Published

My piece  - Holy Waters has know been published with Elephant Journal and I couldn't be happier. I don't submit much or often - it's not an enjoyable task for me. I guess I prefer the solitude of my own blog and its audience of one (two? three?) Yet from the moment I first started reading Elephant Journal, with their variety of spiritual articles, blogs and poems, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it in some small way. Many poems were rejected and this is the first of two that have so far been approved for publication. It's my hope to gain a greater audience for what I do and in return use this opportunity to gain a greater clarity for what I am able to offer. So it starts here.


http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/02/holy-waters-eric-paul-mccarty-poem/




Peace,
Eric

The of Distance Running - #6

The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.

It is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want. 

                                                            *

~
Our stride....infinite worlds in
every step.
And so the distance
lengthens.

We run in timeless realms of wonder.

When we run to the point of emptiness. Devoid of goals and expectations and all but the simplicity of  motion - we enter inner worlds of pure awareness. In the moment of our surrender we are not hopeless - we have reached the point beyond hope, where legs and heart are fueled by an infinite source of wonder. Will power takes us far yet spirit takes us farther. Every step leads to a lessening of self and a greater sense presence. Our run begins here. Yet now the path is inwards.

Peace,

Eric

* Verse 6 of The Tao Te Ching translated by Stephen Mitchell



The Tao of Distance Running - #5

The Tao is like a bellows:
it is empty yet infinitely capable.
The more you use it, the more it produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you understand.

                                                                                        *

~
Our stride is empty of all but the
beauty of earth and the
steps we offer.


We run in the endless bounty of earth and heaven.

Running simply is. Empty of design it conforms to expectations. To run free we match the absence of opinion with steps that are unafraid to venture through unknown territories of the mind. Running free grants favors - there is no judgment on fatigue, nor on terrain  - all conditions pass through the void of our concern. We are runners. And motion is the only voice we seek to hear.

Peace,

Eric 

* Translation of Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell


The Tao of Distance Running -#4

The Tao is like a well:
used but never used up.
It is like the eternal void:
filled with infinite possibilities

                                                                     *


Our stride...a length of hope laid holy
to the ground. And every step a
seed of promise.


We run in the garden of the infinite.

~

We run in the spirit of possibilities - no mile holds less than the infinite and our steps carry us not to an ending but to moments yet explored. A run never truly ends - just a pause on the border of imagination - where trail and road wait in the absence of our stride. With no end we are free to wander eternal acres of mind and spirit and our feet respond in ways beyond the body. We are light - and motion is our given grace.

Peace,

Eric 

*Tao Te Ching verse translated by Stephen Mitchell 



The Tao of Distance Running - #3

The Master leads
by emptying people's minds
and filling their cores,
by weakening their ambition
and toughening their resolve.
He helps people lose everything
they know, everything they desire,
and creates confusion
in those who think that they know.

                                                                        *


We run in the void of expectations...and empty of
thoughts that held us falsely to
a single moment -
Our stride is filled with promise.

~

We are not just runners - we are travelers, our motion a reflection of an interior journey. Every step we seek to empty ourselves of concepts, of limits, and to lose our sense of who we think we are. In the void brought by distance covered- we find this emptiness matched with the promise of our infinite identity. We run to lose everything we thought solid and gain the mystery found in the fall of our steps and the grace of earth that waits to greet them.

Peace,

Eric

*

Tao Te Ching Translated by Stephen Mitchell 

The Tao of Distance Running -#2

Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect. 

                                                  *

~


Our steps possess nothing save for
moments touched upon the
earth.
And so we hold the
world in motion.


Our stride is light and shines with meaning.

• Without distinctions a runner runs with the grace of no concerns. There are no obstacles when the path is seen as sacred. Everything belongs and everything is in the order of its perfection. Our role is to simply run. A hill is approached as a thing of beauty - the body responds to the thoughts we hold clear and effort applied and then let go. No thought or motion wasted. We run the hill and then beyond. There are no distinctions when everything holds beauty and all is holy - fast or slow, hills and flat - all versions of a sacred run. Every action is in perfect accord to what arises and so becomes without effort. Free of expectations every moment becomes our arrival. Every step is home.

