Yeah, I know ... a lot of letters. But it's a key concept in my geocosmystical lexicon. It's the idea that humans are the fait accompli of creation's trajectory. The sine qua non of everything else in the universe. Without reference to French or Latin, "it's all about us". Whether you're of the evolutionary biology or scientific creationism school, the entire sweep of cosmic history reaches its climax in Homo Sapiens (there I go with my Latin again!). We da man! We da best! Whether we're "created in the image of God", or "the farthest along on the evolutionary scale", it amounts to the same thing. From one perspective, we've adapted as a species rapidly and effectively enough to dominate other species. From the other point of view, we were just given "dominion" over all the other species. Bottom line: both ways of approaching our human status among other life forms bring us to the conclusion that we are the reason for everything. Go us! But ... what if these very perspectives are what have put us in peril of losing everything? I thought we were beginning to wake up as a species during the cold war, when the threat of mutually assured destruction as the result of nuclear holocaust opened our eyes to the consequences of harnessing our mental superiority in service to our national arrogance and imperial aspirations. Enough people made enough noise back then to cool down the firey rhetoric of the superpowers. And here we are again, on the brink of irreparably depleting the planet's biodiversity, melting polar ice, further eroding the ozone layer. How do we plan to prevent global disaster? By once again launching an heroic human agenda to stimulate MORE human productivity, MORE human "solutions", MORE of the same hubris that insists ... what? Right! "It's all about US!" I have this argument frequently. "So what are you saying, geocosmystic? Are we just supposed to quit being human beings, quit having inventive minds and voracious appetites? Are we supposed to 'go back' and live like animals?" Here's what I want to say, although I seldom have the presence of mind to articulate it in the heat of verbal exchange. It's not beyond the range of our collective imagination that we can slow down the pace of planetary degradation. Just as there are methods for de-escalating interpersonal or national conflict, we can learn to regulate our furious pursuit of MOREBIGGERBETTER. Take a collective breath, count to ten, sing a song together, play drums, splash mud on ourselves ... laugh for the sake of laughing. Participate in activities together that can help us not take ourselves so damn seriously, activate and amplify the foolishness which is a part of each one of us. Dance. Pretend to be a chicken. Sometimes when I write this blog I have to say to myself, "Oh yeah? You're not so damn smart!" Yeah, I'm not so damn smart. Nor am I that wise. But I'm workin' on it. And I can do a pretty good chicken! Maybe it's the result of our shift from hunter-gatherer to agrarian living that changed our fundamental relationship to the Earth. I do remember, however, that farmers used to practice "crop rotation", leaving a field "fallow" for a season or two in order to permit it to renew it's nutritional content. There was that sense of "husbandry", of humans living in respectful, caring relationship to a living world that had it's own timing, its own balance and flow, and that our human presence within it required some attention to the ways of that living world. Within a single century, we figured out how to make that living world operate according to OUR wants and needs, pumping artificial chemicals into the soil and our bodies and water, spraying them into clouds and on insects and trees. We can stop that, and begin again paying attention to the beauty of circadian rhythms, the cycles of a living system in motion. Yeah, I know. That's a lot of words. Hey - it's all about me! Sometimes I think and act as though I'm the center of the universe. But I know better, and I'm working on living my life more in sync with the other critters who are just as sure it's all about them. In the end, it's all about the Earth, the Cosmos, and our intimate, mysterious dance around the fire. Aho! |
Monday, March 30, 2009
Anthropocentrism
The Miracle of Energy
I used to have a little piece of raw muslin cloth about book size with a hand sillouette stamped on it. Church Lady gave it to me. She said it was sent to her in the mail from the celebrated faith healer Oral Roberts (for a small donation). The cloth was to provide a 'target' for the healing that would be sent through a radio or television transmission from Roberts' broadcast studio, into the living room of whomever placed that target on their TV set. Church Lady presented it to me as if it were a splinter from the rib of Jesus himself.
