“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all filthiness.”~ Matthew 23:27. We are redeemed by what we are, not by what we do. To sense the permeation of spiritual and material as … Continue reading The Desert Approaches
Religion
The Closed Circle
Saltmarsh watersnake in a mangrove swamp. Not pictured are the mosquitos in their dark-clouded legions. Saltmarsh watersnake in a mangrove swamp I’ve seen a lot of ibises, though too small to take on serpents of this size. I’m open to being surprised. ————————— Serpents have rich symbolism, both benefic and malefic like any other. When … Continue reading The Closed Circle
What Hovers Over the Waters
A few weeks ago in a grocery store I saw a man wearing a shirt that said: “Your actions define who you are.” What came to mind was what James Allen countered with: “The aphorism, ‘As a man thinketh in his heart so is he,’ not only embraces the whole of a man’s being, but … Continue reading What Hovers Over the Waters
Man the Animal
Science and the materialists say we’re apes. Traditional teachings say the same, to a point. This shouldn’t be an observation that alarms anyone, though of course it’s a common tendency to desire to be special and view oneself as somehow separated from the animal; and we are, ideally. Part of what sets us apart from … Continue reading Man the Animal
Sum Ergo Oro 