Published inStrange Wonder·PinnedMember-onlyThe Three Fiercest MantrasMany people wonder what the most powerful mantras are. This is a natural question, and I am going to tell you. I should warn you that these mantras are for those who truly desire power, peace and freedom, and not for those who merely seek a passing wind of improvement…Life Mantras2 min readLife Mantras2 min read
3 days agoMember-onlyGuardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Western Religious SubconsciousMarvel does Dostoevsky [SPOILERS] The most recent work of James Gunn is a timely, Dostoevskian meditation on transhumanism, technology, humanity, and God wrapped in the gaudy upholstery of an absurdist Space Opera. …Film5 min readFilm5 min read
May 1Member-onlyKierkegaard: The Road Is HowHow do we make decisions? “There is a generally accepted metaphor that compares life to a road. To compare life to a road can indeed be fruitful in many ways, but we must consider how life is unlike a road. In a physical sense a road is an external actuality…Philosophy3 min readPhilosophy3 min read
Apr 29Member-onlyThere Is More Than “Now”On the difference between truth claims and spirituality-talk I was recently checking in on a musician turned spiritual teacher I know and came across him making the claim that “there is nothing but now.” Before I go on to the main subject of this essay, which is the difference between…Philosophy5 min readPhilosophy5 min read
Apr 20Krishnamurti on Artificial IntelligenceOne of the greatest philosophers and mystics of the 20th century foresaw the global struggle with the ramifications of Artificial Intelligence over 40 years ago, and asked penetrating questions about it which we would do well to consider now. …Philosophy3 min readPhilosophy3 min read
Apr 7Member-onlyIsrael And The Cycle of AbuseWhat happens when a horribly abused child grows up? In many cases, a war rages within the child over how to relate to the world around it. With trust and hope? With self-protective manipulation? With magical thinking? By erecting a psychic fortess? By going to war? …Israel5 min readIsrael5 min read
Mar 3Member-onlyPurim, Spring Subversions, And Siding Against HamanPurim. The holiday I kind of love, and feel kind of uncomfortable about. But mostly love. Let’s get into it. Purim ostensibly celebrates the Jews turning the tables on their genocidal pursuers in ancient Persia. Things are looking bad when a fortunately placed heroine- Esther- is able to exert influence…Judaism3 min readJudaism3 min read
Jan 27Member-only10 Spiritual Gems From The Father of Modern Fantasy LiteratureWhat could be cooler than having mentored Lewis Carrol? How about C.S. Lewis calling you his “master”? Being friends with Mark Twain and Walt Whitman? Being amajor inspiration to J.R.R Tolkien? All of this is true of a little known Scottish mystic, poet and writer named George MacDonald (1824–1905). MacDonald…Literature5 min readLiterature5 min read
Dec 27, 2022Member-onlyJacob and the Angel of The OtherSeveral weeks ago I taught on the Torah portion where Yaa’kov (Jacob) wrestles with a mysterious figure in the night-time, and I though I’d share what I taught here, a meditation on forgiveness, reconciliation, and trauma as the year ends. Several weeks ago Jews read the weekly Torah portion “Vayeitze,”…Judaism9 min readJudaism9 min read
Nov 29, 2022What Is Happening In Israel?In the last month, according to Combatants For Peace, there were over 100 attacks by Jewish settlers in the occupied territories against Palestinians — and these attacks occurred in just over 10 days. …4 min read4 min read
