FTWMI: The McGuffin’s MacGuffin, redux & reprised August 13, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Art, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Mantra, Meditation, Movies, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Vairagya, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
Tags: 988, abhiniveśaḥ, Ahimsa, Alfred Hitchcock, Angus MacPhail, antiracism, Ashtavakra Gita, Berlin Wall, Bhagavad Gita, Charles Gounod, Charlotte Chandler, Eleanor Roosevelt, Epictetus, fear, fearless, fearless play, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, hinduism, Ibram X. Kendi, Jack Hawley, James Allardic, Jeff Alexander, klishtaklishta, klişţāklişţāh, Krishna, Leland Poague, MacGuffin, nervous system, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Paul Tillich, Potsdam Conference, Richard Freeman, Seneca, Shantipat, spirituality, Stanley Wilson, Swami J, Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas Leitch, Todd McGowan, trauma, Upanishads, Wookiefoot, yama, Yoga Sutra 2.3, Yoga Sutra 2.9
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Many blessings to everyone, everywhere, and especially to anyone observing the Dormition Fast and/or cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).

Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!

For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2024. Class details and links have been added.

“Upanishad is the subtler, mystical or yogic teachings of the philosophy and practices leading to the direct experience of the center of consciousness, the absolute reality. ‘Upa’ means ‘near;’ ‘ni’ means ‘down;’ ‘shad’ means ‘to sit.’ Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice and experience the means and goals of Yoga sadhana or practices. The Upanishads are also known as Vedanta, which means the end or culmination of the Vedas.”

— quoted from the “Upanishad” page by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (“Swami J”)

Often translated as “sitting near devotedly,” “Upanishad” is the Sanskrit word assigned to a collection of sacred texts, the earliest of which were compiled (starting) in the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE. The stories within the Upanishads were originally part of an oral tradition and they explain and explore the Vedas (which are more sacred texts). Scholars believe there were originally over 200 Upanishads, with some overlapping material; however, some have been lost. Of the 108 studied and practiced today, ten to twelve (depending on the tradition) are consider “major” and complete. Each one begins and ends with an invocation known as a Shantipat: a path of peace.

We start each practice with the “Teaching Shantipat” and I often bring awareness to the end: “Shanti Shanti Shanthi Om” / “Peace [within us], Peace [all around us], Peace [to and from everything and every one we encounter] With our conscious, subconscious, and unconscious mind and on every plane of existence.” The last “Shanthi” is emphatic, drawn out, and sometimes explained as “Peace [because I said so]” or “Peace [because I demand it].”

While the endings are the same, the beginnings of each of the shantipats are different. They are situational. So, today, I bring your awareness to the beginning of the “Teaching Shantipat.”

“May all of us together be protected….”

— quoted from the beginning of the “Teaching Shantipat,” chanted in Sanskrit by Richard Freeman (when we are in the studio)

The beginning of the “Teaching Shantipat.” is interesting (to me), because it is very similar to the beginning of the metta meditation: “May I be safe and protected.”

I find it very interesting that this invocation begins with a desire, a wish, a prayer for safety and protection. You could even think of it as a commitment — similar to ahiṃsā (“non-harming” or “non-violence”), which is the very first yama (external “restraint” or universal commandment) at the beginning of the Yoga Philosophy. The underlying implication to all of this is that there is something — or someone — from which we need to be protected; that there is some danger of which we must be mindful. In other words, it is almost a warning that there is something to fear.

Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat. It doesn’t matter if what we perceive turns out not to be a threat; because, the emotion is real. The emotional reaction causes a physiological response: it activates the sympathetic nervous system, which causes a chemical change in the brain and a change in organ function. These changes are designed to protect and ensure survival, causing us to fight or flee or freeze (which is a form of collapse). This can all take place in a blink of an eye and in a heartbeat — even, again, when the perceived threat turns out to not be a threat and/or not a threat to survival. Although the initial reaction can occur in an instant, it takes a while to come down off of the adrenaline high and, depending on the reality and nature of the threat, the effects of the trauma can be life-long.

“It is not that you must be free from fear. The moment you try to free yourself from fear, you create resistance against fear. Resistance in any form does not end fear. What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it, not how to escape from it, not how to resist it.”

— Jiddu Krishnamurti

Yoga Sūtras 2.3 and 2.9 describe ābhiniveśāḥ (“resistance to loss, fear of death of identity, desire for continuity, clinging to the life of”) as the fifth and final afflicted/dysfunctional thought pattern that leads to suffering. This is consistent with the Ashtavakra Gita, which states “All sorrow comes from fear. / From nothing else. // When you know this, / You become free of it, / And desire melts away.” (AG 11.5) According to the Eastern philosophies, like Yoga and Buddhism, the remedy to fear is wisdom, which is considered to be the opposite of fear.

Wisdom is the ability, knowledge, and skill to respond to a given situation with awareness. Without wisdom, we react as if everything and everyone is a threat to our life, our livelihood, and those we love. We become like a “timid man” who flees because he perceives everything picked up by our senses as a tiger. (AG 18.45) We see this fear-based behavior each and every day, even when we don’t recognize that that is what we are seeing/experiencing. Wisdom, in this case, can also be defined as vidyā (“correct knowledge”) about ourselves and the nature of everything. It gives us the ability to pause, take a breath, and possibly discover that “Just as a coil of rope / Is mistaken for a snake, / So you are mistaken for the world” (AG 1.10) and that “a man without desires is a lion.” (AG 18.46)

“‘Work hard in the world, Arjuna, but for work‘s sake only. You have every right to work but you should not crave the fruits of it. Although no one may deny you the outcomes of your efforts, you can, through determination, refuse to be attached to or affected by the results, whether favorable or unfavorable.

“‘The central points of issue, Arjuna, are desire and lack of inner peace. Desire for the fruits of one‘s actions brings worry about possible failure — the quivering mind I mentioned. When you are preoccupied with end results you pull yourself from the present into an imagined, usually fearful future. Then your anxiety robs your energy and, making matters worse, you lapse into inaction and laziness.’”

— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (2.47) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…. You must do what you think you cannot do.”

— quoted from You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life by Eleanor Roosevelt

This tricky thing about fear is that the mind-intellect can perceive and process things in the past, present, and/or future; which means we may find ourselves having a fear-based reaction to something in the past or something that has not (and may never) happen. This is why fear can prevent us from achieving our goals and desires. It can also cause us to build walls — emotionally, energetically, symbolically, and physically. In fact, construction of the Berlin Wall, which began today on Sunday, August 13, 1961, was at the intersection of a lot of fear.

Remember, during the Potsdam Conference at the end of World War II, the Allies decided to split Berlin and the rest of Germany into four different regions controlled by four different nations. The Soviet-controlled areas became the German Democratic Republic (GDR or DDR; German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik), also known as East Germany. The areas controlled by United States, the United Kingdom, and France became the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland), sometimes called Bonn Republic (German: Bonner Republik), and known as West Germany. East and West Berlin, as well as East and West Germany, ended up with vastly different socioeconomic and political cultures. Right off the bat, people on the East side would travel to East Berlin in order to crossover to West Berlin and then, from there, gained access to the rest of the “Free World.” In fact, prior to the wall being constructed approximately 3.5 million people defected from East Berlin — at a rate of about one thousand a day.

The wall did not go up all at once. It started off as a little over 100 miles of barbed wire and fencing put up in the wee hours of that Sunday morning in 1961: 156 km (97 mi) between the western regions and the eastern regions and another 43 km (27 mi) of wire dividing the cities of Berlin. Then a 6-foot tall wall of blocks was constructed, with bunkers. Within nine years, that 6-foot wall of blocks had become a 3.6-meter (11.8-foot) tall wall, with the barbed wire (and guards in the towers). The final wall included 155 km (96 miles) of wall around West Berlin and another 111.9 km (69.5 miles) of barrier between West Berlin and East Germany.

The wall decreased the number of defections; however, it did not completely prevent them. Between 1961 and 1989, when the Berlin Wall “fell,” about 100,000 people attempted to defect and approximately five thousand succeeded. An estimated 136 — 200 people died attempting to escape. Many of the deaths were in and around a gap created between two concrete walls which formed the 27 miles of barrier dividing Berlin. Known as the “death strip,” the gap was full of anti-vehicle trenches, guard dog runs, floodlights, and trip-wire machine guns. It was also overseen by guards in watchtowers who were ordered to shoot on sight.

Remember, although decades had passed, the construction of the Berlin Wall happened in the wake of World War II. People were still processing the trauma caused by the violence of the war and of the Holocaust, which were themselves the source and result of fear.

“However, if the process of non-violence is to be effective in counteracting violence, we must first describe and outline it clearly and methodically. Because violent thoughts always precede a violent act, an act of non-violence will be effective only if it is preceded by non-violent thoughts. Violence is an active phenomenon, whereas non-violence is mistakenly thought to be passive – simply the absence of violence. But passive non-violence has no power to extinguish the fire if violence. Non-violence must be as active as violence itself.”

— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.33 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

“The opposite of racist isn’t ‘not racist.’ It is ‘anti-racist.’ What’s the difference? One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist, or racial equality as an anti-racist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an anti-racist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an anti-racist. There is no in-between safe space of ‘not racist.’”

— quoted from How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, PhD

When I first heard about Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, who was born in Jamaica, New York City on August 13, 1982, I thought the term “antiracist” was something new. In reality, however, Dr. Kendi recommends and teaches an idea that goes back to the beginning of the yoga philosophy. (NOTE: I’m not saying he’s teaching “yoga,” even though he is working to bring people together. I’m saying that he is teaching ancient wisdom.)

This wisdom is not simply bringing awareness to a situation and neither is it not doing something overtly harmful. It is bringing awareness to what is happening beneath the surface and actively, skillfully, moving in the opposite direction. Again, the premise behind “cultivating the opposites” is that, over time, we neutralize the force of past actions and, as a result, our habits and thoughts change. When our habits and thoughts change, the world changes. Doing this work can be scary — in fact, you may already feel yourself tightening up just at the thought. But, we must remember that being fearless is not the absence of fear, it is how we show up when we experience fear.

“Courage is the strength to do what is right in the face of fear, as the anonymous philosopher tells us. I gain insight into what’s right from antiracist ideas. I gain strength from fear. While many people are fearful of what could happen if they resist, I am fearful of what could happen if I don’t resist, I am fearful of cowardice. Cowardice is the inability to amass the strength to do what is right in the face of fear. And racist power has been terrorizing cowardice into us for generations.”

— quoted from How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, PhD

None of this is about being reckless and putting ourselves (or others) in danger. Neither is it about ignoring reality. Instead, the philosophers and leaders quoted throughout this post encourage us to face our fears. Again, this is not new advice. As noted above, it is the same advice found in ancient texts from India and (as noted below) it is the same advice found in the teachings of the Stoics. In fact, I imagine that if you research all the indigenous and modern cultures in the world, you will find lessons on fear and advice on cultivating fearlessness that is very, very similar.

Furthermore, we have plenty of opportunities to practice studying, observing, learning about, and understanding our fears. We can do it on the mat or the cushion; we can do it as we move through our days; and we can do it when some form of entertainment push our buttons.

“[Spoken: Alfred Hitchcock]
Thus far, this album has provided musical accompaniment to make your passing pleasant
Our next number is designed to drown out the sound of shovels
Music to be buried by
[Music begins]

Of course, your assassin may have made burial unnecessary
So, if you are completely encased in cement
And are teetering on the edge of a pier
Please try not to pay attention to this next number
It is not meant for you
As for the others, if you spend your evenings watching murder instead of doing it yourself
You may recognize this”

— quoted from Track 5, “Alfred Hitchcock Television Theme” on the album Alfred Hitchcock Presents Music to Be Murdered By by Alfred Hitchcock and Jeff Alexander (narration written by James Allardice; “Funeral March Of A Marionette” by Charles Gounod adapted by Jeff Alexander and Stanley Wilson)

Born today in London, today in 1899, Sir Alfred Hitchcock KBE liked to play with fear(s) and push people’s fear buttons. He directed and produced movies like The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927); Blackmail (1929), was the first British “talkie;” The 39 Steps (1935); The Lady Vanishes (1938); Rebecca (1940); Shadow of a Doubt (1943); Strangers on a Train (1951), Dial M for Murder and Rear Window (both released in 1954); Psycho (1960); To Catch a Thief and The Trouble with Harry (both released in 1955); Vertigo (1958); North by Northwest (1959), and The Birds (1963). He was also the producer and host of the television anthology Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–65) and often made cameo appearances in his own movies. Like so many directors and producers, he liked to work with certain people, including Cary Grant and James Stewart (who were each in four movies) and Ingrid Bergman and Grace Kelly (who were each in three movies).

