Modern science is finding out that a lot can be learned from contemplative traditions, both in the East, as seen in Ajahn Sucitto’s quote this morning, and in the West, as can be seen in monastic orders like the Cistercians both here at Bolton Abbey in Ireland or all around the world. They both emphasize the health benefits of sitting still, which has effects on brain function, even in small doses.

The claim…that stillness of body leads to stillness of mind is not the exclusive preserve of Indian traditions: the desert fathers maintained that simply sitting still, preferably on or close to the ground, would greatly aid their attempts to keep the mind focused and thus resist the distracting chatter of demons. To sit still is to be present, and fully attentive to what is. How often do we really give our undivided attention to the things we do, or…

I am not the ‘I’ I was,

Nor the ‘I’ I shall become,

I am,

Now,

Present,

Only in this moment.

I recently found this chart that perfectly summed up some issues I’ve been dealing with lately:

Truth! The times they are a changing, and bosses who are more concerned with exerting their supreme authority than actually inspiring the best from their employees are going the way of the dinosaurs. Collaboration is key.

Rewind to the first time I was a boss: It may have been inexperience, or it may have been that I was just drunk with my new-found power, but my management style fluctuated between complete disinterest, thinly veiled irritation at being bothered with “unnecessary’ details, followed by frantic, last-minute micromanagement, and ending with a tirade of negative reinforcement. I mean, does that inspire anyone to work harder? Maybe a Willy Loman-esque masochist with daddy-issues…

Needless to say, things did not end well with that employee, and that person is probably still out there somewhere in the world hating…

One of the things I’ve been looking at lately is the continuity between the ancient Egyptian nature and worship of Isis and its later expression when Her religion spread throughout the Greco-Roman world.

There are many such points of continuity, in my opinion, but one that caught my attention recently is Isis’ enduring expression as a Lady of Light.

The ancient Egyptians held Festivals of Lights in which the entire town or city would light oil lamps that would burn throughout the night—entirely equivalent to our own stringing of lights at Halloween or Yule. (My imagination sees Egyptian neighbors vying with each other over elaborate displays of lights.)

The historian Herodotus (5th century BCE) writes about such a Festival of Lights at Sais, the city of Neith. He says:

“At the times when they gather together at the city of Sais for their sacrifices, on a certain night they all…

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.” 

Agnes de Mille, Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham