The Mystery of Consciousness (Part Three)

The Mystery of Consciousness (Part Two)

The Heart of Transformation -- Consciousness

This is the complete unedited video of my and Brad Olson's January 15, 2012 conversation about consciousness. In the video, we take a break at 51:10 and return at 1:01:23, so you may wish to skip that portion.

The Mystery of Consciousness (Part One)

This is the first portion of my and Brad Olson's conversation about the mystery of consciousness on January 29, 2012,

the shaman and hu tzu

A video of my talk this morning at Wu Chi Ku -- I read and comment on Chapter 16 of the Tao Te Ching

Brad Olson and I talk a little about consciousness transformation

This is a portion of my and Brad Olson's conversation about Story as the heart or core of consciousness on January 22, 2012.

Faith

Two powers that move, that transform our world are faith and reason. Reason operates predominately in the horizontal world, the historical linear realm, the reality that most swear to and live in. Faith has, up to this point, mostly operated in the vertical dimension, the reality of the above and the below, with faith in the above to counter and balance the misdeeds of the below. That must change. Faith must now operate in both dimensions, the vertical and the horizontal. This is the cross of our existence.

Faith in what? Faith in the Power that brings us into being, in the life energy coursing through us. Faith in our Source, God, the Wellspring, Allah, YHWH, Wakan Tanka, the One closer to us than our own breath. It is a willful choice. We either continue to have faith in our own reasoning as a species (which has led us to our current critical situation on this planet) or we have faith in The One Who Breathes Us. This is not a sweet bye and bye faith. It is a Faith of Now. We are embodyings of our Source. As such, we know each moment what to do.

On the missionary nature of the human species and the urge to create and deliver spiritual commercials

A metaphor is a vehicle of transformation (you are a "child of God"). A symbol is an open door for that transformation: Cross, Seal of Solomon, Caduceus, Grail, Wu Chi, Tai Chi, etc.

"I have found these metaphors and these symbols to be of transformative value and I highly recommend them to you." Thus we refer others to our symbology, our metaphor, our imagery as powerful tools of transformation.

If we get too insistent on this referral, too shrill, it becomes fundamentalism and our mentalism is no fun anymore. This is true for all metaphorical realms: science, religion, philosophy included. Deep metaphors and symbols do not need our salesmanship. They sell themselves.

The Heart of Transformation (Part One)

Bradley Olson and I converse about The Heart Of Transformation

thank you very much

We tried the God is Dead approach and wound up standing on an atom with great explosive force, gnawing at each other's souls with sharp and greedy teeth. Now can we please open as the shining core of that atom and know that God is Alive and Doing Very Well Thank You Very Much.

opportunity to re-member

Day after day we are given opportunity to remember.
Re-member: to call all our members together again.
The organs of vision, seeing, illumination;
of reason, thought, understanding;
of hearing, receiving, comprehending;
of heart opening, surrendering, loving;
of felt experience, immersion in the All.
We are members of a Higher Order, a Cosmic Body.
Day after day we are given opportunity to re-member.

relationship and story

Here is relationship, direct relationship with our Spiritual Teacher, with our Source. Merging of Love and Fire and Light. And here is story, the story we weave around ourselves as we go. Relationship and Story, this is our composition, who we are!

our cup is but a thimble

Our spiritual understanding cannot exceed our capacity to understand.  How then can we extend, broaden, deepen our capacity? By seeing through the form we use for understanding and by eventually dropping it altogether. In clinging to a rigid form, our cup is but a thimble. Capaciousness leads to no cup, no cup at all. Great capacity is open relationship.

in-form-ation and un-form-ation

On theology, doctrine, and creed: 

Once you climb the ladder there is no need to carry it around. 

Climb to the top, then leap!