News, Views, and Reviews

At Home in Our Own Space

2007-10-23T18:52:00.001-04:00

Harmony prevails when we feel at home in our own space, when our minds are clear and our hearts are pure. In light of this pervasive harmony, clarity of mind and serenity of heart are both requisite conditions for and beneficial consequences of this wonderful harmony. In light of this pervasive harmony, we might well ask: who can take issue with those who live religiously and spiritually, who stay true to themselves in the face of adversity, in the light of prosperity, and who continue to follow their bliss, in peace, with grace, for the sake of love and joy, and do so with compassion?

This question points directly to the ultimate standard of personal, evolutionary conduct with respect to the blooms of consciousness and culture, assuming vast intelligence beyond what any one of us can presently imagine in our current forms. When we cultivate space to align our conduct with this vast intelligence, when we cultivate space to discern its movements within us from those of our fears and habits, when we cultivate space to commit our best, most inspired contributions to the evolution of body, mind, heart, soul, and spirit, harmony with this standard is a matter of course.

At home in our own space, we can live, love, learn, and laugh in harmony with this standard.

Ekos Sacred: Ownership

2007-10-18T18:01:00.001-04:00

When I intend sanctity through divinity, my sense of the sacred extends into space, so that my sacred space comes inward and goes outward.

Through contact with divine presence, I clear a space inside the heart of my soul to confer the objects of my thought with a sense of the sacred so that I might also clear a space through my eyes to confer the objects of my sight with a sense of the sacred.

Here, where two spaces conjoin, I reside at the heart of matter, and bring a sense of promise to light, and when I hold and keep this juncture in sacred space, I generate and renew my sense of purpose and progress in the light of this sense of promise.

This space, this is where I stake my claim for ownership of Ekos Sacred, through this juncture in sacred space.

Such a claim appeals especially to those who dwell in the depths of encounter through sacred intent, and to those who rise to the peaks of experience through divine presence. Such a claim is ideally suited for intimate, introspective, intuitive persons.

Ekos Sacred as Primary

2007-10-16T18:05:00.001-04:00

Ekos Sacred, quite simply, means a sacred place, or a sacred space in a place that holds promise, or a sacred space that brings a sense of promise, or a sacred space by which Eros can be expressed through a sense of purpose and progress from this sense of promise.

Everyone, no matter who they are, no matter where they might be, requires a space in a place that holds promise, or brings a sense of promise.

Whether you make this space a sacred space depends, not so much on how much promise it holds, or on how much it brings a sense of promise, but on how much sanctity your intentions contain. Do you hold your space sacred and do you keep your space sacred?

When I hold and keep my space sacred, I cannot help but cultivate a sacred space in a place that holds promise, or brings a sense of promise.

The center of my world, my sacred space, is where I do my best work, and I permit no one to enter here without reason. Here, I meditate and dwell in silence, read and contemplate in peace, listen to sound and music divine, and follow my flow when I think or feel, watch and learn, speak or write.

Here, I rest and relax and refresh to restore my sense of promise between Ekos and Eros.

First, Ekos, and then, Eros

2007-10-11T18:41:00.001-04:00

When I move primarily and conservatively from Ekos to Eros, and when the movement of Ekos to Eros is the dominant theme of my life, then, by implication, my sense of place takes precedence over my sense of promise, purpose, and progress.

In other words, the satisfaction of my needs takes precedence over the fulfillment of my desires.

What do I need? What must I do? More precisely, what do I need to satisfy soul? What must I do to satisfy soul?

First, I need a home. I need a place to eat, a place to wash, a place to sleep. I need a place to feel warm, physically and psychologically, and I need a place to feel safe and secure. But more than this, I need a place where I can satisfy my needs so that I might fulfill my desires.

Ekos, however, does not exist in isolation from Eros.

My sense of place requires, if not a sense of purpose or progress, then at least some sense of promise.

This is where Eros meets Ekos.

A sense of promise requires value, through quality, with interest in what is past, from awareness of depth.

For example, I know that productive, creative work is central to my life, and so I would do well to seek, or make, or keep a space in a place where I can do my best work. I arrange objects of value in my space so that I might cultivate quality. My sense of promise evolves from my sense of place.

And vice versa.

You might say that my sense of place and promise arise from this one statement: this is where I do my best work.

