I believe that the purpose of life is to interact with as much and as many as you can. I believe that everything in the entire universe is one higher, infinite consciousness and we are all small parts of this consciousness. I believe the purpose of our existence is to learn about all parts of the greater consciousness through interaction.

I believe that we are straying from this goal. I believe that we are made to hate, to ignore, and to condemn because it makes it easier to control us by those craving power and separation from the whole because they are afraid.

When we believe we are all part of the same whole, it makes it near impossible to hate: to not believe that every interaction we are put in is a lesson and a blessing. This is the world I want to live in. This is the world I wish for. Not a perfect world, but a world where it is commonly recognized that we are all connected- every person, every animal, every plant, every word, every feeling, every color. Everything. You are all of it.

Santa Fe is my place. I never thought I would have one until I came here. Everyone (meaning the people from here or who have been here for long) here is so beautiful and amazingly conscious. They all have fantastic stories. You can strike up a conversation with anyone, no one judges you. Everyone’s just…pleasant. And, of course, the nature is gorgeous.

I saw this tree on a hike yesterday. People left trinkets and uplifting notes, pipes and sculptures all over and around the tree. It was just so lovely, so very me. I never want to leave.

It makes me sad that a lot of kids from my school say they don’t like Santa Fe and are leaving, when they’ve really never gone out to see its real face. Ah well, it’s okay. You have to be an explorer of the world and the mind to fit in well here.

The more I learn about different religions and spiritual beliefs, the more I realize that when you strip away the names, personifications and stories- they’re pretty much all the same. The infinite everything (or god) and the infinite nothing are the same thing. This makes me question why we, as humans, have this need to condemn others in our quest to be “right”, whatever that means. I don’t understand it and it makes me sad.

I feel like spirituality and religion were originally meant to unite us, to give us community, empathy of others, purpose, and to ease the hardship of living. Instead, it was made into an institution like so many other things and used as a tool to divide us.

Today was yellow and gold,
In a space two bits above the navel.
A space of cosmic, glittering dust
And a thousand chlorophyl fingers.
While giving my salutations to the sun, 
I realize I am content.
Falling in a prismatic rise,
I am fulfilled with us as one. 

To be happy, you cannot deny sadness. It is there, in every person: the murk that is our being. You have to accept the darkness and let your lotus find the light through it. Never stop pushing through the murk. If you do, you will not find the light and you will not bloom.

In the first era of the human race, the nose appeared. 

Out of a faceless body filled with explosive emotions, two nostrils flared.  A great release of tension and fear from the previously faceless lump came, as it was now able to take in a bit of the world around. It took in every variation of the slight shifts in smell, but was ultimately afraid of the unknown darkness around. The being mastered the nose but wanted, needed, more.

In the second era of the human race, the eyes opened.

Wanting, perhaps overly so, for more, two great orbs suddenly snapped open. The humans were flooded with colors and light, banishing the fear within these beings and sending droplets of water to fill the new orbs. It was quite a lot to take in, and take in they did. They studied each other, and the world around, curiosity overpowering the gripping fear inside. But, alas, the curiosity abated after many, many generations. The beings were afraid once again, and needed to take in more.

In the third era of the human race, the ears appeared.

Two great flaps popped out so the beings could take in what was happening to the sides of them. The fear was once again banished as the mechanics in the ears were bombarded with a cacophony of noise. Whooshes, beats, thumps, and claps, it all came rushing in. They listened, looked and smelled, but after many generations, there was a great need to put back into the world the beings were taking in.

In the fourth era of the human race, the mouth opened.

A great bellowing sound in many octaves came from every being as their lips parted for the first time. The mouth, however, could take in as well as give back, as this world was not meant for the humans to give as much as receive. These beings would not occupy their time with taking in if they could have the overpowering joy of giving vast creations back to the world. As the generations came and went, and languages were learned and forgotten, one fact solidified for every being: they were all still afraid.

In the fifth era of the human race, the third eye will appear.

Snapping open, like the orbs before, the beings will be filled with utter awe at the sudden ability to take in the spiritual dimension of the world around. The fear will be banished like black ice in the glaring sun. For many generations the beings will find love, tolerance, understanding and peace. Every spiritual glow within every person will be seen, and the beings will realize they are all parts of one. Their hearts will be radiant golden.  

We were present tense.

But now we are past tense.

I find an enormous rock that calls to me
In the clutch of an early autumn breeze
While it swells, swirls, settles on my skin
I sit near the mighty rock and then
I am empty, filling with what’s around
I sit for some time upon the ground
To feel this great behemoth’s soul
And I sit some more until I’m full
And a moment more in this breeze
Sitting here between sparse trees
I’m here just long enough for the rock
To feel my presence, for us to talk