Intimately Involved

Intimately involved: 

that I welcome any words to come, open, receptive, and in this way a theme appears, writing occurs, and I am completely of the process too. In many ways it's the opposite of automatic writing, a phenomenon in which the author is directed by a source other than their own conscious involvement, as if a vessel for another hand and someone else's words. Yet still I make no claim that these are my words, nor to be their source of origin, and certainly not the author, not really. Words happen, they appear, and I am fortunate to be aware, to listen, and to have the wish to write them down. It's the same with every thought, each inspiration, that they're all just a somehow appearance, a mystery, and one that finds me intimately involved in their process, part of how it all unfolds. 

perhaps that's why I prefer writing so early in the morning, with lines between dream worlds and a busy reality of the day not yet so tightly drawn. Everything feels more seamless now, words flow easily from wherever they once were and then seeming to find themselves directly to the page. It's all without real effort, as if each word is gifted from a source, but one that I am clearly part of, intimately involved with, and intrinsic to the entire process.

this isn't just about words though, what's happening now is simply an aspect of life described as writing. All of life flows this way, regardless of our notice, that everything is gifted for our involvement, from air in its seamless touch against our lips, available at very first breath, to sun, rain, and the nourishment offered by sky and earth - we've indeed been gifted with a world. And all that's asked of us is to receive, to be open, yes, to be intimately involved with the life that we've been given. It's an easy request, one that's already happening even if we're unaware that it's so.

 for me, writing early in the morning, it's just a way for me to give my notice, thankful, a prayer of being open, aware, and receptive right now to every word, to life. 

it's my way of being intimately involved.

and aware that it's so.

~

Peace, Eric 

We Tell Ourselves

We tell ourselves:

that it's all stories we tell ourselves no matter how sincere - and we have our favorite stories too, physicists tell the story of quantum theories with hopeful proof while philosophers and religious leaders might tell opposite stories with equal belief. My own favored stories, at least the ones that I'm aware of, are partial to meditation and of spiritual concerns. Yet there are also stories that play out beneath our conscious understanding, those that are deeply embedded in individual and cultural psyche, hidden from our own view and not given to examination. It's the role of the shamans among us to bring this all to light, for the poets and storytellers to speak to us through metaphor and cause an inward look. Many of these stories serve us well and have a noble cause, while many are harmful if not at least examined and determined for their worth. It's the stories we tell ourselves that shape the quality of our lives. Seen in this light -they at least deserve to be acknowledged. 

why is everything a story?

because nothing is real in and of itself alone, nothing is independent from its neighboring field of being and existence, no description free of a storyteller's view. Everything exists simply as it is, exact, and honestly doesn't need a story. That's just for our convenience, a helpful way for us to navigate the world, at least until we come to believe that a story's absolutely so. We only tell ourselves a version of the whole, a sample fit only for our individual view, not meant to be an ultimate description. This is when our stories cease to serve and find themselves as lies, no longer guiding us to see the world completely. It's not that we must abandoned our most cherished stories, as really, that would only be another story told - but that everything we believe is held lightly, allowed a certain doubt to exist within their hold. 

a good quantum physicist knows that an atom's just a story, that it doesn't exist independent of the particles that seem to give it cause and that particles too are just another story. Right now I'm typing these words on a wooden desk that holds my computer, all made by molecules and in turn atoms, particles and infinitely regressed to a field of energetic potentiality. Nothing, really. The primordial space existing before a single stories told. That's as close to truth as we may know and everything from this is indeed, just a story. I've typed these words with the cooperation of the field of everything, molecules, atoms, particles...all the way to nothing. 

infinite stories.

seemingly existing on a single page.

everything we tell ourselves...absolutely nothing.

yet through this we see the world.

~

Peace, Eric 

First Insight

First Insight: 

it's perhaps the first insight gained through meditation and inquiry, one truly significant in the freedom that it offers - that we are not the producer of our thoughts, not being responsible at all for their appearance in our mind. That's it, the insight that sets us free from ownership of a turbulent mind, and what follows is a never ending exploration as to who and what we truly are. The first insight is the key to our awakening and provides the shift of identity from one of seeker to that of being an explorer through the infinite depth of our mystery and reality. 

indeed, a never ending exploration.

this first insight provides no answers, at least none that should be believed in their arrival - remember we're exploring ourselves through mystery, an endless pursuit and reality is always shifting in the perspective that it offers. Truth is known through these layers and in this way we're never left certain of what true at all in any ultimate sense, but only of what seems so through the present layer of our privileged view. We know only what we think we do, and our every belief, every thought really, should be held in tentative grip, not taken to be absolutely true.

for me, this first insight was a gift, providing a sense of spaciousness that has only seemed to grow, expanding past and always including every aspect of my world. It's a freedom that's ever present now, a witness stage that even absolves the presence of a witness, leaving me simply aware that I'm presently aware, free, and yet fully belonging as an aspect of the world. 

the first insight is one of being seamless, that whatever appears is not of our making, nothing we've done is cause for anything to happen, but that we are simply part of this great appearance too, arising, conscious, seamlessly belonging. Of course we see this at a more subtle layer, not shirking the reality of our everyday consciousness. Life continues through the endless patterns that it plays and we accept our present position, even as we know it ultimately isn't so, being only temporary in its appearance. This is why we don't rush our opinion to these insights, almost guarding them in silence as they unfold, maturing and expanding in the wisdom that they offer. 

remembering always that nothing's ever certain.

reality always expanding just a little more in the mystery that it shows.

every insight is really for ourselves alone. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Near Magical

Near magical:

 morning meditation is a near magical time for me, a stillness that steeps all the way to bones and continues hour after walking from the cushion. It's a true sense of quietness, allowing of earliest sounds, yet everything somehow muted, hushed as if in deference to the hour. I sit for close to an hour each morning, as close to 4:00 a.m as possible, mantra playing softly through my mind, with only an occasional thought making brief a appearance. It's near magical because it's nothing really special, just quiet, but truly so, deeply, and I find myself at home within its depths.

every morning. 

of course I meditate in later hours too, an afternoon return to silence, touching home once more. But in someways it doesn't match the quality of my morning sitting, the world itself doesn't hold the same quiet structure that seems to allow only the essential sounds of waking to show through. I still love my time sitting later in the day, and often do find that the world fades to an undisturbed silence, sounds only existing on a surface level far from where my resides. It's near magical too, in it's own way, and it's unfair for me to make comparisons really. 

and yet, it seems that as I sit for longer periods of time, going deeper within, I've become somewhat of a connoisseur of these silent hours, not judging quality, but differentiating subtle layers of my own inner quietness and the ways in which they meet the world. Perhaps it could be said that silence just is, existing wholly and only of itself,  and that only my awareness changes in perception. I'm reminded that Christian mystic St. John of the Cross wrote that silence is God's first language and that Melville echoed this many lifetimes later. So truly than I am listening to the voice of God speaking to me in the language of hours, through whatever depth that I'm capable to hear and understand, listening to our always current and constant conversation. Morning is simply the hour of my deepest listening, the time I'm most apt to hear the silent voice of God and my clearest understanding. 

yet silence exists through every hour.

our listening, and own silent dialog is ongoing. 

each moment is near magic through our listening.

