Close To The Heart There Are No Obstacles.

Ben Capozzi

This has been a year of surprises. Opening always to change, listening always deeper for change, knowing the direction I take is truly now impossible to be forced - old trick! -  but discovered, through appreciation and listening. Closely: I find daily patience.

Close to the heart there are no obstacles. 

The farther we stray from the heart, the more obstacles we will find, and life will feel difficult.

I am learning to not follow these strains... naming them either as triumphs, ambition, or careerist-success; or, as the necessary 'have to's.' Success is contentment. It is the sigh alone, upon the moment we complete a thing. And to follow success only - to be lead by that sighed sensibility - is to find that there is no burden near the heart: that place where we feel our radiant best. When I reside near that heart, appreciative of my own very life, that alone is the compass by which I discover: community, friendship, honesty, trust, wonder, joy, welcome forthrightness... forgiveness coupled to love, the shared tears which are all of the above through the lens simply of another and others. We all move together so. And we all wish to do so, always more thoroughly - deeply.

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I Ching Trigram Study

Writing is a collected set of wrapped presents - words - which give life to others. Writing is, and is not, sharing that immediate 'thing' before you: It is to share that-thing and of-yourself toward your own benefit absolutely last. Words are like blood, or money: no one owns either, truly: we all use them temporarily. By such light, words themselves are the last vestiges of The Commons, flowing unhinged between us all. The day we monetize words alone - and I regret to say that we are not above such crazy sub-division - is the same day stupidity makes itself a visible entity and truly catches up to us - and keeps pace! - and stares us into the face.

Likely, there will be no such decree of monetizing words, but I think there will be a time soon - full - when we take that second glance, that long look as if the sun did something different, and from this changed light see all things new.

Our monetized psyche of today has the opportunity to change.

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Writing is blood, writing is money, but never is writing blood-money. It has been a true freedom for me. I think it is the most precious thing I partake of (next to shared food, and the sparkle in the Others eye as we eat). Writing is where I feel a sense of totality - where I understand I can be of best use in this life. Words have been my study in many forms: theatre, poetry, reading avidly...

Kuan Yin

when honest - at rest -
knowing this here me a riverbed 

which over words and ideas 

are shared, borrowed flowing 

long enough to bend their 

shape, their arrangement

words the water

eyes clear through

skyward: I write,

I write, I write


Please Visit:

The Book of Gardens: 

A Lover's Manual for Planet Earth

The Commons & Common Sense - mid-way book review

Charles Eisenstein's "Sacred Economics," continues to be an excellent read. It provided great thinking-backdrop during the perma-culture internship I join earlier this year, aiding to personalise and deepen for me the cultural shift taking place on our sweet globe. His words inspire and coordinate otherwise random bits of information from having mere subtle connections, into a pleasant, deeply sober, and obvious whole. 

I'm approaching the end, and, anticipating no disappointment, allow me to share some of my insights which I've been enjoying mulling over. 

Courtesy of Eisenstein, I've been thinking a lot about 'The Commons,' and I've made parallel to that, Common Sense. The Commons, foremost related to land; and since the inception of 'property,' whatever was once freely roamed upon becomes guarded, gated, and fenced; protected by law. Eisenstein very graciously demonstrates that once something becomes a privilege for one - person or entity - it turns into a place of lack for the rest. "Gated Communities," is a phrase which more correctly falls into a real estate lexicon than one of a cultural, person to person exchange. As the economy 'grows,' that is, diversifies its activities and areas it occupies, what is common to existence (land, songs, access to water and food) shrinks. 'Access,' here, is key: access to land being the obvious example, and access to our (collective) psyche being the subtle.

So looking now to our day to day thinking, once something is removed from the Commons, becoming someones possession, it is also distanced, if not removed, from common sense. We suddenly need "experts." We quite strangely loose confidence to take on any task other than the one our "speciality" gives us. If you've ever experienced something akin to, "oh the drain is plugged, I had best call a plumber" in a big sort of panic, I'd like to suggest that the underlying feeling is one of scarcity - as the solution is probably within the reach of a $20 wrench. As what is Common dissolves, the feeling of scarcity takes its place in our mind, and folks no longer seem able to think about that thing that has been removed from the commons as something that has ready access within themselves. That new 'found' possession, now 'belonging' to someone else, is lost unto our collective use. "Property," echoes Eisenstein, "is theft."

Though this does not make me very popular in various social settings, I do argue that this current recession is an exception to the otherwise 'normal' boom and bust 'growth' cycles which have defined our time over the last (drop-in-the-bucket) fifty years. Some call it the Greater Depression, and my intuition tells me to agree. Heartily. I believe we are entering such an era of renewed self-sufficiency, that our current version of economy truly does not have many legs left to throw plaster-casts and band-aids upon. I don't know what the picture is going to look like on the other side, but if natural disasters could speak, I'm sure they would happily regale in countless examples of communal troubles where people banded together. The degree to which a person can experience this shift toward greater self-sufficiency depends greatly upon where one is living. I would hasten to argue that it is much more difficult to see how vulnerable the situation is when a person is living in an urban setting: the walls carving up the commons are thick and high, I find, and generally well maintained from any encroaching plant life.

