sparking imagination
Nothing stops moving. The tilt of the earth keeps pointing at the sun in a different position second by second and we think, “It’s already Christmas again?”
The monumental rocks which we gaze at in awe for their fixed sameness each time we visit the mountains, are also changing so slowly it is imperceptible. But they witness the grass, trees, and campers speed by in their life cycles like we watch the life of a gnat.
My new book Tales to Cultivate the Soul: 11 alternative stories will be released January 20. Pre-orders are available for only $2. Presales are $1.50 by giving me your email on Smashwords.com. This connection gives you advance notice of print … Continued
This is the season when masses of people make special effort to express Love. I encourage everyone to participate in this. I know that much of our efforts overemphasize materialism in “opening the presents”, and consuming extra food and drink. … Continued
It is standard practice for merchants to start preparing for the Christmas season in July or August so that by October the necessary assets are in place to spring them on the public the day after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) … Continued
Do you dream of returning to the simpler, idyllic state of the Garden of Eden (Arcadian view), or do you believe we can finally make our way forward to the perfect arrangement (Utopian view)? Usually each of these views is … Continued
Listen to this short audio theater piece from an old stage play as you contemplate the meaning of Advent and Christmas in a new way this season.
The Christmas collection of cultural traditions is enjoyed by people around the world even as cultures vary and change. To create and operate within cultures is a human invariant. Human invariants include eating, sleeping, working to make home, communicating in … Continued
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
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
Sometimes, when saturated with national and global news, we tend to focus on that larger picture and neglect our main responsibility on the microlevel of our personal relationships and local community.
Voting and demonstrating about the larger issues are good and important community responsibilities, but most of our effectiveness is in the place where we live.
