Written by Philip Walter on Jan 29 at 6:30 pm.
So, I have developed a new obsession. More accurately, I found one new obsession, which subsequently led to a couple others. Blog posts here have been scarce because of said obsessions, actually.
I am training for a 25k trail run next month. This led to a 14.3-mile jog through Pinnacle Mountain State Park and along the Ouachita Trail. This in turn led to my need to map the jog for all see. I then became obsessed with Google Earth, which is an incredibly powerful (and free) program. So I mapped the trek, as you can see below. I have also made the KMZ file of my hike around Pinnacle and along the OT to the Scenic Vista waypoint available for you to download and open in Google Earth.
View Larger Map
So, I completed the course in about 3:21. That’s an average of roughly 14 minutes per mile. If you take out my 8-minute break at the Scenic Vista on the Ouachita Trail, you an average of 13.5 minutes per mile. I figure that’s pretty good, considering I climbed the East Summit Trail of Pinnacle (a steep 600 foot climb) during that time. Still, I’d like to run the Sylamore 25k in under 3 hours. To do that, I’ll have to push my average to under 12 minutes a mile. Difficult, but doable.
At any rate, this is my new obsession. I’ve added a category to the Mechanisms of Transformation to reflect this. I plan to post more about various hikes I do and make KMZ files available for those interested in such things. Maybe one day soon I can even afford a GPS device to make the tracking ultra easy.
Until next time, get outside and use those lungs!
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Written by Philip Walter on Dec 16 at 5:10 pm.
Now, what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. … No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may obey it.
Deuteronomy 30: 11, 14 NIV
I feel as though I am at the edge of a cliff. Jumping off would mean actually saying the word that is already viscerally in my mouth and in my heart. Turning back would mean remaining confused, being unauthentic. It would signify a failure to heed Bob Marley’s advice: “Get up. Stand up. Stand up for your right.” But just what are your rights? And even more difficult to answer, Just what is right?
William James spoke of a higher mind and a lower mind. For him, the aim of spiritual practice, and the pinnacle of spiritual or religious experience, was found in letting the higher mind win the war over the lower mind.
The higher mind is like your conscience. It is the presence that observes the world and your activity in it, knowing, in some mystical Jimminy Cricket way, what is best for you. It will forever reflect what you’ve been taught is right, always saying, in the tradition of Spike Lee, “Do The Right Thing.” The lower mind, however, is ruled by reptilian instincts and always prescribes to the instant gratification plan. Read the rest of this entry »
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Written by Philip Walter on Dec 8 at 9:09 pm.
The majority of people I know have a skewed concept of what the chakras are. To speak in most public circles about chakras is like going to the deer woods with a presentation on veganism. It’s like this - people in most public circles have heard of chakras, and they think they know enough about them to consider you at least a hair crazy for even mentioning them. Of course, unlike the poor vegan in the deer woods, you’re not likely to be shot, skinned, and skewered for it.
The point is, chakras and the ancient energy system in which they are the mainstay, are widely misunderstood in the West, and I’d like to do my part to set the record straight.
The great sages of ancient India posited that there are three primary sheaths (also called koshas; there are five total, counting the physical, the three subtle, and the bliss) covering the soul:
- the physical body - comprised of the various physical systems that allow us to interact with the world
- the subtle body - comprised of the intellectual body, the vital body, and the emotional body
- the bliss body - the final, most intimate covering over the soul
Though their understanding of the physical body was great, as evidenced by the Ayurvedic health care system, their understanding of the subtle body was even greater. In the modern world, we of course have a ridiculously complex understanding of the various systems of the physical body, but it is in the realm of Spirit that we have much to learn from these ancient geniuses.
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Written by Philip Walter on Dec 5 at 4:25 am.
Whether it’s after making love, before going to sleep, or first thing in the morning, everybody loves to spoon … well, at least all you ladies out there - you love to spoon, right? And who doesn’t like the idea of using a few tantric sex techniques to improve quality and longevity between the sheets.
Below are a couple variations on spooning inspired by tantric traditions that involve getting in tune with your breath, then tuning your own breath in with your lover’s. These exercises are great for all sorts of things from calming down and reconnecting after a fight to amping up the anticipation factor before some rowdy tantric love-making.
The Basics
Assume the classic spooning position on a cushy surface and just breathe normally. Take a moment to feel the contact your skin makes with your lover’s. Feel your breath moving through your body in a natural rhythm.
Once you have found the rhythm of your own breath, try to match it to your lover’s, such that your exhales and inhales are timed to one another’s. Do not try to force your partner’s breath to match yours. Rather, gently bring your breath into rhythm with your lover’s, as he or she does the same. Trust each other to find the sweet spot.
Once your breathing is in sync, take five deep breaths this way. Feel every inch of contact your body makes with your lover’s and feel how your shared breathing affects the contact you have.
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