The upcoming set of troubles, are, however, human made; though earthquakes, volcanoes, and tornadoes continue to do their part. And this is why I agree to arguments which concentrate upon just how exceptional the contributing factors are in today's economic climate: The limits of paper currencies is becoming a widely published fact. As Voltaire said famously: "Paper currency always returns to its original value. That is, nothing."

But there are forces - including our own good will and worry - which can be highly stubborn to change, refusing to read the writing on the wall that exponential growth drawn from a finite resource base spells collapse: either for the thing growing, or the thing being drawn upon. It would be too easy to blame this all on government, or a secret tribe of stone masons, or corporations (who all do have a hand in this), but as anyone who has "worked for a living" is now clearly part of the story. 

a Charles Eisenstein site -
 CLICK HERE

The balance points of power are the places to direct ones questions, I find. The competing expectations between the Baby-Boom, GenX, and GenY are very interesting - to say the least. What is common to everyone though, is the fact that when a person is given a social insurance number and a birth certificate, they are in the eyes of our institutions an economic unit, ready for training (that is, getting 'educated'). Economic units within a version of economy demanding in its policy of exponential growth can only do one thing: seek out new civilisations, new markets, and boldly go where no one has gone before. Put more simply: pass along new inroads into the commons for further and ready consumption: 'Without others consuming the thing I possess, I will not be able to meet my own needs' - so the story goes. And the boarders now are no longer just in the physical realm... Consumption has gone quantum: We think we are on track, and remove Common Sense from the Commons at an increasing pace.

I find human fear much like the hare who easily dashes ahead of its racing partner, the tortoise, whose movements in time bring out our fondness and yearning for the salve to human fear and arrogance: none other of course than human love. Which brings me with great relief to the subject of Mindfulness. 

I think Mindfulness has such an important role in creating a permanent culture as each our individual thinking marks the forefront of the 'crusade' for cultural (and inner) peace. Things move differently within our hearts than in our brains, but both organs are rooted to the movement of thought. It does not matter where I travel, nor how remote nor public a setting I find myself in: so long as the majority of people are subject to a currency whose growth depends upon increasing levels of indebtedness, the more deeply are wedges into our commonalities permitted to move: our Commons, our common sense, finds less ground to stand upon as it shifts apart below us, though in our nature we wish to live in accord with the preferred state of love and peace. 

Love, in this light, can simply refer to our ability to relax into each others' company; which is difficult to do when our currency is host to the inherent suggestion that our needs are separate. Truly: here I am out in the woods, and the human ego around here is just as panicked as it is at the heart of any downtown core: Just as panicked to meet its needs, in as deep a battle against the increasing and literal scarcity, impending doom breathing down the back of ones neck. And of course it is. It is a doozie of a collective situation, and there is no other place to 'hide' other than delusion: we are invited daily into a tea party for seven billion. Seven billion economic units scouring the planet to meet our 'individual' needs. A credit must be given to those practicing perma-culture, in that the preservation of food knowledge, of soil health, and efficient water usage is at the core of its intent.

Without planting the seeds of Mindfulness though, I find that the headlong race of consumption finds little rest or respite. ... And I suppose my question, still, is along these lines: What limit will be surpassed before we culturally act any differently, rediscovering and rebuilding the bridges between our needs and our nature? When will we find pause to listen? If this cannot take place on a mountainside acreage... if not now, then...?

To be continued :)

On Children...

I've been enjoying the company of the children of my friends quite a bit lately, and still find myself holding true to not wanting any of "my own." Usually, the 7B population argument wins me over, though I'm finding my heart in 'continuous-break' cycle when granted an audience of the 'miniature variety.'

Kids take to me. I'm big. I'm friendly. I lift them up onto my shoulders... They make fun of me. I make fun of them... and I find I am simply fascinated to watch a mind being fascinated - as children can only do.

Aside from the population argument, I think there is also a social argument for holding off on the urge to reproduce. So many of our long-standing social contracts are in great transition today (witness a baby boomer, a genXer, and gen-Y in the same room...) and certainly the social contract between men and women is of no exception. While driving back to BC today, I thought I'd catch some of my musings 'on tape,' and I later paired it with a video of me walking from a few years back. The video is 4:38, in length. Enjoy!

