22-Jan-2009
Greetings and Happy 2009,
This newsletter is back by popular demand – popular demand meaning that two people said, “You haven’t sent out a ‘Variation’ in a long time.” The reason is: my writing energy has been devoted to the book I’ve been working on, about the history and influence of the spiritual teachings that came to the West from India.
I wish all of you – all of us – a more-than-happy new year. It’s a few weeks late, but in many respects the new year began with the Obama inauguration. May it be a year of transformation, personally and collectively, and may the promise symbolized by the change of leadership in Washington raise the consciousness of the world so we can meet the future with fresh thinking, compassion and creativity. It is a moment rich with possibility, perhaps forcing us as a civilization to redefine what we mean by the good life.
It is also, potentially, a transformative spiritual moment. In a sense, the election was a repudiation of the dogmatic, narrow religion that has been fighting the tides of change since the Sixties. We go from a president who is cocksure theologically to one who dares to entertain doubt and uncertainty; from one who is ethnocentric to one who is pluralistic, worldcentric and seemingly able to transcend boundaries.
Here is Obama in a 2004 interview: “I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people. That there are values that transcend race or culture, that move us forward, and there's an obligation for all of us individually as well as collectively to take responsibility to make those values lived."
We can only hope that those thoughts are contagious.
MY BLOG
I was so moved by the election that I wrote some deeply personal thoughts. When some people urged me to make it public, I finally started a blog on my website. If you’re interested, check out my first few entries and comment away. In the future, I want the blog to host conversations about contemporary spirituality. http://philipgoldberg.com/sb/page.php?ID=71809.
GLOBAL SPIRITUAL CITIZENSHIP
Speaking of the link between the spiritual and the political, I’ve been working with colleagues at the Forge Institute to launch an initiative we hope will capture the attention of like-minded people. Please check it out at http://www.globalspiritualcitizenship.org/, sign the Call if you agree with it, send it to others and let us know if you have good ideas for how to disseminate it.
SHAMELESS BOOK PROMOTION
I’m proud to have ghost-written Creating Magic:10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney. It’s based on leadership principles that the author, Lee Cockerell, developed when he was in charge of operations at Disney World. There’s a lot to learn from it. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385523866?tag=leecockecom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0385523866&adid=0N4BHJM7VKDJ8YFMTFMX&.
Roadsigns: On the Spiritual Path—Living at the Heart of Paradox, is out in paperback, with a gorgeous new cover: http://www.amazon.com/Roadsigns-Spiritual-Path-Living-Heart-Paradox/dp/1591810507/sr=8-2/qid=1164481805/ref=sr_1_2/002-9273882-7364851?ie=UTF8&s=books.
The Intuitive Edge: Understanding Intuition and Applying it in Everyday Life is back in print: http://www.amazon.com/Intuitive-Edge-Understanding-Intuition-Applying/dp/0595416659/sr=12/qid=1164482288/ref=sr_1_2/002-9273882-7364851?ie=UTF8&s=books.
COLUMNS
Here are the last few “Spiritual Wellness” columns I wrote for Healthy Update:
- On what “The Secret” leaves out: http://healthy.net/scr/column.asp?id=861.
- On the paradoxical role of spiritual teachers: http://healthy.net:80/scr/column.asp?Id=974.
- On healing the planet as a spiritual practice: http://healthy.net/scr/column.asp?id=888.
- On the spiritual use of humor: http://healthy.net/scr/column.asp?ColumnId=30&Id=881.
RECOMMENDED MEDIA
Two unusual and spiritually elevating CDs by friends of mine:
“Prism” by Beth Nielsen Chapman. A brilliant singer-songwriter and a deeply spiritual soul, Beth produced this 2 CD album because, “Across all cultural lines there is a common tone inherent in the sound of the human voice singing in devotion.” Songs in many languages and styles, from every conceivable tradition. www.bethnielsenchapman.com.
“Elephant Power” by MC Yogi. Nick (his real name) is a young yoga teacher whose inventive album consists of hip hop songs about Vedic gods, Mahatma Gandhi and general spiritual wisdom. An infectious mix of ancient and modern, this is music for enjoy and learn from, even if you’re not a hip hop fan. www.mcyogi.com.
ILLUMINATIONS ON INDIA
Some quotes that indicate why I think the book I’m writing is important:
“Perhaps, in return for conquest, arrogance and spoliation, India will teach us the tolerance and gentleness of the mature mind, the quiet content of the unacquisitive soul, the calm of the understanding spirit, and a unifying, pacifying love for all living things.”
- historian Will Durant
“India has much to learn from the West in material development; in return, India can teach the universal methods by which the West will be able to base its religious beliefs on the unshakable foundations of yogic science.” – Paramahansa Yogananda
“Whenever I have read any part of the Vedas, I have felt that some unearthly and unknown light illuminated me. In the great teaching of the Vedas, there is no touch of the sectarianism. It is of all ages, climes, and nationalities, and is the royal road for the attainment of the Great Knowledge.” – Henry David Thoreau
SEEDS OF CONTEMPLATION
A man dies and soon finds himself in lovely celestial garden. He thinks, “It would be nice to have a home here.” Instantaneously, a gorgeous house appears.
He thinks, “I’d love to have someone to share this with,” and immediately there’s a beautiful woman beside him.
Realizing that the moment he wishes for something it materializes, he can’t believe he ever doubted that paradise existed. One fulfilled desire follows another. He has the most perfect existence imaginable, with every comfort and luxury he dreamed of on earth.
Eventually, the day comes when he can’t think of anything else to wish for. He taxes his brain. Surely, there must be something. Then he thinks, “I wonder how the other half lives. I wish I could get a glimpse of hell.”
And a voice rings out: “Where do you think you’ve been all this time?”
THIS NEWSLETTER
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Blessings to all,
Phil
