Sol's Inner Vault

It's unfortunate, and probably a bit humorous, that there is a common term like "devil's advocate", when an opposite view is examined. At least, I don't feel devil-influenced when I explore different ideas. My friends of faith might say yes, but the devil is sly, friendly, normal; but I'll leave that for others to cite.  To me, an opposite view is just an opposite view, where my mind might naturally wander, to consider perspectives around any subject. Faith itself- belief with no proof- may be considered and examined, as everything else under the sun. What does it mean to "believe"? What is said, not said by accepting as fact what is recorded in a book like the Bible, clearly the most enduring and influential work in civilization's million year journey. Faith means facts proven aren't considered crucial to credibility. Faith has no need whatsoever of evidence, arguments, and debate. Faith means a distinct decision, a choice to assume what is ...

Days can drag us down like dutiful robots, the drudgery of normal life.  It is a small thing, but maybe vital. If only I can periodically remember,  amidst a day's norm of distraction, to turn my thoughts away from the  temporary and back to the eternal, anything other than the mundane,  just reset to a higher frequency, how much calmer I'll be, if only;  a small thing to recall, after all.

Words may be tools for hiding, lying, distraction, the shiny object that's never the point; words are just so ready at hand for bullshit.  We all at times use our words to evade the obvious, ignore the truth, and try to create another reality. However, it always remains that our actions- what we actually do and don't do- are a more accurate measure of values, priorities, what we truly cherish.  Very often, our words are exposed by our actions, contradictions of jarring conflict are the harsh result. Who says what they mean, and means what they say? Sure, all of us on occasion, some of us more often, only a few do this consistently, as a standard. You cannot play hide and seek with your actions; collectively, they list your actual hierarchy of values. Our actions define us without all the nuanced ambiguity of words. We show the world majorly what we really believe and trust, so that our words by comparison are minor.  Yet, how much false importance is given to tiresome spe...

The eternal experience of God changes only with perspective, position, relational coordinates, even as it never changes at all.  For the reposing turtle and her babies, there's only the God of sun. For the busy squirrels, the tree God provides. For the ducks who sip out the tiniest bugs, their pond is God. For new pups leading their leash thru the parks, their beloved master is their only God; for cats, birds, all home critters, same.  Your God is whoever takes care of you beyond even your own efforts. Found everywhere, God precedes all faiths, all scripture, all legends or rumors, all the earliest stories, or theories painted on cave walls. God is always before and after us, because the universe has no beginning or end, a very difficult truth to understand and accept.  The God experience permeates all living things, without exception or even awareness, it's in effect at every moment, we are tethered beyond choice, recognition, effort, it's already designed by a wisdom pr...

It sometimes seems that the future has thoughtlessly forgotten the past. But, the intrinsic and forever magic of Los Angeles is not lost; it's in safe hiding, behind glass, tucked away in the mystical and inspired Sequoia scene displayed in the old, locked up chapel in Clifton's Cafeteria, Broadway & Seventh. The tiny chapel, which would be 2nd floor right side, had a lighted cross on top. Inside, a single small chamber, and large pane of glass covering a beautiful miniature pristine forest in the Redwoods. The detail was amazing, a work of love, with flora and fauna amidst a backdrop of trees and mountains. On the counter, a button to press. Then, the full magic begins as a deep, resonate voice comes thru the small speaker; a voice that may have been Smoky the Bear himself, or someone as important like John Audubon. The narrative describes the scene, and the acoustics in the little cave made it easy to channel directly North to the enchanted wilderness. The audio only last...