Meditation is The Ultimate Bullshit Meter.

Excerpted from:

The Book of Gardens: a Lover's Manual for Planet Earth

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"[...] Today, psychologically and literally, even in our most wise and radiant moments are we each pinned into our place as economic units: bricks in the wall of a labyrinth where it is far too easy to simply hide behind the latest appearance of a new freedom found. Think here on fashion for now, and on the feeling which arises when matching something external to the otherwise internal experience of your person: though we can buy a sense of freedom, we often become chained to its purchasing. 

I think an argument has long stood – which is being argued very effectively today – in that we play a direct role in our physical health by virtue of the attention and care we devote to our emotional health. As my arguments forthcoming are bound to stir up some emotionality I invite you to continually go back through the basics in part one, sit, and experience your physical body in rest and recovery from the movements of its thinking. Do not focus so much on the content of your thinking: you can always return to the content later, and forthcoming, with what I trust will be an increased amplitude for awareness and clarity. 

As you move forward with this technique look always for an open space to your thinking, where you can recognize alone the physical act of thinking. That is: look for the door. Look for a sensation of breadth, width, or height, or internal spaciousness. As we proceed, the sensation of thought-as-movement within this spaciousness will steadily increase, as will the witnessing of its immediacy – that sudden changing of your course away from the task at hand. 

Provocation and inspiration share the same body. Yours. The force of your thinking has its persuasiveness and its pervasiveness, and with complete respect for the intelligences innate to you, I invite you to simply look behind the thinking directly upon the sensation of this force itself. That, in time, is to 'open the door.' It is the thing about meditation which is rather easy to 'understand,' or picture oneself doing, and because of its 'easy' nature we by and large avoid doing it. We resist taking part in something which appears to be a complete nothing, or delay doing so, ever drawn back into the seeming excitement of the day-to-day. Yet we still seem to yearn for something else to do... The causes of this have made me very curious, and by such I've grown to enjoy the fact of a corpulent gulf between what is 'easy,' and what is 'simple.' 

I think the life forces which course through our veins ultimately make us a creature with good intentions. Their constancy tells me as much. Whatever the face of our excitements be, we seek pleasure, curious toward our fullest enjoyment of life. However, when we look at the remarkable prevalence of neurological disorder today, these fun intentions may not be coming to the surface in the way we initially had hoped. Abuse, divorce, addiction, emotional disturbance, the expanding array of diagnoses to our mental states – like the now popular self-diagnoses of personality disorder, or ODD, Obedience Defiance Disorder – when and if we view these dis-eases somewhat topographically, from above, in consideration with the economic factors of today, Western cultures are in a very interesting time to say the least. 

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Mental illness is essentially having a seriously industrious day in the sun... 

I see very little distance between the economic shape of a nation and how we shape our selves. In a word: Bhutan. In two words: Happiness Index. Out from our perpetual blind-spot, The United States as the chief world reserve currency is so in title, yet barely so in practice. That is, the things which herald any nation's place amongst the rest is being challenged - reordered. Regime change at the level of global power is usually, and invariably, uncomfortable. The current world reserve currency hosts disorder, and we, its subjects, prove again the adage: as above, so below. Put succinctly: there is a big thing going quite nuts, and so, kinda, are we.

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By an ever thinning veil is our world-view presently changing regardless of how staunchly the prevailing power insists upon keeping the blinds drawn. It is as if the human mind, our institutions, and many of our social contracts, are entering an outright failure. We simply cannot continue to think as we have been lest we accept going legitimately batty, accepting the dichotomy between what we hope to be possible, and what is actually, truly, upon us. 

I am of the opinion that the Invisible Hand may as well come out from hiding now. Its presence hangs over every major Western city not unlike an animated real-estate balloon, or a mickey-mouse hand zipping from cloud to cloud spelling out through the puffy white and into the blue sky behind: 'L-o-o-k! I'm i-n-v-i-s-i-b-l-l-l-l-l-e! Hee-hee-hee!' If the rest of the emperor to this invisible hand be just as naked, if the power which holds sway the actions of our days be in disarray, let us look upon a few rules the hand plays by as our first bit of evidence.

