Meditation is The Ultimate Bullshit Meter.

Excerpted from:

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

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{ Source }

"[...] 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. 

{ Source }

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.

{ Source }

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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The Book of Gardens

: a Lover's Manual for Planet Earth

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Further reading: "Meet Your Brain Waves -

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

Dear Mr. Gates.

Bill & Melinda Gates have posted an invitation on Linked In, asking for input toward what would make a better world. This was my reply:


Hello Mr & Mrs Gates,

Thank you for the invitation and opportunity to share my thoughts with you, on how we can make a better world.

In recent years I’ve taken to a study of macro-economics, and am a huge fan of the author Charles Eisenstein and his book “Sacred Economics.” I spent so many years trying to ‘do the right thing,’ and be the best global citizen I could, and what I wound up with was less than desirable: the chagrin of my colleagues. It was troubling, as by our words, it would have seemed we shared similar value principles; but in practice, we were operating quite differently.

Put succinctly, our growth model of economics is reaching its limit. And not just ecologically (which, in my estimate need be of higher priority), but the numbers game of our macro economic situation is steadily directing our species toward some very large decisions for how we wish to live.

I think growth economics puts us all into fight-or-flight psychology: more for me is less for you, and more for you is less for me… Constant growth on a finite planet no longer adds up to profitability - social or financial. Nor does a growth oriented system create equality. Nor access to fresh water. Nor access even to the inalienable rights which are so prized and cherished. This way of interacting - interest based currencies/usury - has run its course in terms of the Ecology, which of course includes our human ecologies.

As the oceans continue to acidify, as the Canadian Prime Minister continues to restrict information toward climate change, as the Fed prints our global wealth and well-fare out of existence… The time when we each need to sit with the emotionality of our collective situation intensifies. In my book, I propose a method of Non-Denominational Meditation by which any person can look back into their body to find a true sense of calling and of place. Becoming more mindful about our time and the way our actions dove-tail into the actions and behaviours of others I believe to be a crucial skill, given the impending changes upon each of us.

I appreciate your mission. And I would encourage people to develop the skills of Emotional Resilience at this time, by which meditation is key. The decisions we face today will truly mark us for all of history.

Thanks again Mr Gates for this opportunity to write to you.

Best & best,

Philip W. Sarsons

www.thebookofgardens.com

Meditation is key. It is the ultimate bullshit meter.

{ Source }

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 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. 

Mental illness is essentially having an industrious day in the sun... 

The Book of Gardens: 

A Lover's Manual for Planet Earth

{ Source }

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. (*1) 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.

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. 

{ Source }

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. 

{ Source }

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. (*2) And indeed I find such a self-reinforcing denial of situation unmistakeably 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. 

{ Source }

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. 

The Book of Gardens: 

A Lover's Manual for Planet Earth

Notes: 

*1 - Over the course of editing this [section], the number of countries included as 'safe' reserve currencies increased – including Canada. At the time of writing, the global financial system is now rather outwardly dancing to its own tune of diversification, looking for as many soft landings as it can find. Factions are developing faster than I can form my sentences; new financial mechanisms are being created out of thin air, and it is difficult to tell into which direction this new global market may bend. 

*2 - Wu. JCH. Tao Te Ching. Shambhala 1990.

This Way: Peace and Your Direction.

In my most favourite book, the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu speaks with a unique precision about Virtue. He is precise while being esoteric; hence the book's timeless allure, and its sense of mystery. This is also why Lao Tzu remains what I call a 'true teacher,' in that he gives you a definite invitation toward something he has learned - without spelling it out for you. In the Taoist tradition, he is called an "immortal" by this, his effective teaching, and the universal depth he offers.

Reading the Tao Te Ching you indeed gain a sense of Lao Tzu being a kind and gentle companion. His words - without an ounce of force - truly inhabit you. His wonder, his inner peace, his clarity, his humour.... these things are passed onto you through this idea he wraps up into the word Virtue. It becomes a jam packed word - radiant - and countless people like myself move through their lives with a sense of certainty and gratitude for him having (eventually) shared his knowing.

Taoism is understood through the observing of Yin & Yang. And the I-Ching is the Tao symbol described in complete detail. If you think of this symbol as a mask, and pull off the mask, behind it are sixty-four symbols, called Hexagrams, which depict the very fine balancing of Yin & Yang: Yang the solid line and Yin the 'broken' - like two dashes.

