Core concepts

This section contains articles that lay the most basic groundwork of building a context for spiritual cultivation. I don't claim, nor do I intend, the material written here to be "true" in the sense that most people would expect; think of it more as part of a personal creative process of orienting myself. As these articles will explain in more detail, my belief is not that there is one truth to be discovered, but infinitely many possible truths. It is up to us to discover which ones lead to lives worth living.

In order to function, we all need beliefs. For the most part, these beliefs are inherited from our ancestors, family members, neighbors, culture, and so forth. At some point in our maturation process, we can forge our own independent paths of belief, but most people will never do this. This is certainly not necessary, but it does provide the opportunity for experiences beyond our cultural inheritance.

The subjects listed below comprise the basic elements of my current thinking about the foundations of reality and creating context for effective spiritual cultivation. While there is certainly overlap with my own cultural heritage (including my formal training as a mathematician and scientist), as well as many spiritual (especially mystical) traditions, I have made significant effort to "think for myself".

Note that I've used a logical ordering for this list, meaning each topic logically depends on the ones that precede it. Therefore, I recommend that readers also follow this ordering for the best experience.

• Consciousness - what is consciousness, and how is it the foundation of all reality and experience?
• Reality - what is real, what is true, what do we know for certain, and what is assumed?
• Context- how do we assess truth in practice, and how is truth created and disseminated?
• Relationship - what does it mean to be in relationship, how can we be effective with it, and what does it have to do with reality?
• Resonance - which factors determine how reality appears to us?
• Substance - what is objective reality, and from what is it constituted?
• Attention - how does attention affect reality, and what are the factors that influence these effects?
• Heart - what is at the source of life and love, why is it so mysterious, and how do we access it?