--> Or View Here on YouTube <--

I may be self identifying my age in this video. The attraction stage is where my argument points. It seems we rely on this stage to carry us through a relationship, through into a happily-ever-after state of being. I think anyone in a long standing partnership would be the first to laugh at such an idea - and laugh the loudest. Simply, I hope this gender-fuelled dialogue could aim toward things like reflexive listening or generative discourse, not simply staying in 'talking nice,' or 'talking tough.'

Generative Discourse in relationship is very much like a dream for me. I simply have a difficult time following social scripts, for better or for worse. I have difficulty believing 'talking nice,' when I know full wall that 'talking tough' is right below the surface. I have very little to fight about in relationship, and so moving into reflexive listening (also reflective l.) for me comes readily. Yet this never seems to satisfy. It seems people do not trust a partnership unless you fight. And fight. And fight. And fight.

If that were true - that one needs to fight to gain the health of a relationship - then why so high a divorce rate? Is this truly successful strategy? What are other ways available to us to learn of a person's personal boundaries...?

So I'd like to suggest that the quality of the 'fighting' needs attention. Usually when disagreement rises, the assumption comes to the fore that the relationship is soon to end - as if there were only two options: fight until the other submits, or, abandon ship. It just strikes me that somewhere along the way, we've lost the skill set of relating for the long haul.

This bachelor, for one, is not going to stop looking, nor asking, for the quality of interchange I desire, no matter how long it takes to develop.

Cheers all & thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the video! And I look forward to you're feedback and insight on this topic.

... And I decide the Sea.

Taking a break from my Perma-culture Internship, I headed to Victoria. Over an incredible salmon-eggs-Benny at the Chateau Victoria, I noticed a few ships in the harbour: the exact kind I had sailed upon during Jr. High, aboard the SALTS program. I had a few hours to spare, so I grabbed my camera to get up close again to these two-masted beauties, knowing full-well how 'the Ship,' has become a central metaphor for my understanding of the human psyche.

I discovered Dr. Paul Debransky's "Mind OS" system several years ago now, and have found his visual model extremely useful in navigating not only the day-to-day, but also for making large decisions. In time, I recognised a parallel between his three axes, and how a ship operates.

The emotions, I parallel to the mast and sails of the ship: some emotions fly above you, out of control, others come from way below, travelling vertical and downwards through our body. At the extremes of the scale, elation and depression alone denote this vertical movement. Standing on the mid-deck, though, one has a sense of security, of happiness and well being. Dr. Paul goes into tremendous detail on the two emotional spectra, positive and negative, so I find here the double mast ships to reflect which 'pole' one can be gravitating toward.

I believe I was all of fourteen years old on this sailing voyage, and I spent most (if not all) my spare time in the Robin's nest; and getting up there was an enjoyable challenge. We would tie a rope around our waist - having studied all kinds of knots - and clip ourselves onto the rope-ladder with each step until we climbed to the top. For some odd reason, I was the only one who really enjoyed it up there... I remember - so clearly - seeing a seal, far into the distance: The afternoon was sunny, and I sent out my imagination for miles and nautical miles upon all the diamonds... conjured up by wind and sunlight sparkling on the sea(!) It was perhaps one of my earliest experiences in a very consciously chosen Mindfulness state....

As I took this picture of the mast, I was thinking of how tangled a person can become, navigating the emotions we are all sway to, and I remember clearly, also, falling near-dead asleep below in the bunks. My assigned bunk was right foremost into the bow of the boat, so it was very dark and isolated. I had to crawl over one bed through a narrow opening, sleeping right at the that front tip in the bow, just below the deck, where gracefully I was rocked to sleep each night by the living ocean. I learned of bioluminescence on night watch, and funnily, it was my principle whose bunk I had to crawl through to get to mine! 

This 'nap,' had me out like a light for the better part of the afternoon. I missed lunch, and upon waking I had an incredible headache - probably one of my first migraines - and crawling out from the dark recess took a seeming eternity. I had missed an on-board class too, which I believe cost me the end exam... I was having such trouble in school that year, and though I failed the section on 'Sea-Faring Right-of-Way,' I still passed, and the overall experience continues to prove both memorable and formative. How interesting: my elation in the Robin's Nest, and how terrible my mind having extended my time "below."

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Later, returning to the Chateau, I discovered a whale tour with this incredible jaw-bone: also a reminder of how our imagination can intensify emotions. Through Mindfulness meditation, we can understand and harness that exact energy to befriend emotion, and the emotion in others, avoiding Gilligan's "three hour tour." 

I am an advocate for Marshall Rosenberg's 'Non-Violent Communication,' whose content is better reflected in the title "Compassionate Communication." As emotion, when recognised, isn't as scary as we might otherwise imagine.

