Thomas Orr Anderson

The first word I spoke as an infant was “tik-tok" and my second word was "clock." Conceived and born in the Olympic National Rainforest, I was welcomed into a family life filled with Nature, music, science, mathematics, philosophy, exercise, and lots of delicious natural foods. In my early school days, I was both Blessed and cursed by the ease with which I handled most academic demands, particularly math and science. The rigors of my schooling were not sufficient to harness my creative energy… which inevitably flowed into rebellion of all sorts. Quite fortunately however, this tendency to deconstruct any box in which I found myself eventually reached useful outlets. Particularly, it was under the guidance of two very strict healing teachers… one a Zen master herbalist and the other a Qi Gong master… that my rebellious creativity found genuinely beneficial expression. Under their close guidance, I began devotedly rebelling against the only authority to which I was genuinely subject… my “self.” After four years of university study in engineering and physics, I quit school and rid myself of belongings, other than some basic camping gear and a didjeridu. I set out for Hawaii to be an apprentice of Zen teacher, Dr. Cayenne. On the day I arrived, he told me to sit and wait for him. After many long hours of uncomfortable expectation, he at last revealed that I had in fact already received his final lesson for me. He said… “ I have nothing more to teach you. Be on your way.” After providing a few basic instructions on how to live, he kicked me out into the jungle where, for the first time in my life, I fell totally flat. Having lost everything that seemed so central to me… school, my girlfriend, my band, my belongings, the support of my family… and most critically, my teacher… I felt that there was only one reasonable choice. I went into the jungle and made a clumsy attempt to live off the land. I believed that, whether long or short, my life would be lived out alone in Nature. How romantic it then sounded… but how horrible the next few months surely were. During those frightening, painful, and depressing months, I explored what “I am” in great detail. As meditations took me ever deeper into my “self,” I continually uncovered only facade upon facade. I discovered that my so-called self is like the pit of an onion… suggested by every layer of skin but nowhere to be found. Exploring each facade of identity, I discovered ever more clearly that none of the layers, not one, was worth keeping. Each layer, no matter how attractive its patterns might at first appear, would eventually reveal its deceptive roots… each layer but a wisp of smoke offering nothing True upon which to lean. I was genuinely lost in most every sense of the word. Not only was my external life in total shambles as I fought infections and mosquito swarms, but my inner world was in far worse condition. I had neither goals nor values. All I could discover within were endless webs of meaningless shadowy reflections… fleeting forms in which I could find nowhere to rest my head. That I would soon die became a certainty and day by day, I began to welcome death with ever more open arms. On one day it was the sea, on another it was infected wounds, and on another it was gangs of violent "locals." One way or another, my destiny was soon to come. My death however came in a form far different than I had expected. I encountered no death of my body, but a death of all that I had taken for granted. The very way that I perceived the world was reborn. This rebirth was neither exotic nor spectacular, but rather quite plain and simple. It came in a dream. I had been grappling with the three directions in which my life seemed to be pulling me: music, science, and healing. These paths, as best I could tell, were mutually exclusive; to follow one was to sacrifice the others. I was being torn apart by the tension in these three directions… and at last I was dismantled by the incessant forces. What remained was only the simplest of essences… Unity itself. In my dream, I saw clearly that these paths are in fact one. I also saw clearly that the one path was indeed my path and that it could be identified by its leading ever in the direction of that which I LOVE. That path was indeed to follow my bliss… but not the bliss of selfishness. Rather, this path of bliss is one of service and can be recognized precisely by the benefits bestowed upon others by its being followed. To do what one genuinely LOVEs, and to do so for the benefit of others… such was the Unity I met in my dream. Since that fateful day, my life path has been quite consistent and clear. I surely meet with struggles and difficulties just as any other who walks on this Earth… but I continually do so in the context of one clear piece of knowledge… that All-That-Is is intimately and infinitely interconnected… that my role, my path, is precisely my identity… and that each step appears before me precisely as needed, despite the trail ahead being hidden in shadow. After that dream, I returned to the mainland and completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Physics under the direct personal guidance of renowned holographic physicist, H.J. Caulfield. His generous instructions in the most interesting fields of science… holography, fractals and chaos, neural networks, artificial intelligence, information theory and quantum mechanics… continually guide me to this day. More importantly however, his instructions toward conceiving the world with genuine Honesty are among the greatest Gifts I have ever received. Since completing my University studies in 2005, I have continued to pursue music, science, and healing… but not as separate fields. In these I find not only a unified personal life path, but also a means by which to Honestly engage with the Beautiful Life that pervades All. It is in this Light that I write, teach, compose and perform. If indeed you enjoy what I share, I am Humbled thereby… and surely Grateful. However, I must clarify that I can take no genuine credit for any of it… just as an Honest surfer takes none for a wave… as every surfer is a wake. Please reach out to me and if you like my books, please share them far and wide. May my creations reach those for whom they are intended. Yours truly, Thomas Orr Anderson Learn more about my Sound Science at PhiSonics.com Learn more about my music at SiriusColors.com Follow my podcast on iTunes or SoundCloud: The Art & Science of Sound Healing Follow my writing and find links to all of the above at: ThomasOrrAnderson.com