~

Peace, Eric 

The Real Secret

The Real Secret:

here's my own secret of inspiration and creativity - that whatever words wish to be expressed will find their way to me with certain ease, and that there's never a need for me to do anything but simply prepare myself though silence, an easy wait of knowing that words will always appear completely on their own. Indeed, this is perhaps the real secret of manifesting our desires, with nothing being truly missing from the moment of our wishing, being blessed right now by the very breath of our existence. Anything beyond this isn't ours yet and not in the means of our control to be delivered. 

life handles the details of all that's given.

the real secret is silence, patience, and being grateful for this moment.

it's being unattached to the means of a particular outcome. 

  of course that's a tricky balance to consider, having any desire is a subtle form of attachment to an outcome. Yet life is constantly delivering the fulfillment of it's own desires, we are met with conditions given for the need of every breath, we have sunlight and abundant water sources, fields and the means to utilize them for planting. Life has given us plenty, fulfilled our base desires. Although certainly there are people largely lacking the basic needs of their comfort and even some for their survival - we have the means aiding them right now, of feeding every hungry child, comforting every ailing parent. The real secret is the priority of our desires and commitment to their fulfillment. 

here's the real secret, every desire has the immediate means of it's own fulfillment, yet we are in a rush to see our own plans unfold in some particular order, we are attached to the means of their achievement. The secret here is of letting go, surrendering each desire to silence that follows its appearance and allowing life to fulfill itself as our potential. We have the right to our every wish and desire, but not the means of their achievement. Life handles every detail on its own, our faith is displayed by every breath taken, by the touch of sunlight on skin. To just exist is reason to be grateful. The real secret is to wish and then surrender, trusting life and the means of its fulfillment. It's with this that we are able to turn our care towards others, our real wish is for their well being. Let's liken this to a string of pearls, our every desire  is connected to the needs of others, aligned with everyone's desire in some subtle form. Our own true fulfillment is in realizing the string of this connection. 

it seems that these are the words that life delivered. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Surrender and Devotion

Surrender and devotion: 

of surrender and devotion - and it's my sense that this is absolute, a complete seeing that there is nothing else but life in constant letting go and then a reclaiming of itself through new and various forms. Life is devoted to its own continuation, to its expression of divine wonder and self worship. We see this through every aspect of nature, of a flower's surrender and devotion shown through roots deep through earth, petals spread to the warmth of sun and nourishment of rain. With this a flower offers itself as a blossom for pollination, for its essence to continue through a bee's worship of its bloom. Life is always in this process of surrender and devotion, letting go itself in one particular form in order to carry on through new appearance. We see that everything is temporary, fleeting in its singular expression, and yet lasting too through the essence of its cause. 

our surrender and devotion is just the same, we are only more complicated than a flower by mere degrees, but our essence is the same. We're life, rooted too in earth, dependent on sun for the warmth of our existence. We could say that a spiritual life is one of awareness to our brief expression, a bittersweet gift of knowing ourselves as a seasonal bloom and surrendering to each moment as if it were our very last. In truth no moment will ever again be repeated, and our devotion isn't to time but to each momentary expression of a self in the beauty of its bloom, even in the process of our surrender. 

and it's my sense that right now I'm letting go of all I've ever been before, everything I've ever believed was mine is slipping through my false grip of time. It's just surrender and devotion now, life in brief display of this particular form, never again to be repeated. How could I not be in worship to each and every moment? This, right now, is all I have and it's not mine to own or even briefly hold, already gone in the very moment of my cherished view. My true and only worship is to motion, to my own complete and utter surrender to all that's found now, and now, and now. 

my devotion is to the briefness of this moment. 

even as I wish for something more. 

life itself, it's all simply surrender and devotion.

~

Peace, Eric 

Always The Same Conclusion

it's a simple process and one that's repeatable and always to the same conclusion, that every time we point from the world directly back to the source which holds the view - we see at once the absence of a seer as well as the fulfillment of it's void. It's an easy trade of objects to spaciousness and then to both existing at once through the grace of our capacity to told the world. Of course this is just a description of an experiment that must be performed to be truly understood. In order to know ourselves as capacity we use an inquiry of pointing and with this we see directly and exactly who we really are. 

let's try this - point a finger towards the assumed direction of the head and then simply be attentive to what's seen. That's it. But be curious, innocent of opinion, and explore what truly can and can't be seen. In one direction there is a world filled with objects and a finger pointing directly before us. What's in the other direction? What exactly is the finer pointing towards? And most importantly - what is it we actually see when our attention is turned to where the finger's pointing? 

it's always the same conclusion. 

at least if we really turn and look to that direction. This is often dismissed as a parlor trick with little importance and yet it's the most basic, profound, direct inquiry I know of for the immediacy of seeing who we are. It's truth revealed at once and we're never asked to believe anything that isn't instantly seen at once and again we're left always with the same conclusion every and anytime we care to point in this direction. It's unavoidable, and yes quite profound. In the direction of our pointing finger only two things can ever be found - the world and it's every object, or the absence of a viewer. Try it and see. But be honest and playful with this, make no assumptions and really explore both directions. There is the obviousness of the world, familiar, and then with our attention turned towards ourselves there is only the assumption of eyes and face and nothing truly seen from our own examination. The color of our eyes is only known from secondary information, from reflection and photos and other peoples description. And we believe all we're told, that photos don't lie and what the mirror shows is true. 

but is it?

is what you truly are secondary information? 

here's a hint - when I turn towards any direction of my pointing finger I only see one thing really and that's my own open, allowing nature flowing as the world. I see capacity. The actual truth is that there's no direction, no place to turn towards that isn't the same view of emptiness and it's fulfillment, fullness and void, capacity and its seamless hold. That's it. It's always to the same conclusion and my view is never strayed from source. I only see capacity, only emptiness appearing now as form, and every object the in essence. It's all one thing. Truly looking and I have to hold myself within this view, inescapable, there is only capacity appearing as its own fulfillment. 

for me, it's always the same conclusion. 

look, and tell me what you see. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Spontaneous Process

Spontaneous process:

mostly, I have no idea of the topic or theme that I'll be writing about each morning. Even as I begin with the first words to appear it seems a surprise unfolds with every following sentence and I'm always amazed to see coherence show with what it written. That's when things click within me too, I become more active in my writing participation, inspired by the spontaneous process I find myself now part of, more engaged, and yet continuously left in mystery. 

for me, writing always has it's own agenda. 

