"And A Little Child Shall Lead Them ..." But What If They Don't Follow? Reflections on the Sham and Shame of Rio+20

Biodiversity Banner on Christ the Redeemer Statue (Greenpeace) Global sea levels could rise two to three times higher over the next century than previously estimated, according to a study released Friday by the US National Research Council ... By 2100, the NRC estimates that global sea levels will rise between 20-55 inches (50 and 140 centimeters). Study: Sea-level rise two or three times higher than expected, Agence France Press, 6-22-12

From Cape Hatteras, N.C., to just north of Boston, sea levels are rising much faster than they are around the globe, putting one of the world's most costly coasts in danger of flooding, government researchers report. U.S. Geological Survey scientists call the 600-mile swath a "hot spot" for climbing sea levels caused by global warming ... It's not just a faster rate, but at a faster pace, like a car on a highway "jamming on the accelerator," said the study's lead author, Asbury Sallenger Jr., an oceanographer at the agency. Seth Borenstein, Sea Rise Faster on East Coast Than Rest of Globe, AP, 6-24-12

"And A Little Child Shall Lead Them ..." But What If They Don't Follow? Reflections on the Sham and Shame of Rio+20

By Richard Power

I don't mention the rising of the sea level much in my blogging on the Climate Crisis. It is real threat, and it will be of profound impact. But people tend to over-emphasize it, just as they over-emphasize gasoline as a contributing factor. But I have tried to emphasize some of those impacts that people pay less attention to, e.g., the loss of fresh water and the destruction of the soil; likewise I have tried to emphasize some of those contributing factors that people pay less attention to, e.g., deforestation, over-population and excess meat consumption.

Nevertheless, these two disturbing stories about the sea level rising faster and higher than projected strike me as a perfect frame for contemplating the aftermath of Rio+20, Copenhagen and the rest of the follies since Rio and Kyoto. Because it is all coming now, faster and with greater intensity than projected; and as I wrote last year in Burning Man 2011: Primal Culture and Core Civilization as a Moveable Feast, "we are on our own."

Consider the outcomes of Rio+20.

"Think of me as half the world. i stand here with fire in my heart."

The promise uttered by the prophet Isaiah has been with us for two millennium, "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah, Chapter 11). But what if humanity's "leaders" did not follow the children's lead? Well, we will see sooner and later.

For now let us celebrate two true leaders.

Remember the "the girl who silenced the world for six minutes"? In 1992, then 12 years old, Severn Cullis-Suzuki spoke poignantly of the danger that we have come to poise to our world and ourselves. In 2012, she returned provide context for Rio+20.

We have economic meltdown around the world. We have social unrest. We have revolution just boiling up all over the planet. And now we have our national leaders that are hunkering down more and more, defending their national interests, and less and less looking for the good of humanity. I believe we have a crisis in governance. This is showing that the world’s leaders are not able to come together and lead for the sake of humanity. What does it mean when the world’s elected leaders do not represent the good of the people that they’re supposed to care for? At Rio+20, Severn Cullis-Suzuki Revisits Historic '92 Speech, Fights for Next Generation's Survival, Democracy Now, 6-21-12 (Video embedded below)

And now another youth has spoken before the conscience-challenged "leaders" gathered in Rio to give lip service to the future while they and their true constituents (i.e., the corporatists and their minions) enjoy the fruits of the present.

My name is Brittany Trilford. I’m 17 years old. I’m a child. Today, in this moment, I’m all children, your children, the world’s three billion children. Think of me as half the world. I stand here with fire in my heart. I’m confused and angry at the state of the world, and I want us to work together now to change this. We are here today to solve the problems that we have caused as a collective, to ensure that we have a future ... You have 72 hours to decide the fate of your children, my children, my children’s children. And I start the clock now. Tick, tick, tick. "Are You Here to Save Face — or Save Us?": Brittany Trilford, 17, Addresses World Leaders at Rio+20 (Video embedded below)

And the draft? "283 paragraphs of fluff" suggesting "190 governments [have] given up on the world and given up on us"

At this point, you are are probably not surprised at the Rio+20 "outcomes."