Peace,

Eric

*
Tao Te Ching translated by Stephen Mitchell

The Tao of Distance Running -#1

Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. *

~

We run in the freedom of soul and

body - content with what the

path offers.

Yet eager for mysteries

unexplored.

Our steps explore shadows and sun.



• Running is pure - it's motion undefined and expressed in contact with breath and air and steps against ground. Allowed to simply be we are neither fast nor slow but infinite travelers covering interior distance seen as road and trail. Do not measure - the trails we seek are unseen. Do not compete - and those who run along side us are companions. Do not compare - and every road becomes eternal.Wanting no more than this - the freedom to move unrestricted by the boundaries of flesh and mind - we are realized in spirit and the unnamed nature of the run.

Peace,

Eric

*

Tao Te Ching translated by Stephen Mitchell

 



Great Day to Run - Not a Great Run

No chance to open up and stretch the legs as I had hoped today - black ice covered much of the bike path and made any real attempt at a decent pace all but impossible. I opted for the road after 8 miles but even that wasn't completely clear. It was a shame too as it was a near perfect day to run. I expect more of the same tomorrow as it will get near or below freezing tonight. I'm longing for spring. More snow this week and that will mean a repeat of the thaw and ice - maybe for another week or more. It's been a hard season on many this year. As always though - we'll get by. Be safe out there everyone.


Peace,
Eric

Thawed

It looks like the ice and snow have has thawed enough for some unrestricted outside running. I've missed it - my body has missed it, my mind has missed it and my spirit has missed it. When every step becomes a struggle for balance and foot placement has as much significance as stride then running becomes a chore - still a worthwhile endeavor but it's as if a heavy chain has been draped over legs and spirit. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. It won't be a day based on speed or distance - but of freedom and the sheer enjoyment of being in motion.


Peace,
Eric

Waiting With The Empty Page

In quiet hours...I am the
words.

And the page waits to
receive me.

Grateful to be filled.

~

It's a small distinction - to think and be the writer or simply let the words appear. We can ask for inspiration yet the grace of words is often fickle. Perhaps the trick is calm abiding - we wait, not eager, and not in fear of wordless moments - we wait with the patience of the artist totally joined with the spirit of art. Breathing, a single breath and again as if this is all we have time for, all the time in the world, breathing. It's enough to face the page and let the emptiness be - to meet it with the tender faith of perfect timing. It doesn't have to be now - now is the time of breath and calm abiding - yet we know the page is here. And words will come to those with patience. 

Our Own Fig Tree

Even Jesus cursed the fig tree.
And we have our own barren hours - fruitless and cursed for want of other things. In the seasons of our need we look upon empty trees and leave behind the withered hope of things that cannot be. It's not their time. No fault of trees and no curse will sway the seasons. Right now is the only moment offered. Fruitless - we plant seeds. Every thought is nurtured. Another season always follows. And time will bear the things we need. 


Peace,
Eric

Rejection

I have sent out several pieces for consideration to be published at Elephant Journal and all but one have been rejected. The process can be disheartening at times yet all an artist can do is keep trying. Rejection is part of the process and as long as you're submitting you're in the game. It can be a brutal game however if we let ego make the rules. This blog is titled Running With Spirit yet it could just as easily be Writing With spirit, or cooking with Spirit - titles don't matter and neither do rejections because when we focus on spirit nothing can be rejected. As A Course in Miracles states - Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exist -This always brings me great peace of mind. If I'm writing the reality of my spirit and I stay true to that than it can't be rejected. If it feels like rejection it's only because I'm writing, sharing and responding with ego. Nothing wrong with that - except the pain. I would rather focus on joy and share in the nature of spirit. Where it goes is not my concern - my only concern is to write with heart and share with courage and freedom. And that's the plan.


Peace,
Eric

Does God Have A Hero?

When you close
your eyes
and see God
within,
You are Gods Hero.

When you open your eyes
and see God in everyone,
You are Gods Hero.

When you let anger pass you by,
with a smile
upon your lips,
You are Gods Hero.

When you hold love
in your heart
and peace within
your mind,
You are Gods Hero.

