The Significance of the Pickle.In the sixties, we would often gather in small groups and sit in a circle in the park. This positioning was deliberate because when seated in a circle there is necessarily someone facing in each direction. If we all remained alert and watched over each others shoulders we could be reasonably safe from "The Man" who seemed to have an irrational obsession concerning the herbal smokes we were passing around. Sometimes, if the vibe was right, the weather was right, the herb was right, and The Man was out of sight (literally) we would sit together and quietly, peacefully, prayerfully sing a little song. I can hear the words even now.... "I don't want a pickle, I just want to ride my motor sicle... What? Not what you expected? NO, of course it wasn't Kumbyah or Michael Row Your Boat Ashore.... We weren't hippies for crying out load.... We were bikers. And for bikers this was the deepest and most profound form of prayer. I sense some skepticism here so perhaps this is a good time to discuss the significance of the pickle; not the cutesy version that Arlo once related to the unlearned masses, but the real esoteric meaning reserved for the inner circle of those who are both pagan and bikers. Let's start by understanding what a prayer song is and what one has to be. In prayer, we tell God/Goddess/Universe what we want, what's in our heart, what we need. It's very individual, very specific, and often very detailed. In a prayer song however, we all pray together. The hopes and desires cannot be individual, but instead, must be universal. We sing about what WE ALL want, what we all hope for. That is why brother Arlo's "Motorcycle Song" has come to mean so much to all spiritual minded bikers everywhere. Let's look at the words. "I don't want a pickle, I just want to ride my motor sicle". When we pray we verbalize what we want and what we do not want. Our most universal desire is to get through life unscathed. With that in mind, imagine that you are in a pickle. You want to run home, but you cannot. A bad guy is there with the ball ready to tag you out. You turn and run back to the safety of third base, but there again the forces of evil have the ball and are ready to put you out of the game. You cannot run home, you cannot run back, no safe base is open to you. You are in a pickle. A bad situation in baseball, but even worse in real life. Being in a pickle is exactly what we do not want in our life. We all want to get through our life without being put out. We want to be able to get through our life safely, or at least to be able to have safe sanctuary along the way. We do not want a pickle. But what is it that we DO want? Well, we want to get through life, that has been established, but if we are blessed with being able to ask for even more than safe passage through this world, then we must ask that we get through life comfortably and in style. To bikers that means, don't send me through in a cage, let me ride through on a motorcycle. Our prayer becomes this: Lord, don't let my life get trapped in a pickle, let me instead, oh lord, advance through life in style, on a bike! We ask for: (1) safe unobstructed passage through life, and (2) we ask for pleasant and enjoyable passage. That is why, even to this day, crusty old bikers gather together from all parts of the Earth, hold hands and sing these simple words to God/Goddess/Universe.... I don't want a pickle, I just want to ride my motor sicle, and I don't want to die, I just want to ride my motor cy. cle. GreyDX Ordo Equester Veneficus |