and I'm always grateful for this, to not have to try and force my own inspiration to appear each morning, but to be invited as part of that spontaneous process, having the feeling that I'm essential to some form of holy communication given to the page. Words are important to me, more so than any message they deliver, it's just the play of their arrangement and the sound of their cohesion that matters most. I write for the pleasure and joy of simply writing, again to participate with that spontaneous process of inspiration that invites me to belong. It's a gift, and yet not mine at all -but one I'm always happy to receive. 

there have been more than a few times when I've tried to force my way to inspiration, or courted its appearance with various incitements. Through the years I've found that's it's always better to be patient, abiding and listening to the deep silence that holds every word that's yet to appear. I keep in mind the Buddhist Heart Sutra that reminds me that the emptiness found before words is actually their formless state, that silence and stillness is inspiration too, and that there is absolutely nothing that needs to be done through my effort to make anything happen. 

words exist in silence.

silence in words.

it's the spontaneous process of writing, the Heart Sutra of inspiration. 

and my participation is a joy. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Our Very Essence

Our very essence: 

my own sense is that there is no grand liberation, no ultimate enlightenment to speak of, nor final awakening at all - it's more that everything is happening right now, our every search brings us directly to this point of a simple realization that each instant holds the truth of who we really are, and that we belong only to what's occurring in this moment alone. This present breath is our connection, drawing air filled with the molecules of every past breath ever taken through the history of time, an exhale of our own mark of existence. We are linked by breath and molecules, atoms, and particles, a common structure of what we are, and this too is our awakening, enlightenment by way of knowing ourselves by virtue of our very essence, a conspiracy of universal events happening now, now, and always now. 

how could we possibly be liberated from this?

and that's really just to say that we are life, an aspect that's somehow found itself aware, yet never the less fully immersed in this belonging. We share the last molecule breathed by Buddha, by Jesus, and every single person who has ever come before. Here's our enlightenment, that our very essence is as subtle as the Buddha's breath, atoms and particles of a shared existence. We are Buddha and Christ at this exact moment, not separate by any measure of time or belief, again our very essence and structure as true to them as it is for us right now. 

so our awakening is always with this moment, we are enlighten by our own touch upon earth, our resurrection through every drawn breath and that we offer its release through time, a continuous enlightenment through molecule and breath. Our very essence is of earth and stars and the infinite expansion of the cosmos. It's all too much to be contained by a single lifetime, to be truly known by the mind. Enlightenment isn't a state of understanding anything at all...

it's the very essence of what we are. 

always right now. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Holy Hours

Holy hours;

really, if my only practice was getting up early in the morning, well before the sun even hints at rising, and simply appreciating the quiet that's offered, listening to the day beginning to unfold from the still heavy depth of the night's silent hold, if this is all I ever held to be sacred it would be enough to know a true sense of God. Everything happens so slowly through this time, a pace that so easily matches the inner stillness that I feel, as if indeed these are holy hours hushed by the very presence of God. If I did only this, not even a formal sitting of quiet meditation, but enjoyed a first cup of coffee while the morning tends to the details of its rise - my everyday would be blessed from its beginning, unfolding too at a quiet pace completely of it's own.

indeed, these are holy hours.

here's my sense of God, not an entity removed from the world, but a presence felt within my bones that assures me that I belong to those holy hours, that each morning has the potential to dawn with a new understanding of my own unique expression given to the world. My sense of God is of life, my own, entwined with yours, as well as that which allows us to maneuver as form through spaciousness of our origins. God it the creator of the day from the dark depth of night, silence and then opening note of song by earliest bird to sing, the warmth and bitter taste of coffee that meets my lips with first sip. In these holy hours everything is God and I seem more likely to remember this presence through the course of the day by observing them in ritual of my early rise and deep appreciation. 

if this was my only practice, observation of these holy morning hours, simply listening to the quiet and whatever sounds part through, holding the warmth of a coffee cup in my hand, and allowing myself to unfold to each new day with the easiness of dawn - nothing more is truly needed, and even this is just a preference of my own, as every hour is indeed found holy in its time. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Larger Environment

Larger environment:

it's all seen as a larger environment now, seamless in it's expanse, one body really, and I am as much every tree, blade of grass, and stream - as I am bone, blood, and tissue. There is nowhere that isn't home to me, no place that doesn't hold a cellular memory of my belonging. The world is surely my own extension, and in some quieter moments I am able to gather a sense of a singular presence, just life in such infinite measure and so greatly varied in its every expression. I am simply part of this larger environment, an aspect of the world that somehow found itself aware, awake to its potential of self-reflection. That I am at all, alive and appreciative that it's so, is only to the extent of this larger body in full support of my existence. It's all an environment of true love and relations, inter-connecting threads for a whole fabric of universal display. 

it's the larger environment of my belonging.

home.

and there are more subtle layers here too, of consciousness and how far and its expansion. My own sense is of how limitless it all seems to be, this web of connection life deep within universal proportions and endlessly existing through cycles of big bangs and dying stars, that life is always in process of becoming more and more self-ware through it's every point of rebirth and destruction. Of course I have no true idea, only speculations felt through the depth of my own sense of belonging to the world, being seamless too in my expansion. I could proven to be completely wrong and yet it still would shake the faith and foundation of my belonging to this larger environment, of being home within the very fabric of existence. 

and that I am a thread of self awareness.

~

Peace, Eric 

Ordinary

Ordinary:

that it's so ordinary, resting in this awareness, awake to my own absence as well as at once to my very own fulfillment, a heart sutra of emptiness and form in full review revealed with every glance. This is how I see the world, and yet it's often overlooked, forgotten in favor of a more mundane view, as if miracles weren't occurring all around me, life constantly showing itself through its every varied form, and all of it seamlessly appearing from an allowing void of possibilities. That all this is so commonplace as to be mistaken for anything less than miraculous is a testament to the ordinary nature of this view, an every moment occurrence of what should always induce a sense of awe. 

and yet it's simply life, ordinary, happening at once and all the time.

this is why I love the headless way practice, literally pointing to my absence and watching the world spring forth from this seeming void. The miraculous is always available to be witnessed, watching mystery unfold in common form and the everyday details of the world. It's amazing to see my part in this, my role as capacity, empty, and yet somehow awake to my own potential to be filled and overflowed with all of life. It's an amazing part of my everyday life, an easy pause and meditation of seeing how ordinary the truly miraculous occurs through every moment. 

it's a simple practice, to point at any object and retrace the view to the source which holds it - nothing special has to be done here, no mantra chanted, nor energy reawakened. Just notice what's absent, that eyes will never find themselves within their own view, our faces only seen by others, and searching here, exactly where our head should be - we only see the universe unfolding, life occurring through the void of who we really are. But we're truly not missing from this at all, we belong here too as our own ordinary appearance, another aspect showing through the miraculous manifestation of the world. Nothing is out of place, life flows perfectly even as what we once believed to be mistakes. 

