The One Thing binds the world and all its practices in an eternal fermentation process. The whole of it, like the whole of ourselves, is forever darting like a school of minnows between seen and unseen waters. Both, and. Forever. And within these, countless more both, and’s. Ceaseless.

Ceaseless, that is, unless you decide to only dwell in one or the other in a slap-dash certainty. It’s a sure recipe for unfullfillment, being forever aware of but unable to perceive that essential part of yourself that is always missing. The dual world is astounding and resists simplification, other than, that is, simply being in it with wide-eyes and open heart. For two thousand years, the West has dwelled in only the material, the least of its aspects.

The West has had a religion but with the exits sealed off. Three hundred years ago, it took what remained away. The West has been pretending and even, against every scripture, insisted that the illusory world is the only real one because it could prove it. 50,000 years of wonder got hacked off, and the whole of humanity had to suffer this stunt. And, of course, the stunt has brought us back to wonder.

Natural Philosophy is the term we who remember have used and use still. As the lights went out, we observed the darkness. Over the course of time, we, too, receded into shadow. This is why when you pick up books pertaining to our practices you see how they are often dark. The book covers are black. People who read them think that darkness, therefore, is good.

We were never there for the darkness but for the light we find within ourselves when we are courageous and bring our unseen interiority into the room or hill where we gather and shine the light of listening upon it. We are the joyful ones because we have cried and know we will cry again.

To be a Natural Philosopher is to include the earth and cosmos in the rhythm of our thoughts and our hearts. When we walk, we walk with the earth. When we eat, we eat with the earth. When we tell story, we hear the earth tell with us, ever generous with a detail that reveals what we would otherwise miss. Story by story, earth sets the course in us. She gives us experiences that we turn into tales. In telling, we are listening. We remain open and unrehearsed. What we bring, the earth makes beautiful.