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The intellect, I parallel to the oars of a boat. On these particular ships, there are no oars. Life-boats, yes, but a complete dearth of Viking action. Dr. Paul calls the complimentary halves of the intellect 'book smarts,' and 'street smarts.' I found that the side-to-side - steering - aspect of the ship mirrors this movement: at some point the 'people' on one side of the boat are going to over-power the people on the other side, and so too with your knowledge. Sometimes you'll need hard facts to navigate what lies before you, and at other times you'll need a clear, more intuitive sense for the situation at hand. When both sides are rowing in tandem, one has a feeling of control, or, as Dr. Paul suggests, of success. 

Finally, I parallel Dr. Paul's decision making with the length of the ship, the keel from bow to stern: consciousness is out in front of us, while our intuition speaks to us from behind - sometimes each at a distance. The balance point between the two, Dr. Paul claims as being wisdom.

Each balance point on each of the three axes arrives at a common central point. Balanced emotions bring us happiness, a balanced intellect (or perspective) moves us toward success, and any balanced decision enhances our wisdom. 

Happiness, Success, and Wisdom: each then are we captain of our own vessel. Standing upon the ship-deck, centred, we are able to navigate our lives effectively. I captured it once in a poem to a now former lover:

decisions: the keel

sails: the emotions

oars: to know the water

and understand the waves

three axes, intersect finely above deck

in the mind of the shipwright

...  

The title of this blog post derives from a different poem I wrote in my "Book of Gardens: I Ching inspired Eco-Theology," based on hexagram number 60, "Regulation." Regulation is a time described within I Ching of finding "joy within danger," which I find to be a fine metaphor for the day-to-day. Conscious awareness of one's own emotions - top to bottom - while navigating the world of emotions in others is clearly one of the giant joys in life - if one chooses it as joy. Certainly this day to wander downtown Victoria brought out much much elation, well harboured in my memory.

Dr. Paul Debransky is a very eloquent speaker and writer, and his years in the psychology profession have brought him to a place of very mature compassion. I have listened to him speak on pod casts countless times, until his visual model embedded itself into my daily knowing. I highly recommend his work, and it is tailored for Men. As I wandered along the Victoria Harbour, I felt so elated about the things I have learned thus far in life. I spoke to some of the youngsters about to depart on their first sea-faring trip, to let them know such an adventure was a true highlight of my life. 

It was wonderful to have that elation overtake me again. I am amazed at just how completely 'the Ship' continues to resonate with me.

Children...

Call me slow, but I think I get it now. Despite all the stats on divorce and the effects of a new child upon a marital-like union... the right attention and love determines the growth of a thing: puppy, plants, and of course, people.

Perhaps it is this valley I am in currently, but I have been paying closer attention to examples of parenting and family which are giving my 'everything-in-its-place' bachelor mentality a gentle run for its money. ... I am 6'2" and 39 so fat chance it will catch up with me, but nevertheless...

Just this weekend I was befriended by a long time friend's six year old, and I am looking forward to playing lego's, colouring, and reading with her again.

It is truly special how these other lives ask only (and always) for our loving kindness. 

Why I Love Chris Martenson

On the subject of adaptivity I find author and economist Chris Martenson to be such a satisfaction to read. He writes so eloquently on the subject of currencies, one is left to wonder just how deeply his advice and wisdom runs. For example: below, though he is speaking on the subject of gold, I find his insight to be directly applicable to All Things Indigo, and Mindfulness.

www.chrismartenson.com

"When a strong emotional response surfaces during a conversation of ideas, it usually means that beliefs are in play -- neither facts nor logic. Experience has taught me that when someone becomes dismissive or angry or hostile when [an] idea [of price manipulation] is discussed, it's best to simply drop the conversation and move on. No combination of logic or facts is effective against a deeply-held belief. It's better to wait until some new evidence calls that belief into question, opening the door for revisiting the topic."

Money issues and macro economics aside: I love this.

In following his pod-casts, I am encouraged by Chris Martenson's ability to "move on," which, I  think, may truly be the lesson of passion: moving-on brings ones passion back into ones self, reinvesting at the source. 

Having sought a Mindfulness practise for years, having engaged in the arts from a point of Mindfulness for many years more, I have learned nothing other than our personality is truly the most flexible thing about us.

This may be an easy thing to accommodate intellectually, but emotionally, acceptance of this is a completely different task, as emotions are embodied upon the instant. Under the heat of emotionality, our personality is - today - often the first thing stood upon to mark our point of view. It most especially is the thing we stand upon to lesson the stance of our perceived opponent when our lesser defences are in full swing. 

"Already Gorgeous"

I find such, unfortunate, as it appears to be fast becoming our foremost exchange of social currency. In a phrase: reality TV. The split between 'good' and 'evil' seems to have split widely into two very distinct camps, notably so in the last ten years. I loathe to dip into the territory of conspiracy, but allow me to say that under this umbrella of viewing each other, we become much like a horse with blinders. The horizon we perceive within each other is much narrowed. Worse, our own goals are decreased in their success as we cut ourselves off from our best and finest resource: each other.