it's all so ordinary.

and not at all, as well. 

it's exactly how we see the world. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Heart-center

Heart-Center

my yoga practice seems to provide some larger lessons lately, and right now it's two particular poses that have expressed something important for me to remember and incorporate more frequently in my life. Both of these postures have the same issue of heart centered balance and the grace of trust and letting go. There is a tendency of leading with my head with Standing Bow pose as well as with Warrior Three and almost instantly I find myself moving a little to quickly in my lean forward, unable to establish a true, sure, sense of balance and power, falling from position and having to restart the pose. Yet when I remember to lean forward from the heart-center, trusting in the intuitive wisdom of my body's natural grace and desire for balance - I enter both postures with assurance and ease, fully expressing the power of my heart throughout every aspect of each pose. 

it's a beautiful thing to happen. 

my life is often lived through the mind, thinking and then rethinking again certain issue until I lead with a head centered posture of expectations that seldom meet my true goals and wishes. Or sometimes it's an impulsive thought turned to action that immediately leaves me far from my starting intent, off balanced, and unsure of my stance. It's not that thinking is wrong here, planning is important and needed for its follow through. But there is wisdom throughout the body, an intuitive balance not to be ignored. The lesson for me is to listen to the whole expression of the body, hearing my heart-center's gentle urging to lean forward with a sense of love, trust, and ease. I ignore this to my own peril, it's a quick lesson of an immediate fall from the grace of my original position. 

the heart-center is sometimes mistaken as a sentimental expression of love and the imaginative romance of paperback novels, not to be trusted in its whimsy. Yet the heart is a true center of power and wisdom, a place within the body telling of real love and the deep intimacy and romance that life offers. Listening to it's voice, and I hear my heart urging me to lean more fully into life, embracing uncertainly and risk of a fall for the grace and beauty of a living from a place of love, defying gravity with the trust, balance and poise of my surrender. 

 a posture of faith. 

and also it's a repeated lesson it seems, relearned with every practice, and never truly perfected. Yet each time I fall from either of these postures there is the immediate feedback from my heart-center reminding me of its power, asking me to trust once more and commit myself to leaning forward, living beyond the grip of either failure or fall. 

it's the lesson that these postures offer. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Initial Seeing

Initial seeing:

after this initial seeing, right after our own inherent spaciousness is actually pointed to and then remembered - it becomes a practical and easy manner of living from our original nature, having a return to source in any moment of our need, or to simply express our joy of being alive, aware, and experiencing the world exactly as we find it now. There is value in this practice, of being an instant meditation of true and pure seeing, and an inquiry that shows us  immediately who we really are. Our initial seeing is the wonder of first discovery and each moment seen again is the delight of awareness in direct recognition of itself, of life at play through the grace of its unfolding. 

our initial seeing is an invitation to always see again.

and really, it's less a practice than it is a continuous awakening - and that at any moment we can point to the world and then redirect our gaze to the source which holds the view. It's all so immediate and direct, seeing our own capacity as an open invitation for the appearance of the world, exchanging spaciousness for whatever comes to view, emptiness for the full value of being aware and alive. Everything falls so perfectly, seamlessly, within this wide open capacity to allow, and all without any effort of our own. Our initial seeing is to rediscover our true nature...

and it's grace from this point on. 

this is now our continuous awakening, of seeing ourselves as life in process of unfolding though the infinite possibilities presented by our view. Yet, truly, it's more seamless than these words convey, we are the point of emergence as capacity and view, at once an equal exchange of emptiness and the world, nothing gaining prominence at the expense of something other being so. It's an easy acceptance of what is presently found, knowing ourselves as allowing capacity for life to flow. From out initial seeing we rediscover who we really are. 

the rest is simply living, aware, and with the joy of what we know.

~

Peace, Eric 

First Seen

First seen:

it's how the world is first seen, just before we offer our own personal translation of everything that occurs, before our internal narration separates us from events by even the slightest of degrees - there's an intimacy of true seeing here, that we are deeply present by means of our participatory nature. We see it all without a single doubt of our belonging completely to the world, an initial glance that reveals us as being seamless with the view, capacity for its unfolding. 

we see the world as who we are.

the world is first seen without story, nothing told that separates us from what's occurring. It's all so immediate now, intimate to the point of our own disappearance, and only later do we return to narrate the story, adding ourselves as important aspect of it's appearance. This answers our every question concerning the existence of a self, is it real, or an illusion belonging only to the story? What's first seen is true, reality, and a without story. Yet follows is the reality of appearance, equally so in it's existence. Our initial view is pure and underlying, open, and allows everything to unfold through its perfection. Whatever then appears belongs just as sure and true. 

nothing is ever out of order. 

this too is how we love, our initial intimacy carried through our stories, that each of us is exactly how we're first seen, innocent, open, and deserving. This never changes, our true nature being impervious to any alterations, and anything that seems added is just another story, an appearance, temporary to however long it's viewed. Love is always first seen. without condition, accepting all that follows without a trace of anything ever being wrong. It's just how things are, how we first and always see each other, how everything is truly, deeply seen...that love serves as the capacity for the world to follow.

~

Peace, Eric 

Ahimsa

of being at peace, without conflict of thoughts and action, a practice of living at ease within our own lives, and in yoga this is referred to as ahimsa, it's literal meaning is to cause no harm. It begins here, always with ourselves, and involves recognition and prolonged exposure to our true nature, of being at home and at peace within ourselves. This is how we avoid wars, not only by negotiations between nations, but by going directly to the source of all conflict, coming to terms with our own internal dialog, a diplomacy between thoughts of harm and conflict and the healing source of a quiet mind. 

to cause no harm begins with befriending our minds, to being at home with our more silent nature, and recognize thoughts as simply energy patterns that aren't always to be believed. Our true wisdom is thoughtless, intuitive, and inspired, only give to words for an easy communication. Listening to this silent voice, our soul's quiet whisper, and there's never a call that leads to harm, no conflict between wisdom and action. We're at peace, a real and lasting peace. 

this is yoga, the very depth of practice, the principle that lead Mahatma Gandhi to topple an empire and Dr. Martin Luther King to march. It's ahimsa, knowing ourselves and allowing our presence to unfold through the course of our daily living. It's a practice that leads to our own perfection, given a lifetime to achieve what takes place within a moment. Our peace is found right now, this very instant, and it only takes an inquiry of asking what's true and real, and giving doubt to the thoughts that cross our minds. This isn't about being certain, but of entertaining possibilities, listening to that quiet source of wisdom that never leads us wrong. Our thoughts aren't the enemy, and truthfully the realization of peace is within letting go of the concept that enemies exist at all. Most especially that thoughts are the enemy of the mind and most be ended or controlled. Real peace is about befriending ourselves at every level.

