Post intersubjective fireworks

It's late, about 20 minutes after midnight. Sunshine is awake because she's feeling ill. Dinner isn't going down so well with her or something. Meanwhile, I'm still up for a somewhat different reason, but in a way perhaps I too am trying to digest a spicy meal. (The process seems more pleasant for me. At least I'm not certain I want to know what the intellectual equivalent of hurling is.)

I had a very interesting discussion with my brother in law Jeremy about religion this evening. He is on a spiritual journey into deep Christian territory and it sounds as if he's been having some success. So we had a discussion about reality and scripture and (at least implicitly) about some integral ideas as well. All in all, it was quite a stimulating discussion, which I think left both participants with some new ideas to ponder. I'm not really sure that I can detail what those are. I could try, but I don't know that I've digested it fully. It certainly feels like I'm still digesting. My brain is sparking all over the place. I've been having some sparks already from my reading of the latest Wilber book, but the setting is certainly having an effect as well.

I do think I have a bit of a shadow regarding religion, and Christian religion in particular. I probably need to look into that. I've been keeping it mostly in check though, focusing past my xenophobia and attempting some embracing. Certainly have lots of opportunity this fortnight. Definitely in alien territory now. Not only am I surrounded by several seriously christian folks, but I'm hanging out in that oh-so-red state of Wyoming, which coming from liberal progressive London seems a bit like the far side of the moon. Living in the UK has definitely given me a new perspective on the US and Americanism.

Anyway, it will be interesting, and I think I am slowly evolving out of my fear of being different enough to engage with the alien and perhaps expand my rolodex of perspective. Certainly this is a pretty decent opportunity to do so as the in-laws are not only Christian (at least some of them) but are also intellectuals, which certainly does aid the conversation.

Meanwhile I'm becoming ever more curious about this Integral Life Practice thingy that Sunshine has gotten us. It will be interesting to discover if it is substance or pure product. It seems a hard thing to bottle, but maybe they've got some useful stuff in. (I love that particular bit of UK slang grammar.) I suspect I am going to end up sampling some of the on-line discussion and wander over to I-I sometime and see what's what.

Spark Spark Spark...

I do think that I should probably investigate Christian mythology a bit. Disturbing as it is, it is a dominant force in my culture and I probably need to understand that better. It might also be integral to addressing any shadow issues I have in there. Besides, it gives me a path to interesting conversations with the in-laws. All quadrant after all.

I don't think that I'm likely to find it a path to spiritual development. I suspect that I'm more likely to find mesh with something a little less literal and a little less deity centric. My gut feeling is to look at Zen or some such, but I don't know all that much directly about it. Most of my Buddhist knowledge is filtered through Sunshine or Ken Wilber. I haven't made much of a search along that horizontal path yet, though I'm beginning to get the first inkling that maybe I should.

Well... perhaps it is time to see if I can get the machine that goes ping out of my head and get some sleep before I wake Lazarus.