Chasing Water Bugs and Ideas!

Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 43                              Consecutive Days Blogging: 44

Today’s Mileage:  10                                           Total Trip Mileage: 365

 

Elusive target

Riding the bike today I struggle to choose a Blog topic.  I am reminded of a time with my two sons. We were wading along, knee deep in the water of a slow moving mountain creek.  We spoke little as each lost himself in the exploration of the water and the shoreline. Suddenly, my oldest son began to splash about, slapping the water in a vain attempt to catch one of the small, black water bugs that darted about the streams surface.  They were too elusive.  He would focus on one, miss his mark and then another would come along. It made for a humorous display as his efforts came up empty.  I am reminded of those efforts as I struggle to find a Blog topic. Each time I think I’ve captured one, I open my fingers and it’s gone!  Then I see another idea out of the corner of my eye.

Taiami trail

When this kind of frustration happens with a client, student or friend I always tell them to step back and look at “the bigger picture.”  When I do this I realize that among the swirl of topics are patterns.  Many of the topics are cued by ongoing world events, conflicts of a religious and/or political nature.  Some topics involve situations of personal relevance arising from my interactions with colleagues, family and friends.  Other topics involve my professional responsibilities as a teacher and a scientist.  When I step back from the swirl of darting ideas,  I see  unifying topics. The question is where do I focus my attention, my questions, my explanation and answers?  When talking about spirituality and religion, one can focus on the forms (content) of these beliefs. These varied forms include types of prayers, conceptualizations of God and the divine, religious ritual expressions and symbols, to name only a few.  One might also focus attention on the function (process) of religious and spiritual belief systems. 

Belief systems can appear very different in form and content while serving the same personal and group function and process, providing a sense of security, group cohesion during adversity and shared meaning.  There are those who ask the questions: What is the true name of God? What is the proper way to pray? Which are the valid sacred scriptures?  They seek the proper form. 

Palm trees along the trail.

I personally marvel at the diversity of religious beliefs in form and content.  I am dazzled by the colorful and mysterious displays of dancing and chanting, colorful vestments, burial ceremonies and symbols of ancient times.  Like walking through a garden, the last thing I would wish is to have all the flowers the same, all the trees bare the same colored leafs or pathways of only one type of stone. Those who seek to plant only one flower in our shared human garden, to eradicate all others by labeling them as weeds or intrusive foreign invaders, set themselves and all humanity upon a path of conflict and self-righteousness.  I will not engage you in an argument of which belief system has the true or proper form, but I will engage in a discussion of how belief systems may function against a unification of our human endeavors to grow, cooperate and survive!

If I may return for a moment to the story of my son and the water bugs.  After several failed attempts and a growing frustration, the capture attempts ceased.  My youngest son moved over from the shoreline and joined us. “What are you doing?” he asked.  “Trying to catch a water bug, it’s impossible!” exclaimed my oldest son.  The youngest looked down as he noticing for the first time the insects boaters, his arm darted forward barely disturbing the surface.  “You mean one of these!” he opened his hand to reveal a water bug paddling about in his palm!  Sometimes a clear mind and simple focus yields the rewards we seek.

 A special thanks to the photographers associated with Panramio for the beautiful scenes from along the roadside. The information on holy days and sacred holidays comes from www.interfaithcalendar.org.

Fed Animals are Dead Animals!

Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 42                              Consecutive Days Blogging: 43

Today’s Mileage:  5                                           Total Trip Mileage: 355

I have to admit the title of today’s Blog is probably a little over the top.  It was meant to grab your attention.  It comes from a factoid listed on the Big Cypress National Preserve website concerning  the feeding of wild animals. This is a problem as they become dependent on the food often leading to death along the roadways or to being “put down” as a nuisance.

