Currently

Reading

Bare-Bones Meditation: Waking up from the story of my life by Joan Tollifson (I enjoy this book as much as I did Awake in the Heartland. They are both beautifully written, sincere, funny and intimately personal so it comes out the other side as universal.)

Naked Through the Gate by Joel Morwood (Joel is the director of Center for Sacred Sciences here in Eugene, and I am at a place now where I feel I want to be more involved. He - and the other teachers there - have a clarity and simplicity I enjoy, and have obviously awakened to/as the nondual and know how to integrate it into an ordinary life.)

And lots of books on Christian mysticism and ecospirituality as well (reading here and there).

Watching

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly by Siergo Leone (I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, all at the red Spiral Dynamics level).

For a Few Dollars More (not as fascinating as Good/Bad/Ugly but still interesting to watch)

King Kong (many-layered and very engaging)

High Noon (another western classic I didn't see until recently)

Himalaya with Michael Palin (warm-hearted journey through the Himalayas, I wouldn't mind living in Buthan.)

I find a deep enjoyment in watching these types of movies now, both for the sake of the movie itself and also the insights that comes up from it. I also find an enjoyment in checking out books at the public library on Christian mysticism and ecospirituality, along with DVDs of spaghetti westerns starring Clint Eastwood(!). It is all part of life, none inherently more sacred or holy than the other.

Practicing

I am on vacation from most types of practices right now, apart from watching westerns and reading.

Of the little I do, it is mostly various forms of inquiry, such as looking for what appears as "I" and see that too as just a segment of what is, with no inherent "I" in it. I also do some occasional Byron Katie inquiries, and even more occasional Douglas Harding style headless experiments. I also do some occasional Breema and sitting meditation (shikantaza), but not much right now.

Food

Mostly cooked food these days, since we are still in winter here. And mostly whole foods, including lots of winter vegetables and some local organic meat.

Social engagement

In terms of social engagement, it is mostly starting up NWEI type discussion groups. Last year, we had about 250 individuals in groups locally (each group meeting 8 or 9 times, at workplaces, churches, community spaces or homes).

I also recently realized that over the 3-4 years I have organized courses, more than 1000 individuals have been in one or more group. I enjoy sitting with the fact that nobody, including I, have no idea what the outcome of this has been, is and will be. Any action has infinite causes, and also infinite outcomes. And we - anyone - can only have an idea of a small tip of that iceberg, if that. It has had a wide range of unknown impacts and cascading effects, but who knows what they are.

Even if it helped one person in a small way, it has been more than worth it. It is definitely an area where the needs of the world and my own passions intersect right now. And who knows, it may have indirectly influenced somebody which in turn had or will have a significant impact on our collective situation.

Or not. Who knows.