When you behold
the beauty of a
flower
and feel the kinship
with all living things,
You are Gods Hero.

When you look at somone
who is different,
and see only how you are alike,
You are Gods Hero.

When you feel more joy
in helping another,
than you do
in your own personal gain,
You are truly Gods Hero.

When you here
the true name of God
in every mans religion,
You are a Hero to God.

When you can hear
the silent voice of God
in the wind,
the birds,
or even the
roar of a crowd,
You will hear God
calling You a Hero.

When you take time everyday,
for silent communion
with God,
She listens and You are Gods Hero.

When you can see
beyond appearences
and have the wisdom
to see Gods truth
that we are all truly One,
Again,you are Gods Hero.

When you have compassion
and love for
All,
even those with whom
you may disagree,
You are a Hero to all mankind and to God.

When you know
that forgiveness is blessed
and forgive all,
No matter how large or small
that trespass against you,
You will be Gods Hero.

When you give love to all,
holding none back,
you will know love
for yourself,
for God,
And you will be Her Hero.

When you demonstrate patiance
with others
and see Divine Good
in everyone and every event,
You will have learned to see God everywhere,
and you will be Her Hero.

When you trust in God
with all your heart,
Knowing that the Universe
is formed from Love,
your trust will pay off
with love,abundance,joy,
And the knowledge
That you are Gods Hero.

When your desire to know God
is so great
that in desperation
you finally give up searching for Her
where She never has been found,
You will find Her
where She has always been,
Watching,
Waiting,
Within,
Ready to welcome
Her Hero Home.

~

Instructions - sometimes we all need them. The Dali Lama succinctly stated that his religion is kindness. I'm a little more wordy. The essence is the same though - kindness counts. And it takes practice. We have the perfect starting point too - ourselves. Be patient, be mindful of self talk, relax, breathe - it's that simple. The wisdom found in kindness is in knowing that we can all - always - begin again. We can start right now.

Peace,

Eric

Ultrarunning - Insights Gain Through Suffering

Vipassana or Insight Meditation seems to lend itself quite well to ultrarunning where awareness of mind and body conditions are so vital to success. The act of Vipassana is using momentary concentration to see the inherent temporary nature of all things - to gain this insight and too use it in daily life to alleviate suffering and eventually - liberation. We develop concentration with a focus on a single object - most often the breath - the inflow and the outflow at the tip of the nose or the rise and fall of the abdomen. It's a single minded pursuit of knowing the breath and we return to it with a persistent gentleness as often as needed - for taming our minds to hold one pointed attention is not an easy task. In Buddhist and Yogic tradition it is likened to a monkey in its mad scramble to grab every object within sight and so it is with the mind. We can't force it to obey yet we can patiently train it with a constant return to our object of devotion. That's meditation. Insight occurs when use this concentration to penetrate the illusory nature of the things we view as permanent. This in turn leads to the wisdom of non-grasping and again liberation. We are free from suffering. I mentioned ultrarunning early and to tie this all together - no one knows suffering as an ultrarunner does. We seek it out, it's the nature of our pursuit and yet instinctively the best and most successful runners know not to take their suffering seriously. I have seen horrendously wrecked bodies beneath a mile wide grin as well as complete turnarounds where I would swear a runner wouldn't make another step let alone an addition 60 plus miles. Somehow they do and perhaps the answer lies in the insight gained from previous moments of suffering. Experience counts, yes, but insight counts even more and intimately knowing that there are levels to our suffering and to grasp at any one level prevents us from being a witness to its passage is an insight gained from wisdom, faith, patience and experience. This is awareness. Watching the body and mind with stillness will take us there. Using the same stillness while in motion is the meditation of the ultrarunner. It will take us there too.


Peace,
Eric

Storms

Some storms pass
Sudden –
Belonging only to the
Moment of their
Giving.
And some linger…as if touching two
Points of stillness and raining
Motion in between.

We are at once both sudden and
Lingering…a flash of desire
Held long against the
Flesh.

We are storms...raining holy for
Each other.

~

Be still - and give everything. Don't get lost in duality. We are more than one thing and yet solely meant for love.

