http://www.simonsmall.info en-gb simonsmall.info 2012-5-18T00:00:00Z simonsmall.info http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#118516 Human beings have an almost overwhelming impulse to see themselves as the center of existence. Everything is then viewed and interpreted from this place. So distortion ignorance and falsehood enter into human life with all the suffering that this inevitably brings. The greatest questions and the deepest insights are hammered into mutant shapes in order to fit into the human soap opera playing itself out on a tiny speck of dust orbiting an insignificant sun in an unfathomably immense multidimensional universe. The worlds greatest religions and spiritual teachings are not immune from this disease. This seems extraordinary given that they claim to give insight into the most profound questions that can be asked about the human condition. But perhaps it is not surprising given the struggle that my own tradition experienced in merely accepting that the Earth orbited the sun rather than the reverse an apt metaphor for a greater malaise. The antidote to this original sin has two ingredi... 2012-5-18 11:30:12 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#110711 I recently became resident chaplain to the Abbey House Retreat Centre in Glastonbury which stands in the grounds of the ancient but now ruined abbey. It is an extraordinary place to live. One of the oldest Christian sites in England monks were living lives devoted to the mysteries of God in this place in the 5th century. St Patrick was one of those monks. One gets a deep sense of those who have gone before in this place who no doubt struggled with life just as we do. Indeed it can bring salutary reminders that people like me born and raised in a rich and powerful nation who have never experienced war should be more aware of our good fortune. The problems that we are convinced dominate our lives are probably nothing compared to those who have gone before. As an example of this the following poem was recently found in the archives at Abbey House. It was composed during a retreat at the House by an unknown author during the second world war. We can never know about his or her... 2012-1-19 14:44:04 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#103281 I was recently interviewed by Conscious TV about contemplation with particular reference to From the Bottom of the Pond. It was a really good interview an hour long concluding with a short meditation. To watch the interview click here If the link doesnt work go to Conscious TV NonDualityTraditions. 2011-9-26 10:18:49 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#102077 In case its of interest my Events page for the next few months has now been updated. Bookings must be made direct with the organiser concerned. Three of the events are about the Gospel of Thomas. It shows the current fascination with this Gospel. Perhaps many people are seeking for another way to approach the great mystery that is Jesus. In February 2012 I will be leading a retreat based around the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. This is not something I have done before but I felt drawn to share how helpful I have found this teaching over the years despite the fact that I am a follower of the Jesus tradition. We can all learn from one another. 2011-9-7 19:29:29 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#98465 Jane was recently interviewed about her art for the Creativity Unleashed website. Click here to read what she had to say. 2011-7-16 10:47:23 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#97329 Quiet Days are now becoming very popular. Offered by retreat centres spiritual organisations and individuals they allow participants to slow down for a few hours and in silence ponder questions of meaning. On Monday 12th September I will be helping to facilitate a training day at Abbey House Glastonbury for anyone seeking guidance on how to lead Quiet Days. For more information contact Abbey House wardenabbeyhouse.org tel. 01458 831112 2011-6-29 18:10:13 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#95162 Someone recently shared this story with me. One morning I was sitting by a lily pond in the grounds of an old abbey near where I live. The sky was intensely blue and the breeze was rippling the surface of the water so it sparkled like stars. I sat looking across the pool to an orchard which was wreathed in thick blossom . Occasionally a woodpecker flew by and sometimes a large dark fish with gleaming scales would come to the surface of the water in front of me. As I was caught up in the sheer magic of the moment a lady I vaguely knew came up behind me and said hello. She was out jogging. I said Its like being in heaven isnt it. I cant believe I live here. She looked surprised slightly bewildered as if she was looking for whatever it was that was captivating me . Then she said Yes its pretty isnt it and jogged off at a fair speed . I watched her disappear into the distance and felt a little sad she hadnt seen it. I had previously found her to be a little irritating for various reason... 