ahimsa is not a false sense of optimism, it's not a belief that conflict ends instantly between people and nations, it's not a philosophy but a personal practice meant to heal our own fractured minds. Healing ourselves heals the world, and yes, it really is that simple. If we're at peace with ourselves, and this is a peace that easily and instantly forgives our own transgressions, we're less likely to be at conflict with others, more forgiving to our neighbors, and willing to search for solutions that ease and heal a heated situation. Ahimsa is only concerned with our individual peaceful nature, causing no harm first within and too ourselves, and then allowing it to spread directly from this source. 

peace starts here, our own practice, healing ourselves first. 

ahimsa. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Aligned

Aligned:

everything appearing exactly as it does, seemingly so perfectly aligned to the instant just before, and no real effort given from our part as to how the world unfolds. This is how life goes on, an easy shifts of one moment to another, seamless really, flowing to events that are constantly shaping our perception of reality, and with so little in our actual control. We belong to this flow, an appearance as well as an event, a life perfectly aligned to its environment. 

even as we believe ourselves in control.

it seems more accurately that we are simply a continuous response of some sort, an aspect of life in interaction with every other aspect appearing each moment. In this way we are mostly truly an event, everything about is though motion, from taking each breath from air and working further and ever smaller to the cells that form our bodies, molecules and atoms that provide our foundation, and all the way to the infinitely small scale of particles that swirl us to existence. We are aligned with each point of motion, not a separate event at all, but only a continuous response that apparently brings us to conclusion. Of course in this light we are never ending, not complete, aligned as well to the completion of the world. 

it's all in perfect order.

and none of this is of our actions, no effort and absolutely all beyond our control - this is what it means by nonduality, not a single doer to spark a series of events but only the continuous motion of the world, life responding to itself in such wondrous fashion. We are not just part of this, it's our entirety, completely what we truly are, an event, of an event, of an event...forever onward. Yet somehow though all of this we find ourselves aware, an aspect of this never ending process that awakens to its motion. We know ourselves as being life alone, not just a mere and singularly appearing aspect - we are the totality of existence, everything, the all. 

we know ourselves as perfectly aligned. 

~

Peace, Eric 

It's All Yoga Now

It's all yoga now:

it's all yoga now, everything, life - and recognized in the original meaning of the word of being joined together, our daily living already a path to the divine. In the yogic traditions it's call sadhana, a spiritual exercise or practice, and with an easy sense of awareness every aspect of our lives is seen through the lens of a sacred union, that life is always joined in seamless order and our practice is simply a means to express it. This is really nothing special, our lives change little with this recognition, but of course everything is different too, objects seem to shine with this awareness, things tend to lose a single meaning and are seen in light of their dependence of our view. 

everything belongs.

it's not seen as anything special by reason that this is how things always are, have always been this way, and that we see it now as if for the very first time even though we deeply knew it all along. That's the joy of awakening, seeing, hearing, every sense really, is now alive as our practice, a means of direct recognition of our original and present nature. It's all yoga now, not really a practice by way of any effort, but more a sadhana of recognition, a gentle nod towards the ease of seeing how everything belongs exactly as it's found through each moment, and how even our wish to change a present situation fits seamless in life's flow. 

and that's really the gift of awareness, seeing that no effort is required of our yoga, life is already joined though every aspect, always whole, seamless. Our true sadhana simply and only being aware, and this too is easy, and free of any effort. We're just aware, and conscious that it's so. So it's all yoga now, our every activity a prayer of some form, a vibrational hymn that brings life to the particular song of our performance, whatever is it, our actions divine by sense that everything in the universe is joined to its conclusion. Our yoga is in this moment, right now, each breath and heartbeat occurring somehow without our conscious effort and yet this grace carries on through all we measure as a lifetime. It all works through us, completely so, and we could call it the divine by virtue of it's grace and mystery, that life is unearned, freely given, and to even find ourselves aware of this is a gift beyond compare. 

it's all yoga now, and our sadhana is to simply....

notice. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Lila

Lila,

of Lila, being the divine play of all creation for it's own amusement and pleasure of performing - and this is perhaps my favorite of any explanation and concept as to why the world exist, that it's all without true purpose and design aside from a grand theatrical presentation of life itself, and that we each play our role through comedy and drama with equal commitment to our task. For me this is the essence of non-duality, that secretly, deep and within, we are in on the joke, knowing ourselves as every aspect of this play, actors to stagehands, props and all, everything is all part of our very own set design. It's all Lila, spontaneous, improv at its finest. 

this is really about our own participation with and as life, not for reasons of a distant god that only seems to set us up for failure, dooming us to judgement on our performance. Lila is much more intimate than this, it's God in sacrifice of herself in the original sense of the word, of making sacred an entire universe for her own expansion, for the sake of joy, and knowing of herself through every aspect of creation. That's the point of awakening, remembering ourselves as key points in this divine performance, participants, not victims of an often cruel and random fate, and not to be judged for how well we played our role. It's all Lila, life, the universe in the midst of self-creation. 

and there is absolutely nothing for us to do...

but to simply live, to breathe life into this role that we now find ourselves awakening to, embracing ourselves as aspects of this divine play, aware, and part of its commitment towards continuous self expression and expansion. We could see this as consciousness knowing itself as the very substance of the world, as the fabric of the universe itself, consciousness being self-ware. 

or Lila,

and that we are essential through inclusion. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Deep Humility

Deep Humility;

arriving again to a deep humility, a rediscovery of self within an infinite expression of the world, that life offers itself though my own appearance as an extension of the whole - to find myself as simply part of this all, an aspect of so much more than I ever am when I thought myself alone. I am humbled by this largeness, by my capacity to belong to such a beautiful world, and that I appear as even the smallest part if this, a finite thread appearing within an endless tapestry of possibilities and expressions.

it's a humility of exploration, a self discovery of limits as well as my own true expansion as far as seamless reality goes. It's knowing that I am once the slimmest thread of this personal expression and the endlessness of the grand tapestry too, that both belong as some form being true, even if one is only brief in its appearance. This is how I see myself as being faultless, without a single flaw in my expression, a deep humility of knowing that I belong within that tapestry of infinite possibilities and that things couldn't appear any other way than they do at this very moment It's this one possibility that I live right now, as if the entire universe conspired for my appearance through it's own evolution. 

this is a deep, abiding humility, of seeing who I am for just this moment, how a story builds of all that's possible, and just as easily letting it all go. I edge to something spectacular, a sure glimpse of my true and present reality, and yet I possess no words for its description. So a story is told, words offered with a sense of certainty to what will always be a mystery. None of what I write is truly so, nor is it anything other than the reality and poetry of single moment of my expression.

it's all offered in deep humility....

even as I let it go. 