In addition to having nine of his films selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry (as of 2021), Alfred Hitchcock received the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Fellowship in 1971, the American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement Award in 1979, and was knighted in December of that 1979, just a few months before he died on April 29, 1980. His work also earned him six Academy Awards and an additional 40 Academy Award nominations — including five in the Best Director category.

Despite never winning the Academy Award for Best Director, the “Master of Suspense” did such a good job at manipulating emotional responses that even hearing the music (often composed by Bernard Herrmann), seeing a murder of crows or a rear window, and/or being in the shower can start tightening up the body. His name, voice, and infamous silhouette became so synonymous with his work that they can also activate the fear response. Another common Hitchcockian element was a simple plot device that existed long before he was born. It became more popular and more well-known by a name coined by the screenwriter Angus MacPhail¹: MacGuffin (or McGuffin).

“Hitchcock explained how the MacGuffin got its name:

‘Two men are traveling on a train to Scotland. One of them is carrying an odd parcel. The other man says, “What have you there?” and the other answers, “A MacGuffin.”

‘“What’s a MacGuffin?”

‘“It’s a special device designed to trap wild lions in the Scottish Highlands.”

‘“But there aren’t any lions in the Scottish Highlands.”

‘“Then, there is no MacGuffin.”

‘The MacGuffin, you see, is only important if you think it’s important, and that’s my job as a director, to make you think it’s important.’”

— quoted from “II. British Films: Cub Director” in It’s Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock: A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler²

A McGuffin (or MacGuffin) can be anything — or anyone — that people in the movie are seeking. It could be a briefcase (or something inside a suitcase). It could be a jewel-encrusted statuette. It could be $40,000 or, as some people see it, a place in the snow where $920,000 was buried. It could be state secrets. It could be A Girl. While the MacGuffin (or McGuffin) motivates the characters and keeps the plot moving, it is the exact opposite of Checkov’s gun because it is ultimately inconsequential. The characters seem to forget about it or just put it aside. In fact, sometimes it is as if it was never in the story. Other times it is just never revealed to the audience.

A McGuffin (or MacGuffin) should not be confused with a “red herring,” because it is not intended to confuse or misdirect the audience. However, to be clear, Sir Alfred’s movies also include red herrings — sometimes in the form of suspenseful music or shadows that keep the audience primed for something to happen. In other words, the MacGuffin (or McGuffin) motivates the characters and puts them in their situations, while the red herring conditions the audience to fear on command.

“Hitchcock’s example of the MacGuffin emphasizes its impossible status: not only is the object that one [never has], but one cannot even isolate it as an idea. It remains necessarily empty, and yet functions as an engine for the Hitchcockian narrative. The emptiness of the MacGuffin as an object permits spectators to locate their satisfaction in the striving that it unleashes rather than identifying satisfaction with the discovery of its secret.”

— quoted from “The Empty Object” in “27. Hitchcock’s Ethics of Suspense: Psychoanalysis and the Devaluation of the Object” by Todd McGowan (as published in A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock, edited by Thomas Leitch and Leland Poague)

Take a moment to bring your awareness to what happens when you experience fear.

Are you someone who runs away from it… or towards it? Are you someone who likes to be fearless and play? Are you someone who tears down walls and barriers? Or, are you someone who builds walls?

“This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

“Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.”

— quoted from the March 4, 1933, Inaugural Speech by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

“What conflicts with the courage of wisdom is desires and fears. The Stoics developed a profound doctrine of anxiety which also reminds us of recent analyses. They discovered that the object of fear is fear itself. ‘Nothing,’ says Seneca, ‘is terrible in things except fear itself.’ And Epictetus says, ‘For it is not death or hardship that is a fearful thing, but the fear of death and hardship.’ Our anxiety puts frightening masks over all men and things. If we strip them of these masks their own countenance appears and the fear they produce disappears. This is true even of death. Since every day a little of our life is taken from us–since we are dying every day–the final hour when we cease to exist does not itself bring death; merely completes the death process. The horrors connected with it are a matter of imagination. They vanish when the mask is taken from the image of death.”

— quoted from “Chapter 1. Being and Courage – Courage and Wisdom: The Stoics” in The Courage To Be (pub. 1952) by Paul Tillich

Please join me today (Wednesday, August 13^th) 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 (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08132022 The McGuffin’s MacGuffin”]

NOTES:
¹ Angus MacPhail worked with Sir Alfred Hitchcock on Aventure Malgache (1944, uncredited writer); Bon Voyage (1944, writer); Spellbound (1945, writer for adaptation); The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956, uncredited contributing writer); and The Wrong Man (1956, screenwriter). He very briefly worked on the script development for Vertigo, which may be why the movie opens with San Francisco detective John “Scottie” Ferguson (as played by James Stewart) involved in a rooftop chase.

² Alfred Hitchcock used variations of this MacGuffin story on more than one occasion, including during a lecture at Columbia University in New York City (in 1939) and in a series of interviews. In some versions the conclusion was that there were no lions in the Scottish Highlands because the device in the parcel worked.

“We are very afraid of being powerless. But we have the power to look deeply at our fears, and then fear cannot control us. We can transform our fear. Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.”

— quoted from Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm by Thich Nhat Hanh

Extreme heat (and traumatic events) can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, they can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.

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.

### BE Fearless & PLAY. BE WISE.###

Getting Ready to BE Imperfectly Perfect (the “missing” Wednesday post w/excerpts) October 2, 2024

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Gandhi, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Music, New Year, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Rosh Hashanah, Suffering, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: 988, A. R. Rahman, Ahimsa, Aish, Bhagavad Gita, Gandhi Jayanti, High Holidays, Imposter Syndrome, International Day of Non-violence, Jack Hawley, Khatija Rahman, Krishna Kripalani, Leo Tolstoy, Leonard Cohen, Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace, mitzvot, Mohandas Gandhi, Mona Miller, niyamas, perfection, Rabbi Binyomin Weisz, Raheema Rahman, Rosh Hashanah, satya, satyagraha, Shofar, Shriman Narayan, Ten Days of Atonement, Ten Days of Awe, Tikkun Olam, U2, Valji Govindji Desai, yama
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“L’Shana Tovah U’Metukah!” to everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays and, also, “Happy Festival!” to anyone celebrating Gandhi Jayanti. Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom on the International Day of Non-violence.

Stay safe! Live well! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.

This is the “missing” post for Wednesday, October 2^nd. It contains some previously posted content. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

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.

“A remark made in Bannu revealed the relationship in Gandhi’s mind between the spinning wheel and nonviolence. ‘God whispered into my heart’, said Gandhi, ‘If you want to work through nonviolence, you have to proceed with small things.’ A week later, addressing Khudai Khidmatgars in the town of Tank in Dera Ismail Khan district, Gandhi offered an observation that would be quoted often in the future:

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”

— quoted from “FOUR: Journey to Freedom 1937-46” in Ghaffar Khan: Nonviolent Badshah of the Pakhtuns by Rajmohan Gandhi

“Trust without reservation requires that we say, ‘Yes. Yes it is possible, yes I can, yes I will.’ Today say, ‘I can’ even if you are not aware of how to accomplish your goal. Have faith and say, ‘I can’ until you find a way. Today I practice the art of having faith.

— quoted from the “Affirmation” section of the “Day 10 ~ February 9 ~ Faith” page for the “Season for Nonviolence,” provided by the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace

‘How are you spending your time?’ and ‘How could you spend your time?’ are questions that can be asked and answered in a lot of different ways. The latter can be looked at in a purely philosophical way (as in what are all the possibilites) and/or in a pragmatic or practical way (as in, what are the most skillful and wise possibilities). Either way, there are times when those questions hit particularly hard: First, when you notice that you are not spending your time in a skillful and wise way (but you could). Second, when you are given an opportunity to begin something, like a new year.

Tonight (Wednesday) at sunset marked the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, “the Head of the Year,” in Jewish communities around the world (and in communities where people observe the commanded holidays outlined in Deuteronomy). The beginning of the New Year is also the beginning of the High Holidays — known as the “Ten Days of Atonement” and the “Ten Days of Awe” — which culminate with Yom Kippur, “The Day of Atonement.” It is one of the holiest times of the year for some and is celebrated by people who might not typically go to services. Unlike a secular new year, it is more than a celebration — it is an observation: a time for reflection, remembrance, and repentance.

It is also a time to consider how one could spend their time.

“…every person is obligated to say, ‘For my sake alone the world was created.’ That doesn’t mean the world is mine to consume everything indiscriminately (although God does want us to enjoy the pleasures of this world).

What it does mean is that we must take responsibility for any problem in the world. If you recognize a problem – whether it be a piece of litter on the street or a major social issue that needs adjusting – you shouldn’t just say ‘someone else will deal with it.’ There is nobody else. In God’s eyes, the rule is: You saw it, you fix it.”

— Aish Rabbi on Tikkun Olam

Tikkun Olam is a phrase in Hebrew which literally means “repair the world” — although, many people think of it as “heal the world.” Classically, it refers to the rule of law: what is needed in order to restore social order. In the modern context, people think of it as how each person can do something, maybe even has an obligation to do something (when they can), and could even be compared to dharma (“law”) in Indian philosophies.

There are several things that happen when people (in general) start thinking about how they can make a difference. One of those things is that they look for inspiration in others, sometimes in a “great soul” — maybe someone they know personally or maybe a statesman, like former President Jimmy Carter (whose 100^th birthday was Tuesday). Today, we celebrate a different great soul and statesman: Mohandas K. Gandhi, who was born October 2, 1869. His birthday is commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday in India, and was designated as International Day of Non-violence by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007.

Known as Mahatma (which means “great soul”), Gandhi was a lawyer who became an activist, first in South Africa and then in his home in India. He was so inspired by the idea of community and nonviolent civil disobedience, as well as by the philosophy of Leo Tolstoy that, in 1910, he established Tolstoy Farm (which was technically his second ashram in South Africa). When he returned to (then British-ruled) India in 1914, he continued using passive resistance to fight for the rights of Indians. He and his followers were rooted in the ethical components of the 8-Limbed Yoga Philosophy, the yamas (external “restraints” or universal commandments) and niyamas (“internal observations”). Their non-violent movement was particularly predicated on the first two yamas: ahimsa (“non-violence” / “non-harming”) and satya (“Truth”).

“Truth (Satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha) engenders and therefore serves as a synonym for force. I thus began to call the Indian Movement ‘Satyagraha’ , that is to say, the Force which is born of Truth and Love or non-violence, and gave up the use of the phrase ‘passive resistance’ in connection with it, so much so that even in English writing we often avoided it and used instead the word ‘Satyagraha’ itself or some other equivalent English phrase.”

— quoted from “12. THE ADVENT OF SATYAGRAHA” in Satyagraha in South Africa by M. K. Gandhi (as published in THE SELECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, VOLUME TWO, translated from the Gujarati by Valji Govindji Desai; General Editor Shriman Narayan)

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT GANDHI & SATYAGRAHA.

A Little Salt (the “missing” Tuesday post)

“I believe in the message of truth delivered by all the religious teachers of the world. And it is my constant prayer that I may never have a feeling of anger against my traducers, that even if I fall a victim to an assassin’s bullet, I may deliver up my soul with the remembrance of God upon my lips. I shall be content to be written down an impostor if my lips utter a word of anger or abuse against my assailant at the last moment.”

— quoted from a prayer discourse, Summer 1947, as printed in All Men Are Brothers: Life and Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, as Told in His Own Words, by Mohandas K. Gandhi (Compiled and Edited by Krishna Kripalani)

Looking to others for inspiration can be really motivating. However, we have to be careful, because such comparisons can be problematic. For example, people have a tendency of putting their inspirations on pedestals. Such myth building belies the fact that people like Gandhi were (and are) human; that they make mistakes; and sometimes have really horrible opinions that co-exist with their more admirable ones. For instance, Gandhi publicly admitted that early on in his career he “disciplined myself sufficiently never to feel angry with the enemy, but I sometimes lose my temper with friends” and that he could be horrible towards his wife Kasturba, who he at one time viewed as being beneath him. Eventually, however, he saw her as his “teacher in nonviolence… [and a] loyal and faithful comrade in life.” His evolved attitude towards Kasturba, and women in general, was one of the reasons why women were an active part of the Salt Satyagraha in 1930.

