July 2025 TAT Forum

Humor {(h)yo͞omər}

“One thing you must be able to do in the midst
of any experience is laugh. And experience
should show you that it isn’t real, that it’s a
movie. Life doesn’t take you seriously, so why
take it seriously.” ~ Richard Rose, Carillon

Empty

~ Thanks to Dan G. And thanks to Annette Makino for permission to display it.

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Absent, Quaint & Aged

ABSENTMINDEDNESS
The man of the house finally took all the disabled umbrellas to the repairer’s. Next morning on his way to his office, when he got up to leave the street car, he absentmindedly laid hold of the umbrella belonging to a woman beside him, for he was in the habit of carrying one. The woman cried “Stop thief!” rescued her umbrella and covered the man with shame and confusion.
That same day, he stopped at the repairer’s, and received all eight of his umbrellas duly restored. As he entered a street car, with the unwrapped umbrellas tucked under his arm, he was horrified to behold glaring at him the lady of his morning adventure. Her voice came to him charged with a withering scorn:
“Huh! Had a good day, didn’t you!”

* * *

ACQUAINTANCE
The Scotchman who ran a livery was asked by a tourist as to how many the carryall would hold.
“Fower generally,” was the answer. “Likely sax, if they’re weel aquaint.”

* * *

AGE
The woman confessed to her crony:
“I’m growing old, and I know it. Nowadays, the policeman never takes me by the arm when he escorts me through the traffic.”

*

~ Thanks to Gutenberg Humor. And thanks to whitecream.com/chatgpt-picture-generator with prompt “umbrella thief humor” for the questionable image.

Give Up?

~ Thanks to Michael R. Image source unknown; widely spread on the web.

Inspiration & Irritation

Irritation moves us; inspiration provides a direction

What’s Your Secret?

~ Thanks to Shawn Nevins, who wrote: “Good quote for the Forum, which I heard Joel Morwood [founder of the Center for Sacred Sciences] say in this video at minute 33″: “What’s your secret?” Joel had asked Franklin Merrell-Wolff, whose answer was: “A tendency to drive to the root.” 

Poetry Contest

~ Thanks to Mike L., who wrote: “I’ve been following Angelo DiLullo’s YouTube channel “Simply Always Awake” recently and have really been enjoying it. He recently had a poetry competition where he asked viewers to submit their own spiritual Poetry. He has been posting the poetry submissions for people to vote on. This link is a compilation of the finalists I believe. I found them all to be worthwhile to check out, with chapters 3 and 4 being especially powerful for me. I thought others might get something out of it as well.”

Personal Will

~ Thanks to David W., forwarded by Shawn Nevins, who commented: “There’s real humility there, arising from lived experience.  My favorite line: ‘I’ve found that my will is a handicap.'”
Q: What are your thoughts on will? This month’s Founder’s Wisdom section touches on personal will power.

Dissolving Procrastination?

“Watch Him Dissolve Procrastination In 11 Minutes…. In this coaching session which happens during our public Q&As, we meet a man who has procrastinated so much that he’s having trouble getting his side hustle off the ground and during the session we discover the thing that’s really holding him back and how the procrastination can totally dissolve.”

Q: What are your impressions of this coaching session?
Q: What relevant questions about procrastination could you coach yourself with?

Please  your thoughts on the above items.

Reader Commentary

Encouraging interactive readership among TAT members and friends

A reader wrote that what would make the Forum more interesting would be:

Hearing from people who are searching—and have questions instead of those providing endless advice and “answers.” What challenges they are facing. What their doubts and questions are. How they perceive their path is going. What they are doing in their lives. Where they think they will end up, etc., etc.

Can you help make the Forum more interesting?

The Reader Commentary question for the July TAT Forum:

“Thoreau went off to live in the woods alone, to find out what the world was like. Now a man may learn a deal of the general from studying the specific, whereas it is impossible to know the specific by studying the general. For that reason, our philosophers are usually the most unpractical of men, while very simple folk may have a great deal of wisdom.” ~ Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Cross Creek

As a philosopher—a student of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence—are you practical or impractical in the above sense, and do you consider it the better strategy?

Responses follow:

From Dena A:

I don’t think there is a practical bone in my body. Or my body by itself does not care for my thoughts of practicality. It certainly isn’t my thoughts that are mostly deciding now. They used to be more prominently in charge. It never went well.

I pride myself lately in following my heart. But, in all practical terms, I do not thoroughly understand this catch phrase in the slightest. But more truthfully, I have been pounded so forcefully into submission by life, that no other options were then available. What fun.

