Some years back I viewed a documentary movie about the brutalities of the "Dirty War" in Argentina (1976 - 83) when thousands of people disappeared through state sponsored terrorism. One woman interviewed was a rare survivor. She was asked how she felt about the perpetrators, "you must hate them" suggested the interviewer. "No" she said, "I don't hate them, I fear them." She learned from her experience whom to avoid but as she was essentially happy she was free to move forward without emotional distractions from the past....

Three years ago I was in LA in a shop that sells clothing and accessories. There I found the pendant in the photo above. Store manager said he had found it at a flea market and that it was a “Navajo star.”  While I’m not a jewellery kind of guy, the pendant was sufficiently engaging that I purchased it. Researching after, I couldn’t find a Navajo star like it or another  similar star. But that was of no matter as I liked the pendant as it was, regardless of any associations or stories that often accompany artworks. In time the pendant revealed itself as a symbol of pantheism, the view that everything is a manifestation of God. The pendant depicts two stars with a common center. The shorter star ends in points and the longer one ends in heads. The shorter star represents energy/light. The longer star represents matter. Energy and matter have a common center as they are equivalent (E=M*C*C). The common center is God; hence, a pantheist pendant The heads at the endpoints of the longer star represent consciousness; five heads, five senses. The longer star also appears like a "spread eagle" cheerleader pose, a celebratory pose. When we realize we are one with everything and one with God, we experience the world via our senses, not our mind. That's something about which to celebrate. I’ve made 25 copies of the pendant and give them out to friends who would wear them. Three years later, I still have 15. I suspect none would be left had  I offered them for sale.  ...

God is the knowledge that we are all connected. Religion is about rules which connect its adherents and exclude others; the antithesis of God....

"The one is made up of all things, and all things issue from the one." God is that which is within and unfolds into the infinite manifestations of the universe, the without. We are never lacking (never without) as what's without is always within....

Anticipating a problem lessens its consequences. When we envision problematic events, we can adjust accordingly and mitigate their consequences. As problems initially unfold slowly and then suddenly, when we identify problems unfolding slowly we can to some extent get out of their harm's way before they unfold suddenly. However, many of us fear envisioning potential problems as doing so makes us anxious; thus we suffer the consequences of our blinding fears....

“There is freedom of speech, but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech.” Freedom of speech is the foundation of a well-functioning state, unlike Uganda when Idi Amin ruled it.  Considering many independent perspectives allows us the wisest choices (the wisdom of the crowd).  Today, however, often there is no freedom after speech as unpopular opinions are denied social media access or those who voice their opinions are marginalized and attacked by those uncomfortable with perspectives that don't comport with their own. This is how a state begins to slide into monolithic thinking and loses its ability to adapt to changing circumstances which ultimately leads to its demise....

In life there are always more variables than equations. Hence, there are forever unknowns and a rational approach to solve all of life's mysteries is a fool's errand. Only through the realm of the divine can we truly know the unknowable. This is the role of the mystic. The etymology of the word mystic is via Latin from Greek mustikos from mustēs 'initiated person,' from muein 'close the eyes or lips.' An initiate is someone who has been, often via rituals, admitted into a secret or obscure society or group. Closing the eyes means dispensing with conventional views. Closing the lips means not telling others of your secret society membership as in so doing you might be perceived as mad; as only those who can imagine the mystical experience can see it. By definition, a mystic is one who by contemplation and self-surrender seeks to obtain unity with God or who believes in the spiritual understanding of truths that are otherwise beyond the rational. In the play of life the role of the mystic is unlikely to win an Academy Award as it's generally a supporting role with few lines. However, otherwise it's good to be cast as a mystic as it makes for a fascinating experience. While I am who I am, professionally as an actor in the play of life I'm an eccentric mystic or at least I hope so as otherwise I must be mad. In any event, it's much fun....

When the world is at peace, there's a ever-bigger piece of pie for each of us. At war, each warring state fights for peace on its own terms and ever-smaller pieces of pie....