Spirituality and States: Getting Beyond the Good Stuff

For most spiritual folks, state change is what it's all about.  Spiritual states have the power to open the mind, nourish the heart, and change the world.  They are, I think, the most important force for social and environmental sustainability on the planet.  And they can be lots of fun, too.

Glory in the Highest (Part Two)

I'm arguing against the grain, compiling evidence that the cynics' hypothesis is a delusion. I'm insisting that we are not pitiable actors in the most hellish chapter in history. I'm even inclined to entertain the possibility that the re…

Glory in the Highest (Part One)

What's your position on making love? Do you regard it as one of the nicer fringe benefits of being alive? Or are you more inclined to see it as a central proof of the primal magnanimity of the universe? I'm more aligned with the latter view. Imagine yourself in the fluidic blaze of that intimate spectacle right now. . . Part One of a three-part series.

In the Miracle

As we stand at the threshold of a new and larger world, it helps to be bathed in miracles, to show that yes, the realm of the possible is indeed far vaster than we know, and no, we are not crazy for leaving normal behind. I therefore invite all present to share a first-hand story of the impossible, for our mutual inspiration and encouragement.

Free Will: The Last Gasp of the Unenlightened Mind

Some believe that without free will, we are mere biological instruments, with no soul.  But from a nondual perspective, this argument is theologically backward. The autonomous soul isn't the gateway to God; it's the gateway to delusion.  This is the yetzer hara, the selfish, separating and, occasionally, evil inclination that sees the self as the center of the universe. 

Igniting Inspiration: A Talk with John Marshall Roberts

To communicate in a transformative way, you've got to get over your need to change and fix people.  By accepting the world and the people around you as they are, you become naturally inspiring to others. In this interview, John Marshall Roberts offers a new paradigm for communicating.

Gods, Demons and Imaginary Friends

How was all of the "stuff" that went along with the study of magic first derived? I wanted to understand the
nature of the gods and goddesses from books and esoteric lore that I had come
to love and find a pantheon within my own life and experience.

The Resurrection Before Jesus

Why did it take a recently discovered stone tablet for scholars to recognize that the resurrection myth is about society, not a particular person?

Fresh Baked Bread

In the Christian story of the Last Supper, Jesus distributes the flesh of God, initiating the first communion. To a Catholic, the significance of the scene is its mythic and
theological context. But to a Buddhist, it's about fresh baked bread.

Sound Against Flame: The Process of Yoga and Atheism in America

Yoga has been used to describe everything from the
physical asana practice to bread,
tea, clothing, and spa services. While there are many ways to dissect and explore
this aged philosophical system, we will focus on the yoga of
knowledge — otherwise known as the art of discrimination. Atheism is, believe it or not,
rooted in a similar soil.