Peace,

Eric

As Only A Flame Can Love

The candle gives its life in
devotion to the flame.

A death slowed in the stillness
of ecstasy's hand.

The candle prays in lessening tears.

Dissolving of its self with every
drop that falls.

I love you as the candle loves
the flame -

My all to this fire that consumes.

Yet more...I love as only the flame
can love -

Burning solely to feed
the candles desire.

`

Love is like this - a lessening of self to something larger, something greater than a lone desire. We don't love small. We love in order to be love. It's our grand design - a completion of a circle where only love is known and only love is returned too. In between we learn to give.

Peace,

Eric



My Constant

I am happy that one of my poem/essays has been picked up by a on-line journal for wider publication. I have sent several out - most of which have been rejected. It makes me wonder - with art being subjective - why one poem would be choose over another in a case like this? All of them are of a similar theme and all have been well received elsewhere. I'm not complaining - I'm happy for the opportunity and I would change a thing on the words that were rejected. It's my art. I present my words in the only way I know how and in the only format that I find pleasing. I will keep sending things out and perhaps a pattern will appear - or again with art being subjective perhaps there just isn't one. For whatever reason those chosen set of words struck a chord with the right person - in which case their purpose were well served. I hope that others will read those lucky words and pave the way for more to follow with their enthusiasm. Regardless I will continue writing. It's my constant.


Peace,
Eric

As Ash

I have surrendered
to your fire,
And burnt -
I come alive as nothing more
than ash.
And scattered by some Holy breeze,
I now reach every
Part
of
You.

`

Love - true love - is to let the ego burn on the flame of surrender. To know love we have to become less then the finite self we cherish. We have to burn. We must have faith that there are winds that will sweep up our remains and cast them to the Infinite. Yet first - we must be unafraid to face the fire.

Love,

Eric

Back in The Game

I received a rejection notice from an on-line blog calling for contributions. It's a widely read spiritual blog and I felt that some of my poems and post might be a good fit. The editors there felt otherwise. I haven't sought to publish my work for quite sometime other then through my own efforts with blogging and my books. Rejection is tough and a few years ago it was beyond tough for me - it was devastating. At one point I stopped writing for sometime after a few magazines rejected my poetry. It was personal. Or so it felt and so I believed. Now, strangely, I don't feel so bad - there's still a sting - but I don't feel judged and more so I feel happy to be in the game. And sometimes the game offers you a no - my goal - is to simply keep playing. Thanks for the opportunity guys.


Peace,
Eric

Quiet

It's quiet.

And few words slip past to
reach the fingers.

I write only what has
fallen.

Returning to the silence of
this poem.

`

It is quiet.

Always

Now  - a primordial state interrupted by moments of things heard and then a slow return to the hush that existed before the birth of time.

As often as possible - simply listen.

Let sounds go.

Continue to listen...until

silence is heard.

Peace,

Eric



VBlog?

I'm thinking of stating a YouTube channel to read a bit of my poetry and some essays - basically a Running With Spirit Vblog. I'm pretty introverted and being in front of a camera - even my own camera - is a bit daunting. Seems all the more reason to try. Would love any tips or shared information if anyone who reads this post has any - it would be much appreciated. In the mean time - stayed tuned for some videos!


Peace,
Eric

Like Now

I try to update this blog daily. For the most part I have succeeded - missing a day here and there mostly do to long races. Even than I try and record something. It's not that I feel the need to fill an empty page - it's more a wish to capture what a given moment holds when I approach the page. Like right now and this. It doesn't take much - yet it holds a great deal of importance and meaning to me. I think that some of you will understand. And I thank you for reading.


Peace,
Eric

Long Run In The Woods Today

Long run in the woods today - 50k. At a certain point these events seem to become less of a race and more of an experience that is at once both personal and a shared get together. I have developed strong relationships with people that I have met at races and too I have drawn inwards to places that only very long distance in the company of my mind can take me. A finishing time seems less in important in light of both of these experiences. In the end - perhaps this is the very essences of what ultrarunning is all about. I like to think so.