~

Peace, Eric 

Workable Theories

Workable theories:

 really, it seems we know very little of the world, of actual experience, and not the information provided by sources far removed from their reality as well. There are many well meaning people who offer us nothing but their own inherited beliefs, thinking that this is how life should be, unquestioned, and simply accepted as true and always so. These are our parents, teachers, and clergy, all wishing us the best, but seldom pausing to consider the information they pass on. What we're given are stories, workable theories presented as facts, and some will serve us well. Yet everything we learn is meant to be questioned, examined, weighed against our own test of life. 

it's all a story in some way, everything, even science in it's sacred quest for answers is meant to be proven wrong, expanded upon, it's story added to in meaning and important way. Science is about workable theories, and no great scientist simply accepted dogma as any ultimate belief that's not meant to be questioned and explored. It should be no different for religion and most especially for any personal spirituality that we may choose to base our life upon. Our inquiry should always be a test of our experience against values believed to be true, nothing dismissed at first, but examined, explored thoroughly through the light of our own direct recognition of what's so. 

and even then it's just a story.

we can't escape stories, there will always be our own translation of experiences and meaningful events that seem so sure and true. Our role is to accept them all as workable theories, a story meant to be told for that moment alone and nothing more. Perhaps in sharing a particular story someone else will begin an exploration for their own version of our reported view, arriving to their own revelation, another story told for just that one moment. Everything is told through filters, inquiry and meditation reduces these filters to more subtle roles, stories are more personal now, an intimate telling of what we truly are, yet stories still and always. 

so these are our workable theories, everything, each moment and experience, not simply believed but lived as our own version of what might be so, a partial story of a life that's still unfolding, expanding, unbound and infinite through imagination and possibilities. 

our story is never final, never fully told...

it's all just workable theories. 

~

Peace, Eric 

A More Humble Approach

A more humble approach:

a more humble approach, truly so - and in the sense of not insisting on a familiar world, that we know anything of value beyond this single moment and even this we don't really understand. The universe is far too infinite for any ultimate answers to be given, consciousness too unbound for any final comprehension. What we intuit is our position within the whole, a glimpse of our true nature, but never the entirety as it's impossible to fully grasp the vast mystery of what we are and how it may unfold. 

this is the shift from the energy of being a seeker to that of an explorer, no longer demanding answers and frantically searching for the perfect means of revelation. It's now a more humble approach, a softer exploration to what's now and always present without need of anything other than a few questions of a simple inquiry, asking of ourselves who we really are and accepting silence as our revealing answer, an endless source of mystery that greets us in reply. 

it seems both science and spirituality search for final answers, a theory of everything as well as a claim to know the mind of God. Yet both are a search for limits, to know ourselves within the boundaries of what we believe right now. A more humble approach is to know ourselves as limitless, exploring the universe as our very own extension and that perhaps we are the very thoughts of God. It's knowing ourselves as belonging to the vast nature of the universe, of life, and by this not separate from any view of God that we may hold. Both science and spirituality are a quest for self discovery, and a truly humble approach must be one of our inclusion, to know that we belong within the framework of every question and that any answer is simply part of our own revelation. 

it's a more humble approach because of this inclusion, not being separate from the knowledge that we wish for, and that even questions, our inquiry, are already an expression of the answer. We don't stand apart from any exploration, not scientific experiment or equation, nor a mystical search for God it's all self-discovery, a singular view caught in momentary expression. It's an endless approach, more humble, as there are no final answers...

only questions, not yet asked.

~

Peace, Eric 

Insights

Insights: 

my own insights are gathered from infinite and inner fields of a sure reality of experience, a certain knowing of how my mind unfolds within and as the world. Meditation opens me to a greater understanding of my life and how everything fits in seamless order, insights on the very nature of existence seem to come spontaneously through a silent fashion. 

and of course I am completely wrong in my understanding of it all, a misinterpretation is told of these subtle and quiet points of consciousness. Words simply don't belong here, not appearing once through such layers of deep and utter silence. Only later does a story appear and label this an experience, assigning greater meaning and importance to the innocence of  just sitting and accepting the world as it unfolds through the quiet wonder of my mind. 

honestly, I have no idea as to what's going on, not in any meaningful way of sharing at least, what's certain and true for me could prove to be completely wrong for others. We all offer our misinterpretations of silence to each other, insights meant to guide become dogma, certainty replaces our natural curiosity and wonder. Meditation is a singular act of coming to a seamless place of understanding, there is a revelation through the stillness of the mind that won't be told with words, and no poet ever truly captures the pureness of this silence. It's impossible, and yet worthy of a poet's effort. 

but none of it is to be believed.

really, it's similar to science, insights gathered are a working theory of my own best understanding of my inner world and how it all unfolds to this particular point of living. What seemed so sure and true to me once has now been replaced with growing certainty that I truly don't know anything at all, and this is exactly how it's meant to be. All I have are working theories to guide me through specific times, never to be held past the moment that they're given. My insights belong to me alone, shared, but only for the sake of language, poetry, an attempt to offer beauty through my own misinterpretation.

don't believe a single word.

~

Peace, Eric 

Wings and Flight

Wings and flight: 

of course it isn't an easy transformation, it seems the caterpillar's own immune system recognizes this event as a threat and offers a response to attack the very cells within it's system that are responsible for this metamorphosis. There's a strong resistance to the amazing change that offers wings and flight, an ignorance of what's to come even within the wisdom of the caterpillar's own body. Eventually the cells of change overwhelm any last resistance, using the material left to assemble a complete new structure, eventually connecting to remaining parts to complete this transformation. 

from resistance to surrender...

a butterfly emerges.

really, it's a natural resistance, sensing the pain of transformation, a bodies betrayal of familiar circumstance to the promise of something completely foreign and beyond its scope even fathom - a butterfly is born of initial suffering, fear of the unknown, and its eventual surrender. From caterpillar to flight is the story of life, our story too in similar metaphor, that we suffer the change of familiar to the unknown, comfort traded for the pain of transformation, the ground of our reality taken right beneath us without a trace of warning. We think of a caterpillar's metamorphosis as a seamless transformation to the amazing world of a butterflies flight. Yet wings and flight are earned from resistance, anguish, fear, and there is no promise of survival, no hint that another world awaits beyond this present suffering. There's just what's happening now, without explanation, nor story of a better world. 

a caterpillar has no faith in a butterflies world.

it doesn't yet exist in its reality. 

for a period there is only resistance, fight to regain the familiar world of leaves and ground, to maintain a caterpillars body even as it's betrayed by it's very own immune system. This is no easy surrender, again, wings and flight are hard earned, given through the grace of long suffering to the exact moment of letting go of all that's ever cherished. Yet it is a seamless transformation too, everything is present within the caterpillar for wings to grow, and flight is always an innate promise, even in the cells that are eventually destroyed. 

a caterpillar isn't a butterfly, nor is it anything other. 

there is a moment of our own wings and flight, but we are not meant to know it, our transformation is always present and ongoing, without promise that we will become anything other than exactly what we always are. We emerge to the world of flight only through a natural surrender, accepting what's present without denial of its pain, enduring through our own reality and not dreaming ourselves as something other. That's our immediate grace, our gift of wings and flight, always now, always now, and never strayed from our own surrender. 

each moment,

we are transforming.

our metamorphosis never truly complete...

we are always in the process of ending, becoming, resisting, and letting go - we are life in constant change and wonder. 

realizing this, we gain the grace of wings and flight. 

