A-Musings

“This is it.” I recently filched that line from an article written by Josh Baran, author of “The Tao of Now.” It beautifully encapsulates an important tenet of the Zen approach to living, to finding perfection, Nirvana, in the present moment. Josh writes of his own experience: “This phrase may not sound like profound prayer, a powerful mantra or positive affirmation, but it was my touchstone, and it worked. Those three words topped my habitual seeking mind, the mind that always wants something different, better, bigger or newer, the mind that is always yearning for special experiences, easier times or a different life, the mind that wants someone or something to rescue us. Whenever I found myself ruminating on how things should be different, I would say, 'This is it,' and perhaps only for a moment, came home to a more present experience of reality." This is it: This moment, right here, right now. In Zen and other teachings, there is no past, no future. Both are a lie...

Lucky? Really? Droll expression. Especially when you consider that the Irish have been one of the unluckiest peoples in history. On their beautiful but wind- and rain-swept isle, they’ve endured foreign domination, political oppression, religious tyranny, cultural repression, natural disasters, ghastly food, economic woes, the terror of The Troubles, the curse of the drink, you name it. Nonetheless, when I think of the Irish, rolling green sheep meadows, dramatic coastlines, Joycean verse, Celtic music and dance most often come to mind. Smiling eyes, gathering at the pub over pints of Guinness, laughter, telling tales, artfully turning phrases. Erin go bragh and all that. A sentimental stereotype? Perhaps. But based in fact. As my friend Richard O’Brien observes, “it’s the Irish paradox,” this indomitable yet inexplicable joie de vivre . I am of Italian descent. I come from a land of extraordinary natural beauty and gifts, with a sunny, mild and pleasant climate...

Alert: I go a little quote and cliché crazy today. Still digging out from a 7.0, we get hit with an 8.8. We didn’t expect it, but knew very well it could strike at any time. We didn’t plan on it, so are taken unawares. We didn’t think it could happen, not to us, but it does … Despite centuries of evidence to the contrary, we remain convinced that once we just manage to get a handle on things, achieve some sense of balance and “normalcy”, set those goals, eliminate the negative, acquire what we thought we wanted – the degree! the diamond! the deal! the divorce! - all will be well, we’ll live happily ever after. Silly humans. We never learn … “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”* So sang John Lennon. (And look what happened to him.) Just when things are looking up, appear to finally be on track - we’ve landed the job, married the guy, had the baby, sold the house, fulfilled the wish! realized the dream! --BAM—the earth qu...

but so unable to accept or understand or master our power, that we’ve created an exterior, omnipotent entity (or entities, depending upon the time and culture) upon which to transfer that power and the responsibility the comes with it. Continuing my stream-of-consciousness rambling: This may very well be the antithesis of The Secret, Course in Miracles and other modern spirituality disciplines, which profess that we have complete and ultimate control over our fate through our personal power to manifest; that when we regulate our vibrational frequency by simply aligning the mind (through focused thoughts and visualizations) with our heart (through our passionate engagement and emotional energy) with our body (through the appropriate actions we take) with our soul (through our believing, allowing, trusting, knowing that yes! we are part of the god-source, and can indeed tap into the universal energy and make it happen) - voila! we draw our ideal life out of the cosmos and into th...