tea-mahm said:
Thank you Mirabai – sister! It was a beautiful celebration. I’d love to talk soon. Warmly, Tamam
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katehenke said:
I am so happy I attended the memorial. I didn’t really have an opportunity to know Solomon, but got a solid glimpse of this extraordinary human being that you so generously shared with the world. Lovely to see that you and Shabda gracefully traversing grief and now residing in the positive side, full of gratitude and love. The whole experience was touching, inspiring and uplifting. Thank you for showing, so sweetly, your hearts! Quite a blessing!
Rahima
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Tea-mahm said:
So glad you were there! I will carry the beauty of this day with me….. love, Tm
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Jack Thompson said:
Thank you Tamam, for posting this. Lena and I had so badly wanted to be there. We had planned on driving down Saturday, but I had the crud/sore throat thing pretty bad,so we stayed put. Blessings to you and Shabda and the DJ/dance community. Much Love, Jack and Lena
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Tea-mahm said:
Thanks, dear Friends… love, Tamam
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Quan Yin Lynne Williams said:
Thank you so much for sharing so much of Solomon and his story with us. Indeed, “joy in a life well-lived”. I wish I could have been there for the celebration. Your open sharing and love and happiness, shared and multiplied, creates the tears of love I have right now. For you and Shabda, and with you and Shabda. Love Quan Yin
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Jenna and Cholo said:
Thank you Tamam for your post. Cholo and I were thinking of you all, and especially Sol all day. I’m sorry we couldn’t be there but we hope to make a trip to see Nicole soon. Your great positivity is a big inspiration to us. We will honor Solomon with happy thoughts of memories of the fun times we had with him.
Much love to you all from your friends from the north.
Jenna and Cholo
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Jenny Dowd said:
what a beautiful journey i just went on with you, and your adventures with solomon…i met nicole when she was a baby ~ i am just getting to know solomon ~ living on within all of you who love him.
tamam, your writing is vivid and tender… thank you for the last, my favorite :
Take me with you, Mom, into your life, and what you do. Let me bring the balance and glide of boarding into the continual challenge of your everyday life. And please keep loving Nicole….. Thank you.
nicole is so easy to love ~
and thank you!
~ jenny
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Tea-mahm said:
Keep on loving those close to you… Thanks for the good words, Jenny, T’m
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Zubin Nur said:
Thank you for sharing Beloved Tamam, tears roll down these cheeks and joy and gratitude fill the heart. THANK YOU, love you, ZubinNur
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Tea-mahm said:
I feel your loving support! T’m
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Minhoi said:
It was a beautiful day celebrating Solomon’s life, bringing a sense of completion.
Tamam, you were so radiant and full of grace up on that stage!
Thank you for gathering us all together, a true gift.
I am grateful to have been part of this unique experience… being there to listen to the wise speeches shared by you all was deeply profound. For me the stories shed more light onto the life of Solomon; they truly amplified what an incredible human being he was.
I feel honored he has been my son greatest friend and will always be.
We will never forget his role of guardian angel…
So much love to you & Shabda,
Minhoi
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Tea-mahm said:
Our families are linked in love! T’m
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Richard tillinghast said:
Tamam,
I am very moved by your tribute to Solomon, and yes, a few tears came as i was reading. I am so sorry you lost him. But what you said about carrying him with you means a lot to me, and makes me understand that I will want to start carrying my mother and father with me consciously on these last years of the journey. Lots of love, Richard (Jamshed)
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Tea-mahm said:
Thanks Richard. Love and ease to you, T’m
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Isa Foulk (Haggerty) said:
Beloved Tamam and Shabda, Ammon and Nicole,
The beauty of your souls light that carried Solomon and his love radiated out to all of us. No words can say, but the hearts joined that day said
it all. My deepest respect and love, Isa
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Tea-mahm said:
Wonderful to have you and your family — our family — with us! love, Tamam
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Antonia Minnecola said:
My sweet sister, Thank you so much for posting the words that filled everyone’s hearts with so much love, light and awe. I have read and re-read, keep gazing at beautiful Nicole and beautiful Solomon and listened again to the music which hit me right at the center of my being when the two Terry’s played. You are radiance, you do ‘teach the torches to burn bright.’ Hug Shabda for me, see you soon, -toni
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Tea-mahm said:
Thanks Toni for all you have given us! Beautiful words!!! love, T’m
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Dechen Mary Groode said:
Aloha Tamam,
Thank you so much for posting your beautiful words honoring your beautiful son…they touched me deeply. The musical tribute was wonderful, too.
So much love to you, Shabda, Nicole, Ammon, Laura & Oona.
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Sara Morgan said:
Dearest Tamam & Shabda,
The wisdom, grace & grandeur you have brought to this most heart-breaking dream is a profoundly generous gift. I bow to your wisdom embodiments & inspiration.
Recently I was in India, and at Hazrat Inayat Khan’s grave, procured a copy of the Arabic words of his headstone, which, now in Maroc, Hamza & Nora have translated, as for decades I have wondered about their meaning. The main line is an oft repeated line from Quran: roughly rendered: “Do not despair of the Mercy of God”.
It may take time to know fully the Mercy of this event, perhaps the greatest test any parent could be asked to bear. Yet already you are lifting us all beyond the bonds of death and generously sharing your swift turnings on this Path with us.
I am but one of the many many golden threads of so so many friends, seen &unseen, woven into an unseen blanket wishing to hold you gently & with great love, thru this time. And simultaneously thanking you for modeling for us all, a way of Being, in whatever circumstances life brings, that walks the talk we all share, with impeccable honesty, and true majesty.
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Sophia/Katherine Jensen said:
Thank you, Tamam. I sat in the balcony during Solomon’s celebration, listening to each of you, so over-flowing with love and music, cherishing this incredible being who came through your body and into our lives, so inspired by father and mother, his beloved, his brother, friends and family and the constant flow of inspired mystically, magical music. I slipped away, blowing you a kiss in the moment our eyes met, wanting you and everyone whose life has been touched by this being you call your son, to know I am grateful for all you have given, forever grateful. I’m glad Ammon read the Desiderata. “no doubt, the universe is unfolding as it should,” is the mantra I use to get through the impossible. Now, I also have Solomon’s celebration, which was, indeed, incredible, an inspiration for an inspiring soul. Love to you all. Sophia/K
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Tea-mahm said:
Thank you Sophia!
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Michael Gest said:
Solomon still lives
In my heart and yours
Our blood carries memories,
our joy & tears speak our words
Child of magic
Beauty, harmony and touch
Many in many ways
how we miss you so much
Big life,big world and deep heartful breath
Not shallow but including
This life has no death
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Tea-mahm said:
Thanks Michael… no death. Yes!
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