~

Peace, Eric 

 

Voice

Voice: 

it's not so much the presence of a self that's my concern, it seems pretty evident to me that there is something of value in the appearance of the ego, that it's a navigation force to guide me through certain aspects of the world. That the self has no inherent reality of its own is a realization that keeps it's role in check and I am less inclined to give attention to the every demand and need that ego often calls for, there's greater joy and a sense of freedom with the reduction of its role. The debate of no-self vs. its presence holds little interest to me, as my own self seems fairly organic in it's appearance, a naturally occurring phenomenon of various reasons to exist. What I find it that there's a diminished referral to it's presence, less need for its voice to be central in command. 

there's a quiet voice that guides me now.

there's even some hesitation to call this presence a voice, offering another label that only lends more weight to the ineffable force that guides me. More truly I should simply say it's life, that everything is spontaneously and naturally occurring as the flow of life and all its functions. What's found isn't the absence of a self, but completely seeing that there is no doer here at all - what's absent is anything that calls orders as to how this life should now appear, that there's no separate self in charge of how my life unfolds. There's only life itself, free flowing in it's existence, and without need of a command for its path to be followed. This is the quiet voice that guides, the very same one that urges plants to bud and later blossom. It's the voice of seasons changing and earth's rotation, of cells formed of ever smaller patterns, particles swirling an entire world to form. 

such a quiet, true, creative voice.

if a self appears, it's simply part of life, having a season too within our lives, and a role to play for how ever long we listen. And yet in time there comes that quiet voice to hear once more, life being insistent in the reality of its way, steady, and always flowing with out interest. This is the true and only self, one thing only, and it lends itself to every appearance of the world. 

it's the quiet voice that guides me now.

~

Peace, Eric 

Quiet Hours

it's those moments right after meditation that I enjoy, and most especially in the morning, rising so early just to extend this quiet hours for as long as possible. Everything is so seamless now, spacious, as if silence is selective in what's allowed to reach my ears. I love to simply sit, breathing soft, listening as the morning unfolds, cherishing every subtle sound and how they're immediately re-embraced by silence.  There is no split here, no inner world of my own that's separate from the morning, there's an equal stillness to it all, a mindful extension of what belongs within these quiet hours of mine.

meditation is my joy, and if there's any measure found here, it's in the moments that always follow, that I hold a stillness well beyond the time of sitting, a gift of silence infinitely unfolding. It's not exclusive to the morning, but these quiet hours seem to best match their mood to mine, giving me the gift of such a silent world to enjoy a little further. I always smile when asked if there's a need to practice meditation for the point of awakening, does enlightenment follows from the time of sitting - and honestly, I have no idea, I suspect so, but meditation has no real point, nor purpose beyond the enjoyment of settling within those easy moments of grace, silence, and breath. Any and every benefit is a bonus, arriving as a gift for my commitment of enjoying the quiet hours of my sitting. 

and it's a gift that keeps offering itself throughout the day in so many subtle and different ways, how my mine will suddenly find itself in a place of stillness in the midst of hurried thoughts, simply quiet, filled with a gratefulness for each moment, spontaneous in its appearance. It's as if my early morning meditation time courts these gifts to arrive in such unexpected fashion, surprising me in the continuation of all its unfolding silence. This is why I wake so early, not only for the time spent sitting in the quiet hours of morning, but for those moments that follow after, as if a seed is planted every morning that grows in silent wonder through the day, and every so often...

I am gifted with its blossom.

~

Peace, Eric 

Given Time

Given time:

given time - but really only an illusion of a moment, an instant that seems to take an entire lifetime, experience to each experience, until we at last reach an ending. 

this is how our lives are measured, that we are given an allotted number of days to spend through useful and expected ways, a well lived life of purpose and good meaning. Except perhaps that none of it's true, again with time being just a useful illusion, and that all we're really ever given is a single moment lasting for a lifetime. I don't believe we're given time to use, a  to have a lifetime measured by achievement and sheer accumulations. I most definitely could be wrong on this, but if there's a purpose to life it's to simply breathe, to be alive, and with our only true meaning expressed through love, with time being the grace we're given for this expression to be known. 

of course I don't anything, not really, with time being to mysterious for me to even consider its stretch and implications. Science says that time is a reality of particles, an aspect of our DNA that is limited to the hours of its expression, a story told through the motion of our bodies. Yet quantum physics also tells of its deeper, illusory nature, time being only apparent in the presence of a storyteller. The question comes to be asked of what can truly be measured, and with this we see that only aspects can be quantified, singular events within an ever greater union. DNA tells the story of our bodies, one story only, and that we are more perfectly told by all that's beyond the scope of time and measure.

 so, we're not really given time, it's just another story told. But we are expressed through the moment of its illusory span, a limited appearance in this particular form and view. It's why any of this occurs at all that remains a mystery, existence always being unexplained. With this we are free to assign life its purpose and its meaning, being artist of its arrangement. In the end of this particular appearance, nothing truly will be measured at all, an illusory span simply parting to something other. 

only reality continues on.

~

Peace, Eric 

A Little Bit Easier

A little bit easier: 

it's all a little bit easier, life, or at least it seems to be - and that's been the lasting and happy effect of meditation, self inquiry, and simply resting in each moment as it presents itself to me. More so, life is not the least bit altered through its approach, nor is my response to what it offers. There is still good fortune and what's judged bad, events that serve in productive ways, as well things gone wrong. Everything belongs exactly as it does, and what I find now is that there's a deep relaxation with this, that my response fits in seamless order too, belonging entirely to the moment itself, and no need to carry it beyond occurrence. It's all a little bit easier, and not because my life is somehow different than before, but only because I allow myself to belong exactly as I am, no matter what the moment holds. 

of course this is just a bit misleading, saying that I allow myself to belong is claiming way too much responsibility to my role. The truth is that there's only allowing, and that I am not the one who nods acceptance to what appears, denying some and refusing what's not pleasing, again it's all allowed, everything, and my only realization was that I belonged within this order, my every response, mistakes as well as my most cherished accomplishments, all part of this allowing. 

none of it is personal.

life is a little bit easier now, and only because I'm relaxed to how I respond within its flow, knowing that no true mistakes occur that hold me to the past or reflects to future. Karma is always found present, altering even as the moment happens. I am reminded of the recovery movement's concept of making amends, and see this as not an effort to fix the past, nor even to seek forgiveness, moving forward with an eased conscious - amends are made in order to accept the present moment, healing is always and only taking place now or not ever at all. 

seeing this, that life itself holds no grudges, and that everything is allowed simply by virtue of appearance, by presence alone, and that none of this is responsive to my demands nor prayers for things to be other than they are right now. What makes life just a little bit easier is seeing how even my prayers and demands belong within their moment. Nothing has to change, but it will, it's changing now, life being nothing but motion, fluid, and always allowing in its flow. 

just seeing this, and it's all a little bit easier. 

somehow.

