The world never stops but we can at any time. I do every day – snatching a quiet reflective breath whenever I think of it, or perhaps 20 minutes before breakfast. But sometimes, it is good to take more time, to go deeper, to spend time with your loved ones so that relationships are fresh and alive and not running on AI.
“Wilderness is a state of mind”, as the saying goes. Nonetheless, there are places left on this planet where vast tracts of relatively untouched forests and mountains exist, and solitude is found in abundance. The Bailey Range in Olympic National Park is one such sanctuary of pristine beauty. The paths are often faint or non-existent, …
We both agreed about the importance of smiling, not just with the mouth, but with the eyes, the windows of the spirit. That is where true healing begins and ends.
Our unquenchable desire for material consumption, personal mobility, and anything other than simply being here and now, in the present moment, has brought us to this precarious moment. And collectively, the dominant pathways of American culture are leading us to the realization that there is little peace, only more anxiety, fear, and disease.
Technology is a tool. Intention and mindfulness determines how it is used.
1998. I remember hooking up my first laptop to a dialup connection and being amazed and inspired by the power of the internet. The world literally felt like it was at my fingertips. Seemingly unlimited information and knowledge were mere seconds away. Perhaps it would have been useful if there had been a warning sticker on the box that said – “too much information can be hazardous to your health”.
Even though the long view of wisdom reminds us that everything is okay, perfectly as it should be, in the present moment it still matters deeply what we do in the world. Climate change still represents a threat to every living creature on the planet, and there are countless other social issues which we ignore at our collective peril. So what do we do inside this existential pickle we find ourselves in?
When with your eye of wisdom, you behold the still-point at the center of this motion, then you are on the path of perfection. Acupuncture is one method to realize this stillness in motion. The breath is another. Life is full of opportunities to wake up! May all beings realize the truth of non-duality and share their enlightened heart with all sentient beings.
