Ron Teeguarden

A Life in Music, Spirit and the Dao 

I am Ron Teeguarden, a Daoist herbalist, a seeker of wisdom, a lifelong student of the great mysteries—and through it all, a musician. Music has been my quiet companion, my invisible thread weaving through decades of exploration, healing, and discovery. Though my name is known in the world of tonic herbalism, my music has always been an expression of my inner life—of Shen, rooted in Jing, carried by the free flow of Qi.

I began playing guitar in Ann Arbor during the heady psychedelic days, where philosophy and art converged, and the great questions of life swirled in the air like incense. While others found their paths in performance, my passion was the unseen—exploring the depths of mind, energy, and health through the great Asian traditions. But my music was never separate from this path. From the beginning, my playing was raga-influenced, touched by the acoustic mysticism of John Fahey, Robbie Basho, and Neil Young. A decade later, I befriended Fahey himself, completing a circle that had begun when I first plucked a note in search of meaning.

Through the decades, my journey carried me into the deepest realms of Daoist herbalism. My work became legendary, yet in the background, my guitar remained an extension of my spirit. Along the way, I found myself befriending legendary musicians and industry icons, as though the harmony of my herbal path resonated through the music world as well.

In 2006, I came full circle with music when Harvey Mandel — one of the greatest electric guitarists to walk the earth — chose to record one of my songs. It was a moment of deep recognition. Harvey, the master, and I, the seeker, came together on a creative journey of hundreds of midnight recording sessions, mostly over the web (Harvey in San Francisco, me in the hills of Los Angeles) that would last two years and result in forty fully realized songs. 

Someone once called my music “mathematical voodoo,” sensing its mysterious patterns and unconventional jazz chords—absorbed through the walls of my Ann Arbor apartment 35 years ago. That phrase stuck with me, reflecting a deeper truth. My great-cousin, jazz legend Jack Teagarden, lived in New Orleans, where music and voodoo intertwine. More than just family, he was part of the same rhythmic current that flows through me. Though I don’t claim his greatness, his influence lingers—his rhythm still plays through my strings.

Lucid Music & NeuroVIZR : The Light of Brain and Spiritual Transformation

What an extraordinary and heartwarming collaboration! After nearly five decades of friendship, Garnet Dupuis and Ron Teeguarden are bringing their shared passion for the sublime into a deeply personal and transformative artistic creation. With Ron playing guitar and performing his original songs, this Lucid Music collaboration is elevated by the light of the NeuroVIZR—a technology dedicated to brain health and spiritual evolution, a portal to deeper consciousness, and a tool for tuning the mind like a celestial instrument. For me, one of the greatest honors of my life has been the invitation from Garnet, the visionary creator of the NeuroVIZR and founder of Lucid Records, to share these pieces of music in their purest form, enhanced by this remarkable medium. The “VIZR” is the perfect vessel for my compositions—music not merely for listening, but for awakening, healing, illuminating, recharging, and, above all, experiencing. Music and tonic herbs reflect a lifelong search for truth. Lucid Music and NeuroVIZR share this message as a gift, not a product.