2011-5-31 13:56:38 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#94264 On Friday 17th June I will be leading a quiet day at Abbey House Glastonbury entitled Into the Mystery of God. The focus will be on connecting with the depths of the present moment and the presence that awaits. For more details click here . The cost is 16320 with lunch or 16312 without. Booking is direct with Abbey House . Hope some of you can make it. 2011-5-19 12:21:44 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#91657 This Saturday 16 April I will be signing copies of Star Pilgrim at Waterstones Bookshop in Wells Somerset UK. Be great to meet anyone who might be in the vicinity. More details at httpbit.lygx7Hz0 2011-4-13 15:44:40 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#90586 I recently led a weeklong retreat at the Othona Community in Dorset exploring the Gospel of Thomas. It was overbooked and people had to be turned away. The Gospel seems to be of great interest. It was a powerful experience for all concerned. Even though Ive been working with the Gospel for twenty years during the week I encountered new depths. On Saturday 25th June 2011 I will be leading a day on Thomas at the Bleddfa Centre in Wales. Further details can be found here . Scroll down the list of June events until you get to the 25th. Hope some of you can make it. 2011-3-30 15:22:48 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#85645 Many years ago a great spiritual teacher told me something that I have been trying to work with ever since. He said that in difficult situations no matter how pressing matters seemed to be whatever emotions were at work the only important thing was to bring peace to the mind. He claimed that as the mind found stillness answers would come. He also suggested that very often reality itself would respond in remarkable and mysterious ways. Of course in the stresses and intensity of life this is not easy to do. We become absorbed in the drama and the mind fills with chains of thought often incomplete and semicoherent. We may still believe that bringing peace to the mind is a good thing but only after weve sorted out the problem at hand. It feels too urgent and allconsuming. The teaching recently came to the fore in my life with regard to a particular situation. This time unlike on so many other occasions I remembered to apply it. I live in Glastonbury. It is an old mark... 2011-1-28 15:20:08 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#83154 Sometimes I can never resist a bit of namedropping. So here goes. Im currently reading a book called Introduction to Metaphysics by Martin Heidegger a famous twentieth century philosopher. This sounds impressive but in all honesty I have yet to finish the first chapter. Its hard going. Perhaps its a bad translation. Or more likely its a result of the endemic inability of most western philosophers to communicate with anything approaching clarity. I have a suspicion that I will soon give up and move on to something more digestible. But this would be a pity as I sense beneath the verbal concrete lies something of incalculable value. This is because the book starts with the greatest question there is. Why are there beings at all instead of nothing I bought a copy of the book when someone told me that it started with this question. The discovery of this question albeit in a slightly different form was one of the great turning points of my life. It was the moment that a ... 2010-12-21 09:40:22 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#79694 It is rare that I know for certain that I will reread a book. But I will most definitely return to Cave Refectory Road by Ian Adams at some point. The book is a reflection on applying the riches of the Christian monastic tradition to everyday life in the modern world. It carries a quiet unassuming power that for me at least allowed its message to penetrate deeply without my being quite aware this was happening. Realisation dawned as I found myself revisiting certain chapters that would not leave my mind. Perhaps this is because the book is not an abstract study. It is the fruit of Ians longterm commitment to finding ways to live out monastic ideals in the world in the light of a deeply committed prayer life. Indeed it is the passages describing the good and bad times in his experience of prayer that moved me most. The unusual title neatly summarises the model of life that the book offers for exploration. It describes the basic rhythm that encapsulates the wisdom of the mon... 2010-11-7 14:57:19 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#75892 An extract from From the Bottom of the Pond was used yesterday on Something Understood on BBC Radio Four. For the next six days you can listen to the programme by following this link Blame it on the Universe . Not sure if this will work outside the UK. Also many of you will be familiar with the artistic work of my wife Jane. For the past couple of years she has been working with beeswax to produce beautiful encaustic pictures with wonderful colours. You may be interested to know that a selection of the images is now being offered by a card publisher called Slippery Jacks . 2010-9-20 10:06:52 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#74715 From Monday 14th Sunday 20th March 2011 I will be leading a residential week at the Othona Community exploring the Gospel of Thomas. More details can be found in the Events section of the website. The Gospel of Thomas is very important to me as early in my spiritual search it gave a new way to relate to Jesus the figure from whom I could not escape no matter how hard I tried. The Gospel is Jesus the mystic the contemplative the teacher of enlightenment. It formed a bridge from the inner teachings of the East that I was encountering back to my Christian roots. It was also important for me at the time to connect with the earliest possible direct record of what Jesus taught. For many scholars although not all the Gospel is a prime candidiate for this accolade. I always thought that one day I would write a book inspired by Thomas. It may well be that this will be my next piece of writing. 2010-9-5 12:24:31 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#69462 I sometimes imagine that I am on my death bed looking back over my life. I do it as an act of prayer. The effect can be extraordinary. The seeming complications generated by my usual immersion in life often acquire a simple clarity. I have particularly noticed that the relentless inner pressure for financial and other security fades and questions around love creativity growth and authenticity come to the fore. The imaginative act of remembering my inevitable death takes me into a new consciousness wherein the challenges of life are seen against an infinitely greater backdrop. Of course the great task is to keep this expanded perspective once the exercise is over. But it always leaves an afterglow a sense of having touched deep truth. 