The Path of the Golden Middle

You are a powerful creator my friend. Whoever you think you are, you are. If you are the scientist type and you believe in a random universe you will find it. If you are the more creative type and you believe in a magic kingdom, you will find that too. So the open-minded scientist should pause here; be willing to experiment in the metaphysical sphere. Step out of your dry environment just as a conjecture and I am sure you will be sent on a journey that will provide a lifetime of new insights. All the while you will be guided by signs that you can study and examine just as every good scientist would in the real world. Just don't try to prove anything to your colleagues or otherwise your evidence will melt under the magnifying glass.

There are many magicians in the New Age crowd; spiritual seekers who have stumbled on a power base and who spend a lifetime refining it. Sure, if it is your mission to be a magician go ahead, but in the end you are constraining yourself just as much as the scientist is who believes in the random universe. Your belief set defines the world you will experience.

There is only one path that leads to liberation and that is that of the golden middle, the Tao. You reject the random universe idea just because you know the force - the Tao - that guides you. Nothing is random where the Tao travels. But you should follow this path to the end and shouldn't stop at the places where fascinating metaphysical exercises are performed. You have only one mission - one belief set - and that is: 'Lift this heavy looking curtain once and for all, I need to see what really lies beyond!'

The Magic of the Tao

Jiddu Krishnamurti spent his entire work-life explaining to people how one might reach the 'creative state' as he called it, by just understanding the internal biases and motivations, and by understanding them, overcoming them. There was nothing meta-physical ever in his lectures. Yet when you read biographies from people who were close to him, you learn that these meta-physical moments certainly existed, he just never deemed it useful to share them. Once he was approached by the mother of a sick child and by just looking at her she was healed. When asked about it he just casually remarked, 'yes, when you are there, stuff happens'.

We live in a make believe universe that has been created with the goal to express ourselves and to enjoy the bliss of returning home. Magic, that is, stuff that the mind has a hard time grasping, happens. You don't want to seek the magic out, as this stuff can be distract you from your true spiritual journey. What for, we already have magicians. But when magic happens don't be surprised either. When you encounter it, you might as well pause a moment and be grateful.

Creative Writing

I read Kathryn Schulz's "Being Wrong - Adventures in the Margin of Error" - and I really liked it. At one point she introduced the notion that there are two authorities in our brain, the story teller and the fact finder. Ideally, you want to have a healthy coexistence of both voices, that is you don't want your creative voice lead you astray in the face of conflicting evidence. On the other hand, you don't want to be drowning in facts without any imaginary potential to put a new spin on it.

I was born fact-based, but I have been moving for a while now into the more creative corner. Along my spiritual journey I have discovered that the world we live in happens to be magical.  One little anecdote might show this transformation. When my oldest son was a little younger I had problems with the Santa Claus story. I thought adults were spinning each year more sophisticated plots to keep the Santa Claus story alive. I could literally see the brain acrobatic my son went through when those elegant white lies were presented to him, and the fact-finding part of my brain had a problem with the creative story telling. However, today I feel different. The Santa wonders are for little children. The true fun begins when you start on your magical spiritual path and you try juggling the facts and fiction. It's a lot of fun and it is, well, magic!