Just Keep Doing Good
Cynicism claims more concrete evidence than optimism by pointing out the obvious troubles. Optimism seems to be based on less concrete unknowns. The cynic assumes everything is going down. The optimist hopes in the ultimate rise of Goodness. We wouldn’t … Continued
Believing In the Larger Reality
Most of us act like we don’t believe anything is beyond this earthly life and that death is the immutable end. But, since before pre-history we have been sensing there is more and mostly have thought of it as worth … Continued
The Animalistic vs. New Creation
Putin and his followers (including notable American admirers) are living by an animalistic paradigm we tell ourselves we have left in prehistory. It is the cave man mentality of amassing your personal empire by force and enslavement. Bullying is the … Continued
Truth or Lie and Vice Versa
The lie is a widely accepted and legitimized technique for getting what we want. It seems the general public thinks lying is a normal option to employ as needed. To many it is not remarkable that a public official or … Continued
New Energy for 2022
We’ve been reminded of our relational nature by the pandemic dragging on, restricting interaction with one another. Some of us have been quicker than others to develop new ways of connecting with each other. While in-person gathering cannot be replicated … Continued
Comforting Hovers
This is an oil painting with soundscape by Mark R. Turner. The painting, 35″x35″, was done in Brussels, Belgium, in 1979 and inspired Mark to write a poem 28 years later, 2007, in the mountain community of Julian, California. As … Continued
God In Flesh
I am thankful for the season of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany bringing the profound largess of Love close to my whole being. Gradually I am awakening to the reality that God is not a separate being aloof and impersonal, but, … Continued
The Artist’s Rule of Life
If you do not understand a work of art, just sit with it like you would sit in Nature. Just allow it to trickle through your thoughts and consider that you are growing in something new, and that is good. The artist followed an impulse in an intentional way which has become the discipline of their life. For centuries this has been called a Rule of Life and usually is associated with the way a monastery conducts lif
The Impulse to Make
The starting point of making something is not with the materials, although I do find that playing with materials and tools generates inspiration. It is the non-material inspiration which empowers the process of making. Contemplation of the immaterial, the idea, … Continued
When You Pause
In the labors and burdens of life we at one moment or another sigh, “God.” If we let that sigh extend beyond the moment, we can discover new expanse in our universe, new capacity to rest and be renewed. Focusing … Continued