2010-7-3 12:41:32 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#68603 I have been reminded of the power of stories to change consciousness to open the mind to greater and deeper realities. I recently came across a book of short stories entitled Tales of Kaph by Steve Leighton. Many of the tales have stayed with me working away coming back to awareness when least expected. Steve explores questions of spirituality and meaning weaving around a general theme encoded in the word Kaph. A book that I highly recommend. I have also been engaged in a heavy edit of my next book Star Pilgrim to be published next year. It is a kind of mystical sci fi novel in which I have expored in a different way many of the ideas in From the Bottom of the Pond plus a few more. Short story it aint at 124000 words.Perhaps I need to learn something from Steve Leighton The edit was really hard work but my wife and I noticed how the story still affected us. The world looked a different more mysterious place afterwards. Of course Jesus and other great spiritual figures made great u... 2010-6-22 16:11:44 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#66006 I recently came across this beautiful prayer. O God enlarge within us the sense of fellowship with all living things our brothers the animals to whom thou gavest the earth as their home in common with us. We remember with shame that in the past we have exercised the high dominion of man with ruthless cruelty so that the voice of the earth which should have gone up to thee in song has been a groan of travail. May we realise that they live not for us alone but for themselves and for thee and that they love the sweetness of life. The prayer is inspiring in its own right but it also stopped me in my tracks for another reason. It was written by St Basil the Great who lived from about AD330 379. The prayer has shown me an unconscious prejudice that I have been carrying regarding the people of ancient times. I have seen sensitivity to the abuse and suffering of animals as being a relatively modern phenomenon. I have believed that ancient peoples even the finest among them were indiffere... 2010-5-24 15:04:31 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#65478 On Saturday I was at an event where among other things we experimented with Lectio Divina. This is an ancient Christian spiritual practice of sacred reading wherein a short passage from the Bible is reflected upon within an everdeepening state of consciousness. It can be an extraordinary experience as familiar words seem to openup revealing new insights and meaning. The passage we worked with was from Mattthew 13.33. The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a person took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all was leavened. As I took these words within I was hit with the realisation that the quality of existence that Jesus refers to as the kingdom of heaven is something here and now. It is what raisesup the level of reality in which we live. It is the cause and we are the effect. This was not a new thought but as so often with spiritual practice it took on a whole new power. It stopped being just a thought and became ... something else that defies description. These w... 2010-5-17 13:05:00 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#65257 I surprised myself yesterday. During a spiritual companionship session I found myself talking about the greatest lie. I should hasten to add that this was in no way directed at the person I was with but that our conversation had led me to see something with profound clarity. It was something that I had thought about before but suddenly the insight took on much greater power. The greatest lie consists of just two words my life. Its strange how such a common expression which we all use unthinkingly many times a day can be such a purveyor of untruth. We dont mean to lie of course. Its one of those many useful phrases that enable us to navigate through daily life. But its continual use subtly reinforces a fundamental illusion that prevents us connecting with the deep currents of existence that separates us from the presence of God in this moment. Yet if we still our minds and contemplate this expression it quickly becomes clear that its nonsense. I did not create myself. I have no ... 2010-5-14 11:43:17 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#59587 I am delighted to have been asked to lead a weekend retreat again at the Othona Community in West Dorset httpwww.othonabb.org.uk . It will be an opportunity for people to taste the experience of contemplative consciousness that I try to evoke in From the Bottom of the Pond in a beautiful natural setting. The Community is located on the coast and has its own grounds overlooking a deserted beach. In addition to exploring some of the ideas and practices that underpin the book there will be plenty of time for walking conversation and if individuals prefer sinking into silence. Othona has a very interesting history and ethos which can be read about on its website. It will be held from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th June 2010. The retreat will start with supper on the Friday evening at around 6.307.00 and end Sunday pm. Bookings must be made directly with Othona and the following link should take you to the right page httpwww.othonabb.org.ukevent86june46.html Look forward to seeing you the... 2010-3-2 18:03:51 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#55598 No one can say what this moment is. No one can say why this moment is. This is the backdrop for all our thinking and speaking. 