The Power of Direct PerceptionMy predilection is to see, because only by seeing can a man of knowledge know. —Don Juan as reported by Carlos Castaneda First I must look, then I must learn. —Theodore Roethke We have become a nation of specialists. This is a good thing since it allows all individuals to find an area of focused interest that corresponds closely to their talents and predilections. My specific […]
Creativity and Consciousness
Silence Bursting OutwardArt serves to reflect a society back on to itself; it reveals the shape of our inner and outer lives; and honors the beauty and contradictions of the world. Art can be an expression of our identity as individuals and as a culture. The arts of today reflect a myriad of social, natural, and political realities. However, beyond expressing what is, art may prefigure what can be. It […]
The Reenchantment of Vision
Opening the Gates of PerceptionWhen I was growing up, we hungered for the sight of the soul—to witness the invisible, slender threads that interweave all things and to search for a connection to the underlying sacredness and mystery of life. Many of us took drugs. A lot of them. I didn’t. I meditated. Either way, we longed for a taste of the infinite. “This is how one ought to see, […]
Spirit of Aloha: His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Hawai‘i
Compassion, Interdependence, Harmony . . . and AlohaIn Hawai‘i, embedded deep within the culture, lies the beauty of the spirit of aloha. In its purest form, the word aloha signifies an abiding love for all living things, including the ‘aina or the land. As you come into the sphere of Hawai‘i nei (beloved Hawai‘i), you feel the aloha spirit as an inner calling towards love, truth, and peace. It is […]
Awakening to What Is
Conscious living in the postmodern worldWhat might it mean to live consciously? On a daily basis and from a variety of sources—articles, books, websites, personal conversations, even media and advertising—we come face to face with evocative yet misleading phrases like conscious eating, conscious relationships, conscious sex, conscious art, conscious work, and more. We have even heard the phrase, conscious consumption. And often, these particular strivings towards consciousness are referred to […]
Yoga and the Creative Impulse
God is the Friend of Silence“Nature does indeed give something to us, and that we in turn return something — something profound. You see I can’t really explain ‘silence’. All I can do is return to it, be open to this possibility. To be in the ‘presence of silence’ is to understand it.” —Nicholas Hlobeczy What is silence? Can we find an inner silence, a still point amidst the turning […]
The Grace of Great Things
What in today’s world ministers our most cherished hope and ideals? Where do we seek—and hope to find—in Rilke’s words, the grace of great things? What brings us inspiration and guidance, and in whom can we trust? Strangely, we have come to ennoble the marketplace itself, honoring the free exchange of goods and services, and now, even of ideas, often canned and predigested for mass consumption. In various forms of […]
Living in the Light
Social Engagement in Spiritual Practice, Art … and LifeAs soon as a plant breaks the surface of the earth, it begins to live in the light, to participate—receive and contribute to and from the complex eco-system that surrounds it. Organic life both gives and takes from its environment. Are we any different? Personal evolution—in the form of contemplative disciplines, creative development, and the search for awakening—takes place in context, in […]