tao1776

Pip had traveled the continents in search of his ancestral origins.He had been witness to the Full Moon in every month of the year in only one place and that place was home. Singing moon, Barley moon. Harvest moon. His parents and friends were unaware of the seasons or the passing phase of the moon. They held no meaning or sway. But Pip had been to Iona and saw the moon there. Pip traversed the four mountains. He saw the equinox at Calendar One. What is the meaning of all this?  All that Pip could say when questioned, "When I venture down the lower lane into town I often cross paths with this certain old man. I don't even know his name. But I get the sense, a full sense, that he is wise and knows more than words can express. As we pass by our eyes meet; however brief. I tip my hat to him and he to me. There is a certain transmission that takes place and I travel on wiser and more compassionate than before." Godspeed, Pip.

Thirty three hundred leaves assist the clouds in this seemingly endless game of obscuring the sun. And although it is only mid-September, I witness the trees giving the occasional "push" making a leaf fall, leaving its post as it follows the wind to the ground. I laugh, knowing that the leaves do not "leave" and "fall" willingly. The tree decides. The leave is pushed: it falls. Is the leave aware that this may one day happen? Does it make any preparation? One by one they fall to the ground allowing the sun to warm what it will of the day. It doesn't help. It's only one leave. Then two. A third, and then a forth. Seemingly endless. Occasionally there is a break in the clouds, a part in the branches causing me to feel the warmth on my skin and a lift in my spirit. Colors look bright and shadows give the world a pleasant contrast. I can hear the acorns fall from the trees as I watch the squirrel dart back and forth gathering the harvest.A chain saw...

"The shoe that fits one person  pinches another;  there is no recipe for living  that suits all cases."   Jung

What qualifies a religion to have it regarded as being produced by the Devil? Is it deceit? Is it hate? Is it violence? And who is it that is sufficiently qualified to in full confidence make such a decree? Ann Coulter? Terry Jones? Ted Nugent? The Dove World Outreach Center. Now that's an oxymoron if I ever heard one. Now, the dove is the symbol of  peace and caring. Of love, grace and promise. Wherein do we find deceit, hate and violence now? However I do not blame Pastor Terry Jones. It must be remembered that the Bible says, "For the Love of money is the root of all evil". Pastor Jones resides over a flock of around thirty people in that ever enlightened State of Florida. Hernando de Soto was looking for the fountain of youth in 1539 and people still flood the gates of the Sunshine State in search of their lost adolescence. No, the problem here is money. This dude has a book on Amazon and it's sold out because of all the publicity. The local economy of G...

"The art of living...is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive."  - Alan Watts In a time of days so many years ago, when I was a self proclaimed Christian, it was a common practice to participate in a form of story telling referred to as " telling your testimony ". It was your own self narrated biography of how the Lord Jesus Christ found you in your lost state and worked to bring you into God's fold. The more that you told your self narrative, the more polished it became. It was your story. His-tory.  This form of a self narrating story of who we are and where we came from, the ongoing self reporting of our highs and lows in life, which have led us to this our focal point in time,  is often the yardstick by way we take to measure ourselves, Christian or not. We do it our ...

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.   When you lose, don't lose the lesson.   Follow the three R's:   - Respect for self.   - Respect for others.   - Responsibility for all your actions.   Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.   Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.   Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.   When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.   Spend some time alone everyday.   Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.   Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.   Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.   A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.   In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current...

ENLIGHTENMENT One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple - Jack Kerouac Okay. This is it. I have read and studied and dissected the Bible. I examined the view of the mystics, from Merton to Meister Eckhart. I looked into Sufis and Zoroaster, Ellen White and Sri Ramana Maharshi. The Sutras, the Upanishads and Bhagavad gita. The Yi Jing, the Tao Te Ching. And I am speechless. I am reminded of those that questioned the blind man about Jesus and all the blind man could say was, "All I know is, once I was blind and now I can see". As Watts says, "The menu is not the meal". You can read until the cows come home and still know nothing about the farm. You can read all about enlightenment. But there comes a time where you need to do nothing. And one of the best ways to do nothing is to "sit" in meditation. It's not as unusual as you may think. You do nothing to make your heart beat. You do nothing to make yourself breathe. You do noth...