And with a sense of place and promise, can my sense of purpose and progress be that far behind?

With a sense of place and promise, purpose and progress, my sense of being in-place is complete.

Do you feel complete?

Ekos to Eros or Eros to Ekos?

2007-10-09T18:36:00.001-04:00

Soul contains a sacred sense of place and a sacred sense of being in-place to cultivate quality with sacred intent. Spirit carries a divine sense of promise, purpose, and progress to celebrate vitality with divine intent. But which of these take precedence in your life?

Soul or spirit?

Which of these have priority for you: Sacred intent or divine intent? Cultivate quality or celebrate vitality? A sense of place or a sense of purpose? Ekos Sacred or Eros Divine? The satisfaction of need or the fulfillment of desire? Pure ekotic satisfaction or pure erotic fulfillment?

Do you move from Ekos to Eros or do you move from Eros to Ekos? Do you establish a sense of place to satisfy your needs before you seek to fulfill your desires? Or do you seek to fulfill your desires before you establish a sense of place by which to satisfy your needs?

One might ask: which draws you more closely or strongly: a sense of mystery or a sense of mastery?

A religious relationship with the mystery of life will move us to cultivate a sense of place and a sense of being in-place. A spiritual relationship with the mastery of mind will move us to celebrate a sense of promise, purpose, and progress.

Moving from Ekos to Eros, the fulfillment of desire depends on having a secure sense of place and a secure sense of being in-place. When I feel safe in my place, when I feel comfortable where I am, when I feel like I belong, I know my needs are met and the fulfillment of desire is possible through my needs.

Moving from Eros to Ekos, the satisfaction of need depends on having a vibrant sense of promise, purpose, and progress. When I feel alive to the promise of life, when I feel a strong sense of purpose in my life, and when I make meaningful progress with my life, I know that my desires are met and that the satisfaction of need is possible through my desires.

Do you move from Ekos to Eros? Or do you move from Eros to Ekos? Do you make one or the other of these movements exclusive as a dominant theme in your life? Do you allow one and then the other to come and go in your life as you please?

Or, do you strike the balance between Ekos and Eros with every choice you make and with every action you take?

Erotic Elaborations

2007-10-04T18:50:00.001-04:00

At the extremes of Eros, I can want it all or I can want nothing at all.

From a more enlightened perspective, I can allow myself to have it all or I can allow myself to have nothing at all. Subjectively, having it all might mean having all that I need or it might mean having all that I desire. Or both. Objectively, having it all can only mean having all that anyone could ever need and desire.

Having all that I need is pure ekotic satisfaction. Having all that I desire is pure erotic fulfillment. This is a crucial distinction.

When I cultivate quality, my motive is pure ekotic satisfaction, and I find such satisfaction in the homes I make, or help to make, for myself. When I celebrate vitality, my motive is pure erotic fulfillment, and I find such fulfillment through the actions I take.

What do I need? I need pure ekotic satisfaction. What do I want? I want pure erotic fulfillment.

The homes I make - in a building, a vehicle, an office - are representations of quality, indicators of value, demonstrations of worth.

My sense of place and my sense of being in-place require objects of quality that have value and demonstrate worth. Having all that I need for my sense of place and my sense of being in-place brings me pure ekotic satisfaction.

The actions I take through the choices I make - in relation to self, others, and the world - require a sense of place and a sense of being in-place. My place in space serves a vital function: to generate interest in my relations so that I might seek and meet desirable outcomes.

Much of what I seek comes through my encounters and relations with culture, technology, and community: more skill, more money, more pleasure, more fun. In my perception of having all that I desire lies my experience of pure erotic fulfillment.

But which comes first? Pure ekotic satisfaction or pure erotic fulfillment?

The Extremes of Eros

2007-10-02T18:48:00.001-04:00

At the extremes of Eros, I can settle or demand, stop or go, wait or move. At the extremes of Eros, I can want it all or nothing at all.

Before I elaborate on this, consider the following:

Evolutionary enlightenment is the evolution of culture out of consciousness, evolving from a contemplation of religious mystery toward a spiritual realization of mastery, evolving through a balance that would cultivate soul and celebrate spirit, through sacred encounter with quality through acceptance of what is and through divine experience with vitality through assurance of what can be. By this definition, there are no mysterious depths we cannot plumb, no masterly heights we cannot climb. If and when we find and keep this balance between soul and spirit, individually and collectively, and if and when we find and keep a balance that would have us express and impress, cultivate and celebrate, then all will be well with us and the world.

