March 03, 2026

Ballantyne Gingko Park — Charlotte, North Carolina

It comes down to our relationship with Psyche and with Intuition, and they may be the same thing. How can we deepen, enhance, expand, enlarge our relationship with, awareness of, Psyche and Intuition? That is the only thing that matters in the time left for living.

Reflecting in emptiness, stillness and silence will help. Taking our time, moving slowly, noticing everything, being curious about it all, talking to them as though they are God (They are better than God–they have a sense of humor and would never require the death of anyone, especially of “Jesus Christ God’s Only Son, Our Lord,” for the atonement/redemption of everyone’s Sins. Psyche and Intuition would just get over it in an “Of course they did,” kind of way). They make a very nice, in every sense of the term, improvement over God, and are built to be cuddly with us as well.

Tuning in to Psyche and Intuition is a matter of just being aware of their presence, of their company, in making decisions and choices and sensing, knowing, what each situation as it arises is calling for, what the movement, flow, drift, current is here, now, and what it asks for from us, and joining into the spirit of things as “one thus come” to be what is needed in doing what needs to be done, when, where and how it needs to be done whether we are in the mood for it or want to do it, or not, no matter what, like any good sport would do.

When we cooperate with our life in this way, instead of commandeering it and trying to force it to be what we want it to be, or not want it to be, we contribute to the flow and everything becomes just what it ought to be, in a throughly satisfying and magically “right” kind of way.

The old Taoist term “Wu-wei” (meaning “not doing,” “not striving,” “not forcing,” “not swimming against the current”), comes to life here, and is, perhaps, the essential feature of Psyche and Intuition, in that we will never be close to Psyche and Intuition without a primary relationship with Wu-wei. If we practice living in a Wu-wei kind of way, we will soon become one with Psyche, Intuition, and live happily ever after regardless of what our life situation may be.

March 02, 2026

The Relic by the Sea 01

Psyche and Intuition are all we need in seeing what’s what and what is called for and what to do about it. Things get out of hand quickly when we strive to impose our will for the situation upon the situation–which generally comes down to trying to get what we want in/from these circumstances, here, now. That mode of operation can be trusted to churn calm waters into the heaving waves of the wine dark see in no time at all. If you want to make things crazy quick insist on having what you want right now!

Starting from emptiness, stillness and silence gives Psyche and Intuition an opportunity to take the moment into consideration, reading body language around the here, now, and tones of voice in a what’s what and what’s called for kind of way. Tuning into Psyche and Intuition gives us a sense of knowing what they know (Which has nothing to do with getting/having our way, and everything to do with seeing/knowing what’s what and what’s called for. And that’s all we need to know to do what needs to be done here, now. Which is to help everyone know what’s called for and what needs to be done about it.

It comes down to seeing/feeling, knowing/doing. The things that Psyche and Intuition do best. Living aligned with them is being at one with the Tao and that comes down to the Buddha’s way of life: “Peaceful abiding, here, now.” It is the way to The Way in all times and places. With wanting, striving, having to have what we want or else nowhere around.

March 01, 2026

Adams Mill Pond — Goodale State Park, Camden, South Carolina

Opening ourselves to Psyche and Intuition, and to the possibility/likelihood that they are the same thing, would be a project worthy of the rest of our life. It would make us all aspects of the same thing, which would make us all one thing, one psychic thing. And getting to know each other would be getting to know ourselves as extensions of one another. Which would make going to war even more incredibly stupid than it appears to be–and would call us all to sit down, shut up, open our eyes and see who we are and what we are doing, and consider what we might be doing instead. No?

Spring Months 2026

Sunrise — East Fork Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway, Mile Post 418.3, North Carolina

Psyche and Intuition are all we need–and they may be the same thing for all we know. Carl Jung said, “We can know nothing about the substance of the Psyche, when the sole means of knowing anything is the Psyche.” I think of Intuition as the Psyche’s way of guiding us through our life. Together, I see them as the source and ground of life and being. And we know nothing about them. We experience them, their reality, constantly, and we know nothing about them. We are manifestations of Psyche and Intuition. It all flows from them, returns to them, is nothing but them. Why don’t we just sit down with them, open ourselves to them and see where it goes?

February 28, 2026

Lake Andrew Jackson Mirror — Andrew Jackson State Park, Lancaster County, South Carolina

“What’s the most important thing?” I asked my hair stylist. “Kindness,” she said without hesitation. “I can’t argue with that,” I said. Kindness would certainly have made a difference in our lives, and still would. So, we treated each other kindly throughout the rest of the cut, and promised to do so again next time.

I don’t know if it is the MOST important thing, oxygen and water might fight it out for the top spot. But it IS important. And easy to do. I don’t know why it doesn’t play a larger role in our life, both in receiving and in sending.

But here we are with Trump bombing Iran and Israel joining in. For what? Fear and insecurity and just wanting to show off rank high in the rationale department, I’m thinking. Pluck and Bluster rank high among world leaders it seems, along with swagger and strut. With kindness nowhere to be found.

Jimmy Carter would be the kindest world leader I can think of, and he was derided and chided for it from the start. Abraham Lincoln would qualify for consideration. And with that, I am out of candidates. And am sorry I brought up the subject. I’ll count on your kindly not mentioning it, and just letting it go.