If bipolar behaviour could be made observable at the cultural level I believe the long-standing feud of environment-economy today expresses exactly that. 

Recall, if you will, transitioning from Carter to Reagan (and if you cannot recall this, I think you will be amazed by the radical directions Western cultures followed – or almost followed – by these two men). Our species couldn't possibly be more divided on this issue, and Reagan's words on the environment – and 'environmentalists' – have pretty well stood the test of time since. 

As our economy continues pulling itself apart at the seams – fracking its foundation for further support and sustenance – as the world reserve currency comes up for questioning, as our oceans acidify and as our forests wither, as the permafrost prepares to embrace a warming atmosphere with the gift of an unprecedented release of carbon, so too does it feel as if our sense of self comes apart at the seams. We feel threatened, and any traditional sense for order clings rather dearly to what is familiar and readily understood. 

Because we are not truly offsetting the outcomes for our predicament at the cultural/policy level, a lust intensifies for the narrative of smooth and constant-growth to remain buoyant. "When all the world recognizes beauty as beauty, this alone is ugliness," says Lao-Tzu. And indeed I find such a self-reinforcing denial of situation unmistakably difficult to look upon. We have not entered an economic recovery.

In response, I also see the salience of Mindfulness on the steady increase. It stands right upon the balance point of our most intense wishing. It is an authentic echo from the wilds for fresh air and renewed thinking. It is that quiet and mature power whose song could well retune our public policy. 

Our minds do not wish for us to be sick yet there is an unusual sense of pressure today. There is a constant contradiction, split between the dis-ease of a shrinking Earth, begging us each to raise our standard of accountability personally and culturally, while simultaneously our positivist psychology has us simply humming along as we have been doing. A voice within, ready to scream the name of freedom to each and every hillside, wants to sprout claws and tear through the skins containing it to enjoy better its natural ether. This sickness – or discrepancy at least – is at the level of psyche, and I haven't crossed paths with too many who have developed their immunity. Certainly the cultural narrative which covered the baby-boom is alive and well, but the page is turning – as I believe it will under the dichotic banners of sustainability and exponential growth. And yet, regardless of socio-economic status, we believe ourselves helpless to the unfolding of this larger story: we believe it is Our Nature now to behave solely as economic units, so much so that it can hardly be called a belief next to its being just a plain ole fact. 

Beside such a discrepancy have I found meditation to be key. It is a psychical sieve. It is the ultimate bullshit meter. [...] "

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: a Lover's Manual for Planet Earth

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Further reading: "Meet Your Brain Waves -

 Introducing Alpha, Beta, Theta, Delta, and Gamma"

... 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.

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.

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.

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Pollution

I know it is unsociable to complain, but the degree to which a problem becomes severe, calls for it. People have long complained about environmental contaminants, well before the infamous 60's. Thoreau speaks of it in Walden, naturally; Grey Owl, and even Heraclitus. And I wonder if today we are actually getting to the root of the issue.

Thanks in part to the popular influence of yoga, I believe people are finding the map. Entire social circles have exploded into the cultural mainstream toward the state and health of our Consciousness: the quality of our thinking, whereby our actions follow. Social media at its best, truly asks one to keep their noses clean when all actions are readily publishable. So I think we're getting closer... In recent years I have been feeling much relieved to see the social ideals of environmentalism, long debated and pushed aside, truly grip a cohort and affect a generation. Young people today care. They care to the point of changing our cultural and business landscape. Have you noticed in Alberta that it was only ten years ago or so that a vegetarian option on the menu was totally weird? Now there are superfood elixir bars, like Noorish Cafe, which are leading the way.

Simply put: it is nice to share the torch. This new wave of interest arrived in the nick of time, and there is lots to be done. There is a lot to care about.

That said, I think we are only getting closer. That is, not yet at the root.

