In conversation with Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyers said,”There is this wonderful image in King Arthur where the knights of the Round Table are about to enter the search for the Grail in the Dark Forest, and the narrator says. ‘They thought it would be a disgrace to go forth in a group.’ So each entered the forest at a separate point of his choice.”

The Holy Grail represents the source of all that is vital and fertile and alive–the source of life and being. And we all are in search for it. It is our quest from birth to discover what brings us to life, what infuses us with life, what we discover to be the vital core, the élan vital, the vital force that drives and directs our living.

Martin Palmer translates Lao Tzu’s line ‘The Tao that can be said/told/explained is not the eternal Tao,’ as “The path that can be designated as a path is not a reliable path.” Which means the path that is the Tao, that is the source of life, can only be discerned in hindsight.

Now, where does that leave those who are searching for the vital force? With becoming students of emptiness, stillness and silence! The search is an inner realization of what is vital to us. We look within. We read the messages, the signals, from our body, our dreams, knowing what is “yes” and what is “no,” and going from there in each situation as it arises. And we all “enter the forest at a separate point by our own choice.”

–0–

I take heart in not knowing anyone
who has done it,
or is doing it,
right.

The old ditty nails it:

There is so much good in the worst of us, 
and so much bad in the best of us, 
that it ill behooves any of us 
to find fault with the rest of us
(James Truslow Adams).

Everything shifts when we just lighten up.

Particularly when it comes to
our relationship with ourselves.

No one can hope to have 
healthy relationships with others
who doesn't have a healthy relationship
with themselves.

Which makes the right kind of emptiness--
emptying ourselves of the right kinds of things--
at the top of the list
of things to get right.

And being desperate to get things right
is the first thing to be empty of.

I feel better already.
And hope you do, too.

–0–

We cannot care what our chances are.
We have to live as though
we are going to live forever
with no problems we cannot manage
and step into the moment,
offering what is called for
with the gifts that are ours to share
and let that be that,
moment after moment.

We rejuvenate ourselves
with regular returns
to emptiness/stillness/silence
where we reflect/recollect/realize
who we are and what is ours to do
anyway, nevertheless, even so,
as the human covenant with nature--
we bring hope,
kindness,
compassion,
love,
joy,
tenderness,
affection,
and all the high values
humanity has to offer and to serve 
to life in a heartless world
where life eats life
and the Law of the Fishes prevails
(The big fish eat the little fish
and the little fish swim through the nets
that haul the big fish to the cannery).

Our part is to balance the scales of nature
with caring, mercy, peace, benevolence, 
grace and charity--
offsetting ruthlessness, hatred, anger and greed
at every opportunity,
because that is who we are
and that is what we do.

And we do not get a break
because we haven't had a break in forever
and we are worn out with the burdens
of life as it is--
in order to offer unrelenting evidence
of life as it also is
in each situation as it arises
all our life long.

This is the human covenant with nature.

–0–

What's so important
about believing in God?

Why is that more important
than doing what needs to be done?

If we are going to believe anything,
why not believe in the value
of doing what needs us to do it
in each situation as it arises
no matter what?

And do it just like it matters
more than anything else in the universe?

If we are going to trust in anything
why not trust in our ability
to know and do what needs to be done
in each situation as it arises,
and give ourselves to knowing and doing
as though it matters 
more than anything else in the universe?

Why don't we just settle into
seeing what we see,
hearing what we listen to,
knowing what we know
and doing what needs to be done about it,
and letting that be that.

No theology.
No doctrine.
No dogma.
No creeds.

Just seeing,
hearing,
knowing,
doing,
being who we are,
moment by moment,
and letting that be that.

Jesus couldn't do 
any better than that.

And it's well within
the capacity of all of us--
without one thought 
about sin,
damnation
and going to hell when we die.

–0–

You have to do you the way you would do you
given all you know about you
and your current circumstances.

What do you have to offer
out of your original nature
and your innate virtues/characteristics?
Your specialties and perspective?

What does the situation call for?
What does it need from you
that you can provide 
out of your storehouse of goods and services?
With your forte, your "thing"?

Speaking of "thing," 
what are the things that make you you?
How might that be called for
in the present moment?

Turn to you in all things.
You are your guide through all things.
What would you do here and now?
Do it and see what that has to tell you
about what to do next time
some similar occasion/situation arises.
How would you do it differently next time?

We find our way through life this way.
Trusting ourselves to learn from ourselves
and our circumstances
how to do it better.
"It" being our life. 

"Better" in terms of balance and harmony,
smoothness and flow.

–0–

I was born into seriousness
and have swum around it it all my life.
It is the whole trouble with everything.

People take things so seriously.

Paul Watzlawick wrote a book entitled,
"The Situation Is Hopeless But Not Serious,"
which captures things quite nicely.

Comedians are bad about taking things too seriously.
Walking around in drug-induced comas,
or killing themselves,
or living out their lives 
sitting looking at a wall.
What???

Why don't we just lighten up?
That is the prime ingredient in enlightenment.
Just lightening up!

