Mysterious Pathway: Interview with GuruGanesha Singh

Spirit Voyage
Nov 12, 2020
5 min read

Updated: Feb 3

Mysterious Pathway is an anthem to the ever-present beauty of nature and a reminder of the inherent good in humanity, even in challenging times. GuruGanesha’s signature Grateful Dead-inspired guitar lays a lush bed under this song about the journey of life, reminding us that inner peace can be found at any moment if we stop, slow down, and witness the exquisite perfection in the world around us.

We had the opportunity to interview GuruGanesha to learn more about his new song, Mysterious Pathway.

What is your intention with this song?

GuruGanesha: “It is my heartfelt prayer that this new song provides hope and comfort for people, that folks can feel, through the energy of the words and music, my deeply held belief that God is a benevolent Divine intelligence living within each of us. A Divine Force that is on our side and working on our behalf 7 by 24 by 365, I can’t scientifically prove this to be the case, but my faith in its efficacy is bone-marrow deep, and I’ve also attempted to convey within the song my deep optimism that we as a human family are on the verge of something truly magnificent, a shift to where unconditional love for one another and a commitment to take care of and live for one another becomes the main intention and driving force of the majority of people on the planet.”

What is this song about?

GuruGanesha: “This new song is about the relationship of the Soul with Mother Nature. Mother Nature itself is the true Temple of the Divine. When I’m walking in the woods, or wading into the ocean waters, that in fact is when I feel closest to God!

My core belief is that we are a manifestation of pure love. We are born of love and light and we are destined to return to love and light. In between is that mysterious pathway where we come close to Source then move away again where we forget who we are, then remember, then forget again, then finally remember in the end! And of course the more love and light we bring to bear on this long strange journey, the more joyful our life becomes. My hope is that this song speaks to the times and inspires us to be guided by our better angels.”

Can you tell us about the creation of this single?

GuruGanesha: “A lot of times I just sit down, reach for my guitar and start playing exactly what I’m feeling…the hope, the despair, the sadness and the joy and love bursting from my heart. I love to chant and sing but it’s my guitar playing that is the deepest expression of my soul.”

How was the single recorded?

GuruGanesha: “What is unique about this whole track is that I never left my office, and Gurusangat (great bass player, singer, and producer) did incredible work producing the music remotely. He was sitting in his home studio in Vermont, and I was sitting here. He sent me all this gear. It took us a few hours to get us all hooked up because I am not a tech guru, and so that’s been a thrill, to be able to just roll from my bedroom down to my office here and make music.”

Can you tell us about the music video production?

GuruGanesha: “The video was produced by Andrew Misle, he is a brilliant young guy, a filmmaker and actor. I met him at men’s camp, up in western Canada, the program that Hari Singh, Siri Amrit Singh and Guru Singh have been putting on for years up there. They invited me to come and join them, play music, and there’s this epic little video at the end of Camp when we’re all waiting for the buses to take us back down to Vancouver where I just pulled out my guitar and I start jamming with about twenty five guys and Andrew was right next to me jamming and singing. I realized this guy but had a real depth, and then later on I discovered that he was quite a videographer. I started watching more of his videos and I think he really captures the moment…I love what Andrew did with the video. It’s a pure expression of joy, joyousness, a new word…”

Any other contributors to this single?

GuruGanesha: “You know, because of the quarantine, my wonderful wife and I have been playing a lot of lot more music together than we usually do, and I’m so appreciating it!

When I was writing this song, I started strumming this chord progression and started to sing the first few lines “Pavan Guru…” then I put the whole pauri to that music. Mata Mandir Kaur, who’s going to get a writing credit on this, said, no, no, I hear something special happening at the “Jinee Nam Dhiana,” and if you listen to it you’ll see this a beautiful little melody that Mata Mandir Kaur contributed.

Also Karan Khalsa, she has a way with words, she’s really a writer at heart, you know, and I think it’s going to be a great lyricist as is indicative and I said, let’s do this Karan, here’s the pauri, we need to have an English section in the song, I just really felt that was important, I said, why don’t you give yourself the artistic license to write up a poetic expression about what you’re feeling in your heart about the pauri. She sent me this back, “There are truths only the winds can whisper, while the waters tell us what our fathers say, and the Earth sings our Mother’s songs” – I have to tell you, I was really touched. Also knowing where they were coming from, you know, Karan’s soul… Which is so pure and so beautiful.”

What do you miss the most during this quarantine?

GuruGanesha: “I really love touring, getting out there and being with everybody, just sharing hugs, sharing the music, sharing our mutual love and gratitude for each other. I’m hoping that there is still some of that in store for me during this stage of my mysterious pathway, haha!”