A non-trivial aspect of my spiritual practice – that is rooted in A Course in Miracles but diverges in thoughtful applied ways – is to set gently aside questions of mystery in favor of engagement with what appears, or what seems to be, the case. That is, when I am mucking the horse pasture, orContinue reading “Self Setting Aside Self”
Author Archives: Sean
Spirituality and Wild Goose Chases
The idea there is some external purpose to life – divine or mystical or otherwise – is problematic in the sense that it tends to promote wild goose chases and inattention to what’s right here right now. We are “children of a loving God,” or we are “sleeping spiritual beings surrounded by a light whichContinue reading “Spirituality and Wild Goose Chases”
Maple Trees in Place of Jesus
What would a maple tree do? I don’t see it quite so often anymore, but for a time folks would pose this question: what would Jesus do? I think it’s a poor question on several counts, though I understand the folks asking it had good intentions, and certainly in some instances, asking and answering thatContinue reading “Maple Trees in Place of Jesus”
Rational Thinking With Respect to Spiritual Mysteries
We might say that practical answers are important according to context. For example, I want to bake bread and make soup for dinner. It helps that there are bread and soup recipes. It helps there is a coop nearby that sells vegetables, flour, herbs and spices. It helps that I have homemade bags in whichContinue reading “Rational Thinking With Respect to Spiritual Mysteries”
Who Was Helen Schucman?
Was Helen Schucman psychic? In my view, that question functions as gossip – akin to speculating about someone’s sexuality. We are all intuitive to one extent or another. We all express our intuitions in deeply personal ways. Singling out one person’s expression for analysis – especially without their consent and participation – feels intrusive andContinue reading “Who Was Helen Schucman?”
A Spiritual Experience of Nonduality
The situation that confronts us – to which a spiritual experience of nonduality is apparently a possible answer – is an old one. How do we know what is real? Or true? Thousands of years ago, Xenophanes of Colophon pointed out that even if someone happened to acquire perfect knowledge of the one true world,Continue reading “A Spiritual Experience of Nonduality”