On the flip side, comparisons to others can be problematic because they can lead to a really debilitating mindset: Imposter Syndrome, the belief that someone is somehow fraudulent. This type of self-doubt can manifest in a lot of different ways. It can show up as someone dreaming, planning, and/or re-working something so much that they never get to the point of doing the thing. It can also show up as someone never getting started because they are afraid of disappointing themselves (or others) and/or not doing something as well as others. Finally, it can just show up as a general feeling of malaise that saps your energy and makes it harder to focus… let alone do your best. It can be a vicious cycle that is perpetuated by a desire to be perfect and live up to expectations.

But, if we backup a little, we may remember that the important part is not that we do what someone else can do: The important thing is to do what we are able to do and to do the best that we can. This is explicitly spelled out in The Bhagavad Gita when Krishna spoke to Arjuna about “achieving perfection” and said, “‘Your very nature dictates that you perform the duties attuned to your disposition. Those duties are your dharma, your natural calling. It is far better to do your own dharma, even if you do it imperfectly, than to try to master the work of another. Those who perform the duties called for by their obligations, even if those duties seem of little merit, are able to do them with less effort — and this releases consciousness that can be directed Godward.’” (BG 18.47)

This same lesson on perfection and purpose can be found in the lesson of the shofar, as explained by Rabbi Binyomin Weisz.

For Those Who Missed It: A portion of the following is a slightly revised excerpt from a 2020 post.

“But the truth is: ‘All sounds are kosher’ – not only for the shofar, but for the heart as well.”

— quoted from an article entitled “Perfectly Imperfect: The Secret of the Shofar” (09/12/2020) by Rabbi Binyomin Weisz

A shofar is a ram’s horn that is blown (like a trumpet) during most Rosh Hashanah services and at the end of Yom Kippur. Historically, it has also been used at other times, including as a call-to-arms before a battle. During the High Holidays, there are four types of sounds (tekiah = a long, smooth blast, shevarim = three short bursts, terua, = a series of short bursts, and tekiah gedolah = a long, drawn out, smooth blast), which are produced in very specific patterns in order to remind people to turn inward and reflect, remember, repent, and hope. As with most spiritual rituals, the horn has to be produced in a certain way and blown by a specific person. However, the mitzvah (or “commandment”) related to the High Holidays is not related to the blowing — it’s a commandment related to hearing the sound. Obviously, since it is an organic instrument, each shofar sounds slightly different, but what is super fascinating to me (and others) is that certain imperfections do not “ruin” the instrument.

As teachers and scholars like Rabbi Binyomin Weisz point out, a hole can change the sound of the shofar and it’s still kosher. Granted, there are some ways a shofar can be broken — and even fixed — that make it no longer kosher. In fact, the very act of “fixing” a broken shofar so that it sounds like it originally sounded, can make it unusable for its intended purpose — and, therefore, not good — which just strengthens the lesson for me. Given that so many people struggle with “imposter syndrome” and high expectations, here are four steps you can do at any time:

Let go of expectations and focus on what you can do / are doing;
Remember Rule 303 (see first embedded link above): Do what you can do, as much as you can, and for as long as you can;
Appreciate what you’re doing, because it has value/meaning; AND
Remember the value/meaning of you (being who you are and doing what you do).

“So I draw courage and stand face-to-face with my limitations, without shrinking or running. I allow for honest remorse. Here is my place of Now….

Of course, acceptance does not mean becoming complacent. I still need to honestly evaluate my life and reflect on how I want to act differently this coming year. It also doesn’t preclude trying my best.

But at this very moment my state of ‘now’ is my truth.”

— quoted from an article entitled “Perfectly Imperfect: The Secret of the Shofar” (09/12/2020) by Rabbi Binyomin Weisz

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10022022 Gandhi Jayanti & High Holidays”]

2024 PRACTICE NOTE: This practice included what I call the Lesson of the Oyster. It also included a “Monaism”.

“No man can be a good bishop if he loves his title but not his task.”

— quoted from City of God by Saint Augustine (Bishop of Hippo)

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.”

— quoted from the poem/song “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen

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 a new 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).

“Even when a man takes revenge on others who hate him, in spite of him not hating them initially, the pain caused by his vengeance will bring him inevitable sorrow.” (313)

“When a man inflicts pain upon others in the forenoon, it will come upon him unsought in the afternoon.” (319)

— quoted from the English translation of the Tamil lyrics of the song “Ahimsa” by U2 and A. R. Rahman, featuring Khatija and Raheema Rahman (translation from IntegralYoga.org)

### MAY YOUR NAME BE WRITTEN & SEALED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE ###

The McGuffin’s MacGuffin, redux & reprised (the “missing” Tuesday post) August 13, 2024

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Art, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Mantra, Meditation, Movies, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Vairagya, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
Tags: 988, Ahimsa, ahimsā, Alfred Hitchcock, Angus MacPhail, antiracism, Ashtavakra Gita, Berlin Wall, Bhagavad Gita, Charles Gounod, Charlotte Chandler, Eleanor Roosevelt, Epictetus, fear, fearless, fearless play, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ibram X. Kendi, Jack Hawley, James Allardic, Jeff Alexander, klishtaklishta, klişţāklişţāh, Leland Poague, MacGuffin, nervous system, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Paul Tillich, Potsdam Conference, Richard Freeman, Seneca, Shantipat, Stanley Wilson, Swami J, Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati, Thích Nhất Hạnh, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas Leitch, Todd McGowan, trauma, Upanishads, Wookiefoot, yama, Yoga Sutra 2.3, Yoga Sutra 2.9, ābhiniveśāḥ
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Many blessings to anyone observing Tisha B’Av and to everyone cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).

Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!

This is the “missing” for Tuesday, August 13^th. Technically, it is also the “long lost” post for 2023 and a portion of the 2022 practice. It includes some previously posted information. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

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.

“Upanishad is the subtler, mystical or yogic teachings of the philosophy and practices leading to the direct experience of the center of consciousness, the absolute reality. ‘Upa’ means ‘near;’ ‘ni’ means ‘down;’ ‘shad’ means ‘to sit.’ Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice and experience the means and goals of Yoga sadhana or practices. The Upanishads are also known as Vedanta, which means the end or culmination of the Vedas.”

— quoted from the “Upanishad” page by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (“Swami J”)

While the endings are the same, the beginnings of each of the shantipats are different. They are situational. So, today, I bring your awareness to the beginning of the “Teaching Shantipat.”

“May all of us together be protected….”

— quoted from the beginning of the “Teaching Shantipat,” chanted in Sanskrit by Richard Freeman (when we are in the studio)

The beginning of the “Teaching Shantipat.” is interesting (to me), because it is very similar to the beginning of the metta meditation: “May I be safe and protected.”

“It is not that you must be free from fear. The moment you try to free yourself from fear, you create resistance against fear. Resistance in any form does not end fear. What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it, not how to escape from it, not how to resist it.”

— Jiddu Krishnamurti

“‘Work hard in the world, Arjuna, but for work‘s sake only. You have every right to work but you should not crave the fruits of it. Although no one may deny you the outcomes of your efforts, you can, through determination, refuse to be attached to or affected by the results, whether favorable or unfavorable.

“‘The central points of issue, Arjuna, are desire and lack of inner peace. Desire for the fruits of one‘s actions brings worry about possible failure — the quivering mind I mentioned. When you are preoccupied with end results you pull yourself from the present into an imagined, usually fearful future. Then your anxiety robs your energy and, making matters worse, you lapse into inaction and laziness.’”

— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (2.47) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…. You must do what you think you cannot do.”

— quoted from You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life by Eleanor Roosevelt

“However, if the process of non-violence is to be effective in counteracting violence, we must first describe and outline it clearly and methodically. Because violent thoughts always precede a violent act, an act of non-violence will be effective only if it is preceded by non-violent thoughts. Violence is an active phenomenon, whereas non-violence is mistakenly thought to be passive – simply the absence of violence. But passive non-violence has no power to extinguish the fire if violence. Non-violence must be as active as violence itself.”

— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.33 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

“The opposite of racist isn’t ‘not racist.’ It is ‘anti-racist.’ What’s the difference? One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist, or racial equality as an anti-racist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an anti-racist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an anti-racist. There is no in-between safe space of ‘not racist.’”

— quoted from How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, PhD

“Courage is the strength to do what is right in the face of fear, as the anonymous philosopher tells us. I gain insight into what’s right from antiracist ideas. I gain strength from fear. While many people are fearful of what could happen if they resist, I am fearful of what could happen if I don’t resist, I am fearful of cowardice. Cowardice is the inability to amass the strength to do what is right in the face of fear. And racist power has been terrorizing cowardice into us for generations.”

— quoted from How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, PhD

“[Spoken: Alfred Hitchcock]
Thus far, this album has provided musical accompaniment to make your passing pleasant
Our next number is designed to drown out the sound of shovels
Music to be buried by
[Music begins]

Of course, your assassin may have made burial unnecessary
So, if you are completely encased in cement
And are teetering on the edge of a pier
Please try not to pay attention to this next number
It is not meant for you
As for the others, if you spend your evenings watching murder instead of doing it yourself
You may recognize this”

— quoted from Track 5, “Alfred Hitchcock Television Theme” on the album Alfred Hitchcock Presents Music to Be Murdered By by Alfred Hitchcock and Jeff Alexander (narration written by James Allardice; “Funeral March Of A Marionette” by Charles Gounod adapted by Jeff Alexander and Stanley Wilson)

“Hitchcock explained how the MacGuffin got its name:

‘Two men are traveling on a train to Scotland. One of them is carrying an odd parcel. The other man says, “What have you there?” and the other answers, “A MacGuffin.”

‘“What’s a MacGuffin?”

‘“It’s a special device designed to trap wild lions in the Scottish Highlands.”

‘“But there aren’t any lions in the Scottish Highlands.”

‘“Then, there is no MacGuffin.”

‘The MacGuffin, you see, is only important if you think it’s important, and that’s my job as a director, to make you think it’s important.’”

— quoted from “II. British Films: Cub Director” in It’s Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock: A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler²

“Hitchcock’s example of the MacGuffin emphasizes its impossible status: not only is the object that one [never has], but one cannot even isolate it as an idea. It remains necessarily empty, and yet functions as an engine for the Hitchcockian narrative. The emptiness of the MacGuffin as an object permits spectators to locate their satisfaction in the striving that it unleashes rather than identifying satisfaction with the discovery of its secret.”

— quoted from “The Empty Object” in “27. Hitchcock’s Ethics of Suspense: Psychoanalysis and the Devaluation of the Object” by Todd McGowan (as published in A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock, edited by Thomas Leitch and Leland Poague)

Take a moment to bring your awareness to what happens when you experience fear.

Are you someone who runs away from it… or towards it? Are you someone who likes to be fearless and play? Are you someone who tears down walls and barriers? Or, are you someone who builds walls?

“This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

“Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.”

— quoted from the March 4, 1933, Inaugural Speech by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

“What conflicts with the courage of wisdom is desires and fears. The Stoics developed a profound doctrine of anxiety which also reminds us of recent analyses. They discovered that the object of fear is fear itself. ‘Nothing,’ says Seneca, ‘is terrible in things except fear itself.’ And Epictetus says, ‘For it is not death or hardship that is a fearful thing, but the fear of death and hardship.’ Our anxiety puts frightening masks over all men and things. If we strip them of these masks their own countenance appears and the fear they produce disappears. This is true even of death. Since every day a little of our life is taken from us–since we are dying every day–the final hour when we cease to exist does not itself bring death; merely completes the death process. The horrors connected with it are a matter of imagination. They vanish when the mask is taken from the image of death.”

— quoted from “Chapter 1. Being and Courage – Courage and Wisdom: The Stoics” in The Courage To Be (pub. 1952) by Paul Tillich

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08132022 The McGuffin’s MacGuffin”]

NOTES:
¹ Angus MacPhail worked with Sir Alfred Hitchcock on Aventure Malgache (1944, uncredited writer); Bon Voyage (1944, writer); Spellbound (1945, writer for adaptation); The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956, uncredited contributing writer); and The Wrong Man (1956, screenwriter). He very briefly worked on the script development for Vertigo, which may be why the movie opens with San Francisco detective John “Scottie” Ferguson (as played by James Stewart) involved in a rooftop chase.

² Alfred Hitchcock used variations of this MacGuffin story on more than one occasion, including during a lecture at Columbia University in New York City (in 1939) and in a series of interviews. In some versions the conclusion was that there were no lions in the Scottish Highlands because the device in the parcel worked.