The declaration is remarkable for its absence of figures, dates and targets. It is as stuffed with meaningless platitudes as an advertisement for payday loans, but without the necessary menace. There is nothing to work with here, no programme, no sense of urgency or call for concrete action beyond the inadequate measures already agreed in previous flaccid declarations. Its tone and contents would be better suited to a retirement homily than a response to a complex of escalating global crises. The draft and probably final declaration is 283 paragraphs of fluff. It suggests that the 190 governments due to approve it have, in effect, given up on multilateralism, given up on the world and given up on us. George Monbiot, Rio+20 draft text is 283 paragraphs of fluff, Guardian, 6-22-12

Of course, despite the weakness of its official "leaders," much of humanity is following those children, and in the hearts of those who have heard the call, the lion is indeed at peace with the lamb.

Consider these two stories.

Rio+20 Fail: Youth Lead Walkout of UN Summit - Slamming leaders' negotiating text as a failure for people and the environment, youth climate leaders stage civil disobedience

Thousands of Women Slam Rio+20's 'Green Capitalism' - UN's 'green economy' label a 'smokescreen' to privatize, marketize nature, say critics

Consider also this official statement from Friends of the Earth.

World leaders failed at their Summit in Rio, mainly because of the undue influence that multinational corporations have on them and the UN. But the parallel People’s Summit demonstrated that real solutions to the current crises do exist and that people are successfully mobilizing around them. By exposing the negative influence of multinational corporations we have gained considerable momentum in our efforts to reclaim the UN as a people’s space. And this campaign is just starting. Nnimmo Bassey, Friends of the Earth, Comment on the Rio+20 Summit Closing Day, 6-22-12

At Rio+20, Severn Cullis-Suzuki Revisits Historic '92 Speech, Fights for Next Generation's Survival

"Are You Here to Save Face — or Save Us?": Brittany Trilford, 17, Addresses World Leaders at Rio+20

Do you know why 350 is the most important number in your life and the lives of everyone you love? Go to 350.org for the answer.

Richard Power is the author of seven books, including Between Shadow and Night: The Singularity in Anticipation of Itself and True North on the Pathless Path: Towards a 21st Century Yoga. He writes and speaks on security, risk, human rights and sustainability, and has delivered executive briefings and led training in over 40 countries. He blogs at http://words-of-power.blogspot.com and http://primalwordsofpower.blogspot.com

In Oslo, Aung San Suu Kyi Walks On; But Will the Great Nations Kick Gaia to the Curb in Rio?

Earth's horizon as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean, from the International Space Station. Anvil tops of thunderclouds are also visible. (July 2003) Photo credit: NASA. Public domain. 

And love, it's not the easy thing
The only baggage, that you can bring
Not the easy thing, the only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind
And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
Before the second you turn back
Oh no, be strong
Oh, oh, walk on, walk on
What you got, they can't steal it
No, they can't even feel it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight

-- U2, Walk On (2000)

In Oslo, Aung San Suu Kyi Walks On; But Will the Great Nations Kick Gaia to the Curb in Rio?

By Richard Power

For those who don't know, Bono and U2 wrote Walk On for Aung San Suu Kyi YEARS ago, during her LONG imprisonment. (You Tube video embedded below.) There is always hope; its embodiment walks in Oslo tonight, a free woman.

Desperate challenges and complex problems confront her and her people, and currently hope in Burma is as fragile as the life's breath of one human being, but whatever happens, it is a lesson for us all.

She never lifted a weapon, she has not thrust one into anyone else's hand, and yet like water she is drop by drop step by step eroding an edifice of brute ignorance which pens in her people.

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi finally accepted her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Saturday after spending a total of 15 years under house arrest and said full political freedom in her country was still a long way off. "Absolute peace in our world is an unattainable goal," Suu Kyi said in her acceptance speech during her first trip to Europe in nearly 25 years. "Hostilities have not ceased in the far north; to the west, communal violence resulting in arson and murder were taking place just several days before I started out the journey that has brought me here today." Suu Kyi, the Oxford University-educated daughter of General Aung San, Myanmar's assassinated independence hero, advocated caution about transformation in Myanmar, whose quasi-civilian government continues to hold political prisoners. "There still remain such prisoners in Burma. It is to be feared that because the best known detainees have been released, the remainder, the unknown ones, will be forgotten," Suu Kyi, 66, told a packed Oslo City Hall. Balazs Koranyi, Suu Kyi accepts Nobel Peace Prize 21 years late, Reuters AlertNet, 6-16-12

Twenty years has past since the first Earth Summit in Rio; twenty years in which we could have rescued the future, and the redeemed the story of "civilization." Yes, we could have, but we did not. Is there still hope? As Arwen said in Lord of the Rings there's always hope, but it is, as Gandalf characterized it, "only a fool's hope." Next week Rio+20 will come and go and where will we be after it? The cowardice and complicity of our leaders is appalling; *criminal* really, but unfortunately there are no international laws (yet) that cover crimes against nature. Remember, crimes against nature are crimes against humanity. Perhaps in our lifetimes, ecocide will be understood as the moral equivalent of genocide, and BOTH will be severely punished. (Of course, not even genocide is aggressively prosecuted today, except for those few cases in which such prosecution is allowed to proceed because it either advances the geopolitical agenda of great nations, or at least does not interfere.)

