I am enamored of depth, for the sake of depth. Complexity, nuance and substance are beautiful, soulful in and of themselves. Depth also unfolds more meaning. Greater meaning as a layered tapestry not only of relativist perceptions and perspectives but also of a patterning that tends (if followed faithfully) toward more essential truths. Truths that are truer by virtue of their depth and clarity, by virtue of their underlying and immutable nature. Truths that are often obscured by the first few layers on the surface - and by the appearance of depth in some of those mistakenly constructed (yet often initially convincing) layers of surface analysis or belief. One such mistaken construction is the self-contradictory assertion that there are in fact no immutable underlying truths - or that any attempt to identify or express these leads inevitably to fascism.

This mistake negates:

* the great wisdom traditions and philosophical academies and their insights
* the progress of science in all its forms
* the process of development (toward greater degrees of complexity, depth and accuracy) that    exists everywhere in nature
*  the evolutionary drive itself

It is a mistake for the above reasons, and also precisely because freedom, human rights and equality are demonstrably better choices, are actually expressions of deeper truths than are fascism and oppression.




They are deeper truths because they more accurately reflect what is good and what is beautiful in the human spirit. To deny this deforms, instead of better calibrating the measuring stick by which we evaluate truth, beauty and goodness. This is a well-meaning but misguided and superficial gesture toward pluralism – and it is practically an unspoken creed in the thinking and conversation of those of us in the LOHAS market.

What is so ironic is that the very idea is self-contradictory. The assertion of there being no immutable, underlying truths is itself postulated as an immutable underlying truth and is in fact a perspective arrived at through a process of development and deepening inquiry that actually would have validity – were it not shooting itself in the foot. The conviction that fascist oppression is caused by value ranking of levels of truth is itself a value ranking, but it is one that pretends not to be what it is striking out against – again in a gesture as ironic as it is meaningless.

Contained within the assertion is the accurate assumption that fascism is a bad thing, is expressive of less truth, beauty and goodness than that which is not fascist, but then it suggests that what causes fascism is the idea that any perspective is inherently more good, true or beautiful than another.

This relativism discovers a cul de sac of self-crippling thought and then (amongst spiritual people) holds a celebratory christening party and names it something like "an embrace of the mystery," "non-dual sophistication" or "a brave recognition of the emptiness of all perspectives."

Of course it deserves none of the deep dignity of these titles.

Then it tries to drive all debate toward this cul de sac as if it somehow proves something about religion, science, morality and ultimately the failure of reason to ascertain truth. In Integral circles this often tries to pass as some kind of “trans-rational” second tier realization.

Not so. Transrational includes the gifts of rational analysis, but expands them beyond a narrow rationalism that denies interiority, that denies depth. How ironic then to find a definition and enaction of "transrational" that reverts to prerational superficiality, flat relativism and often  an embrace of  magical thinking.

In less sophisticated (though often overlapping) spiritual circles the cul de sac described above is often used as a detour away from:

* analysis of stages of development
* assessment of truth or falsity
* definitions of pathology
* questions about truth-claims and
* to which domains of inquiry those truth-claims should properly belong

Then out come the grand and deluded wish-fulfilling claims about miracles, (poorly interpreted) quantum physics, astrology, synchronicity, past lives and manifestation as examples and hallmarks of the great awakening we have been heading toward that will be at hand once we get all that yukky critical thinking out of the way…

Of course all of this derails the possibility of emerging depth – though more often than not in its place we have poorly re-arranged surface details combined with mistakes that convey novelty and wonder because of their lack of consistency and abundance of category errors. This lack of sense then becomes an indicator for what gets called “spiritual” and we are offered the untenable choice between abandoning reason and depth in the name of spirituality, or abandoning the spiritual in the name of what is being framed as a rigid, fearful, fascist clinging to reason. This is of course a completely misguided and false, though ubiquitous dichotomy.

Understanding (and digging deeply into) these key concepts from Ken Wilber's work can be immensely instructive with regard to re-routing this traffic-heavy cul de sac:

* The Four Quadrants
* The Three Strands of Science
* The Pre Trans Fallacy

Recommended reading: The Eye of Spirit by Ken Wilber.

We live in a time defined by a crisis in our failure to integrate (or appropriately relate) subjectivity and objectivity, religion and science, spirituality and reason, judgment and inclusivity. It is not new, it has been a crisis always - a split in the human soul. But it is perhaps heightened right now, as we stand poised on the brink between new possibilities and complete annihilation. Call it left vs. right brain dominance if you will. Call it two types of temperament, perhaps liberal and conservative. As Alan Watts put it, you have the wiggly people and the prickly people. It is often painfully predictable. In his best-seller, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig calls it the split between the classicists and the romantics. Groovy and square, intuitive and intellectual, emotional and rational, pragmatic and spiritual.




The question is this: how does one maintain a depth oriented relationship to one's interior (substantive and practice-oriented spirituality) without getting lost in relativist and noncritical over-valuing of subjectivity - and how does one maintain a robust and honest scientific method in both the analysis of inner and outer experience without negating the inward layers of depth and meaning that are discoverable through sound methodology?