“We are very afraid of being powerless. But we have the power to look deeply at our fears, and then fear cannot control us. We can transform our fear. Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.”

— quoted from Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm by Thich Nhat Hanh

Extreme heat (and traumatic events) can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, they can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.

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 a new 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).

### BE Fearless & PLAY. BE WISE.###

Truth: A Note, an Excerpt, & FTWMI: What Happens When You Are Off-Center & Completely Ungrounded? June 22, 2024

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Life, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: Ajna, astronomy, David Block, Galileo Galilei, Holy See, Ken Burns, Melissa Giovagnoli, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, satya, Sun, truth, yama, Yoga Sutra 2.25, Yoga Sutras 1.6-1.7
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Happy Pride! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Commemoration of the Dead and/or working for more peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).

“Now. as a professor of applied maths, I have fun with thinking about different ways of looking at things. There are known-knowns; there are things we know that we know. They are known-knowns. For example if you leave a cake on the stove too long, my wife tells me, it gets burned and so on. You know what I mean. There are known-knowns, ok? There are things we know that we know.

But then there are known-unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. Alright? Then, there are unknown-unknowns. There are things that we don’t know that we don’t know.

And then, fourthly, there are unknown-knowns — these are things that we don’t know that we know.”

— quoted from the lecture “From Tyndale to Galileo: Grace and Space” by David Block, professor emeritus in the School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Have you ever wondered how can we ever really know the truth — IF you can really know the truth? I mean, how can we ever know that we know the Truth (when there is so much we don’t know)?

Truth comes up a lot in Yoga Philosophy. Dedication to it is satya, the focus of the second yama (external “restraint” or universal commandment). It could be considered “correct knowledge,” which is based on “perception, inference, and testimony or verbal communication from others who have knowledge.” (YS 1.6 – 1.7) Additionally, seeking it is the focus of the sixth chakra, which has been central to the June Saturday practices.

More specifically, the Ajna chakra is energetically and symbolically associated with “Big T” Truth, self evaluation, intellectual and emotional intelligence, the ability to learn from experience, and one’s openness to other people’s ideas. While the third eye is often referred to as the “seat of intuition,” it could also be called “the seat of curiosity.”

Of course, some people think curiosity is dangerous. Maybe those same people don’t realize that what they are really thinking is that knowledge is dangerous… that the truth is dangerous…. Or, maybe they know and that’s the whole point.

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has spent his whole career seeking the truth and then presenting it to the world. On May 19, 2024, in a key note address at Brandeis University, he said, “Remember the opposite of faith is not doubt. Doubt is central to faith. The opposite of faith is certainty.” Hearing that made me think of the Holy Office in Rome, which forced Galileo Galilei to recant the truth today in 1633.

For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2022. It includes an excerpt from 2020 and an additional excerpt from 2024.

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”

— Galileo Galilei, as quoted in Angels in the Workplace: Stories and Inspirations for Creating a New World of Work by Melissa Giovagnoli

Pay attention to those times when you, or someone around you, is very certain about something even though all evidence indicates that you, or someone around you, is wrong. In some cases, people may (or may not) acknowledge the truth when given the opportunity. In some cases, people are forced into situations where they intentionally prevaricate. Sometimes they are so adept in evasive language that it sounds like they are saying what you think they should be saying when, in reality, they aren’t acknowledging the truth at all.

The really twisted thing is that the scenario can play out in the same way even when you, or someone around you, is actually correct and you are being forced to recant your views because the people in the wrong are the people in power. This is exactly what happened to Galileo Galilee, today in 1633, when the Holy Office in Rome forced him to recant views that were (and are) widely accepted as the truth.

When compare what happened then to some things that are happening now, we must remember Yoga Sūtra 2.20, which indicates that we only see what our brain shows us, and we have to carefully consider if we are centered and grounded in what is real or if we are centered and grounded in something specifically designed to deceive us.*

As I blogged today in 2020: “Every one of us has a center — physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and energetically. Every one of us believes something is solid and true — even if we what we believe in is the impermanence of all things. We view everything we experience through the lens of our belief. This, more often than not, causes us to cling tightly to our beliefs. We cling tightly even when there is something inside of us that quietly whispers, or loudly shouts, that that to which we cling is wrong. We hold on to what is familiar, even if it no longer serves us, but we also hold on to that thing that we believe centers and grounds us. Sometimes we cling so tightly that we are unable to see we are off-center and completely ungrounded. Because, what we miss in holding on is that we have essentially told our mind/intellect, ‘This is the part that’s important; don’t bother me with anything else.’”

RE: Being Centered & Grounded

Please join me today (Saturday, June 22^nd) at 12:00 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 (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [“06222021 Staying Centered & Grounded”]

*NOTE: My intention in not naming names or specific current events is not to gaslight anyone or convince someone that I believe what they believe. Neither is it to imply who I see as “Galileo Galilee” and who I see as the “Holy See” in any modern example. Rather, I offer this as an opportunity to bring awareness to what our mind shows us and to observe how we respond or react to the information. Noting that, I also (unfortunately) recognize that some people may get it “wrong.”

“As long as our mind is contaminated by likes and dislikes, fear and doubt, we are bound to experience pain. Getting rid of this contaminated mind (chitta nivritti) is the ultimate pain reliever. We acquired a contaminated mind by embracing avidya. As soon as we renounce avidya, mental contaminants evaporate.”

— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.25 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

Grace, Zora, & Galileo’s Moons (a “long lost” Saturday post for Sunday)

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 a new 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).

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

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

### [MIND THE GAP] ###

The Last Appointment (a “long lost” Saturday post) June 5, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma, Life, Loss, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
Tags: abhiniveśaḥ, Betty Sue Flowers, Bill Moyers, David Grubin, Death, Elizabeth Meryman-Brunner, George Lucas, grief, Hero's Journey, John Mellencamp, Joseph Campbell, Judith Suzanne Davidson Moyers, kriya, Matthew Sanford, R. S. Thomas, Samyama, Savasana, siddhis, yama, Yoga Sutra 2.9, Yoga Sutra 3.16, Yoga Sutra 3.23
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Pardon me as I catch up on some “long lost” posts. It looks like the first Saturday I missed in 2021 was June 5^th. So, here is the “long lost” post related to Saturday, June 5^th. My apologies for the delay. It is the second of three posts (so far) dedicated to Bill Moyers (and the first of two being posted for the first time). You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com. TRIGGER WARNING: This post is a philosophical exploration of death.

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.)

“Still; all that close throng
Of spirits waiting, as I,
For the message.
Prompt me, God;
But not yet. When I speak,
Though it be you who speak
Through me, something is lost.
The meaning is in the waiting.”

– quoted from the poem “Kneeling” by R. S. Thomas

Most physical practices of yoga conclude with Śavāsana (“Seat of the Corpse” or Dead Man’s Pose). I often refer to it as the final pose, even though it’s more like the penultimate pose – if you don’t count the fact that we usually roll over into a “recovery pose” before we sit up and seal in the practice (in which case it’s the third to last pose). I don’t do them often, but I especially appreciate practices where there is more than one moment to lie down and be still. On the flip side, I know people who say they only come for Śavāsana. Then there are those people who habitually skip Śavāsana (not because they can’t lie down on their backs, but because they don’t like the stillness and the silence). How ever you look at it, though, there is symbolism in the practice and so that moment, lying in stillness, is an important part of the practice for several reasons. Some people say it is THE most important part of the practice. It’s a moment to rest and digest what we’ve done/accomplished. It also marks the “death” of our practice. It’s a moment when we let go of everything we’ve done and everything we could have done. It is also, depending on your beliefs, a moment of waiting.

Waiting… for what comes next.

We can get super metaphysical, religious, and/or spiritual about what comes next. Since the Yoga Philosophy comes to us by way of India, we could even get into the fact that – for someone who believes in reincarnation – Śavāsana marks an ending and a beginning. Or, we can just stick to the simplest reality, which is that what comes next is this present moment, right here and right now, or… no more moments (at least as we know them). Those options are a great starting point for meditation. So, bring your awareness to this present moment and, on another existential level, bring your awareness to how you’re engaging the gift that is this present moment.

ATHA [Sanskrit] – Here or Now, often used at the beginning of a story or sacred text, such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtras, to indicate an “auspicious moment” and a beginning that is the culmination of previous trainings, teachings, moments, and/or preparation.

Saying that that we call it the “present” (in English), because it is a gift may be one of those trite, pithy sayings that some people are sick of hearing. But, the statement is also a reminder that this time we have been given is not promised. It’s also a reminder that, once it’s gone, we never get it back. There will never be a moment like this exact moment. Even if you do something more than once, it’s never exactly the same – if for no other reason than that you’ve done it before and that, in and of itself, makes things different: your brain is different, your experiences are different. You are different. So, as trite as the statement may be, it can bring awareness to how we spend our time.

In the Yoga Sūtras, Patanjali spent a lot of time talk about how the mind works and how we can work the mind. His treatise can help us understand the sheer power of the mind/brain, the power of the mind-body-spirit connection, and how we can use all of that power to alleviate three-fold suffering (physical, mental, and spiritual). Of course, to really understand how everything comes together, we have to understand the nature of our suffering. So, just as the Buddha would do, Patanjali sketched out a road map to – and away from – suffering. This road map moves through five afflicted/dysfunctional thought patterns, beginning with avidyā (“ignorance”) and leading straight to abhiniveśaḥ (which is often translated as “fear of death/loss”). In truth, that last afflicted/dysfunctional thought pattern is literally a desire for and attachment to this life we are living, even when/though it is a life of suffering. While avidyā is the bedrock of the thoughts and behaviors that lead to suffering, abhiniveśaḥ is the culmination and the fruit. Or, you can think of it as the end.

Yoga Sūtra 2.9: svarasavāhī viduṣo‘pi tathārūḍho’bhiniveśaḥ

– “Fear of death carries its own essence and rides [the consciousness] of even the wise.”

An alternate variation of Yoga Sūtra 2.9: svarasavāhī viduṣo ‘pi samārūḍho ‘bhiniveśaḥ

– “Flowing through its own nature, and established even in the learned, is the clinging to life.”

Ah, yes, Death.

It’s interesting to note that there are (at least) two different variations of this sūtra (in Sanskrit) and that the translations and commentaries from various scholars range from an emphasis on the fear to an emphasis on the clinging/attachment and from an emphasis on death to an emphasis on life. In either case, there are two consistent factors: (1) things change and (2) it is human nature not to like change. The subtext, of course, is that no matter how wise you are; how learned you how are; how rich, powerful, and/or beautiful you are, you have an appointment with Death. We all do. In fact, it doesn’t matter if we have a digital calendar, an analog calendar, or if we just keep events in your head, it is our final appointment.

Ancient philosophers, like Patanjali and the Buddha, are not the only ones who have contemplated this final appointment. Modern philosophers, anthropologists, psychiatrists, and teachers, like those interviewed the 2003 documentary Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality, have also considered our relationship with this final appointment. In fact, the documentary focused on research showing how the very human fear of death manifests as xenophobic behaviors that mirror the two different translations of Yoga Sūtra 2.9. Even subtle reminders, like this blog post, can cause some people to cling to those they love and cause others to lash out (sometimes violently) at those they perceive as being different from them. Overt, violent, and/or unexpected reminders can produce extreme manifestations of these two types of behavior.

Storytellers from many different cultures have played around with the idea that we can escape (or reschedule) death. Every year during Diwali, I tell the story of the clever wife who saves her husband from Yama (in the guise of a snake) by lighting up the bedroom and singing songs and telling stories all night. It is similar to the story of Scheherazade, who tells the king 1,000 stories over 1,001 nights in order to save her own life. Another very popular variation on this theme is the story of a servant (or sometimes it’s a business person or a rich and powerful person) who tries to escape when their in the marketplace and they see Death making a threatening gesture. Only later, the reader learns, Death was just shopping (or, perhaps, there for someone else) and was simply startled because they didn’t expect to the servant until another time… and in another place.

There’s no escaping it. In fact, from the moment we are born and take our first breath, we are on a journey towards death and our last breath. We just don’t know when it’s going to happen. Would you want to know? Would knowing change the way you handled your other “appointments” or the manner in which you engage other people you encounter?