The U.S. political establishment will ignore what is going on during Rio+20, and of course so will the U.S. mainstream news media. So here are a few important perspectives.

What Happened in 1992, and What Hasn't Happened Since

It was 20 years ago this month that Severn Suzuki, then 12, gave the speech of her life. As she stood on the podium at the first Earth Summit, facing dignitaries from 178 nations, Severn’s 6-minute statement also became the speech of her generation ... "I spoke for six minutes and received a standing ovation. Some of the delegates even cried. I thought that maybe I had reached some of them, that my speech might actually spur action. Now, a decade from Rio, after I’ve sat through many more conferences, I’m not sure what has been accomplished. My confidence in the people in power and in the power of an individual’s voice to reach them has been deeply shaken." Bill Becker, As Rio+20 Begins, Revisiting The Words Of Severn Suzuki: ‘Make Your Actions Reflect Your Words’, Climate Progress, 6-13-12

They signed off on both the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Framework Convention on Climate Change, making broad pledges to solve some of the most complex problems facing humanity. Countries also agreed to a laundry list of goals spelled out in a document known as Agenda 21, which eventually spawned the Convention to Combat Desertification. Although the agreements lacked teeth, they created formal international processes that engaged almost the entire world and eventually led to more targeted accords ... The pace turned out to be far slower than anticipated, however. Although nations have made some marginal advances, the three conventions have failed to achieve even a fraction of the promises that world leaders trumpeted two decades ago. Dismal grades dominate Nature’s report cards on the Rio treaties, although the assessment also highlights some progress and offers pointers for the future. Jeff Tollefson, Natasha Gilbert, Earth summit: Rio report card, Nature, 6-6-12

What Must Happen Now

The global sustainable development summit that begins next week in Rio is "too important to fail", the UN secretary general, Ban ki-Moon has said. In a desperate last-minute plea to world leaders before the meeting, Ban said the international community was in danger of squandering a once-in-a-generation opportunity to use the Rio+20 meeting to map out a new course for economic and social development. Suzanne Goldenberg, Rio+20 Earth summit is too important to fail, says Ban ki-Moon, Guardian, 6-15-12

Behind the scenes, there is incipient panic over the draft summit communique after three rounds of preliminary informal negotiations left more than 75 percent of the paragraphs still to be agreed. The charter is supposed to sum up the challenges and spell out pledges to nurture the oceans, roll back climate change, promote clean growth and provide decent water, sanitation and electricity for all. The biggest divergences lie in four areas, according to sources close to the negotiations. They include action on climate change, protecting the oceans and achieving food security, and whether “Sustainable Development Goals” should replace the Millennium Development Goals when these objectives expire in 2015. Agence France Press, UN environment summit opens, but prospects grim, Raw Story, 6-13-12

The Rio+20 Earth summit must take decisive action on population and consumption regardless of political taboos or it will struggle to tackle the alarming decline of the global environment, the world's leading scientific academies warned on Thursday. Rich countries need to reduce or radically transform unsustainable lifestyles, while greater efforts should be made to provide contraception to those who want it in the developing world, the coalition of 105 institutions, including the Royal Society, urged in a joint report. Jonathan Watts, Rio+20 Earth summit: scientists call for action on population, Guardian, 6-13-12

U2 - Walk On

Do you know why 350 is the most important number in your life and the lives of everyone you love? Go to 350.org for the answer.