The big mistake on the one hand is to equate non-rational with depth and rational with superficiality. Another way to say it - depth is considered the domain of the spiritual and the spiritual is considered separate from thre rational - this is unfortunately a recipe for superficiality that appears at first to be very deep and then has a built in failsafe against the depth that comes from rational inquiry.

The mirror image big mistake is to equate solid rational and empirical inquiry with reality and interior inquiry of the kind excelled at by meditation, psychology, creativity and social studies with something nebulous, relative and therefore not meaningful.

This second mistake becomes grounds for the Pre Trans Fallacy in both directions - with:

a) fanciful spirituality misperceiving the prerational for the transrational by elevating everything non-rational and
b) narrow science relegating the genuinely transrational to the rank of prerational because all non-rationality is seen as nonsense.

The truth is that these false dichotomies are resolved if we follow an understanding of the four quadrants and a real substantive broad science that applies itself both to empirically-verifiable exterior domains  as well as the interior domains of reason, the discovery of meaning and contemplative self-development.

What is needed is a healthy integration that facilitates depth. Many agree with this, but then go on to describe or enact an integration that is not discerning enough and doesn’t apply solid methodology to deciding what to include and what to transcend from each perspective. This distinction making is where the rubber meets the road in creating a truly integral vision. The distinction is not between rational and spiritual, but between depth and superficiality in the domains of science, reason, ethics and meaning.

Spirituality is more accurately defined as a depth-oriented relationship to one’s inner life in relationship to the outer world – not as a willingness to believe unreasonable things in the name of being open and finding a kitschy kind of self-fulfilling “meaning” on the surface of life.

“Dig deeper” is the directive, and digging deeper is precisely what spiritual practice, psychological inquiry, philosophical exploration and scientific method makes possible.




More to come….

There is magic but it's not supernatural.

Myths do have meaning but they are not literal.

Interior depth is the crucible of spiritual life.

We stay on the surface when we define spirituality in ways that are not grounded in reality.

Healthy, rational, adult thinking is a spiritual gift, not a hindrance.

It works in synergy with intelligent intuition and embodied emotional honesty.

Beyond mythic literalism and magical regression lies the  spiritual kingdom of the inner life.

This is spiritual truth number four.

                                        ~

The language of the soul (psyche) is poetic.

The metaphors contained in that language refer to the relationship between our inner and outer worlds.

When that language is accurate and deep it is filled with meaning that provides insight, compassion and genuine growth.

Initiation is necessary in the form of a depth-oriented, inquiry-based practice.

Integration is necessary in the form of well-rounded growth that matches evolving mind, body and heart with a deepening interior spirituality.

         
                                     ~

Much of what passes for contemporary "spirituality" carries neither initiation, integration or interior depth.

It invites instead a dissociative dance on the surface, a regression into magical thinking and a mythic literalism that spurns the soul's true poetry.

One reason for this is that the doorway into spiritual depth is guarded by the gargoyle of personal and collective suffering.

Until we are ready to acknowledge and work with psychological pain and existential anxiety, the kingdom of the inner life remains inaccessible.

There is a magic of the real and a miracle of the ordinary waiting to blossom behind your eyes and to paint the world with it's sense of deep, humble, compassionate awe.

                                  ~

In meditation reflect upon the body that grew from a single cell, was born as a baby covered in blood and has grown into the form sitting here and now.

Reflect upon the heart and it's changing weather of emotions: subtle, intense, happy, sad, resentful, forgiving, wounded, compassionate.

Witness the mind in it's brilliance and confusion, creativity and craziness, clarity and delusion.

Contemplate and invite a deepening relationship to the rich inner language of dream, myth, poetry, emotion, sensation and intuition.

Return again and again to an honest, grounded curiosity about the relationship between your inner and outer life.

Keep it real.

The Meeting

Back in December I came across a remarkable company at the Eco Gift Expo called iZoCleanze.

The CEO, Tim Martin was making delicious veggie juices all weekend long and giving them out for free to everyone at the Expo, along with informational materials about his amazing service.

In exchange for his kind juice gifts, I invited Tim to lie down on the massage table I had set up as part of my booth. Every few hours I would intuitively choose someone who I knew would be ripe for a powerful energetic mind-body experience and work on them for 20 minutes or so to bring them into balance, relieve stress and see where their system was ready to go - and of course to  give any passersby a sense of what my work was about. (See more about my work here.)

Tim confirmed something I have known for over a decade in powerful style: no sooner did I and my assistant Sarah begin sharing our energetic touch techniques with him (which vary from circulatory and deep tissue massage strokes, to craniosacral holds, to powerful energy-activating techniques) than he started to really open up.

It was so beautiful to see this complete stranger having a profoundly spiritual experience of his own energy flow, to see him opening up emotionally, trembling, sweating, laughing and exclaiming in wonder at what was happening as his body let go, his state of mind shifted and his heart expanded.

