Author Archives: jimwdollar

What would be helpful, here, now?I think honest conversation straight from the heartmeans the most to me all of the time,but it is not easy to come by.Where would you go to find it?It’s mostly trite repetition where I live.Yesterday and the day before replayed today.Truth seems to be what everyone says is truewithout muchContinue reading “August 27, 2025”

If we didn’t want anything, how would we know what to do?How do we know what is called for? What determines our action on the field of action?What guides our boat on its path through the sea?It is possible to remove wanting from our life.Why would we do that?To know what is called for,and toContinue reading “August 26, 2025”

We find our way by asking the questions that beg to be askedand saying the things that cry out to be said.Reflection, realization and recognition lead the way.And we find our way to where we need to be, doing what is called for, day by day, all the way.The answers reside in the questions thatContinue reading “August 25, 2025”

This image brings to mind the quote from Captain Jack Sparrow, “It’s the pirate’s life for me, Gibbs, I have no say in the matter, savvy?”That speaks for me of cameras and photography. I had to be at this place above Death Valley almost twenty years ago. The things about which we “have no sayContinue reading “August 24, 2025”

All churches everywhere are enigmas, revealing and concealing at the same time, being the truth that denies the truth, right and wrong simultaneously. We have to know what we are dealing with when we are dealing with the church. God and Not-God, here, now, all at once, all of the time.We have to know whatContinue reading “August 23, 2025”

Blue seems to be my color of choice. The woman who owned the frame shop I used in my early days told me, “Jim, your photographs will never sell because there is too much blue in them.” She was right, and there is still too much blue in them.Taking photos that sell when it meansContinue reading “August 22, 2025”

Wanting, particularly wanting my way NOW!, is the bane of all times. Those who know, know that what is called for here, now,is the most important thing any time, any place. The Tao nails it: Doing the right thing in the right way at the right time in the right place. That is, doing theContinue reading “August 20, 2025”

Meister Eckhardt said, “The final leave-taking is leaving God for God.” He meant leaving the God of theology for the God of Psychic dimensions. Dying is the only way of settling the argument between Orthodox Christianity and Gnosticism–between those who believe they know and those who know they know.It’s a ridiculous standoff between opposing pointsContinue reading “August 19, 2025”

Caring about the things we have no business caring about is the root of all of our problems today. It is about being right about our priorities, our ratios, and our duties.Our duties need the most clarity. The “Thou Shalts and Shalt nots” can lead us in a merry chase if we take someone else’sContinue reading “August 18, 2025”

We have to befriend our inner resources in order to give ourselves the best chance of giving each situation as it arises the best we have to offer–which begins with “Peaceful abiding, here, now.”D.T Suzuki said the term “enlightenment” is synonymous with “habitual intuition.” How are we living to enhance our relationship with our intuition?Continue reading “August 17, 2025”