A Quick Note & Excerpt RE: Seeing / Perceiving & Perceiving / Believing June 3, 2026

Happy Pride!

Many, many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Afterfeast of Pentecost.

“The eye and the brain are not like a fax machine, nor are there little people looking at the images coming in.”

— Dr. Torsten Wiesel (b. 06/03/1924), co-winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

On the surface, today’s practice appears to have two themes: How we see/perceive with our eyes (and mind) and how we see/understand (with our mind). The first part is directly related to the work of Dr. Torsten Wiesel (who was born today in 1924) and Dr. David Hubel. The second part is related to Ernest Thayer’s poem, “Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the Year 1888”, which was originally published in The Daily Examiner (now The San Francisco Examiner) today in 1888.

Then, suddenly, “there be dragons”.

If we go a little deeper, however, we find there is only one theme: How we see (and understand) what we perceive is based on what we believe — and what we believe can sometimes prevent us from seeing / understanding / perceiving what is right in front of us.

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE (including excerpts from the posts linked above).

FTWMI: Seeing/Perceiving & Believing in “Dragons”

“Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt;
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance flashed in Casey’s eye, a sneer curled Casey’s lip.”

— quoted from the poem “Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the Year 1888” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer

Please join me today (Wednesday, June 3^rd) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra     (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06032020 How Can We See, Dr Wiesel”]

Yoga Sūtra 2.20: draşțā dŗśimātrah śuddho’pi pratyayānupaśyah

— “The Seer is the pure power of seeing, yet its understanding is through the mind/intellect.” [Translation by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait (for comparative analysis): “The sheer power of seeing is the seer. It is pure, and yet it sees only what the mind shows it.”]

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).

Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!

September 25 — 27, 2026

### SEEING IS BELIEVING… & BELIEVING LEADS TO SEEING! ###