Beltane \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Garlic Moon<\/p>\n
The philosophy department at Ball State resided in a brick building littered with the remains of other days. \u00a0Religion was there too. \u00a0The chair of the Philosophy department Robert (his last name has fled for the moment), a buzz cut positivist, an ornery, no see it, no believe it kinda guy. \u00a0Let’s just say metaphysics were taught under sufferance in this department.<\/p>\n
Bob drove me out of philosophy, convincing me that the most pressing questions of the day were what hot meant, or cold. \u00a0Couldn’t see it. \u00a0Not then, not now. \u00a0But then I didn’t explore much more, now I’ve been in the wide world and know there are more things than that dreamt of Bob’s dreary positivistic philosophy. \u00a0Much more.<\/p>\n
In fact, if I’d listened to my self, I would have known it then, did in fact, but didn’t know I knew.<\/p>\n
Many of us disenchanted with postivism found a real ally in Alfred North Whitehead, the creator of process philosophy. \u00a0I used to think I understood it, now I’m not so sure; but, I knew this about it, Whitehead said the universe was alive. \u00a0And that made sense to me.<\/p>\n
Still does. \u00a0In some deep place it made a whole lotta sense, because one October morning a chill hit me as I left that brick building, a class in metaphysics just finished. \u00a0The next step, the one over the threshold into the quad, never happened, at least not in my consciousness, because my consciousness was otherwise occupied.<\/p>\n
My heart filled up, my mind expanded, the whole of myself plugged itself into the throbbing matter of the cosmos. \u00a0I was one with the whole and it with me. \u00a0A sensation of light and vastness and yet intimacy became my reality. \u00a0Just for a moment. \u00a0I don’t know how long it lasted and at this remove, some 45 years later, I couldn’t reconstruct that aspect if I had to.<\/p>\n
Since that time, if I remember to recall this, I have never felt alone. \u00a0The universe can be known through one flower, one bird, one puppy, one rock, one college sophomore, that much I learned for sure that day. \u00a0And more.<\/p>\n
The universe can not only can be known (or felt); it knows (feels) back! \u00a0Now this is not revolutionary nor advance news. \u00a0Mystics before and after me have had similar experiences, remarkably similar, in fact. \u00a0The positivists and their ilk might explain this away through brain chemicals, but even if that were to turn out to explain this experience, it would only serve to under write its power.<\/p>\n
It just occurred to me today that long ago moment on the quad, in the chill of an October morning, might have hints for how to live my third phase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Beltane \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Garlic Moon The philosophy department at Ball State resided in a brick building littered with the remains of other days. \u00a0Religion was there too. \u00a0The chair … Continue reading A Consolation of Philosophy<\/span>