It's possible that we don't live in the present because the present is not something, a state or somewhere.
Consider the idea of past and future both states of mind but not a place or a something.
The present would be suspended between the past and the future. But if the past and future are illusion then you could not suspend the present between them.
Another way of being, one that is more practical and achievable is to live outside of time entirely. To live in eternity.
Another way of looking at this is to see that nothing is static, nothing is fixed, everything is fluid,constantly arising and falling away. This reveals that we live in a mystery. Not a pretend mystery but a real one, how one goes about living in an ever shifting reality that is mysterious is tricky.
Suffering arises from attempting to stop and stabilise the flow of life whilst simultaneously trying to solve a mystery that can't be solved.
You just have to surrender to life and experience the mystery unfold.
Which is why my wife hates it when I say,
" plans unfold as events arise "
Buts it's practical and gives attention to the rising and falling of phenomena.
That's sounds about right. However we are entangled in the mystery, we are the mystery and so there is a dissolving, a loss of self, a drowning into the mystery. A cessation of experience.
Like the boy made of salt who rowed out to the middle of the ocean, he wanted to measure it's depth. Rope tied around his waist, he dived in...splosh..
Fun fact, apparently Frank liked to get high on fungi .
"Frank went on to tell me that much of the premise of Dune—the magic spice (spores) that allowed the bending of space (tripping), the giant sand worms (maggots digesting mushrooms), the eyes of the Fremen (the cerulean blue of Psilocybe mushrooms), the mysticism of the female spiritual warriors, the Bene Gesserits (influenced by the tales of Maria Sabina and the sacred mushroom cults of Mexico)—came from his perception of the fungal life cycle, and his imagination was stimulated through his experiences with the use of magic mushrooms.”
I think your Wisdom series is one of the best things I have read on Substack. There is so much to unpack from each episode. Perhaps something so rich needs more space to flourish than Substack can offer. Have you considered a book, a proper paper one?
Tom, I enjoyed your Accelerating Wisdom series. If you are not familiar with Cynthia Bourgeault, your conversations suggest there will be resonance. Sharing Jonathan Rowson’s article about her. https://jonathanrowson.substack.com/p/put-the-mind-in-the-heart
Thanks Jim! Incredible article. Christian mysticism has been the most unexpected discovery for me this year. But wasn’t aware of Cynthia and will read much more, grateful!
Tom, I’m taking a bit of a risk. This is a condensed delivery of a lot of dense ideas. But it’s just too “coincidental” to ignore because it seems to relate to your primary interests at this time. (I’m not intending to make this a regular pattern.) https://mailchi.mp/consciousharmony.org/october10
Why a risk? Many are rather familiar at this point. I do love this passage? “ The heart in the ancient sacred tradition, has a very specific and perhaps surprising meaning. It is not the seat of our personal affective life – or even, ultimately, of our personal identity – but an organ for the perception of divine purpose and beauty. It is our antenna, so to speak, given to us to orient us toward the divine radiance and to synchronize our being with its more subtle movements. The heart is not for personal expression but for divine perception.”
This has had a major impact on my way of being. Three centered awareness is a broader intelligence, and the only way to access deep wisdom it seems. In part because we are seldom really present when we are in our mind. I look forward to your work.
The eagle and condor prophecy is super interesting on so many levels.
Consider that over the next 30yrs we will witness the end of oil and gas. ( The outlier is that coal will become king, get investing now?)
What is money, money is fossil fuels, that's all it is. Look around you is there anything that isn't dependant on fossil fuels. Your clothes, transport of food, heating, cooking, tech, etc
So we can see that we are a civilisation in contraction. Contractions are what happens when things are born.
Other thoughts about wisdom,after making morning pancakes for the tribe.
We get more out of life by subtraction rather than by addition.
To receive more love in our life, we have to actively remove obstacles to live within us.
To feel more alive in the world, we have to allow the world to act upon us, rather than us acting upon the world. We have to let the world in.
Inner peace is the driving force within us, it dictates our every thought and decision.
We out source inner peace for outer peace, we look forward it in the world, in relationship, career, drugs, food, and so on.
There is nothing wrong with this other than it doesn't work.
Once grasped it changes everything, and we abandon seeking peace outside of ourselves.
Life really begins to flow when we seek only inner peace and allow the world to act upon us without resistance.
Life satisfaction comes from a sense of self identity. Who we think we are matters, who we experience ourself to be even more.
The experience of self goes through 3 stages.
Firstly we experience ourselves as separate beings. That's a tree over there, I'm a man over here. You are you, I am not you
Secondly, if you are lucky, we experience, interconnection, inter being, interdependence. That tree over there and me are connected. I planted a forest, it gives me oxygen and materials.
Thirdly we experience unity, if we are really lucky. I am that tree, the sun, I am you, the beach, I the universe.
Experience at these different levels gives different life satisfaction.
It's possible that we don't live in the present because the present is not something, a state or somewhere.
Consider the idea of past and future both states of mind but not a place or a something.
The present would be suspended between the past and the future. But if the past and future are illusion then you could not suspend the present between them.
Another way of being, one that is more practical and achievable is to live outside of time entirely. To live in eternity.
