May the Long-Time Sun Shine Upon You

     Agatha Christie, Kundalini Yoga, Halloween and a Scottish blessing are all at the forefront of this week’s “Find of the Week on the Used Book Floor”. Only in our blog/column could you find such an odd mixture of topics that somehow go together!

     Our discovery came from Agatha Christie’s 1969 novel, “Hallowe’en Party”. One of Christie’s later works, the novel featured the beloved and well-known detective, Hercule Poirot, and the murder mystery that takes place at a Halloween costume event. Though not one of Christie’s most famous writings, “Hallowe’en Party” holds its own as one of the famed author’s almost 100 books - over 75 of which were bestsellers.

     Concealed in-between pages 114-115 was an index card with the following inscription:

May the long-time sun shine upon you, all the love surround you, and the pure light within you guide your way on.

     Sounds a little like the famous Irish blessing titled, “May the Road Rise to Greet You,” right? Actually, this blessing is Scottish and more well-known for use during the practice of Kundalini Yoga that originated in India. Confused? We were, too, so we dug around a bit to see how a Scottish folk song becomes the closing mantra to a form of yoga from an entirely different culture.

     “May the Long-Time Sun Shine Upon You” is a song (based on the blessing) that was originally created by a Scottish Folk group, “The Incredible String Band,” in the 1960s. Around that time, a man by the name of Yogi Bhajan was busily introducing the Kundalini Yoga practice to the western world and heard some of his students play the song. He liked the song so much that he asked them to continue playing it after his class that particular day. From then on, a tradition was born in the Kundalini Yoga practice, as at the end of each class taught throughout the world, “May the Long-Time Sun Shine Upon You” is played. An interesting mix of cultures, don’t you think?

     We often wonder about the possible scenarios of that relate to the discoveries in the pages of our used books. Was the past owner of this book reading the works of the famous English crime novelist, while practicing a form of yoga that originated in India and closed with a Scottish song? This is a truly an internationally related find, we say!

   
The 1969 hardcover copy of Agatha Christie’s “Hallowe’en Party,” awaits you here at Bayswater Books for the price of $6.99. You can catch up with our previous finds of the week on the used book floor at bayswaterbooks.com and on facebook. Better yet, stop by the store in Center Harbor and check out the used book floor for yourself!