He looked up at us with a grin after a minute or two and let us know he was part way through a "juice feast" - which means he had been fasting on his own remarkable blends of veggie juices, herbal teas, rice protein and hemp milk, mineral supplements and more..


Integrative Practice - It's All  Connected!

Those of you who know about my Big Sky Healing Arts system understand that cleansing is a key component in terms of unpacking the amazing energetic gifts of practices like yoga and bodywork - the more detoxified your tissues are, the more effectively your organs are doing their jobs, the less acidic your internal environment is, the easier it is to heal injuries and become flexible and strong, the more likely you are to maintain optimum health and most importantly (because it underlies alll the previous statements) the more vital life force you have available pumping through your body.

That last statement about life force energy is not just fluffy new age talk. Its a physiological, experiential, psychospiritual reality that, without fail, anyone I have guided toward cleansing as part of their mind-body process has been blown away by!

It's the difference between me touching your neck and it feeling good, and me touching your neck and you getting goosebumps down to your toes - because the access to energy and aliveness in your nervous system is that open! It's the difference between your yoga practice being a sluggish struggle that you work through because it does you good - and your yoga practice being infused with a sense of luminosity, grace and ecstatic fluidity in the body!

So, Tim's extraordinary availability to an energetic process on the table that day made me want to know more about his system, and tell him more about mine - and it made me want to share him with all of you..

But of course that has to begin at home.... I have done a lot of cleansing over the years - and it was one of the things that helped me cure my Lyme Disease a few years back - but never anything like the izocleanze approach.


My Journey Begins

Today I am on Day One of  five-day izocleanze - and it's amazing! (I did it for three days last month and loved it!)

Each morning before 6 a.m. a compact cooler arrives silently outside your door. It contains 11 pints of incredible mixed veggie juices and herbal teas, vials of mineral liquid, and a pack of cleansing supplements. Oh and the hemp milk, bean and rice protein shake that is the treat of the day and the blood sugar stabilizer par exellance!


This time around I am feeling even more stable on the juices and teas and the delicious protein shake that i had for lunch about 2 hours ago.. Light, focused, and energized without my usual dose of Yerba Mate green tea!

See the comments section below for more reports as the fast/feast continues...

I am really excited for my Big Sky Yoga Integral Mind-Body Transformation Workshop at Kripalu next weekend!




It's June 27th - 29th . I would love to see you there...

Here's the blurb:

Julian Walker, the originator of Big Sky Yoga, is fascinated with the possibilities of a twenty-first century spirituality that is both grounded and fluid, intellectual and embodied, psychologically deep and playfully ecstatic. In this workshop, he shares his contemporary, holistic approach to yoga, anatomy, mind-body psychology, and working with energy via breath and intention.

Sessions will feature illustrated lectures, deep stretches, core work, flow yoga asana sequences, free-form movement blossoming into ecstatic dance, a sharing circle, and heart-centered meditations. Using soulful music and poetry in his facilitation, Julian holds sacred space for all aspects of self that emerge in the circle of awareness created by shared practice. Both morning sessions will include Big Sky Yoga practice, and Sunday morning will also involve writing exercises.

Please help me break into the east coast yoga world by spreading the word to anyone you know!

Here's the link to Kripalu's webpage about this exciting event.

In this extraordinary riff on  religion, spirituality, denial, and saving the world, Andrew Harvey talks passionately about the need for shadow work to birth authentic and grounded contemporary spirituality. He draws on Buddhism, Jung and his own poetic eloquence to discuss this powerful and illusion-dispelling topic. What's more he does it while holding up the ideals of true compassion and honest awareness of reality.

Completely in line with what I call 21st Century Spirituality.

 From the interview:

"All of us are terrified of being in the body, in these boats of meat with all of these other disreputable wrecks around - because as soon as we actually face that we are embodied and in a world that is exploding, with some very dangerous neurotic complicated people rather like ourselves all around us, influencing heavily the whole reality we try so desperately and stupidly to control, there is real terror when we finally face that.

So the history of religion has been one of the attempt to soothe this terror by an addiction to transcendence, by an addiction to the light. Which gets us out of the horror and terror and fear and responsibility of being here in a body with others. The fundamental shadow to accept and embrace is the one that nearly all the religions have been appalling at embracing and that is the body itself, us being incarnate. Unless we have now a spirituality of radical incarnation, radical embodiment that embraces the shadow and expresses that embrace through passionate and compassionate sacred activism on every level, we are not going to survive because our addiction to the light combined with our addiction to greed has created a death machine that is destroying the planet...

This can only be healed by a very unsparing examination of everything we don't want to look
at..."

             Andrew Harvey




"We do not find enlightenment by focusing on figures of light, rather by making conscious what has been hidden in the dark.."
                        Carl Jung



"Oh ignorance, the devil who i saw face to face, was not a real devil in front of me, it was myself. I am the devil."
                                                                        Sakyamuni Buddha




LIsten to the whole interview by clicking here - it is extraordinary, passionate, lucid and grounded in the body and the real world  - a call to authentic spirituality.


Here's more from Harvey on youtube:




Here's Part Two of this Video..

There was no-one like him.