Another way of looking at this is to see that nothing is static, nothing is fixed, everything is fluid,constantly arising and falling away. This reveals that we live in a mystery. Not a pretend mystery but a real one, how one goes about living in an ever shifting reality that is mysterious is tricky.
Suffering arises from attempting to stop and stabilise the flow of life whilst simultaneously trying to solve a mystery that can't be solved.
You just have to surrender to life and experience the mystery unfold.
Which is why my wife hates it when I say,
" plans unfold as events arise "
Buts it's practical and gives attention to the rising and falling of phenomena.
“The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.”- Frank Herbert, Dune
That's sounds about right. However we are entangled in the mystery, we are the mystery and so there is a dissolving, a loss of self, a drowning into the mystery. A cessation of experience.
Like the boy made of salt who rowed out to the middle of the ocean, he wanted to measure it's depth. Rope tied around his waist, he dived in...splosh..
Fun fact, apparently Frank liked to get high on fungi .
"Frank went on to tell me that much of the premise of Dune—the magic spice (spores) that allowed the bending of space (tripping), the giant sand worms (maggots digesting mushrooms), the eyes of the Fremen (the cerulean blue of Psilocybe mushrooms), the mysticism of the female spiritual warriors, the Bene Gesserits (influenced by the tales of Maria Sabina and the sacred mushroom cults of Mexico)—came from his perception of the fungal life cycle, and his imagination was stimulated through his experiences with the use of magic mushrooms.”
I think your Wisdom series is one of the best things I have read on Substack. There is so much to unpack from each episode. Perhaps something so rich needs more space to flourish than Substack can offer. Have you considered a book, a proper paper one?
Thank you! Might be in the works!
Yes! Sensitivity training. We are training to be with reality in more subtle, intimate, naked, direct ways
Peter Brown often talked about this in a really beautiful way - his many hours of audio are true jewels: www.theOpenDoorway.org
Thank you!
Tom, I enjoyed your Accelerating Wisdom series. If you are not familiar with Cynthia Bourgeault, your conversations suggest there will be resonance. Sharing Jonathan Rowson’s article about her. https://jonathanrowson.substack.com/p/put-the-mind-in-the-heart
Thanks Jim! Incredible article. Christian mysticism has been the most unexpected discovery for me this year. But wasn’t aware of Cynthia and will read much more, grateful!
Tom, I’m taking a bit of a risk. This is a condensed delivery of a lot of dense ideas. But it’s just too “coincidental” to ignore because it seems to relate to your primary interests at this time. (I’m not intending to make this a regular pattern.) https://mailchi.mp/consciousharmony.org/october10
Why a risk? Many are rather familiar at this point. I do love this passage? “ The heart in the ancient sacred tradition, has a very specific and perhaps surprising meaning. It is not the seat of our personal affective life – or even, ultimately, of our personal identity – but an organ for the perception of divine purpose and beauty. It is our antenna, so to speak, given to us to orient us toward the divine radiance and to synchronize our being with its more subtle movements. The heart is not for personal expression but for divine perception.”
This has had a major impact on my way of being. Three centered awareness is a broader intelligence, and the only way to access deep wisdom it seems. In part because we are seldom really present when we are in our mind. I look forward to your work.
I can't even begin to tell you how much I look forward to your writing each week. Thank you.
No thank you! Feedback like this is most of why I do it.
Amazing accomplishment, Tom!!
A true team effort, but thank you
The eagle and condor prophecy is super interesting on so many levels.
Consider that over the next 30yrs we will witness the end of oil and gas. ( The outlier is that coal will become king, get investing now?)
What is money, money is fossil fuels, that's all it is. Look around you is there anything that isn't dependant on fossil fuels. Your clothes, transport of food, heating, cooking, tech, etc
So we can see that we are a civilisation in contraction. Contractions are what happens when things are born.
Other thoughts about wisdom,after making morning pancakes for the tribe.
We get more out of life by subtraction rather than by addition.
To receive more love in our life, we have to actively remove obstacles to live within us.
To feel more alive in the world, we have to allow the world to act upon us, rather than us acting upon the world. We have to let the world in.
Inner peace is the driving force within us, it dictates our every thought and decision.
We out source inner peace for outer peace, we look forward it in the world, in relationship, career, drugs, food, and so on.
There is nothing wrong with this other than it doesn't work.
Once grasped it changes everything, and we abandon seeking peace outside of ourselves.
Life really begins to flow when we seek only inner peace and allow the world to act upon us without resistance.
Our inner life resonates our outer life..
More inner peace more outer peace.
To have peace,we teach peace.
Typos from fat fingers and dumb phone.. apologies
A thought arise whilst making supper.
Life satisfaction comes from a sense of self identity. Who we think we are matters, who we experience ourself to be even more.
The experience of self goes through 3 stages.
Firstly we experience ourselves as separate beings. That's a tree over there, I'm a man over here. You are you, I am not you
Secondly, if you are lucky, we experience, interconnection, inter being, interdependence. That tree over there and me are connected. I planted a forest, it gives me oxygen and materials.
Thirdly we experience unity, if we are really lucky. I am that tree, the sun, I am you, the beach, I the universe.
Experience at these different levels gives different life satisfaction.