People frequently speak of passion, sometimes in a very dispassionate way. But I tell you now that, whatever your age, it is time to go after what you really want. Your time is not limitless, and our planet and its inhabitants are in dire straits. Don’t just believe those New Age guru marketeers who tell… Continue reading What Do You Really Want?
Category: Musings
A Visit to Russia
Some 20 years ago, during a visit to Russia, I was invited by the head of a team of consciousness researchers, scientists, medical doctors, and alternative healers at the Russian Medico-Military Academy in Saint Petersburg to speak on my understanding of the Gurdjieff Work and give a demonstration of Chi Nei Tsang, a Taoist healing… Continue reading A Visit to Russia
High Civility and Deep Morality
Several years ago I received a FaceBook message from an old San Francisco friend making accusations about someone very close to me. The complete note read (I’ve left out the name and the supposed action): “I suppose you are proud of xxx for doing yyy. I think xxx is a scumbag.” This was interesting. I… Continue reading High Civility and Deep Morality
Meditation In Action
An Early Morning Walk Henry David Thoreau said that “An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” I continue to experience this truth in my own life. It connects me to the earth, gets my blood moving, promotes healthy breathing, arouses my senses, awakens my inner and outer attention, and, here in… Continue reading Meditation In Action
The Musical Harmonies of the Written Word
The musical harmonies of the written word are fast being replaced by the cacophonies of impatience, efficiency, and inattention. One can see this most clearly in the social media, which is rife not just with sloppy, inattentive communication but also with language shortcuts often difficult to decipher. I am not speaking here of people’s efforts… Continue reading The Musical Harmonies of the Written Word
Defining and Labeling
As part of the latest spiritual paradigm, some people will tell you that it’s better if you can avoid defining and labeling things, especially in relation to ourselves and others. Of course, that may be a very difficult task, since defining and labeling are part of what the human brain does quite naturally and automatically.… Continue reading Defining and Labeling
Thinking In Absolutes Is Not Thinking At All
So many people like to think in absolutes–right or wrong, good or evil, all or nothing, positive or negative, everything is possible or nothing is possible, and so on. Do you know why? Because thinking in absolutes is not thinking at all; it is believing. And many people would much prefer to believe than to… Continue reading Thinking In Absolutes Is Not Thinking At All
A Celebration Is In Order!
I’m still here on this beautiful planet, and so are you dear reader. Let’s celebrate our good fortune by actually being here with presence and appreciation. A good way to begin is to sense your breathing and realize that it connects you with everyone and everything that has ever lived or will ever live on… Continue reading A Celebration Is In Order!
Thinking, Associating, Inner Freedom
If you don’t wish to think, I understand. Sometimes I feel that way, too. Thinking is hard work. Among other things, it requires an aim, focused energy, and perseverance. But please don’t confuse thinking with associating. Associating, which can on occasion bring creative insights, is often simply a distraction from thinking. A mind that is… Continue reading Thinking, Associating, Inner Freedom
“I Work With What I’ve Got”
In complaining once to Lord Pentland, whom Gurdjieff put in charge of The Gurdjieff Work in America, about some group leaders in the Gurdjieff Foundation (San Francisco) where I had been studying for a few years, he responded tersely but with a smile: “I work with what I’ve got.” Shortly thereafter he made me a… Continue reading “I Work With What I’ve Got”
Experiments In Conscious Living
The exercises and practices I offer on this website are experiments in conscious living. Many of them derive from my explorations in the Gurdjieff Work, Taoism, and Advaita over the past 50 years. Others come from my investigation over the past 30 years of natural breathing, qigong, and energy work and their relationships to health,… Continue reading Experiments In Conscious Living