From this, I find any - if not all - assessments of character to be only a cheap form of currency; borrowing from Martenson, akin to a paper currency which is so readily (instantly) made available. Deeper analysis of anyone's behaviour need move beyond the surface, which in my experience involves self examination. 

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Inside questions and statement as, 'Why would so-and-so DO such a thing?' or, 'People like that are so untrustworthy/selfish/deceitful/lesser-than-me, etc,'  I find that the seeming riddle unravels from asking oneself 'If I were to behave as such... WHY would I have done so?'

The latter is in my opinion much more fruitful. Truly. Especially in terms of developing our social values, like compassion.

It is not a dream, not an impossibility: compassion, as its base and core, is self development. A different kind of Mind.

So here is a test: in the article I've linked to above, replace 'gold' with anything that is of dearest value to you - perhaps even, dare I say, your Self. Read the article from this point of view, and I would most welcome your input to the All Things Indigo conversation: If Self is but a belief ... where then does the action of Mindfulness begin?

By such I am convinced Mindfulness may grow into a virtue on no less a scale as patience.

No Mumbo Jumbo

Under All Things Indigo, let's briefly take a look at the nature of social activism.

There are numerous immediate ways we can all be good citizens, intrinsically: being kind to service people like waitresses and cashiers, for example. If they're having a rough day, trying to put themselves through university, it costs nothing to give them a friendly smile and a bit of pleasant conversation.

Extrinsically, by comparison, there are countless very large issues at play today. Getting involved invites us to take these smaller intrinsic actions of Mindfulness into the world at large.

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I had the pleasure of joining in at the Keep Jumbo Wild vigil in Nelson BC this evening. I've been following this issue for over a decade, and kudos really must be given to the local EcoSociety on this one. Coming in from Alberta, over the years I have seen numerous "I *heart* Jumbo" buttons, t-shirts, bumper stickers, and even wooden signs hanging on doors throughout Calgary. Pretty impressive, considering how much money flows through Calgary, and how avid the average person is about skiing.

For those just entering the loop, various levels of government just approved a 5000+ room hotel to go into Jumbo Glacier: An area know for its grizzly bear populations, and - surprise - glaciers. The road alone will cost 250M to construct, and French investment (backed by the French government) is currently raising 450M for the project. Just under the umbrella of peak oil alone, this is one crappy investment, and creating a mega-project in the midst of a glacial field is simply bad taste. Supplying the future energy needs to this massive structure - for any investor keeping current to peak oil issues - is blindly catastrophic for their pocketbook...without it being lined with our tax dollars, of course. Unless the design has a serious off-grid strategy, one simply has to ask: who, in fifty years time, will be able to afford to go there?

At the close of the meeting, the EcoSociety president postulated that the French people will be rather upset to learn that their tax dollars will be going toward a mega-project as this, which will surely evict one of the grizzlies last habitat strongholds on the planet. And as for the fresh-water issues this project touches upon... The EcoSociety is looking for support toward the films in production currently (being made in French) which they wish to circulate globally, notably in France.

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This hotel is in my opinion simply a fine example of short-sighted-ness on the behalf of big money. Yes, the project will create jobs, but it does not address the countless list of pressing social issues facing our species today. In the face of rising energy costs and increasing resource scarcity - namely oil - the cost to maintain the road alone is something no tax-payer will be wanting to inherit. ... Which is the general pattern with such projects: government money helps to fund the project, and the tax-payer pays the bills afterwards, especially if there are problems, which in this case will likely include routine and preemptive avalanche maintenance. I wish we were using this wonderful resource - oil - with greater prudence, or any prudence, and I could use your help.

The questions brought up at the candle-light vigil were great. At a time when our social needs of education, health care, and pension obligations are experiencing remarkable pressure, why would any of us be interested in this project going through? Teachers, Doctors, and Baby Boomers all have a stake in this project, and I am not speaking of its recreational potential. If your classes and waiting rooms have been at capacity for the bulk of your career, and/or if you have felt a squeeze on your retirement savings, now is the best time to get involved with making a public appeal on issues like these. We may be able to print as much paper money as we want, but mother nature is like good wine or soup, which takes time to cure.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/bc/news/bc-081103-jumbo-glacier-poll.pdf

So I wonder if being kind to service people is enough, frankly, given the ripe and ready climate of issues we are all facing today. After repeated polls like the one above, is it not clear that we have a governmental system/elite which is not listening - not adhering to the democratic principles we believe ourselves to be living by?