Ekotic Elaborations

2007-09-27T16:10:00.001-04:00

Ekos is my place in space - in my body, in my home, in my world. I can wander perpetually with only a fleeting sense of place and no sense of being in-place, or I can withdraw from the world and stay at home, in my body, separate from the world, with no sense of purpose, promise, or progress. My body is a vehicle that carries my sense of what is divine when I follow my bliss to express my vitality, but as a temple, my body is also a sacred vessel that serves to contain value and quality so as to make it possible for me to know what is valuable and desirable, and what is worthy and worthwhile.

The world is a container for all that I need and desire. The mind and the senses serve as a bridge to this world, and the world serves as a mirror of my every need and desire. In essence, when I give my will to X, and in return, I receive X, then I know that I can only be given what I am willing to receive. When I know what I want, when I know what I want to be, when I know what I want to do, and when I know what I want to give, having and becoming follow in their wake. In between the extremes of Ekos lies a delicate balance of power that forever seeks a stable equilibrium - a balance between soul and spirit.

The body is a vessel of sanctity for soul and a vehicle of divinity for spirit. The bodily urges of soul alert me to my needs and the bodily impulses of spirit announce my desires. The urges of soul would have me satisfy my needs, whereas the impulses of spirit would have me fulfill my desires. Urges would have me settle down, stay put, and keep my place in space. Impulses would have me move forward, onward, and upward to obtain, retain, and sustain a sense of purpose, promise, and progress. Potential conflicts between soul and spirit make it possible for me to know what it is I need and want.

In my next post, I will introduce the extremes of Eros in light of these elaborations.

The Extremes of Ekos

2007-09-25T18:15:00.001-04:00

I seek to lay a conceptual foundation, with practical applications, that serves a worthy and desirable life of substance with style that ultimately resolves an ultimate question of purpose. In addressing lesser questions of purpose (e.g., what would I do if I knew I couldn't fail?) in relation to the ultimate question of purpose, I believe it would be instructive to consider both the extremes of Ekos and the extremes of Eros.

First, the extremes of Ekos.

Ekos is about your place in space: you might choose to be a perpetual wanderer, without ever having any sense of place or any sense of being in-place. Or, you might choose to be a reclusive householder, without ever having any sense of progress or any sense of being progressive.

Somewhere in between lies your sacred place and your sacred sense of being in-place.

Of course, it might be fun to be a perpetual wanderer - but only if you know you can return home. And it might be fun to be a reclusive householder - but only if you know you can leave home. Home is common to both extremes of Ekos: this is important to know because, in our encounters with each other and with the objects of our interest, it resides at the heart of what is most worthy and worthwhile.

A home requires a structure that is comprised of three elements: a house (or apartment), a homestead, and a household. The first is physical: in essence, it serves to contain subjects and objects of interest. The second is geographical: in essence, it serves to bridge subjects and objects of interest with other subjects and objects of interest; and the third is social: in essence, it serves to mirror what is more or less worthy and worthwhile.

In my next post, I will elaborate on these notions.

A Question of Purpose

2007-09-20T17:20:00.001-04:00

A practical, conceptual foundation that would have you build a desired, desirable life of substance with style is ultimately a question of purpose. One might begin by asking these standard questions: what would I do if I knew I couldn't fail? If I were financially free, where would my interests lie?

More specifically, in terms of desire, what do I want to do? In terms of ability, what can I do? In terms of purpose, what should I do? In terms of need, what must I do? Obviously, such questions as these are best answered when one feels rested and relaxed, refreshed and restored.

Sentence prompts can also help: e.g., the seven things I most want to do in this life are ... the five things I can do most easily are ... the three things that I feel I should do are ... and the one thing I must do is ... These prompts need not be completed in any particular order - only that they be completed.