Cypress Sunrise

Today we visit our eighth Pilgrimage Site The Big Cypress National  Preserve.  Some of you might ask: what does a nature preserve have to do with a Spiritual Pilgrimage?  As I’ve mentioned before, many people see nature as the handiwork of the Divine while others find within the mystery and beauty of nature the conditions for mystical experiences.

Trees through the Haze

This site visit highlights the impact that humans can have on the natural world.  Whether it’s the lack of giant Cypress trees due to timbering in the early 1900s, or the Burmese Python invasion due to people’s release of unwanted pets, man has clearly had an impact.  Whether you believe we are just one component of a giant interconnected web of life, or believe that we are the stewards of this planet at the divine’s request,  we need to ask ourselves: what are doing to our natural world?  How are we changing things, what are we leaving for the future?

Big Cypress Perserve

I am delighted to be visiting another site of natural beauty!  I would like to thank again the Panramio photo service, a component of  Google Earth.  This service provides tourists an opportunity to download many beautiful photos.  Without this service,  our journey would be significantly less colorful and interesting! 

As I view the scenes along the raised walkways leading  through the swamps, the trees and hanging moss,  I experience a sense of discovery,  reminding me  of a poem I  wrote on a nature walk several years ago.     

No Expectations

You should learn

     The cycle of the forest

       Some people would say.

Know when to expect

     The mushrooms

        The migrating birds

          The mating turtles

            The spring flowers.

Each with their own

   Timed curtain call.

I could study books,

    Talk with naturalists,

       Keep notes and a journal.

But I won’t… I’d rather be surprised!

Like a holiday

    That sneaks up on you.

       With the sudden appearance

          Of colorful ornaments

             And festive trappings.

The best gifts

    Are those

       We don’t expect!

_ _ _ _

Sunset at Big Cypress

I hope you enjoyed the poem, please click on the Pilgrimage Site tab at the top of this page to visit the Big Cypress National Preserve.  For more information visit www.nps.gov/bicy/

Genuine teachers!

Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 41                              Consecutive Days Blogging: 42

Today’s Mileage:  6                                           Total Trip Mileage: 350

As I ride the bike and review my day I realize I truly love what I do for a living!  I relish the opportunity to stand before a room of young adults and share my knowledge and experience and get paid for it!  However, the evaluation and testing of students is less enjoyable but necessary. Yet from the student responses and ratings, they appear to enjoy my classes! 

Genuine teacher: Dalai Lama

 Am I a good professor because the students like me and the majority of them learn the material?  I would argue that makes me an “adequate” instructor. When I recall the professors I had in my undergraduate training only three stand out: an Economics professor, a Psychology professor, and a Chemistry professor. But was it their knowledge in the field that made them a favorite of the students?  No, it was that they brought the subject matter to life!  The classes they taught were an experience!

How many twenty year olds, caught between parties, social life and football, would have imagined that Economics was such an integral part of life?  Those who took Dr. Barton’s Economics class did!  Who would have imagined the vast role Chemistry played in life or the psychological motives that underlie all behaviors.  Haven’t we all taken classes where we studied the material, did a memory dump on the test, took our grade and then never thought about the subject again! Good instructors brought the topic to life, making it real  with poignant examples and stories.  They might have even raised their voices, waving  arms as they pounded on the podium. 

Genuine teacher: Mother Teresa

Good professors don’t just make a point, they plant seeds!  They open you up to new possibilities and to a new world view. I’ve had students tell me that a particular lecture, or story immediately changed their perception of life.  I’ve had many call me back years after they have moved on with life, to tell me that the seeds I planted in my classes had sprouted and were now bearing fruit. These interactions are gratifying and reinforce me to keep planting those seeds.

How is all of this relevant to our daily spiritual journey? I encounter many people of different faiths and spiritual practices who desire to influence other individuals’ spiritual life. In some cases it’s a desire to see suffering relieved.  In other cases it’s a desire to increase their flock with converts. Some do it because they are told by their faith. Many do it out of a fear for the salvation of others.   I remember a time in the Navy when a neighbor returned to the dorm in the evening with a beaming smile.  I asked him about it and he exclaimed: “Two and a half, two and a half souls I’ve saved!”  I asked him the obvious question about the fraction of a soul.  He noted that he and a fellow believer witnessed to a sailor who “gave himself to the Lord” so he figured they should each get half a soul credit!