I grew up suspicious of religious charlatans, raised as I was in a liberal Sunday School that was more interested in ethics than metaphysics. The very notion of "miracles" was something of a problem. Liberal people screw up our faces, or adopt a condescending tone at the very notion of "miracles". I learned to believe in empirical science's power to elucidate a cause-and-effect relationship between every set of phenomena. There were, in fact, Sunday School lessons that suggested that Jesus walked on water because he had figured out where the rocks were! It helped swallow the otherwise ridiculous notion of someone REALLY walking on water!
My geocosmystic spirit takes empirical science seriously. So these days, in the wake of quantum mechanical discoveries and superstring theories, it's less easy to dismiss "miracles" because they won't yeild to direct, linear causal explanations. Science has demonstrated that the "fabric of the cosmos" (the title of Brian Green's terrific synopsis of current science) continues to be a rich texture of mysterious questions and wondrous incongruities. Certainly on the scale of our planetary comings and goings, the laws of Sir Isaac still do apply and deserve to be honored. However, as we navigate this life as humans, we can be just as certain that subtle energies and heretofore unmeasured and unexamined realites are operational within and around us. I choose to press joyfully, curiously and lovingly into that Mystery. I have no doubt the Mystery is big enough to handle my pressing.
These days, many forms of distant healing are being practiced and promoted, both within and outside organized religious groups. It appears that there is a growing consensus that the Life Force, whatever it's ultimate source, flows into our living bodies from a dimension beyond our 3-D sensory world. Some might look at that "other" dimension as existing within ourselves, others will point outward. Given the paradoxes inherent in either direction, they're probably both right and wrong. It all hinges on what we mean by "beyond".
In any case, I'm more humble these days in my judgments about "energy healing". I've experienced Reiki, and it made me feel better. Oral Roberts may deserve some ridicule for his strange blend of medicine show hucksterism and used car salesmanship, but he was tapping into something real. The Energy of Life appears to be about its work, moving among us in healing miracles, even today.
I grew up suspicious of religious charlatans, raised as I was in a liberal Sunday School that was more interested in ethics than metaphysics. The very notion of "miracles" was something of a problem. Liberal people screw up our faces, or adopt a condescending tone at the very notion of "miracles". I learned to believe in empirical science's power to elucidate a cause-and-effect relationship between every set of phenomena. There were, in fact, Sunday School lessons that suggested that Jesus walked on water because he had figured out where the rocks were! It helped swallow the otherwise ridiculous notion of someone REALLY walking on water!
My geocosmystic spirit takes empirical science seriously. So these days, in the wake of quantum mechanical discoveries and superstring theories, it's less easy to dismiss "miracles" because they won't yeild to direct, linear causal explanations. Science has demonstrated that the "fabric of the cosmos" (the title of Brian Green's terrific synopsis of current science) continues to be a rich texture of mysterious questions and wondrous incongruities. Certainly on the scale of our planetary comings and goings, the laws of Sir Isaac still do apply and deserve to be honored. However, as we navigate this life as humans, we can be just as certain that subtle energies and heretofore unmeasured and unexamined realites are operational within and around us. I choose to press joyfully, curiously and lovingly into that Mystery. I have no doubt the Mystery is big enough to handle my pressing.
These days, many forms of distant healing are being practiced and promoted, both within and outside organized religious groups. It appears that there is a growing consensus that the Life Force, whatever it's ultimate source, flows into our living bodies from a dimension beyond our 3-D sensory world. Some might look at that "other" dimension as existing within ourselves, others will point outward. Given the paradoxes inherent in either direction, they're probably both right and wrong. It all hinges on what we mean by "beyond".