Allowances in First Person

2007-09-18T17:01:00.001-04:00

In addressing structure and purpose in relation to substance and orientation, I feel compelled to begin with these allowances for myself; perhaps these affirmations resonate with your own sense of what you need or desire as you make a life of satisfaction and fulfillment for yourself:

I allow myself ... to live, love, lead ... my life ... on my own terms ... in every way possible ... naturally, effortlessly, sublimely. I allow myself ... to occupy a position ... in a place where ... I can be, have, do, and become ... whatever I will or desire ... naturally, effortlessly, sublimely. I allow myself ... to bring the substance of soul and the orientation of spirit ... into harmony ... with the purpose of my life ... knowing that structure determines behavior and purpose unifies destiny. I allow myself ... to establish the structure of my life through the purpose of my life ... naturally, effortlessly, sublimely.

Ekos Sacred is the realm of encounter where we cultivate quality of soul. This is where we get our substance and sense of meaning. Eros Divine is the realm of experience where we celebrate vitality of spirit. This is where we get our orientation and sense of direction. When we mindfully balance soul and spirit with heart, keeping in mind that the body is a vessel for soul and a vehicle for spirit, the result is twofold: involvement and engagement.

Whatever we do mindfully, we do purposefully. When we cultivate quality of soul through involvement with the subjects and objects of our interest, we feed soul with sacred encounters, and when we celebrate vitality of spirit through engagement with the subjects and objects of our experience, we feed spirit with divine experiences. Encounters with soul give us encounters with mystery. Experiences of spirit give us experiences of mastery.

As we'll see in subsequent posts, the ultimate mystery and ultimate mastery lie at the heart of who and what we are.

On Being and Becoming

2007-09-13T17:01:00.001-04:00

If I forget myself in action, could anything that I say or do matter? If I move ahead without hesitation, could anything that I think or feel matter? If I move forward without any purpose in mind, could anything that I gain or keep matter? If I follow my bliss and go with the flow, could anything that I have matter?

Or must I always be aware of what I'm saying, of what I'm doing, of what I'm thinking or feeling, of gaining or keeping, of having or discarding? If I am always and forever in a process of being and becoming, in a process that satisfies my every need and fulfills my every desire, what could possibly matter?

One response might be that no one need can always and forever be satisfied and that no one desire can always and forever be fulfilled. Also, if I satisfy one need, another looms large; if I fulfill one desire, another rises to takes it place. But if I already know that more needs and desires present themselves even as I satisfy more of my needs and fulfill more of my desires, what is to stop me from wisely crafting my very own process for being and becoming? What would stop me from crafting a process of being and becoming that would satisfy any and all needs and fulfill any and all desires, even as they present themselves?

The key to crafting such a process lies in bringing the substance, structure, and orientation of my life into harmony with the centrality of purpose, keeping in mind (at least at the beginning) that harmony between the substance of soul and the orientation of spirit requires a stable and happy marriage between structure and purpose.

Structure determines behavior. Purpose unifies destiny. The time has come to cultivate Ekos Sacred and celebrate Eros Divine.

Nothing Matters: Final Reading

2007-09-11T18:05:00.001-04:00

In my first reading of nothing, I affirm that nothing matters, as a complement to the supposition that everything matters, supposing further that there is nothing that does not matter if and when it serves an end, whether that end be a need, a goal, a value, or an interest.

In my second reading of nothing, I point to the ways in which nothing matters: nothing, through its perception in relation to something, alerts us to the presence of need; offers the promise of value; provides a contrast by which to appreciate an object of value; and invites a response to participate in value, and to contribute an object of value.

In my third reading of nothing, in which nothing matters, I suppose that nothing could only matter for two reasons: it is relevant to some purpose and it is significant for some reason. I cite oblivion and enlightenment as two examples of nothing, concluding that both have relevance and significance.

From these readings, I come to the conclusion that nothing is always relative to something, and that the perception of nothing can only ever be made known in relation to something relevant and significant.

Now suppose I forget about myself and move in no particular direction, with no particular intention of having any particular outcome, of being, having, doing, and becoming nothing, where oblivion and enlightenment fuse, and manifest together, in harmony, with no obsession, and without compulsion.

Could such a fusion, in and of and by itself, matter? Let us imagine how we might incorporate such a fusion.

Oblivion is a complete loss of memory, and from such a loss, no action with a purpose is possible. Enlightenment, on the other hand, is a state of mind by which action in response to a purpose can be taken without awareness of any memory that serves this purpose. In either case, nothing is recalled.

