Not One, Not Two

The part is not the whole…but it also isn’t *not* the thing of which it is a part. As Alan Watts is so often quoted in pantheist circles as saying, “A wave is a function of what the entire ocean is doing,” and so is the feather of a duck. If you point at a duck’s feather, you are also pointing at the duck that grew it as part of its body. Your ability to isolate your attention on the feather does not remove it from its natural context of duckness. 

The Four Evolutionary Stages of Human Consciousness

Note: the following material is grafted mostly word-for-word from a long section of monologue in Chapter IV of “The Peasant and the King.” I consider it more of an extract than an excerpt, for I did take out all the elements that put it in the context of the story with characters speaking and listeningContinue reading “The Four Evolutionary Stages of Human Consciousness”

The Peasant and the King

Fiction. Paperback, 334 pages, apx 65,000 words. $20 for author signed copy via ND Media Bookstore; $19.95 via Barnes and Noble DIY E-Book Edition $5 via ND Media Bookstore E-book, $2.99 via Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Book Locker. Release date: April 15, 2022 “Be humble for you are made of stardust; beContinue reading “The Peasant and the King”

FAQ: “Global Spirituality for the Next Age,” s’up with that?

Part 2 Q: OK, what about “spirituality?” Doesn’t this imply belief in supernatural beings and other tales of woo? It can, but it needn’t. Spirituality can also be the metaphysical study of reality as a non-dual experience, consistent with observable patterns of Nature. Our premise is that: 1) There is a basic truth to theContinue reading “FAQ: “Global Spirituality for the Next Age,” s’up with that?”

FAQ: “Global Spirituality for the Next Age,” s’up with that?

Part One Q: What do you mean by “Global?” We mean exactly what “catholic” means according to the dictionary: cath·o·licˈ (kaTH(ə)lik); adjective; including a wide variety of things; all-embracing. “Her taste in literature is pretty catholic, as she likes most genres.” synonyms: universal, diverse, diversified, wide, broad, broad-based, eclectic, liberal, latitudinarian; Origin: from Greek katholikos ‘universal,’Continue reading “FAQ: “Global Spirituality for the Next Age,” s’up with that?”

An Apple Pie From Scratch: Demystifying Mysticism

I’m going to let you folks in on an important secret about mysticism. This is long overdue and crucial to the development of our species and both its religions and sciences, so I hope you will pay very close attention and try to really grok the distinction between what I am going to say andContinue reading “An Apple Pie From Scratch: Demystifying Mysticism”

Why Ricky Gervais is a Dangerous Fundamentalist

I have a long history of being annoyed by Ricky Gervais, going back way before I saw this meme — but only in his chosen context as a commentator on religion, not his animal rights activism nor his show business persona. I think he’s a comic genius, and I have always loved his work onContinue reading “Why Ricky Gervais is a Dangerous Fundamentalist”

Aldous Huxley and the Perennial Philosophy

by JP I will let Wikipedia handle the finer details of Aldous Huxley’s biography, and stick with the themes most pertinent to our inquiry. Though most famous for his early satirical and pacifist writing (“Brave New World” being his signature work), and later for his pioneering experiments in opening “the doors of perception” through conscientiousContinue reading “Aldous Huxley and the Perennial Philosophy”