{ MLA Michell Mungall's Open letter to Nelson/Creston Constituents. }

I respect that these larger issues can generate fear and anxiety when looked upon for the first time. I also need respect that we develop our activism muscles one action at a time, at whatever juncture within ourselves we make room for. I do think, though, that we are indeed rooted into the infinite (just as the native elders speaking at the vigil explained, offering tobacco this evening) and following on such, we then have infinite capacity for action. I think the invitation on such issues is clear, and to do the right thing is equally clear. Our ideas of economy are going to change - are in process of changing - and the exercising of social responsibility is going to be a muscle-group each of us is going to have to tend too, ever increasingly as we proceed into our near - and collective - future.

Please share with me your thoughts and opinions - especially if you believe I am in the wrong, as I would welcome your insight.

Conscious Decisions - A RANT.

Those of you well familiar with this process may well wish to pass this article along to those... less familiar with conscious-based decision making, and read on for pure enjoyment. I do think we are passing through a time, though, where self-centeredness is up for question, and those who would prefer their personal pain are being left out to the open to dry. They feel the change upon them acutely, as the rest of us move into Change.

What do I mean by that? Well...

We're at a time when the idea of economic security is changing rapidly. How the balance of power swings is already interesting, and I think it is going to get a lot more interesting very soon. As Victor Frankyl said: "The best of us didn't come back," and I can't help but wonder what aspects of culture are going to thrive, and which other ones will not. We can observe Change on all its levels, hermeneutically if you will: personally, interpersonally, and societally, simultaneous to any given juncture in our experience.

North America has been 'on top' for quite some time. Mark Carney only last month said something akin to "We need to get used to the idea that our neighbours to the South may not recover for a very long time." To translate: the US$ is no long the reserve currency of the world. It just needs to be made official. Somehow.

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Whether the BRIC makes this official, or the US, or the complete collapse of paper currency, isn't really of concern here. Propping up Greece's debt with more debt, creates, well, debt. The end. The question I'm pursuing is: what does this mean for you? and, are you preparing?

Parallel to this, is that nasty Peak Oil thing, playing itself out in the background for the last forty years. That we are only just beginning to make the Green Collar Economy at the height of peak oil production, is probably a strong indicator of how well prepared we are to alter which currency we refer to as a benchmark in the coming years, ie: we'll probably wait until we have to panic, cry foul play, and then indulge in victimhood stories for decades.

Not pretty.

For my money, it comes back to a question of VALUE. What, do you value - intrinsically - and have you actually examined this? Or, are you sway to unconscious swings and "surprise" motivations? I call such impulsivity no less than personal pain. That unsightly 'forgetting' which our consumer culture encourages.

For example, one person I recently met, by her own words, sat idle in a marriage of 16 years until she accepted that her husband was most likely homosexual and that her needs were deeply mis-satisfied. My question for anyone in a similar situation is: do you really need to commit adultery before you acknowledge your own needs? Is this best-strategy of self-discovery, and bringing new people - new information - into your life? ... Obviously not: however, the example illustrates the lengths a person can go in allowing less than conscious decisions to be at the helm of ones thinking.

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The emasculation of men is by no means an end-goal of self esteem; rather, I think it a terrific route to full blown sex addiction. ... But perhaps, dear feminists, these points deserve posts unto themselves: I am not making a gender claim here, as the social contract between men and women is of great concern to me. And that said... I would love to meet a Babe In Total Control of Herself... but am not convinced I have yet.

Under All Things Indigo, what is disturbing me greatly in our predicament today, is the over-abundant availability of spiritual teaching. Some of it is good, and, naturally, I rely upon select authors myself. Though I am not Christian, I believe there is a prophecy or two about "false teachers arising in abundance near The End," which I respect and even admire. What exactly we're at the end of is up for debate, but I think there is something in such prophecy to the abundance of watered-down-crap out there on the subject of spirituality (especially Taoism!!) which, frankly, is used as a way to further mask an authentic dialogue with oneself and others, rather than uncover and deepen. Hence this posting here: Mindfulness as Action

Let's just say, Oblivion is Not Enlightenment, and it strikes me that the current bulk of economic activity would much rather keep us seemingly happy on the oblivion side of this equation.

"Education appears to be the thing
 that enables a man to get along
 without the use of his intelligence."
GB. Shaw.

Our minds are like sponges all through the life span - not just as children. We constantly model. By being wary of "education," (how and what we learn) you may have a chance at finding intelligence - whatever your educational goals happen to be. Our underlying needs - our dialogue with our self - is a really difficult thing for North Americans. I am speculating that we are just so used to 'being on top,' that attending to our needs hasn't really been of dire concern. But we've ran out of land: We've ran out of indigenous territory (and peoples) to exploit. (Damn hey, if only the Earth was flat!) And our paper currency had best get on with putting a green stripe into its legislation, or otherwise tear itself up and move out of the way for mother nature to take back all of her crusted-up, paved-over body: And as individuals, we are either making daily choices to move back into an accord with Her, or we're lost in our heads trying to live some other man's dream.

