Geoff Bridgford was one of the most important singer/songwriters in Prem Rawat's cults

Geoff Bridgford was one of the most important singer/songwriters involved in Prem Rawat's Divine Light Mission and Elan Vital cults. He was a talented song-writer and ballad singer. I have used as evidence of these claims that he wrote songs, sang and recorded them on at least 13 professionally recorded and distributed audio tapes and CDs for sale as part of One Foundation and Blue Aquarius. He performed in or had his songs used on the soundtracks of at least 8 videos or DVDs publicly distributed by Rawat's organisations. These were all productions of organisations and companies associated with Prem Rawat aka Guru Maharaj Ji aka Maharaji. His two songs on the Blue Aquarius album, "God Is Love" and "At the Feet of the Master" were probably the most popular and most played songs in the early, growing Divine Light Mission. "At the Feet of the Master" was the emotional soundtrack to the darshan scenes in the "Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji" film that toured universities in the USA providing a large number of young people eager to learn more about Guru Maharaj Ji. It had an extraordinary impact in the intense, devotional tone of 1970s satsang meetings, at least in Australia. He also wrote and sang "The Power of Love" an extremely popular and often played uptempo rock song. No understanding of Rawat's career is really possible without taking into consideration the impact Bridgford, O'Leary (his long-time partner) and a handful of other singer/songwriters had on Rawat's success. I think his early songs "At the Feet of the Master," and "God Is Love" had an impact on Rawat's career that cannot be overstated. "At the Feet of the Master" provided a spurious spiritual link to the then respected sage Krishnamurti who had quite a lot in common with Rawat ^*

For 20 years Prem Rawat claimed he was the Incarnation of God, the Perfect Master and Lord of the Universe who demanded worship. He claimed He could bring World Peace and peace and bliss in the hearts of His followers through His Divine Grace if they obeyed him and surrendered to Him. Geoff Bridgford's involvement began very early as he was the drummer and a lead singer in Blue Aquarius Big Band whose band-leader was none other than the God of Music or so he believed at the time. He has a thin voice with limited range but knows how that use it to best advantage. His songs had a lighter feel and simpler lyrics than those of Kim O'Leary or Lindsay Field. While they were musically lighter, the lyrics could be just as abject as O'Leary's. It's intuitive to think that only people with emotional problems join a cult like Rawat's but I suspect that many premies were "taught" that their former lives had been bereft of meaning and real love, Rawat's message that the songs repeat. The young guru said this many times and I noticed that it wa a common theme amongst premies when I first started to attend satsang. I suspect many new premies picked up the idea from their more "experienced" premies whjo were already socialised in satsang.

At the Feet of the Master
Waiting the word of the Master, Watching the Hidden Light
Listening to catch His Orders, In the very midst of the fight
At the Feet of the Master Well you can really let it go Let it flow Cause we're all love (repeat)

Without Your Love
Where would I be? And how could I see? I'd be an ocean without water, A flower without sun, A poet without feeling, A singer without a song
Yeah, where would I be? And how could I see? A story without an end, A heart that's always broken, A man without a friend
Where would I be? And how could I see? Without your love, Without your love, Without your love, Without your love

Your Love has No Seasons
Your Love has no seasons no reasons or no rhyme, Your love is the answer and it has been all the time, Your love is the key that's opened my heart's door
I want to let You love me in every way, I feel so happy when my life is Your play, I'd like to see You and let You be Yourself, I need to be with You cause there's nobody else

Within Your Love
You have unlocked every door And filled my empty rooms with more That I have ever hoped for
The gifts of love they fill my soul, An empty heart is now made whole
Where there was darkness there is light And even if I try I could not describe
The love you have brought inside my life, A mirror and a friend

Rawat demandeded a more Indian and devotional form of worship using bhajans in the 1980s:

Bridgford's light style and breathy vocals didn't suit the bhajan style and I can't recall him singing any bhajan-ish songs though he was part of the band thoughout those years, singing harmony and doing percussion.

When Rawat demanded all materials demonstrating Indian and devotional forms of worship be destroyed and kept secret,
Bridgford responded with new songs that repeated the messages of worship and need but in a light and easy yin to O'Leary's intense yang:

Where Would I Be?
Where would I be? And how could I see? I'd be an ocean without water, A flower without sun, A poet without feeling, A singer without a song
I'd be journey without meaning, A story without an end, A heart that's always broken, A man without a friend
Without your love, Without your love, Without your love, Without your love

 

Living Jewel Of Inspiration

Living jewel of inspiration, The beauty of appreciation, Living jewel of evolution, Please accept my devotion
Ocean of love and compassion Please accept my devotion, You are the sun, you are the ocean, Please accept my devotion
I found you in my heart, I found you in the ocean, Please accept my devotion, Please accept my devotion

Easy To Love
No green hills faraway, No make believe, No hide and seek, No in the sun
No wait and see, No complications, You've got animation; A laughing love
It's easy to love, easy to love

Born For This
On a ringside seat, Sitting on a heartbeat; Riding the pulse of harmony, Into the heart of beauty
Born for this, Gentle fusion, Born for this, Soft diffusion
Born for this, It's all I need, It's about the heart

Of course, all the people who'd been listening to his songs for years knew exactly what the subtext was and who the songs weere beseeching. He wrote songs that would move and inspire the existing followers and aid Rawat's ongoing wish to attract new recruits to his cult, by stealth. Bridgford knew this just as all long-term "premies" or People With Knowledge as they call themselves do. Bridgford's short musical biography is available upon many music web sites but his time as a musician for Maharaji is never mentioned. Many musicians have made embarrassing mistakes in their lives and in this age when public confessions are nearly de rigeur for artists it seems that, despite this, the Guru Maharaji - Maharaji - Prem Rawat musical merry-go-round is something Bridgford is determined to hide.

Prem Rawat and Krishnamurti - a Comparison

They were both chosen as boys to be God. One by his violent father and one by a notorious paedophile. They both went along for the ride. Rawat's mother gave him no choice and for the young 'Alcyone' it was better then starvation. They had no interest in "spirituality." They both enjoyed expensive bespoke clothing and fast cars and hated school. They both escaped from domineering older, women as soon as they could. K. loved golf and Rawat hated any exercise. K. was tall, slim and handsome, Rawat was short, dumpy and ugly. They both had long-term mistresses. They both had to keep with the guru shtick to provide funds for their extravagant tastes though K.'s tastes were simple and refined and Rawat's were obvious and vulgar. K. achieved a certain respect as a sage no-one could understand and Rawat is still trying to buy respect with PR spin.