Spiritual Formation

There are a few human attributes needed for Presence: many more that are added as avoidance mechanisms.

(Photo)

This shed on a modern vineyard in the Yakama River Valley, N. Carolina has history evidenced by age on the outside, and a secret history on the inside (metaphor it). The age on the outside is seen by everyone-secrets held inside not so much.

The trap door found under the old hay is the evidence of moonshine and the prohibition times-it still works……. The hidden cellar is the small place that supported the entire farm.

I seldom stop long enough to see the “small place” that runs it all, but when I do-well the journey is inward. The journey outward is exhausting, the inward one is rewarding for the diligent-scholarship and intelligence not a requirement……..

If I be found journeying, let me be found in an intense desire for freedom…all else is borrowed direction to avoid myself.

When we are witnessing small humans growing into who they are, it seems we all see from our own overall experience of life. Usually the experiences we have had will give us lenses to perceive life as either a friendly and accepting place, or as not-so-friendly and a place to be-on-guard . Einstein and others have quotes related to this theme, and I have lived long enough to start sensing my biases toward the miracle of existence.

I am coming to see and practice the experience of existence as the unfolding of all we really have that we can Know.

One can take breaks in a writing discipline, a spiritual practice, or relating to oneself, but hovering over the human is the sense that One Thing that never breaks-the Eternal. This One beyond mind and our small self, is put on us without effort and never failing in It’s existence.

In these small eyes of my granddaughter, one can sense something untainted by work, progress, self-helps, etc.. In the eye one can see the gift of Essence, even if blind the gift can be sensed by Presence witnessing Presence. It is this that we never can break from, and it seems to be the the only thing beyond our reasoning and explanations. It is here we are caught in rapture of Silence.

At times it seems many of us in awareness work(becoming more into humanness) are up at bat and the world is yelling-swing damn it, do something! Everyone else is swinging!

We aren’t frozen at home plate not knowing how to swing, we may be holding place till the pitcher gets tired, maybe we don’t want this particular game to continue. Maybe we will sit down at home plate, and review if we are in the right game for us. Maybe we will walk off the field. The yelling being directed at us as we walk off won’t matter if our call is to walk off.

The only way we can mess up in this inner work(which will come to match our outer work:work=purpose), is to listen to the crowd who thinks we should be another, or to open another’s mail thinking it was addressed to us.

My work is to open my own mail, not being surprised someone as imperfect as myself is called to bat, and all is just fine-all is Perfect!

Swing.

Peace

P.s.

I would use someone to flesh these metaphors out like-“Peace Pilgrim”. She read her own mail. Research her to put a smile on your face.

There is evidence the known universe is expanding faster than previously thought. My only spiritual practice to take down inner walls when they show themselves as they start leaning over, evidencing the end of their useful life. Detachment lets the space in-expansion happens.

The most mysterious of all things is in plain sight, yet can’t be seen. A friend helped me remember the best mysticism is as real as ‘planting good corn’.

We walk under a dome of infinity all day long, in a finite body trying to remember who we are. My practice today, stop trying-hold space, it’s so available!

Footnote:

‘I’m not coming with some kind of expected sign, or saying I’m here, no!- Or I’m over here-no! I’m in the very midst of you-I said in the very midst of you…’

(Paraphrase from Jesus-the ‘all in’ Christ)

There is an underlying ‘Order’ to all forms that is without form. As humans, as soon as we name it or start describing it ‘thought mind’ comes. Yet if sat in, as awareness of the still and the space between all forms-the eternity in us witnesses eternity.

In what appears as chaos in un-manicured deep nature, there is primordial teaching presence-if we detach from our urge to dominate and profit.

We as a specie need raw areas that are so overwhelmingly ‘Other’ that we are moved not to talk, but to sit and identify with transience and eternity.

Most birds will act like birds today, most fish will do well in water, most humans will drive in a manner expected of others. Some mathematicians will be overcome with Awe while studying fractals, some endogenous folk will be overcome with Awe in a pre-language inner place. Order allows and encourages a dance between all forms before thought or language. Here in lies sanity for the human mind-thought world.

Moment=all receive equally one at a time via G-d, Sourse, —-(Cloud of Unknowing).

Now=is the kingdom of G-d. (Jesus of Nazareth).

“I’ll=be whatever you want me to be”, says Life or Now. “I’ll treat you the way you treat me. If you see me as a problem or an obstacle, I will be that.”

(A New Earth, pg. 203)

And so, the end of ego=befriending the current moment………..’the rope is released.’

Peace

Continue reading NOW

The ‘journey’ for some is ‘back to the garden’, a hint of purpose from the Woodstock era. In whatever way we sense it, being able to separate ourselves from life is the ‘original separation’.

This is a picture of a broken septic tank on Christmas Day. It must be fixed for life to continue in that little space, was the time spent in repair still sacred? Is there any time not of Life?

This shovel full now, is Life-not what I presume I am missing, my emotions of various kinds, my story of plight. It isn’t personal. There will be smelly parts to this journey.

I don’t have a life. I am Life. How can I loose something I Am?

Note: “Candide”, Voltaire. The inspiration for Joni Mitchell’s “The Garden” popularized by Crosby, Steel, Nash, ands Young during the Woodstock Festival of Aug 1969. Of the 400,000 attendees some are still hopeful of returning to the garden-where the current world is not even close to the best of all possible worlds; though, while working in the earthly garden, discovered a reasonable if not exciting life for themselves.

It is the unexpected and the storms that make story material . Mark them on your map.

These ski-trekking poles hang in a tree near an old training trail near my house from my ultra-running days. These were given to me by the organizer and promoter of the ‘Silverton 6-day Run’, Roger Wrublik .The event was simply, show up on a certain day on the outskirts of Silverton, Colorado, check in with your name and weight, find you a place for a cot and supplies in the event tent, and when the gun goes off-run as far as you can in 6 days…..it was simple.

The track was a 1 mile loop at 9400 ft altitude, straight up and straight down….simple. The run was always a spiritual event for me, or I wanted to think it was, till my mind would leave me–and it would leave, usually by day 2. Then after the mind and the ego were small enough, grandeur would set in! The hallucinations would come when you least expected them, usually giving way to sobbing or silly laughter-and then the next step would happen. The run would keep going day and night.

In summery, when the body is almost gone in whatever circumstance, the Being is there even closer-till its over. The body, the form isn’t the enemy, it’s our tool to carry the divine Being till it doesn’t.

Life: check in, find a place to camp, and live! Simple, not easy……

I would usually stop after 350 to 375 miles, some went farther, some not so far–all who showed up were treated the same-after 6 days we were one person running, go figure.

Form, a plywood desk made in 1951 by a WWII veteran in G.I.’ School. Being, a human-my father-who related to me long enough over life to arrive at a critical point in time -shared in silence and baptized by one touch. At that ‘point of Being’, all blessing was passed on.

Being is eternal, form is passing-regardless of size.

‘The longing for love that is in every child is the longing to be recognized, not on the level of form, but on the level of Being.” A New Earth

Without role play a dimension of love is drawn into the world characterized as ‘redeeming’.

‘——ultimately devoid of purpose, is this planetary egoic game…

“A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” Shakespeare

[way before t.v.!!]

The journey will capitalize in Being, using form, body, to get there. Pack light!