In any case, I'm more humble these days in my judgments about "energy healing". I've experienced Reiki, and it made me feel better. Oral Roberts may deserve some ridicule for his strange blend of medicine show hucksterism and used car salesmanship, but he was tapping into something real. The Energy of Life appears to be about its work, moving among us in healing miracles, even today.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Drums, Candles and an Hour for the Earth
| From 8:30 to 9:30 last night, in the midst of a ribald geocosmystic celebration of Deb Miles' reaching the halfway point on her centenial journey, we joined what I hope was a global circle of consciousness. We raced about the house turning off lights and lighting candles. We put the electric guitars, computers and appliances offline. We sat around a firepit with bellies full of roast chicken (thanks, Robin!) beneath a clouding sky, and listened to Deb lead us in native American chants, and Carl Mikkelson sing some love ballads, sea shanties and folk songs. We drummed (Carl really plays the bejeesis out of that bodhran!), Randy Miles on the djembe and most of us bouncing sticks off our hoop drums. We sipped (well, MOST of us sipped) marguaritas and exotic malt beverages. We forgot to check when the hour had past. None of us seemed to miss the lights or the buzzing amps or even our LCD screens. Lots of folks pitched in to keep us focused on the beauty of the night rather than distracted by Electricality and Electronica. The beer and tequila were tasty, but altered states were the result of sitting together in the dark with heartbeat drumming, human and "pinkletink" (peepers) voices and Lulu's nuzzling and shepherding. I'm missing something critical in my life when I don't routinely put my body with others in a circle around a flame, beneath the protective face of our Sky Father, and with my barefeet upon our Earth Mother. In that geocosmystical space, clock time becomes irrelevant. The misty grey morning after has its own rich beauty and power. That will be the subject of a future post. Aho! |
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wilderness
Does that word call up for you images of a barren dustbowl desert with tumbleweed rollin' and sand in your mouth? Or are you reminded of the Hebrew Bible's tale of how, following their escape from Egypt, the people were led by Moses "into the wilderness" for forty years? Maybe "wilderness" in your mind just refers to any empty place. It's a powerful and important word in my geocosmystic world. The Wilderness is where I get to know myself apart from the influence of my narrow human culture. It's where I am stripped of the superficial identity given by my tribe, and emblazoned with a NAME that connects me with my universe. My friend Justin Pegnataro has launched his own adventure called the Two Coyotes Wilderness School. I've put a link to his website on this blog. He's providing education for children and adults focused on renewing our human sense of belonging to the natural world. I hope you'll look in on Justin's work. Right now --> notice your relation to the natural world. Some of us spend almost all our time far from wilderness. If there's a window in your room, look out of it. What's going on? Take just a brief moment to acknowledge your connection to that "out there" world. A tree, a sparrow, a cloud ... anything. You've just taken a step into the wilderness. Follow your heart. |
Religion
As I see it, geocosmysticism is not a religion. Nor is it "religious". I suppose if a group of us got together and drew up a list of precepts or collected stories to publish as our "sacred scripture", or gathered together regularly for some formal ritual activity, some would call us religious. Actually, the word "geocosmysticism" was derived from "geocosmystic", which was a stab at stamping a label on folks with an ecclectic, ecceentric but identifiable set of spiritual dispositions or beliefs - like myself (see my initial post: "What is GeoCosMysticism").
I used to say "all people are religious". What I meant by that was everyone operates in this world with a set of beliefs, some transmitted to us from parents, family, local and broader culture, formal public and parochial education, peer influence, and some developed through personal experiences of being sensate, embodied beings. We develop attachments to people, ideas and practices, and value some more than others. Some ideas, values, people "matter" more, take on greater "meaning". At some point in our formative years, we recognize that there are matters and meanings that we value, but that appear to be in conflict. There are lots of examples, none of which come to mind at this moment. The process of extracting meaning from a world filled with paradoxes and ambiguities, a universal human process, is what I refered to as "religion".
This individual religious process has, of course, evolved into cultic activity. Human history is shaped in no small part by the influences of certain individuals who have extracted meanings that have galvanized groups into Religions. The lives and teachings of the Buddha, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, Lao-Tse and others have been compelling enough to launch national movements and communal practices which have influenced kings and emperors, generals and merchants ... and, as they say, the rest is history.
