Layers of Reality in Bergman’s “Franny and Alexander,” and in Us
In several of his films, Ingmar Bergman plays with the notion of multiple layers of reality. This can be seen …
Category Archives: Creative Nonfiction
Rants and Rage and a Bright Rush of Wings
The last few posts I’ve tried to write, again and again, disintegrated into dark rants and rages. Rants against a …
Art and the Mystery in the Midst of Things
Art points to something beyond itself, toward “something more,” something that we sense in things and reveal through our pen …
“Thou Art That” – Part IV, “Some Tragic Falling Off”
Milton’s great theme in Paradise Lost is the fall and redemption of humanity. This too can be seen as “some …
A Poet’s “Sense Sublime” – Part III, “Some Tragic Falling Off”
Language is that which gives rise to difference, to the desire for difference, and, at the same time, the desire …
Humor, It’s Serious Stuff
Recently I’ve come across several blogs that use humor (the ironic, tongue-in-cheek, tending toward the ludic, the whimsical, the carnivalesque) …
Our Quest for Wholeness – Part II of “Some Tragic Falling Off”
“Duality, difference, and desire presuppose “some tragic falling off” from an original (mythical or otherwise) world of undivided wholeness.” So …
“Some Tragic Falling Off” into Difference and Desire
I’ve been thinking a lot about desire and loss lately and remembering a paper I wrote exploring this topic. It …
“Perfect Love” – An Antidote for All that Ails Us
The highest common denominator for all spiritual practices and religious teachings, as I’ve come to understand, is Love. That is, …
Houseless, not Homeless
Once when I was part of an effort to end homelessness in our community, one of the participants who had …
