Introducing... the Everyday Mystic!
Pay attention - and you'll see the mystical every day
(No, I haven't given up pickleball!)
Welcome, dear friend! Happy Thursday! Hope you’re having a delightful week!
You might have noticed that I recently changed my handle and branding - from The Pickleball Philosopher to The Everyday Mystic. And you may be curious as to why.
You might even be wondering why I took all the effort( okay, maybe only 10 or 20 minutes - but still!) to create new banners and change my profile and all that.
And if you're reading this 2 years from today, and I've changed again, and none of this makes any sense, hopefully, it's still an entertaining story!
I originally picked the moniker “The Pickleball Philosopher” because:
I love pickleball
I love alliteration (what poet doesn't?), and
I planned to make observations from my experiences playing the sport I have such a passion for and write about those.
However, I quickly realized that my real passion was writing poetry and inspirational stories that popped up in my mind. And I rarely found myself inspired to write about pickleball.
A large part of the last several months has been devoted to my study of A Course in Miracles. And what I've discovered in that time is that the mystical is constant in our lives.
Appearing over and over again - if we have eyes to see.
When many people hear the word mystical, they get this image of a monk or hermit, sitting on a remote mountain in some far-off country, miles from civilization, spending hours in meditation and contemplation.
Isolated from society and removed from humanity.
I want to change this image - forever!
A mystic is simply someone who sees the divine in everyday life.
In that light, what was Jesus but a mystic? What was Buddha? what was Mohammed? Or any of the great prophets?
I want to show that the mystical can and should be part of everyday life.
Of THIS Life.
This messy, unpredictable, wonderful life - with its financial struggles, dissatisfactions with our jobs, delicious food that sticks to our waistline, babies that won't sleep, traffic jams, frustrating relationships, and all the rest - is crying out for the mystical.
Through it, we heal.
Through it, we are released from fear.
Through it, we are saved.
What do you think of the new name? Love it? inspiring? confusing? incredibly stupid? Let me know either way!
I wrote this poem to explain my philosophy I bit more. I hope it will inspire you to fill your day with joy and wonder!
A Brush with the Mystical
If you will be aware
you can feel the mystical
stretch out to you every day
Like the lover’s longing grasp
Softly calling to your spirit
Gently caressing your soul
A signpost on a secluded road
faded by continual exposure to the forces of nature
rusted through by years of wind and rain
slowly disintegrating
in a return to the dust from whence it came
can offer a glimpse of ancient wisdom
Divine knowledge
Timeless presence
A frozen landscape with an iced-over pond
crystalline lattices of prismatic dispersion
can secret visions of chromatic grandeur
more vivid, more wondrous
than has ever been known to this world
or any other
A single wilted rose petal
shaken from the lover’s gifted bouquet
pushed into a dark corner of the room
Holds the path to the Tao
A gateway to the inner Buddha
Christ incarnate
The song of the trees
swaying in the cool autumn wind
leaves of amber and gold scattered
softly whispers the mysteries of the universe
in the frequency of the cosmos
to the ear that is ready to hear
the essence of the universe
to the eye willing to see
An approaching storm
foretold by towering thunderclouds dark and gray
can as easily bear witness to all the wonders of creation
as a cerulean springtime sky
clear as the morning dew
or accented by exquisite billowy pillows
of soft cumulus clouds
In the mating call of a lovesick nightingale
perched high atop the world
in its humble nest of twigs and grass
is held the beauty contained
in the collapse of space and time
The unity of soul
The radiance that proceeded existence
A chance meeting
with a stranger on a park bench
illuminated by the glow of an August sunset
in the return line at Costco
or in a busy convenience store
can unveil divine grace
The perfection of Man
The holy face of God
Did you enjoy this message? Let’s connect!
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Amazing imagery throughout! Felt like I was taking a tour throughout different places in time and the world! Beautiful.
Thanks for the restack @DoctorBuzzard !