~

Peace, Eric 

Supremely So

Supremely so:

when asked what he was, if he was a god or man, the Buddha simply replied - I am awakened. And by this he meant supremely so, that he saw through the conditions of suffering and their cause, no longer caught in a cyclical existence of grasping for what's always out of hand. He was at peace with life exactly as it's found and only wished his teachings to serve others to awaken. The irony here is that we're all capable of this awakening, right now, and yet to strive for such a goal will only lead to suffering. Enlightenment is a concept that's forever out of reach as long it's pursued. The Buddha's way is joyful surrender to each moment, not denial of suffering but to addresses its cause with the discernment of true and gentle seeing - and with this we find ourselves awakening, maybe not yet supremely so, but with a greater ease and helpful grace to our everyday living. 

it's enough to make a difference. 

the Buddha offered his Eight Fold Path as a means for our awakening, and many Buddhas since have given their own way for us to follow. Jesus on the cross taught salvation through forgiveness, supremely so through the moment of his greatest suffering. Wisdom from A Course in Miracles tells us that the only true lesson of the cross is that we will all survive our own crucifixion, forgiveness being the means of our salvation and resurrection is our awakening. When Jesus said "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do" he spoke of our ignorance as to who we really are, urging our awakening through the example of his suffering and later resurrection. 

these are great teachers, supremely so.

and yet not the path for everyone. 

some people awakening spontaneously and through no means or way of practice. The great sage Ramana Maharishi reached an instant and initial realization through an existential crisis at the age of 16, a sudden fear of death gave cause to an inquiry that lead not only fear but ignorance to fall away. Many others have had such awakenings, a glimpse for some perhaps, and a deeper realization for a few. It seems purely the means of grace for this to happen, no path to follow, no practice to lead them on the way. There 's no real answer as to why it happens in this way, and if asked they often answer with a smile. 

the way of grace remains a mystery.

here's my story, told briefly, it's of awakening, life unfolding and sometimes there's a clear and easy seeing, insights, a realization of the perfect grace of every moment. But not always, or at least not always apparent. My story is told as life, fully expressed through grace as well as suffering, seeing and aware, yet often blind to depth of my true presence. It's my own path, wondrous, joyful through it's every presentation of gain and sorrow. It's simply how life happens, and I find myself grateful as to how it all unfolds...

supremely so. 

~

Peace, Eric   

The World Will Open

The world will open:

perhaps our most cherished belief is that we're capable of such great change in the destiny of our lives. We loves to think that we're in charge of the outcome of our lives, and that with just a little more effort, some direction and determination, and maybe just a bit of luck - that the world will open with success and endless opportunities as our reward. Yet it seems that for many of us this dream is forever slightly from our reach, we're never quiet there, our dream lives elude us no matter how hard we work. Which of course leads us to either work harder, or conclude the world is rigged against us and we never stood a chance. A few fortunate ones do seem to reach the apex of their dreams, achieving everything they imagined and sometimes much more. It does pay to work hard and be lucky. 

at least for some. 

none of this is really true, it's mostly a story we're taught to believe from very early on, instilled in us as children as the work ethics of success and that the worst of life is to be viewed a failure. In this way the system truly is rigged against us, our innocence and innate creativity are lessened in a trade of effort and belief of working harder than the others, applying ourselves more to always do better than our last achievement. It's always more and it's never enough, and this is learned through generations, carried down from a tradition that has failed our natural sense of possibilities. 

the thing is, we're not truly educated, yes, we're taught facts and critical ways to view the world, but we're never taught about spirit, about soul and it's expression. This isn't meant as individual soul as some religions mention, nor spirit in the sense of ethereal qualities that have no bearing on the world. It's about who we are before a single story is told about us, that it's all soul, our connection to nature, each other, and to life itself. Our spirit is simply the freedom that exists beyond the scope of stories. It's who we really are and in knowing this, or more truly said, remembering this - indeed, the world will open to our every possibility. 

none of this takes effort, at least not in the sense we're taught in school - it only takes determination to see, dismissing our every hard instilled belief as being essentially true and being curious as to who, what, we really are. Some beliefs and stories serve us well, others seem to limit our natural and creative expressions. The role of questioning, inquiry, is to remember who we are without any story told, and then with this freedom we allow ourselves to be expressed as unique aspects of life, our purpose served by simply living, no higher calling than to be alive and full of love for every other expression of the world. It's with this that the world will open in its true realm of possibilities, we are free from being told of success as something to be achieved, and now view ourselves in the light of infinite potentiality, that the world will open to our every and any expression that seeks to be told. 

it all begins by asking who, what, we really are.

~

Peace, Eric 

Sometimes I write

Sometimes I write:

sometimes I write simply for the rhythm of the words, for the motion of fingers across the keyboards and then the pause that always seems follow after just a bit of writing - this is where words come to gather, arriving from wherever they were moments just before, and somehow inspired to appear, now belong completely to the page. 

with this I know that I am not the real author here. I am not the originator of these words, nor creator of their rhythm and flow. I am just part of the process of writing, essential to its motion, poetry in essence too. It's all a seamless expression of whatever wishes to be told, a momentary story with no true meaning until assigned by any reader. With this I am granted the freedom to write without care of any outcome, a grace given to belong fully to the expression and not make claims of being the author. 

sometimes I write simply to remember this.

the question often asked, is who than is the author? And I'm lost with my reply, their is no sole ownership here, no point in claiming motion, nor any inspiration that's received. Writing happens, words appear, and I am fortunate to somehow be a part of it all. That's truly all I know of this, of anything really, life - that it all happens as a gift, grace, and we're all included in its process. Anything more to say is a story for someone else to tell, another writer's inspiration. 

sometimes I write to simply disappear.

it becomes a meditation of sort, a repeated mantra of changing words through every moment, a sutra of poetry and rhythm. In this I disappear within its flow, being just motion and pause, hearing words without identity of listener, everything belonging exactly and only as it appears without label. That's the magic, being truly of the process and unconcerned of final outcome. Sometimes I write solely for this reason, to remember myself as purely magic, an appearance too within the world, a temporary story with a life of ever shifting meaning, and told by infinite authors. 

yes, I write simply for the magic of it all.

~

Peace, Eric