"There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own soul. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." -- C. G. Jung from CW 12, par. 126 and “The Philosophical Tree” (1945). In … Continue reading Dreamscape
In our fast-paced, technologically-driven, and supposedly "hyper-connected" existence in the 21st century, we often do not recognize or appreciate fully the depth of our interconnectedness to all the other living entities, and at times, even less to the natural environment in which we exist, and upon which we are so dependent for our existence. The … Continue reading Empathy and Intimacy
Freedom of the Human Spirit, is a 28-foot-tall bronze figurative sculpture that sits just to the east of Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was created by Marshall M. Fredericks for the 1964 World's Fair. "The development of science and of the creative activities of the spirit in general requires still another kind of freedom, which may … Continue reading Freedom of the Spirit
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness." -- Einstein A recent conversation with a dear friend with an extraordinary gift for … Continue reading The Intimacy of Consciousness
the_fault_in_our_stars_by_teidebliss deviantart In a recent interview with John Green, author of "The Fault in Our Stars," he talked briefly about the title, based on the famous passage from William Shakespeare's, "Julius Ceasar:" “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” -- Act 1, Scene 2 Green believes that there are components … Continue reading The Fault in Our Stars
There's almost no telling how love will unfold in our personal lives or as we move through the world-at-large. As we progress through our lives, we all seem to arrive at our own understanding of what it means to love someone. We learn first about love from our parents or primary caretakers whoever they end … Continue reading Reflections from Within
"The transcendental law, Emerson believed, was the 'moral law,' through which man discovers the nature of God, a living spirit...The true nature of life was energetic and fluid; its transcendental unity resulted from the convergence of all forces upon the energetic truth, the heart of the moral law." -- excerpt from The American Tradition in … Continue reading Transcendent Awareness
In the light of day, I traveled to a remote forest area several miles from the base in Massachusetts. I had driven-by the turnoff several times before while navigating through the surrounding areas, and the entrance always caught my eye. Curiosity got the better of me one day while I was still in what they … Continue reading Deep Forest Vision
Excerpts from "A Lament..." written by Japanese Poet, Yamanoue no Okura (660-733 A.D.)" What we must accept as we journey through the world is that time will pass like the waters of a stream; in countless numbers, in relentless succession, it will besiege us with assaults we must endure... Precious though life is, it is … Continue reading The Evanescence of Life: Finding Our Way
"The spiritual life justifies itself to those who live it; but what can we say to those who do not understand? This, at least, we can say, that it is a life whose experiences are proved real to their possessor, because they remain with him when brought closest into contact with the objective realities of … Continue reading Two Worlds Merge
John's Consciousness 