For some, the answer to the first question is absolutely not. Still, there’s no denying that having a time limit, as it were, will change some behaviors. Just thinking about the possibility causes some people to metaphorically stop living and causes others to live each day as if it is their last – even though, in most cases, they “know” that it is not and so there’s a little cognitive dissonance there. For those, however, who would like to know the date and time of their last appointment, there’s a yoga sūtra for that.

Yoga Sūtra 3.23: sopakramaṃ nirupakramaṃ ca karma tatsaṃyamādaparāntajñānamariṣñebhyo vā

– “Karma is of two kinds — soon to come to fruition and late to come to fruition. By making Samyana on these, or by the signs called Arishta, portents, the Yogis know the exact time of separation from their bodies.”

Remember, karma is a Sanskrit word that means “work,” “effort,” or “action.” It refers to everything we think, say, and do, as well everything we experience. Or, more accurately, it refers to everything we thought, said, did, and experienced. Because, unlike kriya – which is similarly translated into English – karma specifically refers to the effect of work/effort/action completed in the past. Hence, we often think of karma as a seed that has been planted. It can take root, it can blossom, and it can grow – regardless of if it results in a fruit tree, a root vegetable, a shade true, a flower, a bush, or an unsightly weed. The key here is to remember that not everything grows the same way and/or at the same rate. Some things are like the Chinese bamboo tree. Other things are like night-blooming jasmine or cherry blossoms.

If we look at the idea of karma from the perspective of reincarnation, then our actions in this lifetime determine our next lifetime. If we look at it through the lens of some Abrahamic religious traditions, then our actions in this lifetime determine if we go to heaven or “hell” or some form of purgatory. More often than not, I tend to look at karma through a more immediate lens – that is to say, how have our past actions determined this present moment and how do our actions in this present moment inform our future moments? According the Yoga Sūtra 3.16, if we apply samyama – the combined force of focus plus concentration plus meditation – to three kinds of changes, we gain knowledge of the past and the future. By that same token, if we apply samyama to certain signs (related to our actions), we will know the exact moment of our death. Again, you could look at this in relation to past lives and reincarnation; however, it is much easier to grasp Patanjali’s intention when we focus on the here and now, this present moment.

Go deeper still and you will find that the things to which we must pay attention are specifically “warning signs.” The instruction in Yoga Sūtra 3.23 is to focus-concentrate-meditate on signs of something bad, calamitous, distressing, wretched, and even evil. In some ways it’s like the ancient version of “if you see something, say something.” So, in the natural world, we could look at things that don’t grow as expected; scavengers that circle around dying prey; flooding; and/or draught. Patanjali, though, was emphasizing contemplation and introspection that leads to how we show up in the world. It’s “when you see something, do something.” In other words, turn inward and notice how some of your thoughts, words, deeds, and experiences are signs and/or roots of demise, decay, suffering, and destruction. Again, turn inward in order to turn outward.

“I’ve always been interested in the relations of mind and body, growing up as I did in a culture that separated them distinctly. In science class we studied the material world, which we expected would someday be understood and predicted down to the last molecule. In philosophy we studied models of reality, based on the rational mind, that took no notice of conditions male and female, sick and well, rich and poor. And then in church we learned that we would someday take off this body as we might a suit of clothes and live as disembodied souls. Yet every day in this divided world of mind and body, our language betrayed our limitations of our categories.”

– quoted from the “Introduction” of Healing and the Mind by Bill Moyers (Editor, Betty Sue Flowers; Executive Editor, David Grubin; Art Research, Elizabeth Meryman-Brunner)

Ideally, we are all living life in a way that reflects our beliefs. The reality, however, is that we sometimes compromise our beliefs because our actions contradict them and/or because our fear of failure – which can manifest in a lot of different ways – freezes us in limbo. It can happen in the most subtle and insidious ways: We hang around someone who is constantly saying, “I don’t know,” (even when they do); then we get in the habit of saying, “I don’t know,” (even when we do); and suddenly we find we have abdicated our own expertise and given up our opportunities. Somehow, being reminded that we have a limited amount of time in these mind-bodies, flips the script. We start thinking about our legacy and how we will be remembered. We start re-aligning our mind-body-spirit and our thoughts, words, and deeds.

Think about it: What would you do (or not do) if you knew you only had a day, a week, a month, or a year or two? Yes, of course, some time would be spent coming to grips with the change in your circumstances – or, really, the change in your awareness of your circumstances. At some point you would go through all, some, or most of the stages of grief – maybe more than once. But, then what? Does knowing how much (or how little) time we have with our mind-body change the way we engage our mind-body? It must, right? I mean, for most people, that sense of urgency creates a shift in priorities. But, when (or how) does the general awareness of our temporal nature change the way we spend our time? When or how do we live as if we are dying? Do we only cherish our lives when we are confronted with death?

Questions about life and death, faith and reason, and the stories we tell about our lives and our beliefs inevitably come up when people talk to Bill Moyers, who was born in Hugo Oklahoma on June 5, 1934. Primarily raised in Marshall, Texas, Bill Moyers is more than a journalist. He is also an ordained minister who served as the 13^th White House Press Secretary (working with both Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson). Along with his wife, Judith Suzanne Davidson Moyers, he has produced a variety of programming, including Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth (filmed on George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch, in 1988); The Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas (also filmed at Skywalker Ranch, in 1999); Faith and Reason; and Healing and the Mind. He has also produced and facilitated conversations about a wide range of topics, including evil, racism, prayer, democracy, poetry, art, and the experiences of U. S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. His many books include Listening to America: A Traveler Rediscovers His Country, A World of Ideas : Conversations With Thoughtful Men and Women About American Life Today and the Ideas Shaping Our Future, A World of Ideas II: Public Opinions from Private Citizens, The Language of Life (which is a conversation with poets), Genesis: A Living Conversation, and the book based on the series Healing and the Mind.

Intimacy and vulnerability are two of the beautiful and amazing attributes found in Bill Moyers work. For example, in the introduction to the book Healing and the Mind, he wrote about the seemingly contradictory things he grew up hearing, his brother’s death, the way his father reacted to his brother’s death, and the way he (Bill Moyers) reacted to his father’s reaction. What he shared highlighted the mind-body connection and explained his own fascination with the power of that connection. His observations and insights can be a jumping off point for anyone who wants to explore their own connection to life, death, healing, living, and dying, as well as their connections to other people.

“All my life I’ve prayed the Lord’s Prayer, but I’ve never prayed, ‘Give me this day my daily bread.’ It is always, ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ Bread and life are shared realities. They do not happen in isolation.”

– from “Pass the Bread,” baccalaureate address at Hamilton College (20 May 2006), as quoted in “Moyers on Democracy” by Bill Moyers

Lots of people have had different views and philosophies about the best way to live (and even the best way to live while dying). The ancient stoics believed in acknowledging what was, in any given moment; accepting their circumstances; and then making the most of the situation. Modern stoicism has interpreted this to mean that one should stuff down and/or ignore their emotions, but that often leads to mental and emotional instability. On the flip side, old-fashioned stoicism emphasized being content, happy, even joyful (depending on what that means to you in this moment) within a given fate. To be “independently happy,” requires philosophical and emotional stability that supports your through anything. It requires a foundation of faith that can be applied to any situation. On a certain level, it requires a story – a certain kind of “healing story,” as Matthew Sanford calls them,” which is a story that makes sense of every situation within which we find ourselves.

As a society, as communities, and as individuals, we all have stories that bring us comfort, especially in challenging and troubling times, and we use those stories to make sense of the world (especially in challenging and troubling times). Our stories explain why we do the things we do or don’t do the things we don’t do. Our stories are the way our brains create certainty where there is uncertainty, reason when there seems to be no reason. Since most people fear the unknown, and fear can be our strongest (and most motivating) emotion, our stories create something known out of the unknown. Philosophy, religion, science are all different ways that we tell these stories. Sometimes, we even have stories about not having stories – or not believing someone else’s stories.

“When my brother died in 1966, my father began a grieving process that lasted almost twenty-five years. For all that time he suffered from chronic, debilitating headaches. I took him to some of the country’s major medical facilities, but no one could cure him of his pain. At one point during that ongoing search for a help, a doctor tried to teach him that his headaches were somehow related to his grief. But my father persisted in treating his pain exclusively as a medical problem, and the headaches continued to torment him.”

– quoted from the “Introduction” of Healing and the Mind by Bill Moyers (Editor, Betty Sue Flowers; Executive Editor, David Grubin; Art Research, Elizabeth Meryman-Brunner)

The details may be different; however, we ultimately have the same story that moves through the same cycle or journey. It’s the hero’s journey that Joseph Campbell outlined in books like The Hero with a Thousand Faces and that Bill Moyers discussed with him and with George Lucas during visits to Skywalker Ranch. Part of that journey is fear of the unknown and grief over what the hero(ine) has lost by leaving the “Ordinary World” and “Crossing the Threshold” (both coming and going). Another part of the of the journey is the “Apotheosis,” which is a moment of death. This can be a physical death and a period of time where the protagonists “lives in spirit” or it can be the death of one’s ego. It is a divine state of being, a moment infused with knowledge, love, compassion, and bliss – which, through the existential philosophy lens, is the exact opposite of the lives we are currently living… the very state of being to which we cling with all of our being.

Moving beyond the “Apotheosis” results in receiving/earning the “Ultimate Boon” and marks the beginning of the end of the journey. Once we reach this point in our story, it is time to return to the “Ordinary World.” Only, when we return, everything is different; we are different. As Patanjali points out in the Yoga Sūtra 2.20-2.26, once we realize certain things, we cannot un-see them; once we reach a certain point in our practice, we achieve great powers (the siddhis) and attain a previously unexperienced freedom. This freedom is freedom from ignorance and freedom from suffering, which means it is also freedom from fear.

How would you spend your time if you were fearless? How would you live your life? What risks would you take? What risks would not make sense? How would you treat your mind-body and the mind-bodies around you?

Note that while there are certain individuals in society who are described as having no conscience – and, therefore, no fear – these individuals are not concerned with moral and/or ethical consequences. They only focus on cause and effect as it relates to “winning” or besting someone. This is not wholesome, skillful, or functional. In fact, it is the exact opposite. Remember, the hero’s “Ultimate Boon” is not only something that serves the individual who achieves/earns it, it is something that serves their whole community.

“Our very lives depend on the ethics of strangers, and most of us are always strangers to other people.”

– Bill Moyers

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06052021 The Last Appointment”]

I normally take a different path on this date (but it is the same journey). Or, click here for my 2022 post “The Journey Continues…”

“[At the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences] Experts in the field of endocrinology, immunology, neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, and epidemiology gathered to compare notes, findings, and doubts. Why is it, they wondered, that about 60 percent of the outpatient visits to primary care physicians are related to stress or mind/body interactions? That perhaps one in five primary care visits are attributable ‘to major depressive anxiety disorders’? I read of one such meeting where a notable declared that ‘if this were a medical disorder that wasn’t being diagnosed or treated, the situation would be regarded as scandalous.”

– quoted from the “Introduction” of Healing and the Mind by Bill Moyers (Editor, Betty Sue Flowers; Executive Editor, David Grubin; Art Research, Elizabeth Meryman-Brunner)

### “Your life is now / in this undiscovered moment” ~ JM ###

Liminal, Lofty, & Rare Days – Redux (the “missing” Friday post) March 6, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in 19-Day Fast, Baha'i, Bhakti, Books, Changing Perspectives, Confessions, Dharma, Faith, First Nations, Healing Stories, Helen Keller, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Loss, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.
Tags: Alexander Graham Bell, Alexander Melville Bell, Anne Sullivan, Bramcharya, Catherine Drexel, Dhyāna, Dhāraṇā, Feast Day of Saint Katharine, Jack Hawley, Jacqueline Kennedy, James H. Platt, James Kubicki, Kanienʼkéha, Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace, Mohawk, Orison Swett Marden, Saint Katharine, Samyama, Samādhi, Shannen Dee Williams, Soma Yoga, Somatic Yoga, Susan Moon, Visible Speech, World Hearing Day, yama, Yoga Sutra 2.38
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Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent, Great Lent, the Baháʼí 19-Day Fast, and/or Purim during this “Season for Non-violence” and all other seasons!

This is the “missing” post for the “First Friday Night Special” on March 3^rd. It includes an excerpt from 2021 that has been expanded and placed in a different context. You can request an audio recording of this Somatic Yoga Experience (SYE) practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

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.)

“We are all made of the ancestors who came before us, those who bore us and those who bore the ones who bore us, all the way back through the generations to Great-Grandmother and Great-Grandfather Amoeba. Some of our ancestors may not have been admirable people, but we came from them, too, whether we like them or not.”