Genuine teacher: Gandhi

I have found that if you want to be effective at influencing other people and have fun in the process of doing it, you need to be genuine and authentic!   I often see my students looking back at me with that wide eyed expression associated with a “he is really into this stuff” mind set.  At that moment I know I am “in my grove” and that I am planting the seeds of possibilities, of new horizons, of new ideas and experiences.

 I remember sitting with a group of my church teens as we spoke with an orange robed, shaved head Buddhist nun.  I felt that sense of congruence as she spoke her story and told “her truths.”  These were not mere words, she lived them!  None of us rushed out and converted to Buddhism, but we all knew we had been in the presence of a special human being. Words and sermons attract, but the power to influence comes out of actions. Of course I am not telling you anything new, anything you haven’t heard from the pulpit.  Embrace the love of God, live the love, be an example of it!

Genuine teacher: Billy Graham

I have a friend who is very devout in her faith.  She attended a church workshop about the qualities of a “true believer.” She noted to me that “you have all the qualities they talked about, but you aren’t a believer!”  I smiled, nodded and then added: “I believe, just not in the same things you believe!”

We have the greatest impact on others when we present them not just with a new idea, but with a new experience: an experience that challenges them to open up, consider, expand, grow and become something new!

When “Just Do it” doesn’t work!

Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 40                                 Consecutive Days Blogging: 41

 Today’s Mileage: 9                                                 Total Trip Mileage: 344

In yesterday’s blog I raised a question: how do we make a virtuous choice when the allure of vices may have a biological component? It seems to me we have several choices. First, we can appeal to a higher power, turn the struggle with the apparently irresistible urge over to God. We can petition our deity to take away the urge and then wait for divine intervention. While it is understandable that such an approach is appealing, most ministers I have talked with note that while God might show us the way and offer support, we have to make the trip ourselves. I once heard a family therapist state it this way: A marriage may be made in heaven, but you have to do your own maintenance! Ultimately we are the ones, whether with or without God’s assistance who have to turn and walk away from the vice’s allure. We could wait for science to find a medication that will rid us of the urge toward addiction, but it may lead to a dulled and passionless existence.

Take a nature walk.

According to several prominent psychology theories, the answer has to do with the nature of habits. If you want to take a more spiritual/religious perspective you might say it all has to do with rituals! Religious rituals have different functions. One of the intrapersonal functions is to help a person maintain some beneficial behavior, like prayer or meditation, and thought processes, like a daily contemplation of sacred teaching.

William Glasser in his formulation of Reality Therapy hypothesized that one aspect of human nature was our propensity toward addiction. He argued that the most important question was: What are you addicted too? He speaks to the presence of Negative Addictions, like drugs, obsessive shopping, or anger and wrath. These addictions produce an array of negative consequences with respect to our health, our relationships and ultimately to our level of happiness. Positive addictions such as creativity, prayer, meditation, exercise, produce positive impacts on our health, our relationships and our ultimate happiness. These positive addictions, just like negative addictions, can be experienced as a profound deep need to perform the activity. Missing the appointed or regular time for the activity, exercise, meditation, prayer can lead to increased anxiety and discomfort and a strong almost irresistible “need” to perform the ritual act.

Light a candle as a prayer offering.

 While we may spend time asking ourselves why we are drawn to the negative addiction, Reality Therapy would argue that the more practical and pragmatic things to ask is: What do we need to substitute for the vice? What new habit or ritual do we need to develop and promote? If you want to start your morning with a prayer, or a visit to an intriguing daily Blog, or exercise: create a habit or ritual that brings about the desired change.

