The Center for Contemplative Practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
Month: June 2024
A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: Making sense of three types of dying to reason and my free will.
In my book, The Three Rules of the Spiritual Universe, I try to set down (for myself) what I have observed about spirituality, using my unique set of experiences. “I am not you; you are not me; God is not us; and we, most… Continue Reading “A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: Making sense of three types of dying to reason and my free will.”
A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: MY CHOICE FOR IT ALL TO MAKE SENSE.
In my last blog, I talked about what I have discovered to place in that lock to open myself to the deepest part of my humanity, one which natural evolution alone can only take me so far. I offer you little mosaic glimpses of… Continue Reading “A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: MY CHOICE FOR IT ALL TO MAKE SENSE.”
A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: What I use to fill in the blanks.
I find it very disconcerting that, as I come to the end of my human existence, I only now discover some of the missing pieces that would have made all of this so simple had I had them in my wheelhouse forty years ago.… Continue Reading “A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: What I use to fill in the blanks.”
A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: THE PURPOSEFUL MOVEMENT OF MATTER AND MIND TOWARDS FULFILLMENT.
In the last segment, I related how human reasoning and the ability of each individual to choose what seems best for them differentiates us from all other life forms. Life is the condition that allows organisms to move, noticeably gaining in complexity and consciousness,… Continue Reading “A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: THE PURPOSEFUL MOVEMENT OF MATTER AND MIND TOWARDS FULFILLMENT.”
A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: What can soothe the dissonance of my humanity using my life lessons and experiences?
Here is the second piece of glass mosaic that takes a lifetime of trial and error to settle on what quells the dissonance of my humanity in finding an answer to the three innate questions imprinted on my being and possibly all humans (not… Continue Reading “A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: What can soothe the dissonance of my humanity using my life lessons and experiences?”
A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: What lurks at the very bottom of the deepest part of my humanity?
While transversing the quicksand of daily living, I have stumbled upon (another word for my research) the more fundamental tendencies of the human mind and heart to satisfy my hunger for three questions that plague my deepest self, and I suspect, others longings as… Continue Reading “A MOSAIC PIECE OF MY LIFE: What lurks at the very bottom of the deepest part of my humanity?”
PITHY PROVERBS AND SAYINGS
Every now and then (at least once a week), I delve into the whimsical world of clever sayings. In past blogs, I have offered you some sayings from Marcus Aurelius, Stephen Hawking, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. I will continue to… Continue Reading “PITHY PROVERBS AND SAYINGS”
FOUR COINS THAT COME WITH ADOPTION AS A SON (DAUGHTER) OF THE FATHER: Coin One gets me in the door.
Reality exists independent of my belief, yet I depend on my humanity to probe and discern how IT ALL FITS TOGETHER. It does, I am sure of that, and I even get glimpses of how this cobweb of seemingly unrelated happenings in my life… Continue Reading “FOUR COINS THAT COME WITH ADOPTION AS A SON (DAUGHTER) OF THE FATHER: Coin One gets me in the door.”
MY BOUNDARIES BUMP INTO OTHER BOUNDARIES
Boundaries are taken for granted, so much so that they are often hidden in plain sight. My life is composed of those limitations that I set, plus, to a great degree, those set for me by circumstances over which I have no control. I… Continue Reading “MY BOUNDARIES BUMP INTO OTHER BOUNDARIES”
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