The Unclad Soul

“You are that which you are seeking.”  – St. Francis of Assisi, Catholic Mystic

“Until you are willing to be confused about what you already know,  what you know will never grow bigger, better, or more useful.”  – Milton Erickson, Psychologist/Author

I stumbled onto Amos Lee the other day while listening to Jango, an online radio station.  I’d never heard of Amos Lee but he was singing something called, “El Camino,” and I liked it. His voice is mellow and a bit gravely and it carries some pain in it but the pilgrim’s spirit can be heard in him, too. “Well to all my friends That treated me so well You know I’m headed out To that mission bell Gonna wash my soul, gonna get it clean Headed down the border road called the El Camino” This is a beautiful song filled with pathos and truth-seeking. I love the image of the sort of forlorn traveler perhaps a little weary with life taking off to find his way, leaving his friends behind to seek some redemption, some transcendence and transformation, down a border road to where the mission bell is calling him. I want to go, too. I want experiences that call me to deeper insight into life, and, to higher places of self-awareness.  Not egotism.  No...

Ingrid and I were strolling through Macy’s on our way to the food court in NorthPark mall. We walked by the men’s cologne section and I decided to stop to see if there was anything new on the shelves. I sniffed around a few things and finally sprayed on a little True Religion. It’s been around for awhile but I liked the scent. The rest of the afternoon whenever I would get a whiff of the cologne I kept thinking about the whole idea of true religion. I spent a lot of years studying religion, talking and writing about it, trying to figure out its mysteries and contradictions, its deep thoughts and arbitrary rules, its beautiful ideas and ugly prejudices. I am a Christian by family tradition, by parental influence, by focused exposure, by environmental coincidence, and as an adult, by choice. Had I grown up in India or Iran, Africa or China, Russia or Israel, I’m sure I would be something else. I do not believe any of us are destined or foreordained to be a Christian or to fo...