2010-1-6 14:41:19 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#53457 Have you noticed how simple this moment is And paradoxically have you noticed also its unfathomable depth and awesome mystery This is the shift in consciousness to which the word spirituality refers. Spiritual teachings ancient and modern can only be understood from within this quality of awareness. They then become a humble description of a living experience and a collection of tentative ideas that always point beyond themselves. Such teachings possess a sense of simplicity and yet also astonishing richness. Teachings that do not come alive in the stillness of now that retain a feeling of complexity and of time should be gently discarded. The Mystery of Existence is not complex it is deep. Time is complex this moment is clear and whole. In an age when spiritual seekers are bombarded with an unending stream of teachings it is the simplicity and mystery of this moment that will show the way that will grant discernment. I write these words because over t... 2009-11-26 17:34:23 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#38461 When I was training to be a priest we were taken one day to visit a Funeral Directors. In one of the viewing rooms was a body in an open coffin. One of my younger colleagues had never seen a dead body before and was clearly moved by the experience. When we came out of the room he tried to put into words what he felt but had great difficulty. All he could manage was something along the lines of the thing about dead bodies is well they are very very dead arent they. Even though his words could be taken at one level to be stating the obvious we all knew what he meant. Something indefinable was missing. The form was still human but not real. It was like looking at a waxwork or a lifesize doll. It wasnt like someone who was asleep who happened not be breathing. Even now I struggle to express in words what we all felt. But I suspect that anyone reading this who has seen a corpse that has been dead for more than a few hours will know exactly what I mean. This experience came t... 2009-3-20 19:36:40 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#35919 I am delighted to have been asked to lead a weekend retreat at the Othona Community in West Dorset httpwww.othonabb.org.uk . It will be an opportunity for people to taste the experience of contemplative consciousness that I try to evoke in From the Bottom of the Pond in a beautiful natural setting. The Community is located on the coast and has its own grounds overlooking a deserted beach. In addition to exploring some of the ideas and practices that underpin the book there will be plenty of time for walking conversation and if individuals prefer sinking into silence. Othona has a very interesting history and ethos which can be read about on its website. It will be held from Friday 17th to Sunday 19th April 2009. Details are still to be confirmed but it is expected that the retreat will start with supper on the Friday evening at around 6.307.00 and end Sunday pm. Bookings must be made directly with Othona and the following link should take you to the right page httpwww.othonabb.o... 2009-2-2 19:10:05 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#35518 Fourteen years ago my wife and I had a magical experience. We had just finished a discussion over lunch as to whether to have another cat. We had lost one a few months before on the busy road next to where we lived. We were both certain that we would not be doing so. As we started to take our plates through to the kitchen my wife heard a scraping sound on the back door. She went to see what it was and called me over. Through the glass we could see two little legs pumping away trying to get someones attention. We opened the door and in walked a young brown tabby cat who went straight up the stairs and curledup on our youngest sons bed. It was one of those moments when the astonishing synchronicity of an event takes your breath away. Megan as she became known stayed with us for fourteen years and quietly became part of the warp and weave of our family. She was the most intelligent cat I have ever encountered and possessed a highly developed personality. Megan d... 2009-1-25 19:51:16 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#33816 I am once more being reminded of the incredible power of the story of Jesus. I am currently reading the Gospel of Luke at the leisurely rate of a few verses a day and am noticing the effect it is having on me. It is difficult to put into words but I am aware that in the midst of daily life there are occasions when I see things differently to what would otherwise have been the case. I have particularly noticed that I seem at the moment to be a little more forgiving of others and have a genuine desire to see beyond the surface. I have also noticed and this is truly extraordinary that I am deeply enjoying the Christmas season and finding real meaning in it. This has not happened since I was a small child. My family have also noticed this and being very familiar with my usual scroogelike grumpy state at this time of year are astonished at the transformation. Although I cannot be sure I think that the Gospel is affecting me because I am reading it in a particular way. I have t... 2008-12-15 10:41:20 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#31123 I recently wrote an article for The Julian Magazine httpwww.julianmeetings.org which on reading again I rather like so thought it would be good to share it with a wider audience. It was entitled Remembering the Question. Contemplation is the way that I explore a question. And in exploring this question all other questions of meaning are seen in a new light. My practice of contemplation is formed and shaped by the question and only has meaning in relation to it. I have found that if the question loses focus in my mind contemplation starts to feel empty and unfulfilling. I have a sense that something has gone wrong without quite being able to say what has happened. The practice becomes arduous. More than anything else it starts to feel abstract and dry. The question is of a particular kind. It is a question that has no answer at least in the way we usually understand the term