Geocosmystics see all this history and say, "but what about the rest of the story?" The rest of the story is that all across the planet there have been communities and cultures who have lived without the imperial influence of "religion", who have discovered wisdom and joy and rich meaning by living deeply into their relationship with the Earth and the Cosmos without violently superimposing the human agenda on everything else. This is where we seek meaning and discover what truly matters, together as pilgrims and pioneers of Planetary Peace.
I used to say "all people are religious". What I meant by that was everyone operates in this world with a set of beliefs, some transmitted to us from parents, family, local and broader culture, formal public and parochial education, peer influence, and some developed through personal experiences of being sensate, embodied beings. We develop attachments to people, ideas and practices, and value some more than others. Some ideas, values, people "matter" more, take on greater "meaning". At some point in our formative years, we recognize that there are matters and meanings that we value, but that appear to be in conflict. There are lots of examples, none of which come to mind at this moment. The process of extracting meaning from a world filled with paradoxes and ambiguities, a universal human process, is what I refered to as "religion".
This individual religious process has, of course, evolved into cultic activity. Human history is shaped in no small part by the influences of certain individuals who have extracted meanings that have galvanized groups into Religions. The lives and teachings of the Buddha, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, Lao-Tse and others have been compelling enough to launch national movements and communal practices which have influenced kings and emperors, generals and merchants ... and, as they say, the rest is history.
Geocosmystics see all this history and say, "but what about the rest of the story?" The rest of the story is that all across the planet there have been communities and cultures who have lived without the imperial influence of "religion", who have discovered wisdom and joy and rich meaning by living deeply into their relationship with the Earth and the Cosmos without violently superimposing the human agenda on everything else. This is where we seek meaning and discover what truly matters, together as pilgrims and pioneers of Planetary Peace.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Geocosmystic News Analysis
Yesterday Mount Redoubt popped off a couple clouds of ash up in Alaska, and the North Korean government said it was going to shoot a satellite into orbit. Here we are able to witness some of the key ideas that make Geocosmysticism the only true way to God. I wrote that in my Bill Maher voice. Of course, there are many paths by which we may approach the Grand Poobah of Everything, grasshopper. But I digress ...
The volcano is one way the Earth self-regulates. Gaia is a living system. Not merely on the surface or in the atmosphere. The top soil and crude oil we humans exhaust so efficiently are the parts that get our attention most of the time. We need food for the cows we eat, and gas for the engines we ride. But Gaia has a much richer and wilder inner life than we often notice. She's a hot, juicy mama and her subterranian motions go largely unnoticed except by seismologists. Except when a volcano erupts, or there's an earthquake or a tsunami. A little reminder that Mother Earth is fierce in her love for herself, because she knows ALL terrestrial life depends upon her health. If something's making her sick, or knocking her off-balance; if she needs to let off steam, she lets off steam. Mama gets to spew when and where she needs to. And if Chevron's tanks of crude are being stored maybe a little too close to that blast space, Mount Redoubt doesn't care. For the most part, my soul rejoices to see pictures of Gaia's volcanic inner vitality erupting. I thank ... er ... the Grand Poobah that I live in such a powerful place.
Hillary is a good Secretary of State, I think. I also was glad she expressed concern about North Korea's intention to put up a satellite. Except for the hypocricy of it. We're just moving the battleground higher into the biosphere. Space - the final frontier - is a lot farther out there. Someone can check me on this, but I think there are already over 6,500 satellites in orbit around the Earth, and several thousand pieces of satellites or other "space junk". The orbital range of things we launch up there is a pretty narrow band of ionospheric. The geocosmystic opposition to NK's announcement is "we don't really need anymore of our toys strewn about up there!"