In my Book of Gardens: A Lover's Manual for Planet Earth, I have gone through the lessons of meditation from each line of the I-Ching, condensing my study into sixty-four six-line poems: "The Gardens." At the end of these poems is a long poem, "The Shorelines of Johnson's Landing" which reflects back the totality of this study, and what a more mindful life feels like and what it may look like, encouraging a grace and acceptance of our ecological and spiritual limits. The book also contains sections on how to use the I-Ching toward your own life decisions, whilst holding in the backdrop the meta-goal of a complete  sense of self-acceptance and awareness of Tao. I include a brief non-denominational meditation instruction, and two longer essays on where all of this can be readily applied today: an essay on growth-only economics, and where we need head as a species, toward an appreciation of our one world, our Earth. I call this Eco-Theology, the Practical Value of Wonder. 

Best to You - Phil

www.thebookofgardens.com

Fuel Your Wonder. Know Your Authentic Power. Discover the I-Ching.

{ source }

Ian Mackenzie recently described the "mind bomb" which has been Occupy. His message is excellent, describing well the social conundrum of an 'underprivileged meme.'  I'd like to add to his message with sharing an age-old method for self analysis and mindfulness meditation - an often neglected, misunderstood, or romanticized meme - encouraging a renewed sense of culture much needed to heal our planet, our relationships, and our sense of freedom.

The Book of Gardens: A Lover's Manual for Planet Earth, is a manual of self-study via the I-Ching. In sixty-four poems, The Book of Gardens contains the lessons of mindfulness meditation held by this true and great classic. 

Briefly, the I-Ching is the original study of Yin & Yang. You might compare the practice with Tarot, but there is a significant step away from egoic energies. Yin & Yang are pure energies flowing through all things, and are in proportion throughout all space, matter, and time: Yin & Yang dance through the weather before you, just as much as they dance through every moment of your thoughts. The I-Ching, is the method of observing Yin & Yang within yourself, distilling thought and emotion, experiencing your sense of self as a seamless extension of Nature.

Inspired by Charles Eisenstein, I am giving proceeds from the sales of this book to the Johnson's Landing community, recovering from the largest landslide to hit the area in 12,000 years. The area remains widely unstable, with all major rivers in the area literally moving mountains. In this region of glacier-fed lakes this event marks yet one more symptom of climate change; and this otherwise quiet and self-sustaining hamlet is now deep into a Transition thrust upon them.

"Sacred Economics" put to rest so many of my long-held fears and ambitions which seemed to go nowhere. His book illustrated that many of the solutions we need in action today are already here - waiting for us to engage with them. We already know what to do, and where to go for our solutions. One such method is Gift Economy.

In terms of our emotional resilience, The I-Ching is a profound tool for facing transition and transformation. The Book of Gardens: A Lover's Manual for Planet Earth, makes this otherwise foreign process, familiar.

My study for this book took place in Johson's Landing - sitting in the exact creek which flooded - six years prior to publishing The Book of Gardens. I had honestly never heard True Silence before living there. You can hear the entire valley on the smallest hint of wind… I began my study of the I-Ching in 1995, and its practicality continues to feed me both surprise and Wonder for this beautiful life.

In a nutshell, I am committed to making a contribution of Emotional Mastery and Emotional Resiliency during this Great Transition. The Book of Gardens introduces what the I-Ching is (the first ever study of Yin & Yang), how to use it, and essays on why this skill is crucial for us as we head ever deeper into Transition - into Change. The book has a brief primer on non-denominational meditation, pointing readers toward The Practical Value of Wonder. Or what I also call, Eco-Theology.

All the preparedness in the world - all the gold, guns, and baked-beans - mean little without a new Emotional Accountability at our collective fingertips. The economic collapse coming is without any doubt excitable, but as old systems peel away, revealing our much-needed changes, no doubt many may find chaos where before we had felt secure. At some level, we all know Change is coming...

Kaun Yin by Moonlight.

Having long been part of an underprivileged meme, the I-Ching (also known as the book of changes) has been my guiding light for nearly two decades. This study has always stood as the hermit of spirituality: that one quiet book waiting for you to introduce yourself to it. It is a true blend of science, method, discipline, and true Wonder. It is a map of the human psyche as palpable and physical as a dollar bill...

I know I am far from alone, yearning for cultural and economic change, and in these pages I offer you both my story and my study, that you may gain strength in this skill-set, which, as the SHTF, will serve you greatly toward building your community, thriving by the meme of your truest choosing.

Bring Gift Economy into practice. Visit:

 www.thebookofgardens.com 

or Lulu.com to order a copy.

... 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.

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 ... ;)

Photo Credit

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.