February 27, 2026

Moose Flats — Banff National Park, Canadian Rockies, Alberta

I am a strong believer in trance states. Self-induced trance-states. Looking out the window. Drifting off into wool-gathering or taking a walk-a-bout to nowhere in particular. Not going anywhere and not being here, now at the same time. Aware only of what occurs to me/you, to what appears out of the mists, to catch our eye, produce reflection and perhaps, if we are lucky, realization.

We know more through reflection and realization than we know by thinking. Trance states are good for reflection and realization and not good for thinking.

Where do you go for trance states? How often do you go there? How long do you spend there? What do you know that trance states have produced for you? Have called forth from you? Have led you to realize, understand, comprehend, know?

Our trance states are vital to our life, and are life, are alive and bring us to life. Our trance states are our teachers, our gurus, our sources of knowledge, realization, truth. Doorways to knowing more than we know we know.

Sitting on the beach, or walking along the beach, being with the ocean, is an extended trance state. The ocean wakes us up by putting us into a trance. The trance makes possible a depth of realization that is kin to remembering something we have always known. And is a source of comfort and contentment reminding us that we are not alone.

Carl Jung said, “There is within each of us, another whom we do not know.” Trance states usher us into the presence of the other within–are thresholds between worlds. Inviting us to know more than we know we know, and become more than we think we are capable of being, calling us to open ourselves to what is open to us. And see where it goes.

February 26-B, 2026

Borax Vista — Death Valley National Park, California

We know things we don’t know how we know. If we sit quietly without thinking but being aware of the things that come to mind “out of nowhere” and following the things that have an attraction about them, we will come into realization “like a bolt from the blue.” And we will not have thought it up. We will simply have realized that it is so.

You could start with this photograph, and just sit quietly, emptying your mind of all thoughts, emotions, desires, wants, etc., and just be open to and aware of whatever associations this picture brings to mind. Don’t start thinking about them, just be aware of them and follow the associations that you find to be interesting, just going where they take you, like you might look out a window, seeing but not thinking about what you are seeing, just being drawn along by your associations to the point of realization, awareness, knowing, as though you are making a connection between the photograph, the associations and some truth you never saw coming in a “this means that” kind of way that was not something you might normally think about.

This process of drifting along with associations is one means of self-induced trance states. There are as many ways of inducing trance states as there are people. Looking out the window being one of my faves. And in the trance state, we are assessable to our intuition which is a word for our unconscious seeking an audience with us, trying to commune with us and open us to aspects of our life that we might never be aware of just by thinking.

I have mentioned here before of currently dealing with cognitive dissonance, muddled thinking, not being able to remember something I should know quite well, like what I am doing in the kitchen standing before the refrigerator, or opening a cabinet door. If I try to think in that situation, I only frustrate myself. But, if I open myself to the moment and simply wait for my unconscious to bring an association or a memory to mind it works better than a thought and, like that, I know what I’m doing there. My thinking mind is garbled, but my trance state openness to being here, now works just fine.

I recommend taking up the practice of tuning out of the here, now by opening up to the here, now, not by thinking, but by drifting off into “just being” and seeing what comes to mind by way of associations, or “wool gathering” or just watching whatever images or memories may arise and going along with them wherever they go, waiting for realization, for knowing, to come out of nowhere “just like that.”

February 26, 2026

Yellowhead Mountain — British Columbia

We do what is called for in each situation as it arises,
And let that be that
Until the next situation arises.
Throughout the time left for living.
And that is all there is to it.
Why make it any more difficult than that?

Sitting quietly between situations
is an excellent way to spend the time.

February 24, 2026

Price Lake Sunset — Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Knowing what is called for in a situation and doing what needs to be done about it, when, where, and how it needs to be done is done trusting ourselves to our intuition and allowing, in the words of the Tao Te Ching, “the outcome to be the outcome.” This is the crux of the matter throughout our life. We live our way to knowing what is called for and meeting the moment as the moment needs to be met or turning away at the last minute for lack of verve, and never getting another chance at that moment–and living with that all our life long.

Jesus in Gethsemane did not flinch. Jesus did the right thing, in the right way, at the right time and in the right place. And not enough has been made of that over time. The Church of Rome gave Jesus the place of Savior, doing for us, in our place, the deed that was ours to perform–still is ours to perform. In saying Jesus the Savior died for us, The Church of Rome took us, and itself, off the hook, and all we have to do is believe. Our doing comes down to believing. Jesus’ doing came down to dying. And that is what our moment comes down to as well.

We live to know what’s what and what is called for in each situation as it arises here, now–putting our life on the line in the service of what is called for in doing what needs to be done when, where, and how it needs to be done, time and time again, in each situation as it arises throughout our life. Or not. As time will tell.

And we do not run out of situations and opportunities until our life is done. Which gives us plenty of time to practice the art of doing what needs to be done, here now. No?

February 23 B, 2026

Moraine Lake Mirror — Banff National Park, Alberta –This image was made with Photoshop’s Generative Fill Filter to create the reflection

Is it real or is it AI? The line is becoming increasingly impossible to recognize, making disclosure significantly important in those situations where it matters, and how can we be sure where that is? Perhaps we should simply assume that nothing is real/actual/true/for certain and take it for granted that the House of Mirrors is where we live, and treat everything with the degree of seriousness we think it deserves. Which perhaps would have been a good idea before AI.