The volcano is one way the Earth self-regulates. Gaia is a living system. Not merely on the surface or in the atmosphere. The top soil and crude oil we humans exhaust so efficiently are the parts that get our attention most of the time. We need food for the cows we eat, and gas for the engines we ride. But Gaia has a much richer and wilder inner life than we often notice. She's a hot, juicy mama and her subterranian motions go largely unnoticed except by seismologists. Except when a volcano erupts, or there's an earthquake or a tsunami. A little reminder that Mother Earth is fierce in her love for herself, because she knows ALL terrestrial life depends upon her health. If something's making her sick, or knocking her off-balance; if she needs to let off steam, she lets off steam. Mama gets to spew when and where she needs to. And if Chevron's tanks of crude are being stored maybe a little too close to that blast space, Mount Redoubt doesn't care. For the most part, my soul rejoices to see pictures of Gaia's volcanic inner vitality erupting. I thank ... er ... the Grand Poobah that I live in such a powerful place.
Hillary is a good Secretary of State, I think. I also was glad she expressed concern about North Korea's intention to put up a satellite. Except for the hypocricy of it. We're just moving the battleground higher into the biosphere. Space - the final frontier - is a lot farther out there. Someone can check me on this, but I think there are already over 6,500 satellites in orbit around the Earth, and several thousand pieces of satellites or other "space junk". The orbital range of things we launch up there is a pretty narrow band of ionospheric. The geocosmystic opposition to NK's announcement is "we don't really need anymore of our toys strewn about up there!"
The Geocosmystic Boogie
I’m big on movement. Get it moving. Cut the shit, do the thing. (Thanks again, Robin!) I don’t want to become colonically fixated here, but we do call it a “bowel movement”, right? There’s good stuff that our bodies are amazingly skilled at refining from the shit we eat, and then there’s … well … the shit! And let’s not forget that shit is good stuff, too … just not good for us as it’s constituted when we expel it.
One of the beliefs I hold as a GeoCosMystic is this: “It’s ALL good.”
I have little interest in marking time, marching in place. Stats. Stasis. Statistics. Stuckness. Staying put. Knowing my “place”. I want to be going somewhere, making progress.
Dancing is movement. Walking, running, flying, spinning, ascending or descending, climbing, swimming, diving, soaring … you get the idea.
Where does my geocosmystism take me, shake me, push me, drive me, or launch me? Is it the latest and the greatest of neuvo-spiritualities? Does it plunge me into the dirty business of organizing for social justice? Does it MOVE me? Does it get me up and out and in and among and down wid’it? Does it wind me up and send me screaming into the culture with YouTube videos and Facebook links with Tweetledeedee and Tweetingisdumb? I know I don’t want anything to do with anything that makes me any more of a liquid crystal or plasma-navel-gazer than I already am. Is there something in between, a "middle way"?
So … geocosmystics are bodies in motion. We’re putting our bodies on the line for our wild notions. We’re the answer to the Zombie Nation! Next question?
One of the beliefs I hold as a GeoCosMystic is this: “It’s ALL good.”
I have little interest in marking time, marching in place. Stats. Stasis. Statistics. Stuckness. Staying put. Knowing my “place”. I want to be going somewhere, making progress.
Dancing is movement. Walking, running, flying, spinning, ascending or descending, climbing, swimming, diving, soaring … you get the idea.
Where does my geocosmystism take me, shake me, push me, drive me, or launch me? Is it the latest and the greatest of neuvo-spiritualities? Does it plunge me into the dirty business of organizing for social justice? Does it MOVE me? Does it get me up and out and in and among and down wid’it? Does it wind me up and send me screaming into the culture with YouTube videos and Facebook links with Tweetledeedee and Tweetingisdumb? I know I don’t want anything to do with anything that makes me any more of a liquid crystal or plasma-navel-gazer than I already am. Is there something in between, a "middle way"?