A meditation ritual.

My minister, Pat Jobe, in a recent sermon on addiction noted that it is almost impossible to just walk away from something that bring us pleasure, even if it is a “short term” fix, or leads to negative consequences. However, it is not so hard to walk away, if we are walking towards something that offers equal or greater satisfaction and happiness.

But how do you do this? How is it done? There is no simple answer or template that fits all vices for all individuals. Each situation is different! However, within psychology the fields of Behavior Therapy and Learning Theory outline numerous procedures for creating new habits, and extinguishing old ones! Now, that is the topic for another posting!

Boredom, Brains and Vice!

Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 39                              Consecutive Days Blogging: 40

Today’s Mileage:  6                                           Total Trip Mileage: 335

      One of the issues with riding a stationary bike, especially if you do it daily, is it can be boring.  You can close your eyes and let the rhythmic movement of your legs and the sound of your breath lull you into a peaceful place.  You might  look out the window at nature and create a poem.  But  there is a third option:  reading! 

     Last Sunday on the way to church my youngest son asked me: “Dad, how did you get to know so much?”  Reading and asking questions was my answer. Yesterday on the NPR Radio Reader program, one of the story characters made the statement: “The way to get smart is to be interested in the world.”  How true, I thought to myself. Read, ask questions and then read some more. I read an array of magazines, some spiritual, many scientific and  occasionally an historical publication.  Recently a scientific article brought a smile to my face and a sense of renewed hope.  I strive on this journey to overcome my failings and weakness.  I enjoy the discoveries along the way and I grow in the process. I share the gifts, insights and wisdom I receive on my journey with others through my blog, my teaching and my therapy.

     The article in the September 2009 issue of Discover magazine by Kathleen McGowan was entitled: Seven Deadly Sins.  The subheading noted: “Science is looking inside the brain to untangle the roots of our bad behavior!”  The article begins with the question:  Why does being bad feel so good? The authors reviewed recent findings  connecting different regions of the brain to “human vices.”  These vices included: Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Pride, Greed, Envy, and Wrath. The article raised a question which psychologists and theologians grapple with on a regular basis.  Do our moral failings represent poor choices on our part or internal biological impulses?  The article points to an answer involving a complex set of interactions between our brains and our past and current environments. It is an important question when we consider that our society creates laws which legislate morality.  And as therapists we often ponder the question of how to change “bad behavior.” 

Wrath by Christopher Buzelli

     The article ended by noting that: “Historically, moralists have not paid much heed to the findings of science. However,  they might want to pay attention to recent findings from modern neuroimaging  It turns out that acting virtuously does not necessarily require a great deal of suffering, sacrifice and pain(i.e. wearing a hairshirt).  In fact research suggests that: “your reward system fires off a lot more when giving than when you’re taking.”  Yes, science is saying that “being good may be more fun than being wicked!”

     But if this is the case, then how do we turn back the urge to follow the vices rather than chose the virtues?  How do we make, “doing the right thing” the norm of our behavior rather than the exception? The answer may lie within the teachings of Reality and Behavior Therapy.  More on that topic tomorrow!

     Have a wonderful day and enjoy the scenery along your journey’s route!

Thanks to Discovery Magizine for the Images from the September Issue.  The article in question is available online at www.discoverMagizine.com/2009/sep/

A Mindful Journey.

Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 38                              Consecutive Days Blogging: 39

Today’s Mileage:  8                                           Total Trip Mileage: 329

      As I ride the bike this morning a number of topics swirl about in my mind.  I have enjoyed our week in the Miami area. Next time I visit the area in person I’ll make a personal pilgrimage to the Holocaust site as I was struck by the images which still haunt me with their poignancy.  I am looking forward to hitting the “open road” as we head west I hope to see more gorgeous nature scenes.