Richard Power is the author of seven books, including Between Shadow and Night: The Singularity in Anticipation of Itself and True North on the Pathless Path: Towards a 21st Century Yoga. He writes and speaks on security, risk, human rights and sustainability, and has delivered executive briefings and led training in over 40 countries. He blogs at http://words-of-power.blogspot.com and http://primalwordsofpower.blogspot.com

The Road from the Failed Recall in Wisconsin to the Failed State in Mali is Not Long; & It Runs Through North Carolina

Salvador Dali - Oasis (1946)

And the worst news, as Birol told Reuters, is that, “When I look at this data, the trend is perfectly in line with a temperature increase of 6 degrees Celsius [11°F], which would have devastating consequences for the planet.” Joseph Romm, IEA: Global CO2 Emissions Hit New Record In 2011, Keeping World On Track For ‘Devastating’ 11°F Warming By 2100, Climate Progress, 5-25-12

Climate change, population growth and environmental destruction could cause a collapse of the ecosystem just a few generations from now, scientists warned on Wednesday in the journal Nature. The paper by 22 top researchers said a “tipping point” by which the biosphere goes into swift and irreversible change, with potentially cataclysmic impacts for humans, could occur as early as this century. The warning contrasts with a mainstream view among scientists that environmental collapse would be gradual and take centuries. Agence France Press, Environmental collapse now a serious threat: scientists, Raw Story, 6-6-12

The Road from Failed Recall in Wisconsin to the Failed State in Mali is Not Long; & It Runs Through North Carolina

By Richard Power

In a recent status on my Facebook page, I vented some of my frustration with President Barack Obama:

POTUS, I note that you delivered a high school commencement speech in Joplin, Missouri, and framed the address around the disaster that laid waste to the town just about a year ago now. POTUS, as you know, it wasn't simply a tornado that devastated Joplin, it was Climate Change; and yet, just as in recent SOTUs and Earth Day remarks, you did not even mention the Climate Crisis. A commencement address is an opportunity to inspire young people and motivate them to face the challenges of their future. To deliver a 2012 commencement address anywhere and not include an urgent call for action on Climate Change is a missed opportunity; but to deliver one in a town devastated by the consequences of runaway Climate Change, and NOT EVEN MENTION IT, is unconscionable.

One brilliant but cynical friend commented, "His paymasters are corporations and Wall St. What do you expect him to say?"

But off-line, a wise woman quietly offered me an alternate take, "Maybe that's all he can do, maybe that was his statement." Just to go there and speak about the calamity, without being able mention what caused it. Maybe he is that constrained by the political realities.

Of course, these perspectives are only seemingly contradictory, and both are spot on.

It is tempting to write about POTUS, I have a lot to say about these last four years, and the November 2012 election, but not here, not now ... On this day, I will simply refer you to The Blame Obama Syndrome, a recent post from the indomitable Robert Parry of Consortium News. It is a must-read. It is the most important piece on Barack Obama since Eric Alterman's Kabuki Democracy: Why a Progressive Presidency is Impossible, for Now (The Nation, 7-7-10)

Nor am I going to indulge in post mortem on the defeat of Wisconsin Recall, for everything you need to know about that story, I commend you to Arun Gupta's In Wisconsin, An Ominous Crucible of US Politics, Guardian, 6-6-12 and Joan Walsh's Walker wins one for the plutocrats, Salon, 6-6-12.

All I will say for now about the defeat of the recall in Wisconsin is that it is a profoundly disturbing portent not only for the future of the USA (which seems to grimmer and dimmer with each election cycle), but also for the future of human civilization.

Walker and his ilk are anti-woman, anti-Earth, anti-science, anti-life (anti-christ). After all, Walker's first act upon entering office after the U.S. electorate rolled over and went back to sleep in 2010 is to reject stimulus money for a high-speed rail.

Indeed. the road onward from the failed recall in Wisconsin dead ends in a failed state ala Mali, and it runs through North Carolina.

Some lawmakers will go to great lengths to deny the reality of climate change. But this week, North Carolina lawmakers reached new heights of denial, proposing a new law that would require estimates of sea level rise to be based only on historical data—not on all the evidence that demonstrates that the seas are rising much faster now thanks to global warming. The sea level along the coast of North Carolina is expected to rise about a meter by the end of the century. Kate Sheppard, North Carolina Wishes Away Climate Change, Mother Jones, 6-1-12

And the road from Wisconsin through North Carolina to Mali is not only shorter than you think it is, it is a fast track.

MALIcious Neglect

It was about ten years ago I started talking about how the Climate Crisis would not only melt the glaciers and raise the sea levels, but also aggravate other risks across the whole spectrum, e.g., the phenomenon of failed states would happen more frequently and instances of it would manifest on an accelerated curve. Well, Mali is a tragically perfect example of what I was talking about. Humanitarian organizations were ready for the drought, but not for the collapse of the political system. No one was. This is climate war, and its horrors will not be contained to the African continent alone.