– quoted from “We Will Be Ancestors Too” in Alive Until You’re Dead: Notes on the Home Stretch by Susan Moon

Don’t laugh; but, I was yesterday years old when I realized that each of the “Season for Non-violence” themes provided (online) by the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace actually contains an embedded link that provides practice tips for each day and theme. In my defense, each daily theme is inspired by the work of Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. – and, up until March 3^rd, I could fairly easily recall speeches, talks, and sermons from each leader that connected to to the theme. Also, what I considered (in my practice) fit the declared objective: “…to create an awareness of nonviolent principles and practice as a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and communities.” Had I paid more attention to the last part of the statement (“It is, therefore, the purpose of the Season and the following 64 Daily Practices to educate and inspire individuals and organizations alike to actively seek out nonviolent means by which to empower themselves and others to co-exist in peace and prosper together in community.”) I would have gotten more curious about the “educate” aspect; but, alas, I was just cruising along until the March 3^rd theme: Acknowledgement.

If you follow the “Acknowledgement” link (which I am including here), you will find quotes, discussion topics, and exercises related to the oneness of life, the sacredness of life, and how our interconnectedness enables us to achieve the things we achieve in life. Acknowledgement here is directly tied to gratitude. In particular, it is tied to gratitude for those whose efforts contribute to our existence and way of moving through the world. This is very much a theme that shows up in the work and words of both Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. King, and it makes sense that contemplation along these lines “elevates our awareness of nonviolence.” Additionally, I think it is important to recognize and acknowledge when someone has the best intentions and yet causes harm. I think, too, that it is important to acknowledge how someone can make great contributions to the world – contributions that benefit most of our lives – and, yet, they can be not so great people (and/or have really horrendous ideas).

If you wonder how such contemplation can also meet the season’s objectives and elevate our awareness of nonviolence, consider that (a) we all make mistakes; (b) individually and collectively, we are all better off when we can learn from past mistakes (and other people’s mistakes); and (c) healing and empowerment can begin/continue with an acknowledgement that people (individually and collectively) were wronged.

Please keep all that in mind as you soak up the following; because, March 3^rd is a day when I sometimes reference people who are venerated (socially and, in one case, religiously) even though their actions caused harm.

“‘The ideal, Arjuna, is to be intensely active and at the same time have no selfish motives, no thoughts of personal gain or loss. duty uncontaminated by desire leads to inner peacefulness and increased effectiveness. This is the secret art of living a life of real achievement!’”

– Krishna speaking to Arjuna (2.47 excerpt) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley

When we are going about our every day, busy, mundane/profane lives, we may find ourselves measuring success in very different ways than we do when we step into the sacred and mystical. Stepping into the sacred for a week or two, or several months, requires changing the business (and the busy-ness) of our days and, also, changing the focus of our days – which is exactly what people are currently doing as they observe the Lenten season and/or the Baháʼí 19-Day Fast. During these times, some may look at success as successfully giving something up or doing something positive for a predetermined period of time. That kind of success, however, is still rooted in the physical. Spiritual success, on the internal level, is not measured in the same way. Remember, people in different traditions are spending this time (i.e., these “liminal days”) focused on a higher, deeper, more resilient (i.e., “lofty”) and lasting connection with the Divine (whatever that means to you at this moment). So, if their success could be measured, it would be measured by that deeply personal and sacred relationship. I emphasized “if” and “could,” because what I am suggesting is similar to what happens when we look at the practice of Brahmacharya.

Brahmacharya is the fourth yama (external “restraint” or universal “commandment”) in the Yoga Philosophy. The first part of the word refers to one of the name’s of God and also to an individual’s highest Self. The second part of the word can be translated into English in several ways, including as “occupation with, engaging, proceeding, behavior, conduct, to follow, moving in, going after.” It was first explained to me as conducting oneself as if you are “chasing God” or “following in the footsteps of God.” In Yoga Sūtra 2.38, Patanjali explained that it is a practice through which one gains “vigor and vitality.”

So, what is the practice, you ask?

There is an actually practice, which is different in different traditions; however, most people (in the West) talk about the practice of the concept of brahmacharya, based on the way Yoga Sūtra 2.38 is translated. Some English translations use the words “continence” or “abstention from incontinence” – both of which are related to passions/desires and bodily functions (like elimination). Some English translations, however, just focus on celibacy (and refraining from sexual relations on a physical, mental, and verbal level). These are all things that can, mostly, be seen and measured on the outside. They are, on some level, identifiable and obvious. I would argue, however, that this most obvious part of the practice misses the fact that brahmacharya is an internal practice. Like the other yamas, it just shows up in external ways.

But, just because we can easily see how something like sex can be distracting and how it can pull our focus, does not mean that we don’t go deeper. Since we often measure profane success financially, one way to go deeper is to look at the life of someone who had a lot of money and yet successfully devoted their life to the sacred.

“‘To work without desire may seem impossible, but the way to do it is to substitute thoughts of Divinity for thoughts of desire. Do your work in this world with your heart fixed on the Divine instead of on outcomes. Do not worry about results. Be even tempered in success or failure. This mental evenness is what is mean by yoga…. Indeed, equanimity is yoga!’”

– Krishna speaking to Arjuna (2.48) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley

Full disclosure: I do not detail egregious behavior and/or opinions; however, the remainder of this post does include passing references to eugenics, racism, and cultural genocide.

In the past, I have compared the path of Saint David to the path of Saint Katharine (Drexel), whose feast day is March 3^rd. Born Catherine Mary Drexel on November 26, 1858, Saint Katharine was a Philadelphia-born heiress who, along with her two sisters, inherited several millions when her father and step-mother died. That’s several million USD, even after the $1.5 million USD that was subtracted for charitable donations stipulated in their father’s will. The will also ensured that the sisters maintained control of their own finances.

In many ways, the Drexel sisters (Elizabeth, Catherine, and Louise) were American royalty. Their grandfather, Francis Martin Drexel, was an Austrian-born banker, whose American-born sons followed in his footsteps. Francis Anthony Drexel, the girls’ father, was a wealthy banker whose younger brothers were Anthony Joseph Drexel Sr. and and Joseph William Drexel. Anthony Joseph Drexel Sr. was one of the senior partners of Drexel, Morgan & Company (now J.P. Morgan & Co.); the founder of Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry (now Drexel University); and was deeply committed to integrating art and urban planning. Joseph William Drexel worked as a banker at Drexel, Morgan & Company until he decided to give up the business world in order to focus on collecting books and art and other philanthropic endeavors. Elizabeth and Catherine’s mother, Hannah Langstroth Drexel, died several weeks after Catherine was born and, in 1860, their father married Emma Bouvier – the great, great aunt of Jacqueline (née Bouvier) Kennedy Onassis.

The girls grew up with luxury, privilege, and a devout Roman Catholicism that emphasized good works. Their father, Francis Anthony Drexel, prayed 30-minutes a day. When their mother died, the eldest girls spent some time living with their uncle Joseph, who owned a farm where he provided room and board and agricultural training for people who were out of work. When Francis married Emma, the girls returned home and saw how their father supported and encouraged Emma to open their home in order to provide food, clothing, and medicine to the less fortunate. At some point they would have also been aware that Francis and Emma regularly paid the rents of approximately 150 other families – and they would have learned the importance of doing what one could and looking out for others in the world.

“At her canonization in 2000, Saint John Paul II said, ‘From her parents [Blessed Katharine Drexel] learned that her family’s possessions were not for them alone but were meant to be shared with the less fortunate. She began to devote her fortune to missionary and educational work among the poorest members of society. Later, she understood that more was needed. With great courage and confidence in God’s grace, she chose to give not just her fortune but her whole life totally to the Lord.’”

– quoted from “March 3” in 2016 edition of A Year of Daily Offerings by James Kubicki S. J.

In 1887, several years after their parents died and they became multi-millionaires, the sisters received a private audience with Pope Leo XIII. Katharine wanted to know why the pope wasn’t doing more to alleviate the suffering of Indigenous Americans. The pope suggested that Katharine become a missionary and undertake the task. Ultimately, she decided to take on the suggestion. She took holy vows in 1891. Then, joined by 13 other women, she founded Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People (now known as Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament [SBS]), a religious congregation for women that specifically served Indigenous and African American people. She dedicated her time, energy, and considerable resources to the Church, financing over 60 missions and schools around the United States, including founding Xavier University of Louisiana – the only historically Black and Catholic university in the United States.

Of course, the unfortunate and tragic part of this story is that the students at the Indian schools were (more often than not) stolen from their homes and families, in order to make them less-Indian – something Pope Francis has recently acknowledged and apologized for on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church (at least in Canada). Also documented, though less publicized, has been cases of racism experienced by African American students (who were often treated as an afterthought) and African American nuns who took vows through SBS.

Of course, none of this injury to marginalized communities was seriously considered when Katharine died on March 3, 1955. I’m not even sure how much it would be considered if she died today; because, her life’s work would be (and was) measured by the perceived good that she did for the Church and in God’s name. It was those metrics (and a series of miracles) that led the way for her to eventually become the second U S. citizen to be canonized, and the first Roman Catholic saint actually born a United States citizen.

“African American Catholics who supported Drexel’s sainthood were seemingly unaware of the order’s 1893 segregationist vote and SBS leaders seemingly did not inform them….. Finally, knowledge of SBS’s segregationist practices may not have disqualified Drexel for sainthood. White female congregational leaders Elizabeth Seton and Rose Philippine Duchesne, who exploited enslaved labor and practiced segregation, were canonized in 1975 and 1988 respectively. Cornelia Connelly, another enslaver and the US-born foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Child of Jesus (SHCJ), was declared venerable in 1992.”

– quoted from the note “72” of “Notes to Introduction” in Subversive Habits: Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Freedom Struggle by Shannen Dee Williams

Katharine Drexel is considered the patron saint of philanthropy and (ironically) of racial justice; however, the miracles that led to her beatification and canonization are not related to the racial justice. They are related to the senses. She was beatified in 1988, after the Vatican concluded that her intercession resulted in a boy (Robert Gutherman of Bensalem, PA) being cured of deafness in 1974. She was canonized in 2000 after the Vatican announced that a young girl (Amy Wall of Bucks County, PA) had been cured of her deafness after her 7-year old brother (Jack, who believed in miracles) insisted that the family prayer to “Mother Drexel.” Her feast day (which is the anniversary of her death) is also the anniversary of the he birth of Alexander Graham Bell (b. 1847), whose interest in hearing and speech and all things acoustic stemmed from his mother’s deafness and his father’s work in linguistics.

Like Katharine Drexel, Alexander Bell (the “Graham” was added when he was ten years old) was a middle child whose early life was touched by death and loss. His mother, Eliza Grace Bell (née Symonds), started losing her hearing when he was around twelve years old and his brothers (Melville James Bell and Edward Charles Bell) died of tuberculosis when he was in his early twenties. His father, Alexander Melville Bell, followed in the footsteps of his father (Alexander Bell) and older brother (David Charles Bell) and became a phonetician and elocutionist. Young Aleck’s father, specialized in speech disorders and developed “Visible Speech” – a system of symbols specifically designed to teach deaf people how to position and move their throat, tongue, and lips in order to speak – and wrote books about how to teach deaf people to speak and to read lips. Alexander Melville Bell was also his sons’ first teacher and, so, the three Bell brothers learned all the tricks of the linguistics trade.

“The question arose, ‘“How are you going to describe a constriction?”’ It was observed that the principal organs concerned with speech group themselves into two classes, namely, active and passive. Generally, the lower organs fall in the active group and the upper ones fall in the passive group. For instance: ‘“In forming the sound (t), the point of the tongue is the active agent involved, and the upper gum is the passive.”’ It must also be understood that in this case the two organs under discussion approximate together so as to completely close the intervening passageway.”

– quoted from the Journal of Speech Disorders (1947, 12, 377-380) article entitled “The Method of Alexander Graham Bell and A. Melville Bell for Studying the Mechanism of Speech” by James H. Platt

Alexander Graham Bell had a special affinity for music and art, as well as a special talent when it came to language, elocution, mimicry, and even a form of ventriloquism. He learned different ways to communicate with his mother, including using a version of Sign Language, and was so adept at “Visible Speech” and his father’s principles of elocution that Alexander Melville Bell used Aleck during public demonstrations, to show how they techniques could be used with a variety of languages. All of this led Aleck to study elocution and acoustics at the university-level. It also led him to experiment with sound-producing mechanisms and, when he was a teenager, he and his brother Melville even created a machine that could “talk” – inspired him to experiment with ways to make his dog speak English.