     I’ve been investigating pilgrimage sites down the road.  We will swing south for a day’s ride before heading west across the northern part of the Everglades and into Big Cypress National Preserve.  Then it’s on to Naples, where we’ll visit a controversial religious site:  a religious city which some people view as the epitome of American freedom, while others view it as a sign of growing intolerance and the fragmentation of our nation’s religious fabric.  As we head up the coast toward Fort Myers we will visit two sites: an ancient Native American site and a place which is a failed tribute to the human desire to create “Paradise in the Wilderness.”

     One of my viewers asked the question, concerning yesterday’s postings, if meditating was so profound then why did I stop after seven years?  There are probably several potential postings embedded within this question.  Let me just give a brief answer for now.

      Any good habit such as exercise or diet can fall prey to changing circumstances.  In addition, there is always the danger that we can become so complacent about the positive efforts that we forget the source of these effects.  My life took on many challenges as I married, entered graduate school, moved about the country.  My meditative practice suffered as I took on the roles of Professor, therapist, and father!  However, the ability and knowledge is there, and at particularly stressful times I return to it to steady my nerves and calm my mind.  Why have I not fully reimmersed myself in the meditative practice? In a way I have, but in a different way!

     In general there are two forms of meditation.  Concentration meditation, the form recognized by most people, where the mediator sits quietly and turns inward using a mantra (sound) as a meditative device.  The goal is to quiet your mind to the point of “no thoughts.”  Transcendental Meditation is one such technique.  The second form of meditation is called Mindful Meditation, and is practiced by several branches of Buddhism.  It involves focusing on and being mindful of whatever one is doing at the moment.  Mindfulness of walking, breathing, studying a flower, the breeze on one’s skin can all be part of a walk through a garden.  It is found to promote deeper insights into how our minds work to “create” the world around us and how to control our attention and focus. 

     As my artistic interests grew over the last twenty years, especially my poetry, I found myself naturally and effortlessly using this technique.  I would state that I still meditate but in a different form.

     Here is a poem and one of my drawings, both are products of a mindful walk:

Beauty by StationaryPilgrim

Nature’s to Blame

Checked my watch

     It happened again!

Half an hour pasted,

     I barely moved.

Oh well!

          I’ll blame the flowers,

               Their beauty impeded my progress:

          And the bird call,

               The humming insects,

               The inviting cool shadows,

               And the still air.

          Don’t forget the fragrances,

               There were way too many.

If I missed something important

     Please accept my apology.

****

If I had a real bike and was really there!

     Enjoy your day and be mindful of your journey!

Yogis who changed my life!

 Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 37                               Consecutive Days Blogging: 38

Today’s Mileage:  5                                             Total Trip Mileage: 321

 

   Today we will be visiting the Shiva Vishnu Hindu Temple of South Florida.  Before we pull up to the gate and enter the temple I would like to share with you my personal experiences with the Hindu faith.  I have never travelled to India, but I have been lucky to have crossed paths with Hindu beliefs and practices and to have been changed forever by these encounters.

      How does a young man from the plains of the Dakotas come to experience Hinduism and its teachings?  The answer is in California!  During my time in the US Navy I was stationed in southern California, a fascinating place for a wide-eyed youth.   Every other street corner was inhabited by a new religion or cultural group! 

     I developed a deep friendship with a fellow sailor who had grown up in the LA area.  He looked every bit the part of a beach bum surfer, but he was a vegetarian and a Hindu convert.  He attended the Self-Realization Fellowship in LA.  At his suggestion I read the book Autobiography of Yoga, by Paramahansa Yogananda.  This opened up a fascinating new world of religious thought.  I began to read the teachings of various sects of Hinduism. 

      This caused me to wonder about what other belief systems existed in the world which the nuns who directed my Catholic education had failed to mention.  While intrigued by the fellowship’s teachings, especially the pluralistic nature of Hindu beliefs, I did not join the movement.  I was a pilgrim on a new and fascinating journey, checking out the different paths and only sampling their offerings!

