by SNS Guest (Article is by guest writer James Jarrett. See bio below.) The following is a parable of One Person’s subjective experience of reality. It is not intended as a template for others. Perhaps the moral is, however a person comes home to their true self in love is worthy of celebration: There once was a child who was born in a box. The box was in a tree house high off the ground. The child grew up in the... Read more
by Thomas Schenk Introduction To me, the point of sitting still is that it helps you see through the very idea of pushing forward; indeed, it strips you of yourself, as of a coat of armor, by leading you into a place where you’re defined by something larger. The quote above is from The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere, by Pico Iyer. This is one of a number of books published in the last decade that touts the benefits of... Read more
by SNS Guest (Today’s article is by guest writer, Alexander Cheruk. For a brief bio, see below.) In Religion is Not About God, American philosopher Loyal Rue presents a series of plausible doomsday scenarios that merit our attention. Citing ecological discontinuities, unpredictable chemical synergisms, runaway greenhouse disaster, infectious diseases, worldwide crop failures, and bioterrorism, Rue highlights a sobering reality: the possibilities for global catastrophe are endless. This is not idle speculation: it’s a warning. As we push beyond the limits of sustainability... Read more
by Gregory Gronbacher The sociologist of religion, Mircea Eliade, observed that religious ritual is a powerful means of creating “sacred space” and “sacred time,” pulling the participants out of the normal confines of the mundane moment. The question I’d like to explore is what meaning and purpose might ritual play from a spiritual naturalist approach? For those who subscribe to a supernatural worldview, religious ritual is often an actual opportunity for encountering God or the gods, for working and channeling... Read more
by James Jarrett Source: Wikimedia Commons “The less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine.” – Indigo Girls (1) Driving through Yellowstone National Park a few years ago, I saw a bumper sticker that read, “Your ego is not your amigo.” Gratefully, I’ve been around long enough for that statement to ring true with my lived experience. As a younger person, I would not have known what to do with that aphorism. I remember... Read more
by Thomas Schenk Photo by Richard Todd There are three great questions that have greatly interested me for much of my life. They regard: 1) the nature of the world; 2) the nature of the self; and 3) the interrelationship of these two. Intellectually, science is the main source of information about the first of these. I have looked broadly and deeply into the various sciences as I’ve sought a greater understanding of the nature of the world. Learning, when it... Read more
by DT Strain For many of us, days pass by and we often find ourselves ‘going with the flow’. Sure, we might make plans for the future. We might even have plans about where we want to be financially in five years, or plans about our hobbies, and so on. But how many of us have a sense of progress and planning when it comes to our spiritual/contemplative path – or, when it comes to our development as a person? By a ‘sense... Read more
by SNS Guest (Article is by guest writer, and new contributing writer, Daniel Lev Shkolnik. See bio below.) Most people have heard of Albert Einstein’s science. Few people know about his religion. Einstein’s achievements in physics irreversibly warped our notions of time and space. But the discoveries of Einstein, the physicist, were so monumental that they have largely eclipsed the profound depth of Albert, the man. Ethically, Albert Einstein might best be described as a Humanist. After he arrived to New York as... Read more
by Jeff Worthy Photo: Christian R. Rohleder Thanks to the recent release of Denis Villeneuve’s epic film “Dune Part Two,” Frank Herbert’s original Dune novel is likely enjoying a surge in new readership. There are many who are coming to the book for the first time thanks to this new theatrical iteration. They will now be able to delve deeply into the rich narrative that Herbert created and learn even more about the fascinating universe in which the story is set. There are,... Read more
by Jeff Worthy Over two decades ago, I injured my lower back lifting a heavy box out of the back of my car. It was an agonizing experience that boiled down to having what amounted to basically a soft tissue sprain at my sacroiliac joint. I will not minimize the pain experienced by people who have suffered far greater injuries than my own. There are people with ruptured discs, severe sciatica, actual broken vertebrae–I deeply sympathize with them. Enduring back pain... Read more
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