So … geocosmystics are bodies in motion. We’re putting our bodies on the line for our wild notions. We’re the answer to the Zombie Nation! Next question?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Gratitude for Earth, Stars and You
Day 3 of this blog-quest. I'm feeling a swelling in my fourth chakra which I recognize as gratitude for the two legged, ten fingered creatures who've read and commented on my geocosmystical musings. It's good to be welcomed into the circle with all my theo-illogical baggage full of the hollow husks of holiness. Hey ... I love aliteration. I love words. I love exploring meaning in language and culture and history. And I love to taste, touch, smell and savor the divine textures and flavors and fragrances of the Earth. Part of what's gone awry in religion has been the distrust of sensuality. Part of why I write is to help me jump off that religious train before it slams into the rocks, and hop back on the magic bus. And it's good to have friends and bloggers to share the adventure together. Aho!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Observing the Mystical Cosmos
This blog is about my adventures in wonderland ... my expeditions into the day's rabbit holes. Excuse any cynical humor. Mount Redoubt is blowing her top, the Exxon-Valdez disaster "wasn't such a disaster", and my home state of Connecticut is hosting a convention for the stemcell industry marketeers. Oh ... ouch. If you believe that the world of medical research is ruled by angelic innocents whose only desire is your well-being, well ... I believe in your freedom to believe what you believe. My own take is that medical industry is just another expression of the military-industrial complex ... the global version of chasing our tails.
You and me - we are the harmonic overtones of the Great Sound. That's not meant to be a trickle of poetic dribble or drivel. You and me - we're creatures. Creatures are the product of Creation, Creation is the manifestation of materiality, materiality derives from frequency, and frequency is 'how many of these things are contained in one of these other things?" It took a while, but I calculated a direct correlation between RHYTHM (frequency) and LIFE (this thing we're experiencing). There are vibrational freqencies in the far reaches of the cosmos, and here on the Grand Geode. And I love being swept up in the whirling dance of the Mystery. I'm a mystic - a GeoCosMYstic. My wonderquest is hereby declared - ON!
You and me - we are the harmonic overtones of the Great Sound. That's not meant to be a trickle of poetic dribble or drivel. You and me - we're creatures. Creatures are the product of Creation, Creation is the manifestation of materiality, materiality derives from frequency, and frequency is 'how many of these things are contained in one of these other things?" It took a while, but I calculated a direct correlation between RHYTHM (frequency) and LIFE (this thing we're experiencing). There are vibrational freqencies in the far reaches of the cosmos, and here on the Grand Geode. And I love being swept up in the whirling dance of the Mystery. I'm a mystic - a GeoCosMYstic. My wonderquest is hereby declared - ON!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
First comment
I received my first comment on this blog. It came face to face. My article was described as "bogus" and "offensive". Well ... I get the point. Maybe I should at least have given the history.
It was on a drive from here in Woodbury down to Mystic for a day at the aquarium with Debbie and Carl and Jack and Jen and their kids. My lovely wife Robin, myself, and our friend Susie were in the van together, and I offered up the word "geocosmystic" as an apt title for the kind of spirituality that was being expressed among the folks we'd been connecting with. Robin and Susie liked the word. They shared it with Deb and Carl, and they really liked it. It seemed to fit with their shared interest (if not devotion to) celtic, native american, wiccan and pagan traditions, linked with fascination (if not devotion to) channeled wisdom from extra-terrestrial sources. Earth based + inter-galactic sources of inspiration, merged with deep trust in intuitive, revelatory sources of information = geocosmystic.
I get into trouble when I bring my "Christian minister" persona into the room and try to join the geocosmystic circle. And I should know better, I guess. If I mention that I love Jesus and the Bible, that makes me suspect. Christian ministers, as we all know, are charged with damning to hell anyone who thinks God isn't just what Christian ministers preach God to be. So, of course, we should be suspect. I want it to be known, however, that this Christian minister won't be ostracized by anyone's stereotyping. I'm more passionate about the wellfare of the planet, more heart-open to the wisdom of supernovas and quarks. and more hungry for fresh consciousness than the average Bible thumper. I humbly request that I be welcomed within the circle of geocosmysticism
It was on a drive from here in Woodbury down to Mystic for a day at the aquarium with Debbie and Carl and Jack and Jen and their kids. My lovely wife Robin, myself, and our friend Susie were in the van together, and I offered up the word "geocosmystic" as an apt title for the kind of spirituality that was being expressed among the folks we'd been connecting with. Robin and Susie liked the word. They shared it with Deb and Carl, and they really liked it. It seemed to fit with their shared interest (if not devotion to) celtic, native american, wiccan and pagan traditions, linked with fascination (if not devotion to) channeled wisdom from extra-terrestrial sources. Earth based + inter-galactic sources of inspiration, merged with deep trust in intuitive, revelatory sources of information = geocosmystic.