      Change was in my future, as I returned from my first tour overseas.  While in Thailand, I became acquainted with Buddhism and began to wonder about meditation.  I got a call from my friend asking if I wanted to learn Transcendental Meditation.  “Sure why not!”  No three words have ever changed my life to the degree these three did (“I do” comes close, but in a totally different way)!

Maharishi Yogi founder of TM

     With no preparation, no afterthought, I entered a simple suburban home and a dimly lit room. I stood before a flickering candle and the portrait of a bearded foreign face and entered a new world!  My first meditation produced what is called a Monist mystical experience, a mind blowing state of nothingness and bliss (see yesterday’s posting for more on mystical experiences).  I walked out of that house profoundly changed forever! 

     I meditated religiously twice a day for seven years.  My anxieties and fears dissolved away, my awe and appreciation for the world around me deepened, and my growing compassion and concern for others pointed me in the direction of a helping profession.  I do not view meditation as a “cure all” that works for everyone. Rather, it is a valuable tool on a path to physical, mental, spiritual health and happiness.  Meditation became an integral part of my journey and reverberates within me still today!

“We are all part of the One Spirit. When you experience the true meaning of religion, which is to know God, you will realize that He is your Self, and that He exists equally and impartially in all beings.”
                                      –Paramahansa Yogananda

     I hope you enjoy this Pilgrimage Site visit (click on the tab at the top of the page to travel there).  If you wish more information about Hinduism, please visit the temple website. Trust me: it is a complex faith!

 

Notes from the Mystical Path!

Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 36                               Consecutive Days Blogging: 37

Today’s Mileage:  5                                           Total Trip Mileage: 316

 

     As I ride my bike and we approach our next Pilgrimage Site, I want to speak about mysticism.  Several viewers have asked me to define it and to describe types of mystical experiences.  To answer these questions in the depth they deserve it would take more time and space than one Blog posting can offer.  As such today I will be presenting only a cursory review.

Blazing Sky!

     Mysticism can be defined as: the pursuit of an understanding or relationship with the ultimate reality we call the divine, through direct experience, intuition and insight.  This relationship may include a desire to enter into a communion with, identification with, or achieve a conscious awareness of this ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or God. A mystical experience may be minor and uplifting, like a walk through a beautiful garden, or it may be profound, intense and a life changing event, such as a near death experience!

     Mysticism usually focuses on practices that are intended to nurture this direct experience or awareness.  All of the major wisdom traditions either place mystical experiences at the core of their practices, primarily within the eastern traditions, or have mystical branches within their traditions, such as Kabbalah within Judaism, Sufism within Islam, Christian mystics within Christianity. The mystical branches of these Monotheist traditions are often treated skeptically by the more orthodox branches of the faith due to the emphasis the mystic person places on their direct experience and living realization over doctrine. In contrast to orthodox branches which often look only to the sacred scriptures for revelation and direction.

      Mystics believe these experiences of divine consciousness, enlightenment and union with God that are made possible via the mystical paths, are available to everyone who is willing to follow the practice. No one is denied or excluded from the practices or the experiences that result. While some mystic traditions may exclude the validity of other traditions, most tend to be more accepting than the non-mystical versions of their faiths. In general, mystics are more inclusionary and pluralistic.

 

Alchemist's Star

   How are these mystical experiences classified? In general they can first be divided into dualistic, which maintains a distinction between the individual and the divine, often called Theist Mysticism, and non-dualistic, where the distinction is blurred or no distinction exists.

     These non-dualistic experiences can be further divided into those where there is a mystical consciousness of the unity of all reality superimposed upon a person’s perceptions of the world (i.e. when I, as a young boy, stood transfixed in the face of a gigantic thunderstorm as it and all of reality “passed through me” and became one).  This can be called Nature Mysticism and may be experienced in any moment of intense passion, creativity, or connectedness with other people and natural objects.  If the experience involves a “going inward” and the “falling away” of one’s identity to the point of “divine nothingness”, or bliss, this can be called Monist Mysticism.