Which brings me back to this person I met recently. Given the rising economic transition we are in, given peak oil is at its height, and given also the baby boom trying to retire... given all these massive pressures upon the way we have been organising ourselves, I believe that using ones inner values as a compass to be best-method: Actual embodiment of ones ideas is going to cost something. ...Continuing to hide out in a pre-fab tool shed of products made cheaply in China is no way to forge ones future... China, always a fine subject unto itself, is in such an enviable spot: they have the means of production - period - they have the willing labour - period - they've been buying up American gold - period - and they work @$#!ing hard... economically I say: well played China! (See my profile to the right;)

A bourgeois ethic, on the other hand, is a bourgeois ethic. Chick-flik libertarianism is but a doe in the headlights. And anyone who has played 'Buck Hunter' even once... well... you know what comes next.

Cheers.
- P.

Please visit my other blogs for interesting articles and how-to videos:

http://phils-natural-building.blogspot.ca/

http://i-ching-guidance.blogspot.ca/

www.sta-sis-arts.com

Non-Denominational-Meditation Instructions - Part I.

The first few years introducing myself to meditation involved a lot of sleeping in chairs. I was always so disappointed with myself when this happened, but in time I came to view it as a natural part of gaining "stamina" inside of a meditative awareness. It shocked me how I could come to a class full-of-beans, full of piss-and-vinegar, or just plain full-of... gas, and be out like a light in the first minute. I attribute this to a couple of things now: having sincere teachers, and my own sincere desire to learn about meditation.

I hold the popular view that the first step of meditation is "to sit." ... Big deal, certainly, but to do only that - to only sit - is actually quite challenging, as our wonderful brains are so very well equipped to accomplish things and stuff. However, take faith that your mind can attend to all those things it needs to - and the stuff - LATER.

For now: sit.

Say whatever you need to say to yourself to welcome you onto the chair/floor/mat/etc, like "clear your mind," or, the dreaded "relax..." or, "shhh..."  Repeat, as much as you like.

I call this "walking over the bridge, heading to the door."

Photo Credit

Travelling into your instruction (clear the mind, relax, shh, etc), all kinds of thinking will arise. Each item will want to hold your attention: "go to the store, buy things, write an email, don't forget, beware, I hate so-and-so, my life is super..."

If you divert an attention to the physical energy fuelling these arising items, you'll soon notice that the energy has a similar force between each of them - if not outright identical - regardless of the subject matter.

Continuing to discover thinking in terms of physical energy,

thoughts themselves begin to ring out less loudly,

 less audibly, as if fading away.

I call this: "the door comes into view."

◊◊◊

Photo Credit

Continue "viewing," "the door." And as the thinking continues to subside, please know that there is the pitfall of thinking "Eureka! I'm enlightened." ... Well... I have some news for you... Simply gaining an awareness of the energy which thinking consumes, is a great beginning.  :)  It is a delicate skill which can vanish from your life in a heartbeat regardless of how long you have practised.

The quality of your energy is not necessarily relevant at this juncture. People experience all kinds of emotions after they begin sitting and the stirring thoughts start to relax and loosen. Don't worry about this for now - we'll save that for Part II. For now, just focus at how your mind is capable and ready for thinking. That's all you need to do. Keep it physical, and keep it real: I am not going to teach you how to levitate into the clouds and live happily ever after on the moon. I promise...

( ...Okay, maybe later ... ;)

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Thinking itself, is of course not bad. Thinking is merely one way we accomplish 'things and stuff.'  Thinking, is the way I created this blog post, yet my intention, is that I want very much for people to be able to exercise the meditative mind in a very technical way, and then develop a stamina for this quality of mind. 

How you personally apply the technique to your life is your own business and pleasure, and I would be most happy to hear of how you are doing.

Aware of the thinking energy, viewing the door, now how do we go in...

Well... this is where I would usually fall asleep(!) 

Captivated by the physical energy of thinking, and, as is common, held captive by my thinking,  I was actually quite weak to hold any attention and concentration upon Mindfulness without having some voice or coaching to keep me moving along through life... That is, with the babble subsiding, my mind needed a serious break(!) After quite some time of giving myself this break routinely, slowly I began to develop Concentration, and slowly after that, Insight. But these are topics for much later posts, and I look forward to sharing them with you then :)

There is a popular expression in the business of salvaging and re-purposing (using scrap materials to create new functional things) which goes something like this:

sometimes a door is a bench...

Indeed: some old doors make the finest and most interesting places to sit.

Photo Credit

In Part II we'll discover

"opening the door."

Much love to you,

www.sta-sis-arts.com

Troubled?

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The washing machine switches to "Tumble" when inspiration strikes this morning. I was thinking back to all the different spiritual communities I've wandered through, remembering the steps along the way in coming to terms with just how 'troubled' people seemed to appear in these communities.