Perhaps many have named it, but it is so much more difficult to embody. Mindfulness is helpful, as it is a definite bridge upon which the West can stand with some degree of security, expressing the value of things like stillness, wonder, and conservation rather than excessive consumption.

Embodiment is key.

It's natural to model our behaviour after others we admire, cobbling together the aspects of others into a sense of self. This self, then, is both business card and performance: entry points for meeting. Yet these things do not contain all the answers. Watch Barack Obama, for example. Remember being dazzled when he arrived on the scene? Wasn't it refreshing, at the very least, to listen to actual-power being articulate and literate? Yet now, can we not also sense something else present inside all the sincerity? Are we surprised? It's just one example, but I think it shows clearly The Mask, perhaps the necessity for it, yet also the invitation so constantly in the wings - waiting - waiting to truly step into the light.

I appreciate the president's speaking ability greatly, and I do believe that he is a good man. However, as we close in on peak oil, peak gold, peak silver, peak wild salmon, peak harvesting anything from the ocean, peak species extinction... and so on... I am reminded that "the map is not the territory."  I appreciate all the green groups in the world, protecting habitat, and making some legislative headway, but I wonder how deeply these 'reminders' travel into our day-to-day, moment-to-moment thinking.

I would hazard to guess that the fifteen-year-olds of today will truly shake things up. They were born with internet, while I only just got onto G+ and Twitter. What social savvy - and so then social currency - will they have, by which to discover the quality of a persons speech and mind? I do invite you to hold me to this: in the next five to ten years.... lets see what 'the kids' create.

Humans: we think ourselves clever. I believe, though, that we are upon a crest of awareness, where many are realizing the busyness of our thinking is a lot like pollution. That 'business card' is merely a thing: It is an idea of self, which at best points the way. But the map is not the vehicle, and we cart around our lives as if the map is the answer, holding it up in front of us while we travel about, aware of where we are going, but not necessarily aware of each step along the way.

Imagine how effective ones driving would be if the inside of our 'VWs' were completely postered with flour and water and maps... We would certainly understand how to get from A to Z, but woe to the person, or persons, who take such cars out of 'park.' And yet I see us all to some degree driving around rather blind, shifting and redecorating the interior space of these map-laden vehicles; mistakes and social blunders and rudeness are covered up with yet more maps, and the walls are getting thicker. It's paradoxical at best, and I won't speculate what it could be at its worst.

Over-consumption comes to mind, but that's too simplistic.

We think we want to be right about something, but I think that underneath we want to be content. I believe we want relief more than anything else, as the mutual guess-work of positioning ourselves is exhausting. Certainly there is a great reward for 'hard work' and I'd like to suggest that the hardest is to know oneself. Beyond the mask of any 'business card,' or performance, or anything we have done - successfully or otherwise - is all in the past, and today, we are always new.

So it takes a lot to see this territory and to discover the tool of mindfulness, but I believe it is arising, and many are learning to speak its language. We have to allow the ripest and most sensitive part of the bud some 'air time.' It needs weathering, and it needs to be heard. And as with any flower, it's time is brief before it is again replenished by another in-coming incumbent bud.

I will not argue if it is an insensitive and uncaring world, but rather, I do argue that we live in an over-sensitive world wanting and waiting to care; to crawl out of our skins, to put down our colourful maps, to peel away the interior-dec which has imprisoned us, and let some serious light in.

But how do we do this...? Well... perhaps let us look to those who spent their time observing. The observing scientist tells us what the problem is: the observations point toward the solution, and in this case the solution calls out clearly for a change of pace. Not only that, but also into a depth of self acceptance to simply Not Know what is directly ahead. That to develop a comfort of not knowing may also bring us into a place of ready acceptance, finding a  breadth which reveals the territory; A united vastness, intrinsic and extrinsic simultaneously. When we de-mask ourselves, we prepare ourselves to care - and moreso - we become ready to feel, to know our feelings, and live by them.

You can see this in young people today. Feeling becomes an intellect: A form of reason.

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in Mindfulness.

Thank you :)