From my perspective, those responsible for the corporatist disinformation campaign that promotes climate denialism, and those political leaders who either knowingly deceive (i.e., the zombie cultists formerly known as Republicans) AND those who know better but refuse, out of cowardice, to act with the urgency required (i.e., corporatist "Democrats") are guilty of climate war crimes. Someday I hope the worst of them are brought before the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Ecocide is not only a crime against humanity, it is also a crime against nature.

And though the humanitarian community did an outstanding job of preparing for the drought, through early-warning and well-coordination preparation, they could not have been prepared for the rapid deterioration of the country’s political condition. Enter climate change. Security analysts often refer to climate change as a “threat multiplier” or “accelerant of instability” - a phenomenon that exacerbates a range of existing problems. Mali is a textbook case of this. Caitlin Werrell and Francesco Femia, Migration, militias, coups and climate change in Mali, Reuters Alertnet, 5-15-12

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by fighting in northern Mali and dozens have been subjected to arbitrary detention, extra-judicial executions or sexual violence including rape, Amnesty International said today ... “After two decades of relative stability and peace, Mali is now facing its worst crisis since independence in 1960,” said Gaetan Mootoo, Amnesty International’s West Africa researcher who has just returned from a three week research mission to the country. “The entire north of the country has been taken over by armed groups who are running riot. Ten of thousands of people have fled the region, creating a humanitarian crisis in Mali and in neighbouring countries.” Amnesty International, Mali’s Worst Human Rights Situation in 50 Years, 5-16-12

Rio+20 and Beyond

So I was walking UPhill in DOWNtown San Francisco, and had a full head of steam. In front of me stood a mother and her two little boys, waiting for the light. One of the little boys dropped his soccer ball, and it rolled into traffic and started gaining momentum as it careened DOWNhill. The little boys ran out into the traffic to get it. Their mother caught up with them and pulled them back to the sidewalk. I told her I would go get it for them, and went running after it, weaving through the traffic. FAR below, it finally hit a curb. Some young guy on his way home from work (he clearly played soccer) caught it with his foot, and kicked it to two homeless veterans ensconced in a shuttered door way a little way down Kearney St. When I arrived, they turned it over to me without hesitation, and requested no recompense whatsoever. Nevertheless I gave them each an Andrew Jackson, and then trudged back UPhill to the grateful mother and her astonished little boys. As I was handing it to them, I realized it was the Earth. The soccer ball was a globe, with all the continents on bold colors, painted on it. So if you see the planet rolling DOWNhill fast, go after it and save it for the children. Even if you were headed in the other direction.

Isis, the Mother, Gaia, the Planet Earth, She is the vessel that contains the oneness of all life here on this orb. She is crying out for recognition and respect. Will She be heard in Rio? (It is a soccer town, after all.)

It is this epic contest between a destructive and dying outmoded paradigm and a life enhancing emergent paradigm that will be the most significant aspect of Rio+20. The outcome of this contest will determine the future of humanity. It will not enter the negotiations, which can only be the lowest common denominator in the current context of corporate influence. But it will provide the energy for the People's Summit, and many government initiatives at Rio Centro. This contest will continue beyond Rio, in every country, in every village and town, every farm and workplace, every home and street. None of us are immune to the crisis, or the response to it. None of us are bystanders. We are all immersed in processes that are either threatening the planet and our own future, or finding creative ways to shape a sustainable and just future. Every day is an earth summit in our lives. And each of us is negotiating our collective fate on the earth. Vandana Shiva, A Global Call: Eco Warriors, Arise!, The Asian Age, 6-1-12

No Problems, Only Solutions

"I tell them there's no problems, only solutions," that's what John Lennon sang in Watching the Wheels (1981). Of course, that song was released posthumously, having been recorded in 1980, not long before he was shot dead outside the Dakota. But I digress ...

