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
"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
The sun had barely awakened the new day; its first efforts to bring light back from beyond the night had only just begun, but I had been unable to settle down to sleep since just before dawn the day before. My heart and mind were heavy with an inner turmoil, suffering from an enduring doubt, … Continue reading Friendship and Pain
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
Sitting on that hill in California overlooking Monterey Bay was an extraordinary moment--one for which I was also totally unprepared. Life is like that sometimes. We work to find a place for ourselves, searching occasionally in places where we never thought we would find ourselves, and expending efforts that may go on for months at … Continue reading Working To Find A Place To Begin Again
"Every human being, and every human mind, has roots that extend indefinitely far back through time…the consciousness of the individual is inextricably tied to the consciousness of the whole…Everything in nature is actually connected or implicated with everything else…" - David Darling, philosopher, from his book, "Equations of Eternity "David Darling has pressed the matter … Continue reading Consciousness and the World We Create: Part Two
"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies." -- Aristotle Our everyday lives, often full of the mundane, and punctuated by moments of joy and sorrow, can sometimes lead us to become somewhat indifferent to the relentless changes that occur as a matter of course, weakening our awareness of things extraordinary. Thankfully, throughout these … Continue reading Friendship, Love, and Truth
The day began well as mornings with no agenda normally do. I awoke slowly and lingered in bed for a while before finally heading out to the kitchen to greet the dawn and start the coffee. The sun was peeking through the kitchen window above the sink, and as I washed out the coffee pot, … Continue reading The Last Rose of Summer
"Our experience of the world involves us in a mystery which can be intelligible to us only as a mystery. The more we experience things in depth, the more we participate in a mystery intelligible to us only as such, and the more we understand our world to be an unknown world. Our true home … Continue reading The Mystery of the Ordinary
The yogis call this one unified essence Shiva. The force of creation within this absolute is the Divine Feminine http://www.expressionsofspirit.com/shiva-shakti.htm I am beginning to weave together some of the many lines of thinking that have been creating forward movement in my life. Comprehension along the way requires deliberate effort, and while we may understand how … Continue reading Currents of the Spirit
John's Consciousness 