Itta Bena, Mississippi was/is a very serious place.
Everywhere I have lived was very serious,
until I got to Greensboro, North Carolina
and the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant.
It was fabulous.
It had out-lived its seriousness,
was running out of money,
had its back to the wall
and was willing to try anything
because nothing they had tried worked.

A dear woman came to the rescue
with a $4,000 dollar gift
and a "See what you can do with this,"
so we did four things with it.
We sat down with six or eight people
who were fun to be with
and agreed to ask our unchurched friends,
"What would it take to get you to church
once or twice a month?"
The results were astounding and beautiful:
No liturgy.
No offering.
No creed.
No organ.
No prayers of confession.
No Bible reading.
No prayers.
No hymns.
No sermons...
Things like that,
which, when you put it all together
came down to NO CHURCH,
at least no church the way the church
has always been the church.

The second thing we did was to create
an early service, that worked out to be 
"The 9:20 Service."
Why, 9:20?
It was late enough to not rush people
to an early service,
and it was early enough to allow time
for the traditional service at 11:00 O'clock.

The third thing we did was
to run a series of ads in the local paper
along the lines of
"No Bible.
No sermon.
No hymns.
No prayers.
No kidding."

The fourth thing was to invite local 
singer/songwriters
and musicians
to provide 20 minutes
of their kind of music
for $100.
(No "religious music" allowed),
in two 10 minute sets
to start and end the service,
and we had 10 minutes of silence
at the start.
That's thirty minutes.
We spent another thirty minutes or so
with time for people to say
what they had to say
and for me to talk to them
about things I write about here.
And ended in time to move out
and for the 11 O'clock people to move in.

It was a wonderful encounter with freedom
for all of us,
and lasted seven years up to my retirement,
when people who "didn't get it" came in
to do things like they ought to be done,
which is killing the church worldwide.

And it was a seven year demonstration to me
of the importance of lightening up
and not taking things too seriously--
of being serious about not being serious.

And of the difficulty in doing that
in a world where things are deadly serious
all of the time.

–0–

I come from people 
who were not true to themselves.

Who lived out their lifetimes
being who someone else 
thought they ought to be.

I learned from their mistakes,
and drew my own lines,
but not early enough.

There were severe penalties
for attempting to draw lines
too early.

I came to know that life
is living our own life,
bringing our own true nature
to life in the life we are living.

Too few people want to bring
their own nature to life in their life.
They are looking for action.
Any kind of action.
Mostly, action that takes their mind
off their life.
And fuels their dreams of some other, finer, grander
life than the one they are living.

To be alive is to tenderly tend the life
that needs living,
tucked away in our original nature.

Too many people are ashamed of who they are,
ashamed of who they are afraid they are,
and want to be somebody else,
somebody worthy
that everyone loves, instead.

The need to be loved propels people
past themselves in their quest
to be someone everyone loves.

Elvis Presley asked his spiritual advisor,
"How can I tell whether they love me
or Elvis Presley?"

Nailed it.

If we want people to love us
we only have to love people.
And be true to our own true nature.
Allowing everything to fall into place
around those two things.
Over time.

Nothing instantaneous is worth having. 
Instant coffee comes to mind.

–0–

Nature does its thing
as long as it can,
and then when a species or two
runs out of living room,
and is no longer able to meet
the cost of living,
nature comes up with other players
and goes on with the game--
even when that means abandoning
entire solar systems.

Life plays out here
and picks up there.
Is nature's way.

Nature doesn't have anything at stake
in this person,
or this species,
or this planet,
or this solar system.

And when the entire universe
runs out of living room,
nature starts over.

Which gets us to me and you
and what keeps us going,
and what's our plan
for the rest of our life
until we run out of living room
and can no longer meet the cost of living?

It comes down to two fundamental
reason's for living:
Drugs/Sex/Alcohol/Money/Sex/Shopping/etc.
and Reflection/Recognition/Realization/Response
on the Field of Action.

Both of these reasons for living
require us to come to terms with
the central place compromise plays
in the process.

Life forces compromise upon us
were we have to give up this to have that.
We give things up a little at a time,
until we run out of living room
and can no longer meet the cost of living.

In the meantime, what?
Knowing that ultimately it all comes to an end,
what do we do in the meantime?

I suggest living as though we will live forever,
for as long as we are able.

I'm going to do my thing
as long as I can,
as well as I can,
and then let it all go.

And I suggest this as a proper way of life
for anyone interested in that kind of thing.

All of this comes about here/now
in light of the necessity of compromise
requiring reflection/recognition/realization
upon me in the right here right now
time of my life.

Those of you who have been with me for fifteen minutes
know that my foundation is
have nothing to do with theology/dogma/doctrine/creeds/etc.
and settle into finding your own way
to knowing/being who you are and what is yours to do
in each situation as it arises,
and let that be that.

Well, that is fine as far as it goes,
but it leaves unaddressed the ultimate question:
How are you going to pay the bills?
Or better, if you all listened to me
and did what I advise about finding your own way,
how am I going to pay my bills?