I get into trouble when I bring my "Christian minister" persona into the room and try to join the geocosmystic circle. And I should know better, I guess. If I mention that I love Jesus and the Bible, that makes me suspect. Christian ministers, as we all know, are charged with damning to hell anyone who thinks God isn't just what Christian ministers preach God to be. So, of course, we should be suspect. I want it to be known, however, that this Christian minister won't be ostracized by anyone's stereotyping. I'm more passionate about the wellfare of the planet, more heart-open to the wisdom of supernovas and quarks. and more hungry for fresh consciousness than the average Bible thumper. I humbly request that I be welcomed within the circle of geocosmysticism
What is "GeoCosMysticism"?
Well, it's a word I came up with to describe my spiritual orientation. A meet a growing number of people who aren't comfortable with most of the labels floating about "new age", "green", etc. Some of us are even getting weary of the word "spiritual", which can mean anything from "I'm not religious, but I believe in stuff", to "I belong to an order of higher consciousness than thee", to "I'm getting in touch with my inner self" to "I watch Oprah". I've been a minister for almost 25 years, love the Bible and Jesus, but really don't like what's become of "church". So I've been on a quest to re-invent myself in my "post-church" incarnation. "GeoCosMysticism" is where I've landed lately.
"Geo-" is an ancient Greek prefix meaning "earth". Words like "geography", "geopolitical" and "geological" are formed from it. My attention has been turning more and more to this grand sphere, to it's natural integrity, diversity, richness and beauty. Wisdom from indigenous cultures, transmitted through creation myths from every tradition, attempt to convey that life, as we know it, is of the Earth, from the Earth, and OUR lives and our well being are inextricably woven together with Earth's life and well being. We are at a critical juncture in the Earth's history when we are being compelled to recognize again our dependency on "Mother Earth" or "Gaia", the living system, the "biosphere" within which we live and move and have our being. The GeoCosMystic begins with attention to, and especially reverence for the Living Earth.
"Cos-" is half of the word "cosmic", from "cosmos", that wonderful PBS series that made Carl Sagan's a household name. Actually, "cosmos" is also from Greek, and refers to the entire known universe. The scientific exploration of that "known" universe is called "cosmology". Cosmologists like Stephen Hawking and Brian Swimme today are opening doors and windows into this breathtaking realm of spacetime that are challenging to dogmatic or narrow religious minds. Satellite telescopes are showing us pictures of the exquisite and virtually infinite expanse of space and listening for sounds from other living planets. Quantum physics and superstring theories are calling into question many scientific assumptions we were made to memorize in our formative educational years. The GeoCosMystic welcomes scientific exploration and the unlocking of secrets about the universe we inhabit, is facinated by and ravenous for news from the scientific frontier, and delights in ideas that stretch her mind. There is no new or different information that a GeoCosMystic worries will undermine his faith or belief system. He trusts the universe is conspiring on his behalf, and holds lightly the human structures of meaning that he knows will be swept away like a house of cards before the wind.