answer. It is a question that is so fundamental so enormous in its implications that any set of... 2008-10-16 16:39:47 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#30816 I am starting to be shocked by my own mind. I am starting to be shocked by the sheer intensity of the story that is constantly running. It is like a hurricane that never loses energy. It is a story that is out of control and seems neverending. It is the story of Simon Small. It is the story of his fears desires hopes and emotions which is being constantly rewritten by the imaginings of past and future. It is the story through which I react to the outside world which in turn triggers yet more highly energised fears desires hopes and emotions. Of course if I can see the story than what I truly am cannot be the story. I must be the storyteller who for so long has been lost in storytelling that he has forgotten about the real world. This was easy for everyone else around was doing the same. Indeed all of our stories were intertwined constantly battling with each other for supremacy. I have seen this for some time but only now as my vision clears further am I beginning to s... 2008-10-11 10:43:13 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#29298 I think it was Einstein who said the consciousness that creates a problem can never solve it. As I have observed my mind I have increasingly seen this to be true. The words have become a bridge linking the practice of contemplation with the challenge of living in the everyday world. Too often I have identified a particular situation in my life as being a problem and my mind has tied itself in knots trying to find a solution. There may be too many possible answers and I dont know which to choose or perhaps there seems to be no way forward. In either case the experience has been one of turmoil and worry often impacting on those around. Sometimes not often enough I have remembered Einsteins words and have sought instead a deeper consciousness. As my mind has stilled and become less noisy on many occasions the way forward has become obvious. At other times something even more interesting has happened I have seen that no problem really exists. The problem is actually just ... 2008-9-5 17:51:52 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#26846 A lot of people have asked if I will be leading any days exploring the ideas behind From the Bottom of the Pond. So by popular demand a day seminar has been arranged for Saturday 29th November 2008 at St Marys Hall Glastonbury from 10.00 am 4.30 pm. The cost for the day will be 16350.00 and places can be booked through me. See the Events page for more details of how to do this. I am really looking forward to meeting people who have found From the Bottom of the Pond helpful. I am aware from conversations and emails that they cover a wide range of spiritual pathways and none. To have some of these different perspectives present will add something very special to the day. It is wonderful that a book originally written for the Christian community should also be of help to people on other pathways. I am also looking forward to unpacking the ideas that lie behind the book. It is deliberately short and deceptively simple but there is a lot going on beneath the surface. In fact I have t... 2008-7-12 16:38:41 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#25788 I will be doing another live programme about the ideas behind From the Bottom of the Pond on the Mind Spirit Network broadband TV station at 8.00 pm UK time on Tuesday 24th June. It can be accessed at www.mindspiritnetwork.com . It is very simple to access just follow the instructions to login. You can then watch and hear the programme on your computer. The system also allows you to email questions for me during the programme. The first interview I did back in April on MSN with Gail Elaine was a really good experience and I am very much looking forward to continuing our discussion. The following day I am off to London to record an interview about the book for BBC Radio 4s programme Something Understood. The interviewer will be Mark Tully who was for many years the BBCs correspondent in India. I will post details of the braodcast dates when I have them. There are also other things in the offing and I will be creating an Events page on the site to list details. This in... 2008-6-19 14:49:07 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#24239 Entries in a spiritual journal are rarely the last word on the topic they are discussing. By their very nature they are addressing deep matters of the soul which often frustratingly defy clear expression in words. But the very effort of trying can bring a greater degree of clarity. Attempting to say outloud whether to a journal or to another person who is really listening what is whirling around inside often produces real insight. And in this process nothing is sacred except the practice of devastating honesty. Consistency does not matter only truth. The following entry should be seen in this light. It reflects a work in progress. I recently played in a chess tournament for the first time in many years. In fact it was the first time I had played chess at all for many years. It was a bit of a shock in a number of ways. It is one of the worlds bestkept secrets that once upon a time I was a pretty good player to the extent that for a while I devoted myself to chess on a p... 2008-5-14 18:24:54 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#23376 I havent posted anything for a while as we have been emersed in moving house for the last few weeks. Things are now clearing and we find ourselves in that wonderful crazy deeply spiritual place called Glastonbury. We have no idea what the future holds except that there are more books to be written. Life nows begins to return to normal and I will be doing a couple of interviews about From the Bottom of the Pond over the next few days. The first is with the Mind Spirit Network a broadband based TV station