     You might ask: is a person limited to just one form of mystical experience?  The answer is No!  I myself have experienced both Nature and Monist mystical experiences.  I have never experienced the divine as a deity or a spiritual presence.  My partner has experienced all three.

      Depending upon the religious tradition you are trying to conform to, these experiences may be embraced or looked upon with suspicion.  I believe no single type or combination is the true or desirable experience.  You cannot command mystical experiences to occur. However, you can maintain practices which increase their likelihood of occurrence.  You can pray, chant, dance, meditate, do yoga, or take nature walks to name only a few. A deep level of despair may visit a mystic who has lost this connection with the divine i.e. the Theist to whom God fails to speak, the Nature mystic who feels nothing at the feet of natural beauty, or the Monist who cannot penetrate  layers of ego and desire that block the way to the sacred core. It has been said that “Behind every addiction lies a search for the divine.”  False paths to the divine do exist but that’s a topic for another posting.

     Most people I know who have mystical experiences view them as profound gifts.  As with any special gift, one shouldn’t hoard it, but share it with others.  It may be shared when it inspires caring, loving behavior towards others, as inspiration for a poem or piece of artwork or the topic of a discussion.  There are many paths, many experiences that will take the seeking pilgrim to the mountain top, to a knowledge of and relationship with the divine.  Which path is “your path?”  There is no more important question in life!

     For more information the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy at www.plato.stanford.edu  contains a good academic discussion of the topic under mysticism.   In addition, a wonderful movie is available called A Still Small Voice, narrated by Bill Kurtis (of recent “I found the internet” fame) which includes presentations by people who have experienced all three forms of mysticism.

After your prayers… take a walk!

Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 35                               Consecutive Days Blogging: 36

Today’s Mileage:  7                                            Total Trip Mileage: 311

 

     There are times in life when we are faced with an event that we cannot avoid and for which we have made all of the prescribed preparations.  It might be surgery, a big test, the return of a loved one, or a phone call about a job, to name just a few.  We may have said our prayers and activated our support system of family and friends but then what do we do?  Ruminating, worrying, and making last minute changes to our planned response can be problematic.  Some people will continue with prayer while others might try some distracting activity.  In such situations I often simply “take a walk.” 

     Not only is the movement calming but my attention shifts to my immediate surroundings, to the beauty, the complexity, the activity literally “under my feet” and at the edge of the pathway.  Such walks are not only distracting, but they  act as a reminder of our connection with the larger and smaller worlds around us.  Such walks help us to put things into perspective and to be joyful for what we have… the opportunity to take another step down the path and receive the gifts of the divine!

Mindful Footfalls

Bee with flower

   Cosmic spotlight stretched

    By the lakes reflective surface

      Streams through

        The sparse spring foliage

Lift… Stretch… Drop… One

  Sounds of a distant struggle

    Between a squirrel

Stuffed chipmonk

      And a blackbird

        Rages on unseen

Lift… Stretch… Drop… Two

  Tap-tap-tap

    Of a woodpecker

      Scarring the face of a cedar home

        In search of carpenter bees

 

 

 

Daylilies

Lift… Stretch… Drop… Three

 

  Who-who-who

    An inquisitor questions

     Is it an owl or a loon?

      Who inquires of my identity?

Lift… Stretch… Drop… Four

  The air is still

    The only breeze

Butterfly on Bark

      Barely noticeable

        Is the product of my passage.

Lift… Stretch… Drop… Five

  Winged insects

    Large and small

      Hover and dart about

        In the bright sunlight.

Lift… Stretch… Drop… Six

 Spiders

  Hanging from oak branches

     Dangle motionless

Dragonfly

        On near invisible threads.

Lift… Stretch… Drop… Seven

  Nature’s perfume counter

    The sweet smell

      Of honeysuckle and jasmine

        Fill the air.

