Update on Travels and Books

[Kuangsi Waterfalls, Laos]

Hello everyone. I am back home in Louisiana. Just wanted to put another update out there...

Spent 16 days in Jakarta, Indonesia with my father and his new wife, Susan. I'm very excited for him because she is an amazing person and she'll make him happier and more balanced. They're having a 'wedding celebration' (they got married with no one around a few months ago) tomorrow evening and I'm going to read the Song of the Reed by Rumi. They said that I could read any sort of poetry, but we all like Rumi and that passage is one of my favorites. Although it's a bit long and deep for such an occasion, I'll take advantage of a chance to read it.

Spent 10 days in Thailand and Laos with two friends of mine. It was a great trip, I met some interesting people and got to see some beautiful places. I will upload pictures over time, so check that out.

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I've been reading a fair amount, especially with so many planes to fly on.

I spoke of almost finishing The Sufis by Idries Shah. Since then I have read it all and found it to be a very interesting foray into the spirit of Sufism and some of its greatest masters.
The book allowed me to become more aware of the tremendous discipline on the Sufi path, the skill and beauty of the use of metaphor in longing for the Divine, the unbroken lineage of deeply spiritual sheikhs, and how Sufism deeply impresses upon my heart and mind.


I also read Heart, Self, and Soul: The Sufi Psychology of Growth, Balance, and Harmony, by Robert Frager. Robert Frager is an amazing man. He founded the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in order to help validate and increase the research on the deeper layers of the human psyche. I may apply to the Institute for grad school, but am still contemplating my future direction. This book is excellent. Dr. Frager writes with such a clear yet friendly tone and engages in deep discussion on spiritual matters with ease. Since I am so interested in Psychology, especially of the transpersonal realm, I felt that this book was a must-read for me. Each chapter ends in a recommendation of a particular exercise or exercises to help the heart, self, and soul. I haven't practiced all of them, but I have adopted at least one into my daily living. Dr. Frager quotes many people and stories, all of them interesting and relevant to my life. Here is a beautiful Hafiz poem:

"If someone sits with me
And we talk about the Beloved,

If I cannot give his heart comfort,
If I cannot make him feel better
About himself and this world,

Then, Hafiz,
Quickly run to the mosque and pray-
For you have just committed
The only sin I know."

I have been yearning for a book like this because it so commandingly critiques modern psychology's 'neurosis-cure-neurosis-cure' paradigm that completely ignores the deeper drives and feelings of the human being. Psychology has forgotten the psyche. I plan to help it remember, with help from transpersonal/integral consciousness and research. Dr. Frager does a brilliant job of providing this service. The main way that it is easy for him to criticize and expand the narrow scope of modern psychology is through the rich spiritual-psychological literature of the Sufi path. Much of the book is about the different stages and states of growth from 'ordinary' consciousness to an awakened consciousness. Through this journey of Sufi 'waves of development', Dr./Sheikh Frager displays the torment and beauty of the search for the Beloved. Heart, Self, and Soul showcases many of the wonderful stories, poems, and koans of the Sufist tradition. I highly recommend reading this book, as it will lift you up and teach you many things. Of the many things I learned, probably the most pronounced was that I am not ready to pursue the Sufi path. It is a rare path, for the truly ready. For now I am working on my self, with its addictions and desires, its shadow and its narcissism. But more and more the light breaks into my consciousness, and I feel the love of the universe. I embrace the mysteriousness and utter profundity of being alive in this mad, mad world. I am a very lucky person and I try to be thankful for that. Every day I recite 'la ilaha ilallah.' There is no god but God. I need to focus more on destroying the false idols in my mind...the egocentric God, the Gods of spiritual haughtiness, and every other thought in the mind that denies the Godliness of being.

"The thing we tell of can never be found by seeking, yet only seekers find it."
- Bayazid Bistami, early Sufi master

On the trip to Thailand and Laos, one of my friends who I was traveling with brought The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. I had read of the book and movie by several zaadzsters and it was on my reading list, but not too high up. However, I read the book in a few hours because it was difficult to put down. Even after the glowing reviews by some of you guys, I was still deeply moved by the depth of the concepts Millman discussed. He wrote the book in a very easy to read, fun manner, but he introduced very important spiritual lessons and axioms skillfully and beautifully. Many of the stories told in the book were of Sufist origin, which added another dimension of enjoyment. I can't say much about the book now because I don't want to ruin it and I don't own the book. There's a story I really want to share but I don't remember the whole thing so I'll wait until I get hold of it to show you guys. Bottom line: It's an inspiring and enjoyable read about the struggle and transformation of one excellent athlete of 'ordinary consciousness' into the transpersonal realm of awakened consciousness and all that comes with it. My dad just bought me The Journeys of Socrates, one of the companion books about Millman's mentor's life. I'll let you know the lessons learned from that one as well.


I am now finishing Sex, Ecology, Spirituality, by Ken Wilber. I read about 1/3 of it and had to put it down because he was discussing psychological development using a lot of Piaget and I had already read Integral Psychology and just taken a class on cognitive dev. in school so I wasn't in the mood. Anyways, I'm back reading it and 2/3 of the way. It is extremely interesting and I need to spend a lot more time with it. My understanding of non-duality as a stage of development and the ground of all being has been immensely enhanced, albeit only intellectually. I will blog about the book after I finish it. Hopefully I'll have the time and mind to write copious amounts on different elements and points of the book. For now, I see why it is Wilber's magnum opus. He manages to synthesize so many ideas and people and theories that it is intellectually stunning. He also writes in a way that makes the concepts fairly easy to digest and that is compelling to read. I have mixed feelings about Ken Wilber because I learned so much and he clarified so much of my thinking but I have read many of the criticisms and often agree with their points. However, as I read SES, his genius and eros shine from the pages, and I will continue to support him and the lesser-integral Wilberian movement with healthy skepticism just as I support the larger 'evolutionary allies' integral movement with healthy skepticism.

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Traveling can teach many things. It can also teach nothing. Same with books. I hope and think that I learn(ed) from my experiences. I certainly saw the kindness of strangers, and I saw that synchronicity can flourish anywhere and at anytime. Be open to the mysterious, to the vast potential that hovers in the present moment. I hope everyone is well. Have a great holiday and remember that Christmas is a celebration of the living truth of Christ, not an excuse to buy shit.

"The kingdom of heaven is within."

Dive within so that we may live without.