we are spinning. like the sufi mystic who whirls as a spiritual practice, this planet rotates on its axis. we see this every morning, as we spin toward the sun and it appears to rise, and in the evening it appears to set. the moon spins on it's axis and orbits around us, and we spin together as we orbit around the sun. the sun spins on its on majestic axis as it orbits around the black hole at the center of this magnificant galaxy we call the milky way.

.....and at the most elemental level are the spinning atoms that coalesce to make all of matter, including you.

.....circles inside circles inside spirals in the sky. all of it, supported by the dark.

.....from darkness we come to darkness we go. billions of years ago, the universe exploded into being. it is still racing into the infinite, as the red shift attests. the big bang, the great push that happened when another cosmic cycle began, full of all the potential of the universe- just like the winter solstice moment of light being reborn. the big bang, the sound of the universe, the om, the gong, the heartbeat of the drum. the big bang, sperm and egg meeting in the dark feminine body to create you, full of all the potential of the universe.

.....we are stardust, you and i, made of the same matter that begat the universe. our bodies sanctify spirit, giving this loose conglomerate of molecules a place to spin and coalesce out of the dark womb, into light, before returning to darkness again.

.....this is no mere metaphysical musing. it's the most basic tenet of physics, the first law of thermodynamics: matter and the energy that infuses it is never created, nor destroyed, but only changes forms.

.....breath now and inhale the very same molecules of air that jesus, buddha, and allah did hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

.....i invite you to stand beneath the infinite sky some night this season. breathe deep of the night air, and be not afraid. look into the immeasurably vast cosmos and know that your soul's energy is a forever piece in this intricate celestial matrix of light and dark.

     we run all over the country to find a place of peace and enjoyment.  a place to feel safe and contented - but it is in our own backyard. 

    the ideal spot is where we are when we realize that life and happiness is within us and in no other place. 

    when we become complete and coordinated within we may be in some picturesque place, or it may be just sitting on the doorstep in the sunlight with leaves at our feet.

     the feeling is that there is no other place as important as this one. 

     suddenly this moment and this place have all the stuff of happiness because we have found within ourselves the completeness and joy of faith.