“The world is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it you think it’s real because that’s how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it’s very brightly coloured and it’s very loud and… Continue reading Life Is Just A Ride
Three ants met on the nose of a man who was asleep in the sun. And after they had saluted one another, each according to the custom of his tribe, they stood there conversing. The first ant said, “These hills and plains are the most barren I have known. I have searched all day for… Continue reading The Three Ants
A mystic is someone who seeks to know God This may or may not involve religion or conventional definitions of ‘God’. Mystics transgress boundaries and colour outside the lines. They are notoriously difficult to pin down and get a straight answer from. For this reason, mystics are often misunderstood and even feared. At the very… Continue reading What is a Mystic?
This image is a sliver of a well-known wood engraving by an unknown artist. I’ve used it as a banner for my website in the past, so thought I would look into its history and find out more about who created it. The image is often attributed to Camille Flammarion because it first appeared in his… Continue reading The Flammarion Engraving: Escaping the Crystal Sphere
Moksha is a Sanskrit word meaning liberation or release from illusion. It is freedom from the cycle of birth and death, or samsara. Moksha is achieved through the identification of your true Self or the true nature of reality, and can be gained through many different practices or paths, such as devotion or service to… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Moksha
Maya is a Pali and Sanskrit word meaning illusion or delusion. It is used most commonly to refer to the illusory appearance of the phenomenal world, but it also means the power through which the universe becomes manifest. Maya is the world of duality and relativity, the world of the conditioned and separate self. As… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Maya
The cover announces that Lucid Living is a book you can read in an hour that will turn your world inside out. It’s a bold claim and I can’t say it worked for me. But then, I’d already been turned inside out before reading it so Freke was preaching to the choir. Lucid Living is… Continue reading Lucid Living: Book Review
The Marks of Existence are the characteristics shared by all beings and are the basic facts of life: anicca (impermanence) anatta (non-self) dukkha (suffering) Impermanence Everything that exists is impermanent. All things are in a constant state of change, even things which seem fairly solid and immovable, like a mountain. Entropy is a fact of… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Three Marks of Existence
The Five Remembrances come from the Upajjhatthana Sutra, which means ‘Subjects for Contemplation.’ The Buddha recommended reciting these verses every day to help you remember that life is precious and time is short. The Five Remembrances are simple statements of the facts of life and death. So meditating on them is about accepting reality as… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: the Five Remembrances
After my rant on Free Your Pen about censorship and ISP filters we come rather predictably to the TED controversy. TED is a non-profit organisation which runs conferences and talks about ideas that may end up changing the world. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and their stated mission is Ideas Worth Sharing. But recently TED was engulfed in an online spat over censorship… Continue reading The War on Consciousness
Many people believe mystics are dreamers, out of touch with reality, or even full-on crazy. To understand the real world is to be rational and have your feet glued to the ground. You may look to the stars in wonder, but always remember the truth: the universe is meaningless and you don’t matter. There is… Continue reading The Mystics Are Coming!
Jessica Davidson 