I had the grace fairly early in life to have walked through some interesting social circles in the theatre world, and strangely, I often came across a distaste for spiritual pursuits there. Certainly the theatre is a sect unto its own, and I respect fully how each person has the power of choice in finding their own brand of wisdom.

Truly, I do.

What fascinated me most were the tinges of hostility in people's voices on subjects of yoga, meditation, spirituality, and religion. Since the 90's we've grown considerably in our cultural predisposition, but I find this hostility persistent, and, given the natural tenaciousness with which the average person pursues a career in theatre and art, I find this a little, well, let's say... confusing. On one hand, the pursuit of theatre art is the holy grail to drink from and transform our culture's woes; and on the other, any curiosity toward something outside of ones preferred control becomes an influence dangerous, and almost demonic.

Certainly one can exhaust oneself quickly chasing every health fad, fabrication, or fact which tumbles onto the market. One can create more problems inside oneself than what may actually exist, and I think it is this self-haggared-ness which those outside of spiritual circles react to in a negative way - naturally - faulting a person's 'personality,' prior to investigating the person's pursuit.

I think the 'troubled' factor which appears in spiritual community would be more properly named as disillusionment. At some point - and of this I do have complete, er, faith - every person will experience a total and complete rift with their way of life. The entry point will be completely unique for everyone: economy, physical health, the death of a loved one, social habituation, a memory... or just plain-ole-curiosity for what may lay elsewhere.

photo credit here

In the presence of such a person in throws of disillusionment, naturally, the arising discomfort becomes shared. Each to their own, and each to their own success, I say. But what fascinates me to no end is that hostility... I find this no different than the unfortunate chicken who started to bleed amongst her fellow chickens, for which panic and mayhem abound at the sight of blood. Humans, thinking ourselves civilised, likewise compound the shame of the questioning mind when one of us should touch upon a little (naturally occurring) pain.

I am not an advocate for needless suffering. I am, however, an advocate of finding facts, and if this hostility is in actual fact a frustration of not knowing how to best help - let's call it that, lest we appear - and become - prejudiced. I have yet to find a person who can tell me exactly what the heck is going on here on this fine planet, what we're doing, why blue is blue, why we breathe, why are the planets zipping around in circles, or why a squirrel chirps and the robin sings(!) ... I enjoy all these things. But the notion of 'expertise' is to me a thing anyone can purchase.

photo credit here... :)

Yes we've made all kinds of wonderous technological gadgets, interesting shelters, bizarre agricultural methods, have landed on the moon, and circulated MacBooks across the globe and put one into my lap... That all took ingenuity, patience, and skill. Yet I do not find our busyness to be bringing us any closer to pulling back the face of this thing called Life, that we may finally see its true face.

This... consequently... makes me a poet.

All the way into the centre of my heart, I speak a different language. I see differently, and have always seen differently. If I did not have seventeen questions behind my eyes at all times, maybe I would have gone into today's professional sciences, earned a high paying salary, got that picket-fence-and-spouse combo, and just not have worried about any of this... but I didn't. And with every passing day, I accept further:

I couldn't.

The Chinese have a saying that, once you are thirty, "you are ready to walk." And once you are forty, "no one can fool you anymore." ... This week, I turn 39.

Rudolf Steiner predicted we would need spiritual scientists one day here in the West. He also predicted that a new religion would begin in the western provinces of Canada. I do not claim myself to have any standing to initiate such, yet I believe that day is here upon us - Ekhart Tolle being a fine example. Yes, we have had monks and nuns, and Henry David Thoreau's. Yes, we have had Einsteins and Glenn Goulds and Mother Teresas... But what about the everyday... What about you and I?

Jasper National Park, Canada. www.sta-sis-arts.com

I have never been naturally dazzled by Things. Trees however, strike me as a complete puzzle. Sunlight after rain. Wind upon the Lake. Fire underneath the mountain. The idea of dragons... Fog hanging low in a valley. ... I count myself lucky to be single, unhinged, and as of today unemployed(!) Divorce is 70%. I have met more single parents and lost divorcees than parenting couples. I have been dreadfully unhappy chasing the dollar, and I know full well I am far from alone... I have entered all of these conventional avenues with absolute full cooperation, but pleasurably, I still question, question, question... What, on earth, is going on here?! :)

As the only conclusion that has come back to me thus far, is that we're all just making it up as we go along... well then... I choose poetry(!) I choose the phenomenal shared radiance from gazing upon something until I know and feel the thing to be my brother, my ancestor, and my future. And I ask only of one thing: time to put this into words - to make "my agony sing" as Arthur Miller once said...

Outside the hills
birch-wood awaiting
the splitter, I wish you
much love to your mind
and heart.