"Mystics" have been among us forever, and prior to the 16th and 17th centuries, they were acknowledged as eccentric, and revered for their spiritual insights and appreciated for their contributions to culture. Many mystics were artists, poets, musicians and - perish the thought! - revolutionary thinkers! Since the Age of Reason, mysticism has been held in suspicion by the Church ("Two things can be said of mysticism: it starts in a mist, and ends in schism!"), and viewed as antithetical to orthodox scientists for whom the "scientific method" was the very antidote to mystical "whimsy". Lately, and largely as the result of science, we know that insight does not only derive from formulae, equations and logical sequences of thought. Intuition, sensory awareness, body-centered consciousness - all these are genuine modes of knowing. The living creatures with whom we share life - and Life itself - is interacting with us, communicating with us. The Bible reports that Moses (a geocosmystic?) heard God speaking from a burning bush, and today's mystics are learning to listen for messages from animals, trees, the air and water, as well as from the fire. It is not only the human mind that "thinks" or "knows" - there is thought and knowledge to be attended to within the entire rich texture of this place we call home, the Earth, the universe, our bodies and all creatures great and small.
Ok ... so this is a first go at giving expression to what it means to be a GeoCosMystic. I trust you will have your own contribution to make to this blog. Onward!
"Geo-" is an ancient Greek prefix meaning "earth". Words like "geography", "geopolitical" and "geological" are formed from it. My attention has been turning more and more to this grand sphere, to it's natural integrity, diversity, richness and beauty. Wisdom from indigenous cultures, transmitted through creation myths from every tradition, attempt to convey that life, as we know it, is of the Earth, from the Earth, and OUR lives and our well being are inextricably woven together with Earth's life and well being. We are at a critical juncture in the Earth's history when we are being compelled to recognize again our dependency on "Mother Earth" or "Gaia", the living system, the "biosphere" within which we live and move and have our being. The GeoCosMystic begins with attention to, and especially reverence for the Living Earth.
"Cos-" is half of the word "cosmic", from "cosmos", that wonderful PBS series that made Carl Sagan's a household name. Actually, "cosmos" is also from Greek, and refers to the entire known universe. The scientific exploration of that "known" universe is called "cosmology". Cosmologists like Stephen Hawking and Brian Swimme today are opening doors and windows into this breathtaking realm of spacetime that are challenging to dogmatic or narrow religious minds. Satellite telescopes are showing us pictures of the exquisite and virtually infinite expanse of space and listening for sounds from other living planets. Quantum physics and superstring theories are calling into question many scientific assumptions we were made to memorize in our formative educational years. The GeoCosMystic welcomes scientific exploration and the unlocking of secrets about the universe we inhabit, is facinated by and ravenous for news from the scientific frontier, and delights in ideas that stretch her mind. There is no new or different information that a GeoCosMystic worries will undermine his faith or belief system. He trusts the universe is conspiring on his behalf, and holds lightly the human structures of meaning that he knows will be swept away like a house of cards before the wind.
"Mystics" have been among us forever, and prior to the 16th and 17th centuries, they were acknowledged as eccentric, and revered for their spiritual insights and appreciated for their contributions to culture. Many mystics were artists, poets, musicians and - perish the thought! - revolutionary thinkers! Since the Age of Reason, mysticism has been held in suspicion by the Church ("Two things can be said of mysticism: it starts in a mist, and ends in schism!"), and viewed as antithetical to orthodox scientists for whom the "scientific method" was the very antidote to mystical "whimsy". Lately, and largely as the result of science, we know that insight does not only derive from formulae, equations and logical sequences of thought. Intuition, sensory awareness, body-centered consciousness - all these are genuine modes of knowing. The living creatures with whom we share life - and Life itself - is interacting with us, communicating with us. The Bible reports that Moses (a geocosmystic?) heard God speaking from a burning bush, and today's mystics are learning to listen for messages from animals, trees, the air and water, as well as from the fire. It is not only the human mind that "thinks" or "knows" - there is thought and knowledge to be attended to within the entire rich texture of this place we call home, the Earth, the universe, our bodies and all creatures great and small.
Ok ... so this is a first go at giving expression to what it means to be a GeoCosMystic. I trust you will have your own contribution to make to this blog. Onward!
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