Here are glimpses into several recent studies, all of which emphasize the dazzling opportunity wrapped in this dire challenge, and also offer viable solutions:

Humans are using 50 percent more resources than the Earth can provide, and unless fundamental changes are made in the way we produce energy, food, and if we cannot curb our consumption of other natural resources that number will continue to skyrocket, according to a new report. Released today by the the World Wildlife Fund, The Living Planet Report, warns that if humans cannot shift their behavior by 2030, even two planets will not be enough to support modern society. Common Dreams, Report: 'Over-Consumption' Threatening Earth, 5-15-12

With growing climate chaos and desertification, biodiversity decline, ocean pollution and forest decimation, the interlinked crises brought about by human action are threatening the very capacity of the earth to sustain life. Defining a political framework for changing course, the policy advocacy organisation World Future Council presents an emergency policy agenda consisting of 24 tipping-point policies that need to be implemented globally to preserve a habitable planet. World Future Council, Earth Emergency: World Future Council Issues Global Policy Action Plan, 6-5-12

By 2050, in a world with more people, carbon emissions must be half of today's levels. Impossible? No. A number of different energy analyses show how it can be done. Dutch energy consulting firm Ecofys published a technical study in 2010 called "The Energy Report" that demonstrates how the world could reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Greenpeace has a plan called "Energy [R]evolution". Even the International Energy Agency has one: it's called the "450 Scenario". There is no lack of technical knowledge about how to cut emissions and still keep the lights on. Some countries have already started. Stephen Leahy, For an Ailing Planet, the Cure Already Exists, IPS, 6-1-12

Tens of millions of new jobs can be created around the world in the next two decades if green policies are put in place to switch the high-carbon economy to low-carbon, the UN has said. Between 15m and 60m additional jobs are likely, according to a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep). These are net gains in employment for the world economy, taking into account any job losses in high-carbon industries that fail to transform. Achim Steiner, executive director of Unep, said: "The findings underline that [the green economy] can include millions more people in terms of overcoming poverty and delivering improved livelihoods for this and future generations. It is a positive message of opportunity in a troubled world of challenges." Fiona Harvey, Switching to a green economy could mean millions of jobs, says UN, Guardian, 5-31-12

Do you know why 350 is the most important number in your life and the lives of everyone you love? Go to 350.org for the answer.

Richard Power is the author of seven books, including Between Shadow and Night: The Singularity in Anticipation of Itself and True North on the Pathless Path: Towards a 21st Century Yoga. He writes and speaks on security, risk, human rights and sustainability, and has delivered executive briefings and led training in over 40 countries. He blogs at http://words-of-power.blogspot.com and http://primalwordsofpower.blogspot.com

2012: Venus Transits the Sun

Venus of Laussel, picture of the original kept in Bordeaux museum, France. Photo credit (Wikipedia): photo 120, œuvre dont l'auteur est mort depuis environ 25 000 ans. Sept. 2008

Venus transits the Sun on this day. A powerful cosmic event to punctuate a year of profound transformation.

The Goddess of Love whirls before us, aligning with Earth and the scintillant Sun for a few hours in the ceaseless dance of the spheres. Declare love for all life in this extraordinary moment.

The next occurrence of this alignment will be 105 years from now.

The great struggle of our time will be over by then. Either humanity will have come to peace with itself and healed its relationship with Gaia, or the liberty and clarity to indulge in such a moment of revel will be under severe duress if not utterly snuffed out.

Declare love for all life in this extraordinary moment.

Follow the Goddess across the sky, and take care not to be burned by the Sun.

-- Richard Power

Primal Promise. Primal Practice.

William Blake - Oberon, Titania, and Puck with Fairies Dancing (1786) 

The promise? Unendurable pleasure indefinitely prolonged.

The practice that delivers on the promise? A simple, gentle in-drawn breath into the heart, with the feeling of unconditional love flowing out.

Don't let anyone charge you a fee for telling you this open secret. Don't even believe me although I offer it to you freely. Try it for yourself.

Of course, it will only deliver if you give ALL over to it. And you would have to be crazy to do that. But if you are that crazy, the results will astonish you.

All. This. And More.

Gustav Moreau - The Mystic Flower (1890) 

Love is not relationship, or karma, or choice.

She is not an emotion or a desire. She is not a boon or a curse.

Although her weave threads through all phenomena, her nature is of another order entirely: beyond description, beyond comprehension, immutable and indivisible.

Her presence itself establishes the universal laws.

Gravity is her footprint. The speed of light is her laughter.

Although space and time search for her ceaselessly, they cannot find her.

All the pairs of opposite dance within her shadow, but vanish into nothingness whenever they attempt to step outside it.

Ever present, with arms outstretched, she is waiting only for you to fall backwards into her embrace. Can you allow yourself to be absorbed and imbued at once? Can you stand alone, yet cease to exist?

Love. Is All. This. And more.

-- Richard Power