If, as a general rule, I move in no particular direction, it might be that I have completely forgotten everything I know about how moving in a particular direction is even relevant or significant to anything I do. And if, as general rule, I have no particular outcome in mind as I take action, it might be that I have released all awareness of any memory that serves any purpose I have. In having no particular intention (not even the intention to move in no particular direction, with no particular intention of having any particular outcome), I forget everything I know about which way to go even as I rely on memory without any awareness of it.

In light of this fusion of oblivion with enlightenment, could anything I have, think, feel, say, or do, matter?

Nothing Matters: Third Reading

2007-09-09T16:01:00.001-04:00

Nothing matters, but in what way could nothing matter?

Suppose for a moment that no thing is real and then suppose for a moment that nothing is real.

These two suppositions are distinct: the first (no thing is real) would have us consider that all things are mere patterns of energy, projections of the mind made manifest through the senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell, which are themselves the result of a thing that is both pattern and projection.

The second supposition (nothing is real) would have us consider nothing by having us stop the mind completely, bearing in mind that seeking can be a form of grasping or controlling, which would preclude any further stopping. If we're capable and wise, we might be a mirror and bring the mind to a stop, perhaps with eyes closed, body at rest, in a place saturated with perfect silence; we would neither seek to stop the mind nor would we seek not to stop the mind.

In light of these suppositions, how could nothing matter? Or, how could anything matter? If I move in a certain direction, with a certain intention of having a certain outcome, something matters. And it could only matter in two ways: it is relevant to some purpose and it is significant for some reason.

Nothing matters to those who would avoid the punishment of oblivion for evil deeds committed. At a certain level of personal development, nothing is both relevant to some purpose (being a good person, having faith in a source of goodness, performing good deeds) and significant for some reason (serves as a reminder of what can happen when you stop caring about others, lose faith in a source of goodness, and perform evil deeds).

Nothing matters to those who would welcome the stillness and silence that attends a profound sense of peace in the present moment. At a certain level of personal development, nothing is both relevant to some purpose (allowing silence to surround you, attending to a profound sense of peace, basking in the stillness of the present moment) and significant for some reason (serves as a reminder of what can happen when you make time to be).

At one level of personal development, it is perfectly understandable why one person would resist the notions that nothing matters and that nothing matters, given that nothing is associated so strongly with a dreadful prospect of oblivion. At another level of development, it is also perfectly understandable why another person would at least consider the notions that nothing matters and that nothing matters, given that nothing is associated so strongly with the unspeakable stillness and silence of a profound peace in the present moment. I would invite each of these persons to consider the following:

(1) Nothing is always, always and forever relative to something, which means it could never subsist on its own. The cosmological Big Bang had something within it that allowed it to give birth, immediately or eventually, to the phenomena of space and time, matter and energy, sentience and awareness.

(2) The perception of nothing is always, always and forever made known in relation to something relevant and significant, which means it could never exist without relevance and significance. The intention to manifest an outcome relies on nothing and something to establish relevance and significance.

My suggestion is not this: break your association of nothing with oblivion or enlightenment. My suggestion is this: expand your notion of nothing, relative to something, to include your perception of nothing in relation to your perception of anything relevant and significant.

Nothing Matters: Second Reading

2007-09-06T15:16:00.001-04:00

Consider: Nothing matters.

We might ask: in what way does nothing matter?

Nothing is your empty screen, your blank canvas, your uncarved block, your period of silence, your absence of touch, taste, or smell, your respite from activity, your naked body, your bare wall, your unspeakable peace in the stillness of the present moment.

Nothing matters.

Granted, and to be sure, the perception of nothing always, always and forever requires something, but nothing matters because it offers promise, the promise of something with value, of something sacred, of something unique and irreplaceable.

Nothing provides a backdrop, a means of contrast by which to appreciate that special something. I might fill a wall in my home with pictures, but if I hang but one picture, that picture acquires more relevance and significance for having been placed alone in the midst of nothing.

Nothing invites a response. When I see an empty computer screen, I want to write. When I see a blank canvas, I want to paint. When I see an uncarved block, I want to sculpt. When I do nothing for too long, I want to act. Nothing invites participation and contribution.

Nothing alerts us to need and purpose. When I've had nothing to eat for too long, I get hungry. When I've had nothing to say or do for too long, I get restless. If, in the midst of activity, I've had nothing meaningful to contribute, I wonder: what is the point of this?