at 8.00 pm UK time on Sunday 26 April. It can be accessed at www.mindspiritnetwork.com . Just follow the instructions to login. The system allows you I am told to email questions for me during the interview. The second is at 9.30 am UK time on Tuesday 29th April with Premier Christian Radio which is based in London. The interviewer will be John Pantry. Their website can be found at www.premier.org.uk and I believe that the progamme can be listened to live over the internet. T... 2008-4-26 10:51:18 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#20662 To my delight readers of From the Bottom of the Pond are starting to make contact with comments and questions. For one thing its nice to know that someone is actually reading the book. Also the questions are particularly helpful as they help me to reflect more deeply on the contemplative journey. A question that arises frequently concerns the relationship between contemplation and the suffering of the world. It goes something like this How can we enter into contemplative prayer in the way you describe without being aware of suffering and evil in the world around us You seem to write of prayer as a largely joyful experience. This may be true for some but there are others who not only would find it hard to forget for the time of prayer the troubles in the world around us they would not wish to do so. You speak of reality and for some the tensions between beauty and ugliness suffering and contentment joy and fear kindness and cruelty are all part of this reality and should be w... 2008-2-29 11:48:37 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#19978 I was recently interviewed by JuneElleni Laine on My Spirit Radio about From the Bottom of the Pond. Click here to listen to the interview. 2008-2-15 12:52:59 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#18781 Last week I watched a television programme about the atom. I was fascinated by the story of its discovery and of the incredibly strange subatomic world that theoretical physics has revealed. In fact I was more than fascinated. I was inspired. The story left an afterglow that lasted several days. As I write these words it is starting to return. I am noticing more and more how some stories have this effect on me. They seem to awaken something inside. They set the heart on fire. A light seems to shine from the stories which connects me with the mystery of creation which evokes within the experience of love. Such stories need not be true to have this effect. The story I encountered about the subatomic world is certainly far from being the complete truth. It is an unseen world revealed through imagination and mathematics and our picture of it is most certainly incomplete and inaccurate. Indeed this may well be part of the reason that such stories are so powerful. They are humbl... 2008-1-17 18:23:52 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#16399 I watched a leaf fall to the ground today. I watched as it fluttered through the air for a few seconds and then watched as it came gently to ground. One moment it was flying gaily full of life. The next it was just lying there dead still among thousands of other leaves. My mind could not take in the goneness of the transformation. That unique moment of transfixing whirling reflecting flight would never be again. It was gone for ever. I was shocked and stunned by the power of the experience. In those few moments I had seen the truth of life in the raw. It was shocking because I had seen the raw truth about myself and all that exists. It was shocking because I had seen the truth not an idea about the truth. The truth was there in front of me before thought began. I became the truth. It was direct realisation. My mind could not take in the goneness of the leaf because I struggle to take in my own goneness that the Sun will rise on a day when I am not. I know this as an idea and ca... 2007-11-11 17:56:22 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#14519 I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children. These words are from The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. It is a poem that over time is becoming more and more important to me. Its words pop into my head with increasing frequency in response to lifes experiences. This particular passage was given new resonance by the recent publication of a collection of personal writings by Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mother Teresa Come be my Light published by Doubleday. The contents of the book seem to have shocked many people. It reveals a Mother Teresa who struggled desperately with a sense of desolation and emptiness during much of her wonderful ministry with the poor. She writes of an incredible longing for God yet a feeling of not being wanted by God. She says Souls hold no attractions. Heaven means nothing to me it looks like an empty place I dare not utter the words and though... 2007-9-15 11:09:47 http://www.simonsmall.info/page1.htm#13723 I recently read a book in which a man talked about the great spiritual teachers who had helped him. Some were very famous others a little more obscure. Around the same time I acquired the book I discovered that a great spiritual teacher of my own had died. I will call him George. It was not obvious that George was a great spiritual teacher. In fact one could have easily gained the opposite impression. This was certainly not an accolade that he would have applied to himself. Georges life was a disaster area in ways too numerous to mention. He blundered from one crisis to another often seeking escape from his worries in unwise and damaging ways. His social skills could also be lacking. At times this could be amusing. I remember him attending a public talk I did many years ago on some spiritual topic. It was a small intimate room which was soon a focus of intense concentration. At that point George produced a packet of very crunchy potato chips that he proceeded to eat with gu... 2007-8-16 19:03:27