I used to think that I couldn't have successful relations with normal people—only with my special geeky friends. Then something happened, and I turned away from them, too. Now I'm pretty much convinced that I can't have successful relations with anyone.
The Obamamania will probably subside sometime after Inauguration Day, but we might as well enjoy it while we have it. With that in mind, here's Beliefnet interviewing Barack Obama in 2004 on the subject of religion. (Via Talking Points Memo.)
Alva Noë, philosophy professor at UC Berkeley, reflects on The Problem of Consciousness (video and transcript) over at Edge. The lines between academic philosophy and spirituality grow ever thinner.
Perceptual consciousness is a mode of exploration of the world, making use of a certain kind of practical bodily understanding. And that is what dance is. And this makes dance, for me, the perfect metaphor for consciousness.
One week ago, Barack Obama's acceptance speech touched many of us deeply. I know I reached for the kleenex more than once. There were also a number of real events leading up to the speech and between the lines, that seem to have struck a deeper resonance with me than the content of the speech itself.
Before his speech, Barack walked onto the platform with Michelle, and his two beautiful daughters, Sasha and Malia who are 7 and 10. I was struck by the fact that there will be young children in the white house for the first time in a long time. I looked it up: 25 years. And then there was the the easy way that Michelle and Barack, right in front of the podium, and millions of people watching, kissed each other with a naturalness and the obviousness of their caring for each other.
Arjun Appadurai writes one of the best characterizations I've read yet of the recent U.S. Presidential election. The discussion in the essay's comment threads is interesting as well.
So what's my beef? I regret that we are forced to catch the special aura of this election without a deep and serious space for the idea of magic, magic as it used to be. It would help us fill this rhetorical void. It would let us name the un-nameable and it would let us enjoy our means even without certainty about our ends.
I recently participated in a tele-conference
featuring visionary speaker Gerald Kamas
(Florida Climate Project Director for
Environmental Defense). Gerry impressed upon
us that in this new, post-recession global
community, whichever country becomes the most
effective at prioritizing clean and renewable
energy industries will become the world leader.
We're experiencing internet connection difficulties over here at the Mutuality.net web admin compound, so apologies for any delayed responses over the past few days and the next week or so.
If you were wondering what new offerings we have for article contributors this month, well, we don't. So what we have instead is, for anyone's first article in November, your choice of any one of our past great offerings.
You can email the web admin through the link at the bottom of the page, or I'll email you shortly (honest!) to determine which of the essays is your choice. To be clear: this is one gift per contributor for the month of November. Details, as usual, after the jump.
(to view a larger version of this collage click the red "there's more" link below)
I have been making collages for more than 15 years as a way of self discovery. I couple of years ago I took this to a new level afer reading Seena Frost's book, Soul Collage.
Hello all. I am a longtime Zen student and fairly new to WDM work. I was attracted to WDM becuase of Saniel's description of the wakedown shakedown, and because I liked his description of mutuality in awakening, recognizing in it both the emptiness and compassion inherent in what I viewed as the human experience in an awakening process. However I was confused by the claim that awakening in WDM is somehow unique.
My Second Birth awakening was recently confirmed by a WDM teacher - but the awakening that was confirmed happened several years before I had heard of WDM work.
This leads me to the question: how does the WDM work differ from Mahayana Buddhism? The latter also appreciates and values the individual life and expression of "Buddha Nature". I'll note here that Saniel's description of the wakedown shakedown, is, to my knowledge, unique - and has been valuable to me.
Doing this work is a constant reminder of how wonderful we really are if in the midst of an abrupt crisis. I'm a new student to WDM. I am so blessed to have the help of a Teacher and a Mentor. They have been fabulous in my waking down process. I feel so connected to both of them. Lena O'Neil is my teacher whom I feel has been a catapult in this journey of really getting to know myself. It's in the listening and the connection and taking some action in some cases that have really moved me from one place to another all while being in the same place (not moving physically) the entire time. It's in the moment, in the being in the feeling..really feeling into that moment that has changed me or transformed me to the next moment and somehow being different than I was in the last moment. It's like needing that new information from that last moment to take me to the next place or thought or new moment. It always seems to be an "aha" for me and I seem to get it when I let myself feel into it..into me. I laugh and smile at the same time after saying that because it is after all a sense of peace... a sense of wanting more of that and not wanting any more of that and going with it and practicing what you do want more and more.
"Pushing Daisies" is by far my favorite show on TV right now. Graeme McMillan of io9 has a great write-up, "Why Pushing Daisies is the Best TV Show You're Not Watching", which says so many of the things I want to say about it. I hope somehow it catches on. It's too funny, smart, and heart-ful to be canceled. If for some reason you haven't seen it, here's a taste:
Mutuality.net relies on community participation. It is an online venue for users to post their thoughts, feelings, questions, observations, and dreams; a virtual space for discussion and inquiry. Add your voice to the conversation today!
Eduardo's colorful and informative magazine Mutuality Matters can be downloaded below. These are print-ready PDF's—enjoy.