Nothing offers promise. Nothing provides contrast. Nothing invites participation and contribution. Nothing alerts us to need and purpose.

What could be more important than nothing?

Nothing matters, but in what way does nothing matter?

Nothing Matters: First Reading

2007-09-04T17:31:00.001-04:00

Nothing matters.

Three readings: (1) nothing matters; (2) nothing matters; and (3) nothing matters.

Here I am now: a body, with two hands with which to type these words; a mind, to witness two hands typing these words; a heart, to guide body and mind in the typing of these words; soul, with body, mind, and heart, to encounter, with heartfelt purpose, from sacred depths, the words I type; and spirit, with body, mind, heart, and soul, to experience, with presence and heart from heights divine, the typing of these words.

Nothing matters. This is pure negation of all that matters, a complement to the notion that everything matters.

Everything matters. This is a pure affirmation of all that matters, a complement to the notion that nothing matters.

But if I say, ultimately, nothing matters, what is to stop me from saying, ultimately, everything matters?

Nothing.

Ultimately, everything matters. But is it true?

Does manure matter? It does when it's used to grow things. Do pain and suffering matter? They do when they alert us to problems. Do silly jokes matter? They do when they dissolve tension. Do nonsense words matter? They do when they make a point.

Is there anything that does not matter?

Think of it this way: if I have a purpose, an objective, a goal, a value, an interest, a need, a desired outcome, or a desired result, then obviously, whoever or whatever can serve it, matters. Less obviously, I don't, or I can't, or I won't always know who or what does, can, or will serve one of my ends.

It might appear to me that someone or something cannot or will not serve one of my ends.

Scratch the surface, though, and I might find otherwise.

Letting Go, Letting Be

2007-09-02T18:53:00.001-04:00

Knowing that life is a [....], my purpose in life is to ...

When I did this exercise, I came up with three responses, all of which resonate deeply with three different aspects of me: Life is a beach; Life is a woman; and Life is a process. Knowing that life is a beach, my purpose in life is to ... live my life to the fullest. Knowing that life is a woman, my purpose in life is to ... love her with all my heart. Knowing that life is a process, my purpose in life is to ... go with the flow and be a part of this wondrous process.

In less than two minutes, the heart of my soul, being deeply feminine, knew exactly what she wanted from this exercise.

Just before I did this exercise, I received a heart-warming newsletter from a woman accomplished in the visual and healing arts. She had returned from the Peruvian Amazon, where she had spent a month in the wilds with a group of shamans. She remarked: "feeling the grace of the river, the exquisite green of the forest, the warmth of the air, combined with the simplicity and heartfelt presence of the shamans, I decided to pay more attention to my lifestyle, to relax and enjoy more, each and every moment, letting the flow of the river, the Divine breath, to guide and inspire me in each moment and situation."

She went on to say that healing (physical, emotional, spiritual) occurs with a relaxed attitude from a place of humility, faith, surrender, and playfulness. She added: letting go and letting Divine Grace emerge from within is our only task and destiny. In essence, I would agree with her with all my heart and soul. I would, however, qualify her statement somewhat, phrasing it as follows: "letting go is our most important task; letting be is our ultimate destiny."

All that we encounter, and contrive to encounter, contains relevance for soul; all that we experience, and contrive to experience, carries significance for spirit. Paradoxically, however, letting go requires hanging on; letting be requires clapping hands.

Paradigm and Purpose

2007-08-30T17:37:00.001-04:00

Sublime intent, a feature of life lived constructively and creatively, reflects and requires a balance between the sacred and divine dimensions of life, which in turn reflects and requires a constructive and creative paradigm.

A paradigm conditions the course of a life to either reflect or produce a purpose. "Life is a beach" is one such paradigm. If life is a beach, then I would do well to follow my bliss. Consequently, the purpose of such a life is to contain and carry whatever keeps me in a state of bliss.

"Life is a game" is another such paradigm. If life is a game, then I would do well to play it with consummate skill. To play it with such skill might mean to win at all costs, to advance as far as possible, or to come out on top at the end - all of which condition the way I live, love, and learn.

Here's a chicken-and-egg question for you. Which comes first: the purpose or the paradigm? Do I already have a purpose waiting to be found, and so choose a paradigm that serves to realize this purpose? Or do I choose a paradigm and then find a purpose from within the paradigm?