Lift… Stretch… Drop… Eight

Pink Passion

  A pair of daddy-long-legs

    Climb to the highest vantage point

      Of a young oak shoot

        To view my passage.

Lift… Stretch… Drop… Nine

  All this and

    I haven’t even walked

Not the same bee

      A dozen steps

        On my morning journey.

Lift… Stretch… Drop… Ten

  All this and

    I haven’t even

      Made it to the lake

        And it’s sandy shoreline.

Lift… Stretch… Drop… Eleven

  What sensual feasts

    Lie ahead?

Lift… Stretch… Drop…

     I hope you have enjoyed the poem and the images.  Remember to hold your family, friends and our world community in your prayers and then, instead of waiting for the day to unfold, I suggest you “take a walk!” Tomorrow I will blog on the topic of mysticism as a prelude to our Pilgrimage Site visit on Sunday of the most mystical of all the world faiths.

Special thanks to my student Caroline Carvile for the use of her nature walk photos!

 

Claiming Treasures or Finding Meaning?

Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 34                               Consecutive Days Blogging: 35

Today’s Mileage:  5                                           Total Trip Mileage: 304

 

Holidays and Holy Days on November 12:

Birth of Baha’u'llah –  Baha’i celebration of the birth of their founder and teacher

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      As I ride the bike today I am thinking about the nature of pilgrimage sites.   I’ll let you decide whether you believe today’s site warrants inclusion on the list of Pilgrimage Sites as we are visiting an interesting place in North Miami Beach which is now a beautiful and popular place for weddings and receptions. I found a travel review which stated: “The story behind this place is more interesting than going there.”   While I have labeled it as a “Christian” site, it might be better to think of it as a Marriage Remembrance Site!  I believe this site; The Spanish Monastery has importance and significance.  

View of the courtyard.

   First, I think it reiterates that for some pilgrimages it’s not the site that has significance, but the journey required to arrive at the site.  Like the Miley Cyrus song stated: “It’s the climb.”  I remind myself of this when I find the flower garden bare or the creek dry after a long walk. I have written a number of poems and viewed beautiful images I would not have seen if I hadn’t taken that walk/journey.

     Second, the story of how this Spanish Monastery which predates Columbus’ arrival in the New World found its way to the shores of a “distant land” is fascinating!  It might be seen as a story of a “rescue” of a decaying work of architectural art, a grand but misguided business endeavor, or the appropriation of the relics of another time and place for our use in the present. 

Christ in the Garden.

  I believe our American culture and to a degree historically Western culture has a tendency to buy treasures, or claim sites that produce a readymade “history.”  Is it our impatience to wait for our own relics and sites to develop? Or do we have a sense of entitlement towards the treasures of old, or any site that we discover, whether or not it might already have special significance to others?  I am reminded of the early Christian colonists declaring they were “God’s chosen” and the New World their “promised land”.  Of course that meant that the native inhabitants were, at best, potential converts, or at worst “Canaanites” who warrant only removal and destruction.

     An additional issue this visit raises for me has to do with discovering the “true meaning” of a site or a journey. If you Google wedding reception sites in the Miami area, you will find this historic monastery listed.  Is that a “good use” of the space, or an affront to the building’s “true meaning?”  It was built for a sacred purpose, consecrated with sacred rituals, and inhabited for centuries by dedicated spiritual seekers.  How does the current use enhance or undermine this history? Does it matter? 

     When I first investigated this site I found videos about it on YouTube.  The first I viewed showed a young lady quietly lighting votive candles at the entrance to the sanctuary.  The second video showed a boisterous, youthful wedding party dancing wildly to the Village People anthem YMCA!

     Please click on the tab at the top of this page entitled: Pilgrimage Sites to visit the Spanish Monastery.  Have a wonderful day!

The information on holy days and sacred holidays comes from www.interfaithcalendar.org.