Theology/dogma/doctrine/creeds/etc.
paid all my bills during my working years,
and continues to help paying them via my pension
and medical insurance in my retirement.

And, as people increasingly give themselves
to finding their own way,
the source of my funding is evaporating,
making for dicey times around the homestead,
and promising even more dicey times
in the not so distant future.

The situation has no solution.
The church cannot be the church and pay the bills.
No one's spirituality has fed, clothed and housed them
over the course of their life.
We all have to meet the cost of living 
any way we can.

The situation is easier for me
because I'm approaching the end 
of a viable life
and don't have much to lose.

My wife looks at things differently,
not wanting to lose sooner than necessary
her connection with our children,
grandchildren and whatever great grandchildren there may be.

So, I'm staying around as long as necessary.

Doing my thing as though I am going to live forever.
Smiling at the very idea of living forever.

–0–

What's important?
What's happening?
What's called for?

Answering these three questions correctly
in each situation as it arises
is all we ever need to do.

Why is that so difficult?

–0–

We find our own way,
taking our cues from 
the way life requires to be lived,
playing the "Is this me or not me?" game
from one choice to the next.

Forced choices are not choices at all,
just places where we don't get to choose
what we do about what's happening.

What to do about what's happening
is how we express/find who we are,
and where we shine,
and where we have no business being,
and what we have no business doing.

Our life is at its best 
when we are aligned
with its direction and flow,
at one with who we are
and what we are doing.

It is at its worst
when we are at the mercy
of events and circumstances
between the clashing rocks
on the heaving waves of the wine dark sea,
with nothing but forced choices
compelling us to be and do 
in ways at odds with who we are
and what we are built for.

When the accountant 
is working for rent money
behind a bar in a dive,
it is a bad day every day,
and what's to be done then?

It is the right kind of emptiness,
stillness and silence all the way.

The accountant has to find the way
back to the Tao--the flow of life--
one small step/decision at a time,
listening, looking, sensing, feeling
"Me or not me?"
With every choice that is not forced.
And being right about 
what is me and not me,
and finding out how much she/he 
can get by with 
in the time left for living.

–0–

William Wordsworth nailed it 
with his, 
"The world is too much with us late and soon..."
and its lament regarding
our lost connection with nature
and nature's way of getting things done.

"We have lost the magic,"
he would say,
or better perhaps,
"We have traded the magic
for thirty pieces of silver,
or its modern equivalent!"

The older I get,
the more unfamiliar the world becomes--
and that, I think,
is a common experience among humans
at least since the Industrial Revolution,
though I expect long before,
before the advent of "civilization."

The world is not a trustworthy place to be.

I have seen it in the eyes
of my six-month old great grand daughter,
and regret her coming encounter
with the world beyond mom and dad
and their extended families,
as she enters day care or "preschool"
and the regimen/realities 
that come with it.

Do we ever out-grow what we lose
in that "bargain"?

Barbara Navarro's work in protesting
the loss of life and a way of life
among the indigenous Yanomami people
to gold "miners" in South America
highlights the world of a small tribe
of families where the children
never leave home in our sense of the word,
but live out their lives within the "family"
providing stability and security
with no preschool, etc. to intrude.

The love of money is destroying their world,
and there is no fair exchange in that transaction.

We have lost what they are losing,
without noticing/grieving/knowing
what we do not have.

But something knows within,
and we carry the burden of our alienation
from what something knows
throughout our life,
knowing only that something is not right,
and not-knowing what to do about it.

The old Yogis and Taoist/Zen masters
withdrew into the silence
of the lost world of Yin/Yang,
seeking the balance and harmony,
the stability and security,
of their ancestors way of life.

Aren't we all drawn to the AUM
of union with the source and goal
of life and being?
To know the peace of our belonging
to our place in "the great scheme of things,"
now beyond recovery,
beyond remembering
past the sense that this is not it
and never will be again?

To know this much is to mourn our state,
and follow the old Yogis, Taoist/Zen masters
into silence seeking the way 
to peace and wholeness
through recognition and realization,
walking two paths at the same time
in acquiescing to what has been lost,
while consciously adjusting to what now is
in a "We're not in Kansas anymore" kind of way.

Making the best of what we have to work with
through rituals,
ceremonial objects,
stories,
and small communities of like-minded people,
grounded and centered upon
"Here we are now what?"
as we find our way through this world,
knowing that our place is with that world
before this one became what it is. 

–0–

Reading the situation as it arises
without our own wants and desires,
fear and anxiety
getting in the way,
and responding appropriately
to the occasion,
time after time,
is all there is to it.

That's all Jesus and the Buddha, etc.
ever did.

Reduced to its essence, 
we get: See-Do.

Expanded a bit it becomes:
Listen/Hear, Look/See, Know/Realize, Do.

Drawing lines are appropriate to all occasions,
and our needs carry equal weight
to those of the situation.
We make a judgment call as to who gets what/now
and who gets what/then,
working to be balanced over time.

Drawing appropriate lines
would solve most of the problems
that exist worldwide.

–0–