Aleck was pursuing a career as an elocution teacher, specifically working with deaf students, when his brothers died and his parents thought it would be best if the remaining family relocated to North America. In Canada, he continued working with elocution, experimenting with electricity and mechanical devices, and eventually used “Visible Speech” to create a written version of Mohawk (Kanienʼkéha, “[language] of the Flint Place”). In 1871, he started working with deaf schools in New England (training teachers to use his father’s “Visible Speech System”) and continued working on a device that would be able to transmit and receive sound. A little over a year later, in October 1872, he opened the “School of Vocal Physiology and Mechanics of Speech” where he worked directly with deaf students. During this time, he was also working as a professor of Vocal Physiology and Elocution at the Boston University School of Oratory and continuing his experiments.

When his workload started to affect his health, he gave up all but two of his private students: six-year old George “Georgie” Sanders (who was born deaf) and 15-year old Mabel Hubbard (who lost her hearing after contracting scarlet fever). He was particular inspired by Mabel, who he would marry in 1877. Another student whose life he would greatly inspire was Helen Keller, who lost both her hearing and sight after experiencing a severe illness as a baby. He recommended that Arthur Henley Keller and Catherine Everett (née Adams) Keller contact the Perkins Institution to find a teacher for young Helen. The recommended teacher was Anne Sullivan (the “Miracle Worker”), who started working with the young girl, Helen Keller, in March of 1887.

“Doubtless the work of the past few months does seem like a triumphal march to him; but then people seldom see the halting and painful steps by which the most insignificant success is achieved.”

– quoted from a letter written by Anne Sullivan, dated October 30, 1887

Thomas Sanders and Gardiner Greene Hubbard (the fathers of “Georgie” and Mabel) became A. G. Bell’s benefactors, providing him with financial support and a place to conduct his experiments. That support enabled Alexander Graham Bell to apply for patents; hire Thomas A. Watson, an electrical designer and mechanic, as his assistant; and organize what would become the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (established in 1877). Mr. Bell and Mr. Watson successfully transmitted sound in June 1875 and, on March 10, 1876, successfully made a “telephone” call. Over the next few months, they extended the range for one-way calls and then were able to make two-way calls. Ten years later, over 150,000 people in the United States owned landlines and the inventors were continuously improving on their device and on the infrastructure needed to make them work.

Again, however, there was/is controversy – and some of it is quite unfortunate, tragic even. First, there is the controversy around the patents and the device that ended up working. Many people said (and say) that Elisha Gray should be credited as the inventor of the telephone (because of a discrepancy in the patent process and the fact that A. G. Bell’s success required the use of Mr. Gray’s liquid transmitter). Then there is the controversy surrounding Alexander Graham Bell’s opinions of people with disabilities – and this part is a controversy wrapped in a controversy.

Alexander Graham Bell believed in deaf people and people with impaired hearing (essentially) masking their deafness by learning to speak and read lips. This is an undisputed fact – meaning, his belief in this idea is undisputed. Neither is it disputed that he wrote about and participated in eugenics studies that advocated for people’s civil rights and liberties to be diminished. Nor is it disputed that some of his peers and students, like Helen Keller, supported eugenic philosophies. What is disputed is whether or not he actually believed the nonsense. He made a point of stating and writing, on more than one occasion, that he did not believe deaf people should be limited in who the could marry. When asked if the thought “‘environment and heredity count in success,’” he said, “‘Environment, certainly; heredity, not so distinctly.’” But, people saw the next part of his statement as open to interpretation. Similarly, he made a point of distancing himself from certain organizations; however, his actions did not stop said organizations from using his name and his words to support their very damaging theories and world views.

Both Saint Katharine Drexel and Alexander Graham Bell wanted to help people that, on a certain level, they saw as less fortunate than them – and that’s commendable. The fact that they were “successful,” according to certain parameters, makes their stories inspirational. However, their good intentions and good work also caused harm; possibly because they didn’t just think they were helping people that were less fortunate than them. It is possible that they believed they were successfully helping people who were “less than” them – and that is a mindset that is always problematic and always leads to suffering.

While I say all of this, I don’t want to discount the fact that people continue to be inspired by both Saint Katharine and Alexander Graham Bell. March 3^rd was even designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as World Hearing Day.* (Although I can find no reference to A. G. Bell in WHO materials, it seems a little too coincidental to not be related.) People are inspired for a lot of different reasons; but, one of those reasons is that both were famously focused – and our ability to focus was the main point of Friday’s practice.

“Peacefully do at each moment what at that moment ought to be done. If we do what each moment requires, we will eventually complete God’s plan, whatever it is. We can trust God to take care of the master plan when we take care of the details.”

– St. Katharine Drexel (d. 03/03/1955)

Doing what ought to be done, requires focusing on the moment and the task at hand. To varying degrees and for varying lengths of time, we all have the ability to focus. Sometimes we do it intentionally; sometimes our mind is just drawn in a certain direction. Either way, focus leads to concentration; concentration leads to meditation – maybe, even, that perfect meditation, which can be considered “Union with Divine” (whatever that means to you at this moment). These are the last three limbs in the Yoga Philosophy: Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna, and Samādhi. (which can also be translated as concentration, meditation, and absorption). They combine to form the powerful tool of Samyama, which leads to powerful insight, the highest wisdom, and more siddhis (“powers”) than one can imagine. However, before we can focus/concentrate on a single thing, we have to draw all of our senses towards that single point. In other words, we have to withdraw our senses from everything else – this is Pratyāhāra, the fifth limb of the 8-Limbed Yoga Philosophy.

“‘Next must come concentration of purpose and study. That is another thing I mean to emphasize. Concentrate all your thought upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.’”

– quoted in the section entitled “Concentration of Purpose” in “Chapter II – Bell Telephone Talk: Hints on Success by Alexander G. Bell” in How They succeeded: Life Stories of Successful Men Told by Themselves by Orison Swett Marden

Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

*NOTE: The 2023 World Hearing Day theme is “Ear and hearing care for all! Let’s make it a reality.”

“‘I repeat, Arjuna, nobody can really become one with the Godhead without leaving their desires behind and abandoning their attachment to the fruits of their actions. The paths of desireless action (karma yoga) and renunciation (sanyasa) may seem to be different from one another but they are not. All spiritual growth is based on surrendering attachments and selfish motives.’” (6.2)

– Krishna speaking to Arjuna in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley

### PICK YOUR FOCUS WISELY ###

The Effort to Free/Liberate Yourself – a philosophical perspective (a “missing” post) July 6, 2021

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Loss, Meditation, Mysticism, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Tantra, Tragedy, Vairagya, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
Tags: Anodea Judith, Ashtavakra Gita, Astavakra Gita, chakras, Common Ground Meditation Center, Denise Glasbeek, Edward Herman, Everlast, fear, freedom, Heinz Dieterich, independence, Jiddu Krishnamurti, John Richards, Julian Semphill, liberation, Mandukya Upanishad, Noam Chomsky, samskaras, Santana, Steve Ross, Swami Nikhilananda, Thich Nhat Hanh, Upanishads, Vedas, Wheels of Life, yama, yoga
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[This is the “missing” post for Monday, July 5^th. You can request an audio recording of Monday’s practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

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. If you are using an Apple device/browser and the calendar is no longer loading, please email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com at least 20 minutes before the practice you would like to attend.]

“The liberating current brings us excitement, energy, and novelty, while the descending current brings us peace, grace, and stability. In order for either of these pathways to really be complete, all of the chakras need to be open and active. Liberation without limitation leaves us vague, scattered, and confused. We may have wonderful ideas and lots of knowledge, but we are unable to bring these fruits to any tangible completion. On the other hand, limitation without liberation is dull and stifling. We become caught in repetitive patterns, clinging to security and fearing change.”

– quoted from “Chapter 1 – And the Wheel Turns: Liberation and Manifestation” of Wheels of Life: A Users Guide to the Chakra System by Anodea Judith, Ph.D.

Sometimes in yoga, I talk about the inhale literally being an “inspiration” (from the Latin, by way of Old French and Middle English) whereby we are filled with spirit. The exhale is, by the same logic (Latin by way of late Middle English), an “expiration” whereby something is literally expiring, returning to the source. Some of you have even heard me say, “Inhale down your spine, in the direction of the manifesting current; taking all the possibilities of the Universe and making them your unique experience. Exhale back up your spine, in the direction of the liberating current, taking your unique experiences (and efforts) back to the source.” In Wheels of Life: A Users Guide to the Chakra System, Anodea Judith explores the fact that “we must limit” in order to manifest – and the ancient texts back her up in the idea that there are ways in which we are limited. There are ways we can have a lot, but we can’t have it all.

If we think of the source of all things – whatever that means to you at this moment – then we’re thinking of the source of unlimited possibilities. We’re thinking of something infinite and something limited only by our imagination/understanding – which is finite. On the flip side, we are not omnipotent and/or omnipresent. We can experience multiple sensations at one time, but we can only truly focus-concentrate-meditate on one thing at a time. While our initial possibilities are limitless, our whole lives are built around the experience of “narrowing things down.” So, we do.

There’s nothing wrong with narrowing things down and establishing boundaries. That’s all part of the human experience. Being human means we are constantly swinging like a pendulum between having everything and having nothing – in every area of our lives. We run into problems, however, when we don’t recognize (and appreciate) what we have; when we operate from a perspective of scarcity instead of a point of abundance. We run into problems when we are paralyzed by what we don’t have and/or by something that hasn’t happened.

“The more you can increase fear of drugs, crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.”

– Dr. Noam Chomsky

“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, it’s unlikely you will step up and take responsibility for making it so. If you assume that there is no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, that there are opportunities to change things, then there is a possibility that you can contribute to making a better world.”

– quoted from Latin America: From Colonization to Globalization by Noam Chomsky (in conversation with Heinz Dieterich, with additional collaboration by Edward Herman; introduction by Denise Glasbeek and Julian Semphill)

Like a lot of people associated with the United States, I spent the last week-plus thinking, contemplating, and discussing the concept of freedom, liberation, and independence. On a certain level, I do that all the time; but there is an acute awareness between PRIDE, Juneteenth, and the Fourth of July – and I start thinking about those concepts on a lot of different levels. The most obvious level in this context, of course, is the legal aspect. However, last Tuesday I referenced the nine obstacles (and their four accompanying physical-mental experiences) outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtras and, if you go back, those obstacles and ailments are kind of floating under all of this week’s posts, classes, discussions, and meditations. Because, as it turns out, our minds are one of the biggest obstacles to anyone of us experiencing true freedom, liberation, and independence.

Tonight (Monday, July 5^th), as well as during the Juneteenth class and in the First Friday Night Special post-practice blog post, I shared the story of how circus elephants are trained not to move beyond a designated circumference. It’s a story I’ve seen and heard a lot of people tell, but I first came across it because of Steve Ross’s yoga practice. The story is a great reminder about how powerful the mind is, how it can literally stop us in our tracks. And, while we might name an endless list of things holding us down and holding us back, it really comes down to one thing: our relationship with fear.

Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat. I say it all the time: The threat doesn’t have to be real, but the emotional and embodied experience is real. Additionally, a perceived threat can be in the past and yet the emotionally embodied experience can still actively experienced in the present (and, as Lisa Nichols points out, projected into the future). Both fear of failure and fear of success can paralyze us, because at a very early age we were taught that fear equals danger and, when we feel the associated sensations, we have to be still or turn back.

Yes, on a neurophysiology level, fear activates our sympathetic nervous system which activates our fight-flight-freeze response. However, adults teach children what to fear and how to respond to that fear. We know not to stick our hand in the fire or on a hot stove for the same reason we know to look both ways before crossing the street: someone taught us to fear the consequences. Similarly, we teach those who come after us. As we grow through life, we keep the tool of fear – sometimes even more than we use the tool that is our awareness. Eventually, these lessons in fear are just like everything else we experience in life; they hardwire our brains and create samskaras (“mental impressions”).

We view our experiences through previous experiences. Over time our reactions to certain sensations (including certain thoughts) feels instinctual – even though they’re conditioned. Over time, there’s very little (if any) difference between the way we react to the possibility of failing, falling flat on our face, and/or embarrassing our self and the we react to the possibility of a snake in our path.

“As a rope lying in darkness, about whose nature one remains uncertain, is imagined to be a snake or a line of water, so Atman is imagined in various ways.