As an exercise, complete this sentence stem: "Life is a ..." Keep going until you feel completely satisfied. For example, life is a beach, life is a game, life is a puzzle, life is a journey, life is a mission, life is a contract, life is a vision, life is a .... Choose one that resonates with the heart of your soul.

And then, complete the following sentence stem, and keep going until you feel completely assured: "Knowing that life is a [ ], my purpose in life is to ...”

From Prosaic to Sublime

2007-08-28T17:45:00.001-04:00

We attract what we attend. More precisely, we attract more or less, the more or less we attend.

So, for example, the more I dwell in peace, the more I give my love, the more I share my joy, the more I follow my bliss, the more I conduct myself with grace, the more easily and quickly I tend to attract peace, love, joy, bliss, and grace into a place where I can make them manifest.

The key word here is "place". Ekos.

"Into a place" might mean "into my body" or it might mean "into my home" or "into my office or clinic or lab" or "into my car or truck" or "into my own private space" - into any place where I feel at home, where I feel "in-place". The more I value this "place", the more sacred I treat it, the more "in-place" I feel.

And the more "in-place" we feel, the more easily we can use our places as vessels of transformation, as containers for creative and divine expression.

When we feel safe and secure in our places, we feel free to explore, to examine, to elaborate, to explain, to express - creatively and productively, effectively and efficiently. When we feel safe and secure in our places, wherever they might be for us, we feel called to meet a purpose beyond need.

With needs met, our desires have a better chance of providing a means by which we can know a purpose. When we feel at home - in our bodies, in our places of residence, in our workplaces, in our own private spaces - we have the confidence to find, to know, and to meet a purpose.

To begin to balance the sacred and divine, we simply need to find our places, keep them safe and secure, and give our desires free reign so that we might find a purpose that resonates with our sense of place, before striving to meet this purpose creatively, productively, divinely.

A prosaic life need not remain prosaic. Any sacred place that supports a divine purpose can (and will) transform prosaic need into sublime intent.

How might we realize a purpose and still keep our balance?

For me, at this time, this is the million-dollar question.

Balance, Sacred and Divine

2007-08-26T17:59:00.001-04:00

We attract what we attend.

If we find ourselves in the habit of saying, "I don't need this" or "I don't want this", then the image or feeling associated with [what it is we think or feel we do not need or want] builds up a charge, attracting the very thing we do not need or want, compelling us to repel it all the more forcibly.

In a vicious cycle.

Is there a way out?

Unfortunately, this situation is not a simple matter of letting go, of releasing the sense of not needing or wanting what it is we do not need or want. We might release repeatedly many such instances of this sense of not needing or wanting as they arise. And still, they return to invade our peace of mind.

What to do?

Basically, we take a stand with what we choose to attend and attract.

Ultimately, the answers lie in cultivating two habits of mind: (1) gather impressions of increase with a focus on quality, clarity, and vitality; and (2) prevent impressions of decrease with a selective ignorance of loss, lack, and limitation.

To make it easy to do this consistently requires two compatible frameworks: religious (Ekos Sacred) and spiritual (Eros Divine).

For me, it's not enough to simply cultivate the sacred dimension of life and it's not enough to simply celebrate the divine dimension of life. Putting too much emphasis on one at the expense of the other does not bring us balance in both satisfaction and fulfillment, which is what we ultimately desire.

I would encourage anyone to be mindful of this balance.

More to come on how to strike the balance.

Purpose, Practice, Presence

2007-08-23T18:10:00.001-04:00

It has been said that the present moment is all that really exists.

But it just isn't so.

Existence encompasses so much more than the present moment.

Think about it.

When I sit, dry and content, and watch rain fall, in front of an open window, I can allow the present moment to saturate my awareness of myriad sights, sounds, and smells occasioned by the rain.

There is no past, present, or future to think about: no encounter with depth, no involvement or engagement with breadth, no experience of height.

Save the depth, breadth, and height of my awareness saturated by the effects of a downpour.

When I am present to the present, the present blesses me with presence. In the presence of Presence, serenity and clarity are most welcome.

But again, existence encompasses so much more than presence in the present.

Practice, especially transformative practice, requires moving out of, and away from, the present moment, into involvement with the past and engagement with the future. With practice, I am called to involve (at the very least) my awareness with my memories and to engage (at the very least) my awareness with my intentions.