Peace,
Eric

In The End

In the end - meditation becomes only about letting go. We have learned through the refusal to cling to thought or form that we are indeed spacious energy and unable to posses no more than this knowledge.


Peace,
Eric

Drawn Forever

I wish to disappear - the smallness of

myself into the vast nature of my

being.

I seek the infinite in all of my desires.

The small movement of breath that passes on the

lips is the same air that stretches on

without ending - to forget myself and remember only this - a single

breath that's drawn forever.

To Enter Your Caress

I enter your caress...

Full of this
desire.

To vanish beneath the subtle
stroke of fingers.

Absorbed in the fabric of
your touch.

~

I wish to disappear - the smallness of my self into the vast nature of my being. I seek the infinite in all of my desires. The small movement of breath that passes on the lips is the same air that stretches on eternal - to forget myself and remember only this - a single breath that's drawn forever.

Peace,
Eric

Anchor

The breath is our anchor for Mindfulness. We return to it again and again as our mind wanders its crazy path of thoughts and cravings. From birth until death the breath remains with us and calls for our mindful return of focus to the present moment. Remember this anchor through anger, loneliness and stressful days. It calls you home.




Peace,
Eric

I'm Not Really Liberal

Maybe in time we'll stop - perhaps lines will blur and issues not seem so black and white - or maybe we will simply have  had enough and wake to a single unity of purpose. There's hope. There's always hope. I guess most would call me a liberal. There are issues of social consciousness that I hold dearly. I believe the globe is warming and the environment is sacred. I don't care if men marry men and women marry women. There are hundreds of issues I'm sure that would classify me as a liberal. Yet I would prefer not to be placed within that box. Or any box. I'm not anti- conservative and I don't want to be mentally dismissed for my beliefs and I do not wish to dismiss anyone for their own. There are many issues that could be debated where I'm sure I could find common ground with a conservative - if I listen with care, with respect and with empathy. Empathy is important here because the bottom line becomes one of simply wanting what we feel is best for our country, for our community and families and for ourselves. We're not enemies. We just disagree. It's the labels that cause friction. Think of me as a neighbor, a friend, or another concerned citizen with views others than your own and we have a bond to dialogue. Drop the labels and we're more alike than not - we've both known suffering and defeat as well and victory and elation. We're humans. We're sharing a world. That's enough to make you my friend.


Peace,
Eric

It's Like Something Even More

It's like this.

You haunt the space that
lies between us.

As if the distance holds a
memory of being filled by
only you.

The air allows your scent to
linger in your absence.

I breathe only in the wake
you leave behind.

It's like this.

Until we touch
again.

And then...it's like something
even more.

`

It is like this....this holy longing for existence in the arms of God. We feel absent and yet we're blind to the singularity of who we really are. We only dream in thoughts of two. Our deepest longing? Is to awake.

Peace,

Eric

Metta (Loving Kindness) Invitation

The method of Metta is such a simple, profound and effective means of bringing peace to ourselves and our relationships that it's a shame it isn't taught at an early age to every child - worldwide. It certainly would be a different world if this was the case. Metta - otherwise known as Loving Kindness Meditation is the process of extending love and compassion first towards ourselves and the extending this circle of kindness outwards to all. The meditator repeats key phrases silently to themselves - belief or feelings towards these phrases are unimportant at first - what counts is the intention of what we wish to offer. Soon we will find that a genuine feeling of compassion will arise naturally from within and eventually we will see the fruit of our effort blossoming in who we relate to the world and how the world relates to us. It may be the most important undertaking we ever embark upon. How hope you all will join me.


Peace,
Eric

Fur - Why?

In this day and with the wide range of fabric to be worn - why would anyone choose to wear fur? Vanity and callousness are the only reasons that come to mind. It's a simple matter of saying to oneself and to display to others that there is no regard for the life and suffering of fellow beings. That is a shame. Beyond that - it is a sin. There is not much I can add to this post other than to plead - don't wear fur, don't support the industry and please, please d not support and aid the artists who choose to display such utter contempt for the suffering of animals.


http://www.gigwise.com/news/48057/Kid-Rock-%27I%27ll-Go-To-War-With-PETA-Over-Animal-Fur


Peace,
Eric