When the real nature of the rope is ascertained, all misconceptions about it disappear and there arises the conviction that it is nothing but a rope. Even so is the true nature of Atman determined.”

– quoted from “Chapter 2 – Vaitathya Prakarana (The Chapter on Illusion)” (verses 17 and 18) of Mandukya Upanishad [English translation by Swami Nikhilananda]

Remember, I’m talking about the possibility here. I’m talking about the point when the brain goes, “What is that?” Someone can tell you, “Oh, that’s just a big hank of rope someone left out when they pulled their boat in,” but, if you’ve lived around water moccasins your whole life, the adrenaline might already be pumping. It may not even matter that you’re in a part of the world that doesn’t have cottonmouths. You’ve been conditioned – by yourself and others – to stay safe. Just the idea of something we fear can bring up the sensations. In fact, just reading the words above might have caused your body to tense up in preparation. (I know just typing it does the same for me!)

Sacred texts from India, like the Upanishads (“sitting near” devotedly) and the Ashtavakra Gita (The Song of the Man with 8-Bends in His Limbs), often use the idea of a snake to describe our experience with māyā (“illusion”). Interestingly, “Death” sometimes shows up in Hindu mythology as a snake called Yama, which can be translated into English as “binder” and is also the same Sanskrit word used for the first limb of the Yoga Philosophy (Yamas), which consists of five “external restraints.” In other words, the snake we see in the road is a limitation – even if it’s not a snake.

“It is not that you must be free from fear. The moment you try to free yourself from fear, you create resistance against fear. Resistance in any form does not end fear. What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it, not how to resist it.”

– Jiddu Krishnamurti

I don’t think J. Krishnamurti was telling people to walk up on something that might be a snake and poke it with your finger – just as the writers of the Vedic texts were not necessarily telling people to put themselves in dangerous situations in order to confirm the nature of reality versus illusion. Instead, the practice is about going deeper into the mind-body experience. Where, for instance, do you hold your tension, discomfort, and dis-ease? Where do you hold your fear, anger, disappointment, grief, and confusion? Where, as I asked people on Zoom, do you not feel free, liberated, and independent?

Breathe into those spaces where you don’t feel free, liberated, or independent. Remember, your awareness and your breath are tools you carry with you everywhere. Don’t be a fool! Use those tools! Use the inhale to explore those places where you are holding tightness and create space around those places. Maybe imagine that you are blowing into those areas like you blow into a balloon and feel that expansion. Then, use your exhale to let something go. You may not be ready to let go of everything – and, it’s important to acknowledge that. Just release what you can release and let go of whatever is ready to go.

“There’s a darkness
Living deep in my soul
It’s still got a purpose to serve”

– quoted from the song “Put Your Lights On” by Santana and Everlast

One of my favorite songs, and one of the star-studded collaborations included on Santana’s record-breaking album Supernatural, was written by Everlast. The title comes from what we do when we’re driving as the sun sets, when we start driving at night, or when it starts to rain: We put our lights on so we can see and be seen. We put our lights on to avoid danger. We put our lights on so we can be less afraid. One of my favorite verses (quoted above) is a reminder that sometimes we need the limitation. Remember, fear is an important neurophysiological tool – that’s why it’s such a great teaching tool. However, we can’t let the tool rule our whole life. Sometimes we have to remember, as the angel in the song also reminds us, “I got nothing to fear.”

When we can, and when we are willing, letting go of something – some attachment to the past, some fear of the unknown – makes us like the elephant that looks down and realizes there’s no stake, no chain, and no shackle. We’re free!

I’ve heard stories about elephants that are considered “escape artists” and no amount of “training,” no matter how brutal, can keep them from testing the limits of their binds. Most elephants, however, never seem to look down. I’ll admit I don’t know a lot about pachyderms. I know the location of their eyes limits them in some way, as does bright lights; so, maybe they can’t see around their trunk and tusks. But, the most likely scenario (especially in cases where the shackle is removed) is that they have been conditioned to fear what happens if they go beyond the originally established boundary.

Ultimately, the circus elephants are limited by their mind-body connection. As are we; which means, if we want to be truly free, in a physical-mental and emotional-energetic way, we have to recognize our stakes to pull them up. We have to recognize our chains to break them. We have to recognize our shackles to release ourselves.

“‘You are the one witness of everything and are always completely free. The cause of your bondage is that you see the witness as something other than this.

…

If one thinks of oneself as free, one is free, and if one thinks of oneself as bound, one is bound. Here this saying is true, “Thinking makes it so.”’”

– quoted from the Ashtavakra Gita (1.7, 1.11) [English translation by John Richards]

There is no playlist for the Common Ground Practice.

Do you need your high beams or your parking lights (to see your chains)?

“We may think that if we ignore our fears, they’ll go away. But if we bury worries and anxieties in our consciousness, they continue to affect us and bring us more sorrow. We are very afraid of being powerless. But we have the power to look deeply at our fears, and then fear cannot control us. We can transform our fear….

Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.”

A Joyful Practice

FTWMI: The McGuffin’s MacGuffin, redux & reprised August 13, 2025

— quoted from the “Upanishad” page by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (“Swami J”)

“May all of us together be protected….”

— quoted from the beginning of the “Teaching Shantipat,” chanted in Sanskrit by Richard Freeman (when we are in the studio)

— Jiddu Krishnamurti

— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (2.47) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…. You must do what you think you cannot do.”

— quoted from You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life by Eleanor Roosevelt

— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.33 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

— quoted from How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, PhD

— quoted from How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, PhD

“[Spoken: Alfred Hitchcock]Thus far, this album has provided musical accompaniment to make your passing pleasantOur next number is designed to drown out the sound of shovelsMusic to be buried by[Music begins]

“Hitchcock explained how the MacGuffin got its name:

‘Two men are traveling on a train to Scotland. One of them is carrying an odd parcel. The other man says, “What have you there?” and the other answers, “A MacGuffin.”

‘“What’s a MacGuffin?”

‘“It’s a special device designed to trap wild lions in the Scottish Highlands.”

‘“But there aren’t any lions in the Scottish Highlands.”

‘“Then, there is no MacGuffin.”

‘The MacGuffin, you see, is only important if you think it’s important, and that’s my job as a director, to make you think it’s important.’”

— quoted from “II. British Films: Cub Director” in It’s Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock: A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler2

— quoted from “The Empty Object” in “27. Hitchcock’s Ethics of Suspense: Psychoanalysis and the Devaluation of the Object” by Todd McGowan (as published in A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock, edited by Thomas Leitch and Leland Poague)

“This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

“Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.”

— quoted from the March 4, 1933, Inaugural Speech by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

— quoted from “Chapter 1. Being and Courage – Courage and Wisdom: The Stoics” in The Courage To Be (pub. 1952) by Paul Tillich

— quoted from Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm by Thich Nhat Hanh

### BE Fearless & PLAY. BE WISE.###

Getting Ready to BE Imperfectly Perfect (the “missing” Wednesday post w/excerpts) October 2, 2024

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”

— quoted from “FOUR: Journey to Freedom 1937-46” in Ghaffar Khan: Nonviolent Badshah of the Pakhtuns by Rajmohan Gandhi

“Trust without reservation requires that we say, ‘Yes. Yes it is possible, yes I can, yes I will.’ Today say, ‘I can’ even if you are not aware of how to accomplish your goal. Have faith and say, ‘I can’ until you find a way. Today I practice the art of having faith.

— quoted from the “Affirmation” section of the “Day 10 ~ February 9 ~ Faith” page for the “Season for Nonviolence,” provided by the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace

“…every person is obligated to say, ‘For my sake alone the world was created.’ That doesn’t mean the world is mine to consume everything indiscriminately (although God does want us to enjoy the pleasures of this world).

— Aish Rabbi on Tikkun Olam

— quoted from “12. THE ADVENT OF SATYAGRAHA” in Satyagraha in South Africa by M. K. Gandhi (as published in THE SELECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, VOLUME TWO, translated from the Gujarati by Valji Govindji Desai; General Editor Shriman Narayan)

— quoted from a prayer discourse, Summer 1947, as printed in All Men Are Brothers: Life and Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, as Told in His Own Words, by Mohandas K. Gandhi (Compiled and Edited by Krishna Kripalani)

“But the truth is: ‘All sounds are kosher’ – not only for the shofar, but for the heart as well.”

— quoted from an article entitled “Perfectly Imperfect: The Secret of the Shofar” (09/12/2020) by Rabbi Binyomin Weisz

“So I draw courage and stand face-to-face with my limitations, without shrinking or running. I allow for honest remorse. Here is my place of Now….

Of course, acceptance does not mean becoming complacent. I still need to honestly evaluate my life and reflect on how I want to act differently this coming year. It also doesn’t preclude trying my best.

But at this very moment my state of ‘now’ is my truth.”

— quoted from an article entitled “Perfectly Imperfect: The Secret of the Shofar” (09/12/2020) by Rabbi Binyomin Weisz

“No man can be a good bishop if he loves his title but not his task.”

— quoted from City of God by Saint Augustine (Bishop of Hippo)

“Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in.”

— quoted from the poem/song “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen

“Even when a man takes revenge on others who hate him, in spite of him not hating them initially, the pain caused by his vengeance will bring him inevitable sorrow.” (313)

“When a man inflicts pain upon others in the forenoon, it will come upon him unsought in the afternoon.” (319)

— quoted from the English translation of the Tamil lyrics of the song “Ahimsa” by U2 and A. R. Rahman, featuring Khatija and Raheema Rahman (translation from IntegralYoga.org)

### MAY YOUR NAME BE WRITTEN & SEALED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE ###

The McGuffin’s MacGuffin, redux & reprised (the “missing” Tuesday post) August 13, 2024

— quoted from the “Upanishad” page by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (“Swami J”)

“May all of us together be protected….”

— quoted from the beginning of the “Teaching Shantipat,” chanted in Sanskrit by Richard Freeman (when we are in the studio)

— Jiddu Krishnamurti

— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (2.47) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…. You must do what you think you cannot do.”

— quoted from You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life by Eleanor Roosevelt

— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.33 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

— quoted from How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, PhD

— quoted from How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, PhD

“[Spoken: Alfred Hitchcock] Thus far, this album has provided musical accompaniment to make your passing pleasant Our next number is designed to drown out the sound of shovels Music to be buried by [Music begins]

“Hitchcock explained how the MacGuffin got its name:

‘Two men are traveling on a train to Scotland. One of them is carrying an odd parcel. The other man says, “What have you there?” and the other answers, “A MacGuffin.”

‘“What’s a MacGuffin?”

‘“It’s a special device designed to trap wild lions in the Scottish Highlands.”

‘“But there aren’t any lions in the Scottish Highlands.”

‘“Then, there is no MacGuffin.”

‘The MacGuffin, you see, is only important if you think it’s important, and that’s my job as a director, to make you think it’s important.’”

— quoted from “II. British Films: Cub Director” in It’s Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock: A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler2

— quoted from “The Empty Object” in “27. Hitchcock’s Ethics of Suspense: Psychoanalysis and the Devaluation of the Object” by Todd McGowan (as published in A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock, edited by Thomas Leitch and Leland Poague)

“This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

“Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.”

— quoted from the March 4, 1933, Inaugural Speech by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

— quoted from “Chapter 1. Being and Courage – Courage and Wisdom: The Stoics” in The Courage To Be (pub. 1952) by Paul Tillich

— quoted from Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm by Thich Nhat Hanh

### BE Fearless & PLAY. BE WISE.###

Truth: A Note, an Excerpt, & FTWMI: What Happens When You Are Off-Center & Completely Ungrounded? June 22, 2024

But then there are known-unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. Alright? Then, there are unknown-unknowns. There are things that we don’t know that we don’t know.

“[Spoken: Alfred Hitchcock]
Thus far, this album has provided musical accompaniment to make your passing pleasant
Our next number is designed to drown out the sound of shovels
Music to be buried by
[Music begins]

— quoted from “II. British Films: Cub Director” in It’s Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock: A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler²

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.”

“[Spoken: Alfred Hitchcock]
Thus far, this album has provided musical accompaniment to make your passing pleasant
Our next number is designed to drown out the sound of shovels
Music to be buried by
[Music begins]

— quoted from “II. British Films: Cub Director” in It’s Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock: A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler²

“Still; all that close throng
Of spirits waiting, as I,
For the message.
Prompt me, God;
But not yet. When I speak,
Though it be you who speak
Through me, something is lost.
The meaning is in the waiting.”