Perceptually, I can only be aware of my memories and my intentions in the present moment, but conceptually, these memories acquire a past and these intentions create a future when I move my awareness out of, and away from, the present moment for the sake of practice with a purpose in pursuit of knowledge, skill, and experience.

Perceptually, I make contact with the present moment through the sensations of my body. Perceptually and conceptually, I make contact with the past through my memories and the future through my intentions. Perceptually or conceptually, my sensations are no more real than my memories and intentions.

Which means that the past, present, and future exist in equal measure when I give equal attention to my sensations, memories, and intentions.

To say that the present moment is all that exists is false; to say that the past and future exist only in the present moment is false.

Celebrate Eros Divine

2007-08-21T17:08:00.001-04:00

Eros, in the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche, is the god of a particular kind of love, the kind of love infused with desire, in anticipation of meeting sensual or sexual desire. In the psychology of Freud, Eros is construed as the sum of all instincts that preserve life, manifesting as impulses to gratify basic needs, to protect and preserve body and mind. In the philosophy of Plato, Eros is conceived as a fundamental creative impulse infused with a sensual element.

The archetypal, psychological, and philosophical faces of Eros, respectively, speak to the necessity of desire in relation to love. Love, by itself, is virtually lifeless; desire, by itself, is all but loveless; but when you blend love and desire responsibly and creatively, you find your divinity. Celebrate Eros Divine is really just a shorthand way of saying, "celebrate vitality of spirit through the experience of love and desire, balanced responsibly and creatively".

The key word here is experience, both as noun and as verb. Where encounter is sacred, experience is divine. Where the depths are sacred, the heights are divine. Where the orientation of sacred souls is downward vertical, the orientation of divine spirits is upward vertical. Where the sacred masculine essence goes, the divine feminine spirit follows, and where the divine feminine spirit goes, the sacred masculine essence follows. Where encounters with mystery are sacred, experiences with mastery are divine.

Encounters of soul and experiences of spirit take on a whole new perspective when viewed in terms of sacred and divine, but the orientations of soul through Ekos Sacred and the orientations of spirit through Eros Divine move in fundamentally opposite directions. Are these orientations reconcilable? Can they be balanced? If so, how might they be reconciled? How might they be brought into balance, both from above and from below?

For lovers of life and masters of mind, these questions are essential to lives lived well. In essence, what seductive wisdom is required to find and keep the balance between Ekos Sacred and Eros Divine?

Cultivate Ekos Sacred

2007-08-19T18:52:00.001-04:00

Cultivate Ekos Sacred? What does this mean?

By way of explanation, I might begin with the term Ekos, which is a variation on the spelling of Ecos, found in such terms as ecology and economy.

The ecology of a habitat and the economy of a nation, for example, both imply systems - one natural, the other contrived. With systems, we can talk about the totality of a system, with its interactions and exchanges - interactions and exchanges of organisms (in the case of ecologies) or interactions and exchanges of information (in the case of economies).

On a smaller scale, we create more personal systems in miniature, relative to larger systems like habitats or societies, such as residential areas, places of worship, areas of business, and centers of information or entertainment. The scale most amenable to cultivation on the individual level, however, is one that allows cultivation of body, home, office, and mode of transport.

For my purposes, I wish to concentrate on the most personal, and potentially, the most sacred of these objects: the body and the home (whatever or wherever that might be for you), each of which have their own Ekos, their own ecology of ends and economy of means.

The catchphrase, Cultivate Ekos Sacred, is really just a shorthand way of saying, "cultivate quality of soul through body and home as if they were sacred". In light of this statement, we might say that a neglect of soul shows up as a neglect of body and home or that a neglect of body and home are reflections of soul in neglect.

With the cultivation of attractive bodies and homes, we see significant degrees of personal worth invested in body and home. From a universal, evolutionary perspective, this makes a great deal of sense. When we treat body and home as sacred instruments of soul, soul can make a healthy appearance, suggesting both quality and fitness.

When we treat body and home as sacred embodiments of soul, not only can soul be nourished, but personal worth can be expressed peacefully through these projections of soul, providing places of stability for soul to acquire meaning, manifest its purpose, and provide the required weight for spirit to set its direction in harmony with soul.