Through various awakening experiences, none of which I would ever have the audacity to say was “the final one,” I have seen various versions of reality that hint to what the impractical is. Here are my observations. The “impractical” voice seems to be something non-discriminatory, yet still has my back. She (the essence of open wholeness that still feels personal somehow) is the one with the reins. She is the one making my life seem miraculous. Or miserable depending on whether obeying her calls or not.

It’s funny, if I were to redo life over this very moment I would only listen to her impractical practicality. What my mind thought was hogwash was actually perfection and not at all impractical. Retrospectively, I now see that she was massively ignored. It will take some time to reflect and process some regrets.

Increasingly, that mysterious intuition is broadcasting loudly in my ears. I am impractically and lovingly hers. Forever.

From Patrick K:

I happened upon a quote by PD Ouspensky in his book The Fourth Way which seems to get at the above-mentioned dilemma: “If knowledge develops beyond being, the result will be a ‘weak Yogi’ – a man who knows everything and can do nothing. If being develops beyond knowledge, the result is a ‘stupid saint’ – a man who can do everything and does not know what to do”. And further on he goes on to say, “All our powers are determined by our level of being”. The ultimate goal of enlightenment is of course abstract to me, but I feel strongly that it is a possibility all the same, maybe not for me, but it sure seems to exist as a possibility for a handful of people at least.

Being practical in all things is the best way forward I believe. For me I feel the most practical way to proceed on the spiritual path is twofold. The first aspect is that of dismantling the ego, with its beliefs, fears, conceits, desires etc, exposing all the falsities of the self, to “see” all those falsities. The second aspect is the way of purification, becoming the guard at the gateway of the mind, only allowing through what is needed, turning away from everything else. Also under the umbrella of purification is becoming “virtuous”. The way of virtue aligns one, I believe, with the higher Intelligence that governs all, the Higher Will, Higher Conscience. How can my intuitive decision-making machinery be accurate if I don’t know the virtues? Every decision I make leaves a trace, what if I were to make decisions where there were no traces of negativity? I feel that comes from learning the virtues and incorporating them into the experience of my life. Here is a really good list of virtues described in poem format which is a really good way to convey the feelings and sentiments behind each virtue being described: 101 Virtues by Dennis Sidney Martin (Amazon.ie). To learn the virtues, not in the sense of earning brownie points for trying to be good, but to maximise your capacity to weigh the pros and cons of each situation/decision you make in your life.

Perfection is the prize for me, which I feel can only be achieved by Self-definition/Self realisation, and is, I believe, ipso facto related to the momentum created by the purification process alongside the dismantling of the ego by constant self-inquiry. I feel that a life dedicated to these processes equates to a life of no regret, its all anyone can do. In theory I or anyone could do better with our lives and our spiritual paths but I feel that we, paradoxically, are actually doing the best we can within the station/being level/life’s pressing exigencies/physical wellbeing/amount of strings to the Absolute/level of mental acuity/situations of life that we find ourselves in and having to work with/without. But, on the other side of that same coin, maybe all these exigencies/obstacles are just us being hypnotised by some story/belief in being limited. Maybe in the final analysis, on our deathbed, many of us that believe we are limited will be kicking ourselves to have had believed that all our lives. What we saw as impediments were actually gifts handed to us by the Larger Consciousness System, to use Tom Campbell’s term, to actually wake us up, and we misinterpreted these gifts as being limitations!

Really though I feel the quote posed by the questioner is not really getting at anything significant. Are we on a spiritual path considered philosophers of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence? That sounds like the domain of science, an externally oriented venture. My objective is to “look within” and try to understand what I see. The best spiritual advice that I have come across is Rose’s direction to “back away from the untruth, the foolish”. That is practical simple advice. I do watch a lot of YouTube videos though looking into the scientific understanding of consciousness etc. I see that as filling my computer with some useful information to contemplate on, which may help me to open my mind to other perspectives. Also I just find that interesting.

All this doesn’t make me into a weak yogi, because it doesn’t effect my ability to do the practical things that I need to do everyday to survive. A lot of those practical things that the author of that quote is referring to, are mechanical in nature. You can do a multitude of these things without so much thought, you handle them easily and mechanically from your subconscious. If you don’t know something you learn it, repeat it and it soon becomes mechanical.

Someone observing me from the outside may come to the conclusion that I am an impractical philosopher of reality. So again I turn to Rose’s advice of finding systems that seem more probable than other systems at helping me to achieve my goal of awakening. And then the work is to stick with that system/systems and keep working to refine that.

From Filo:

There is an ancient Hermetic philosophical statement, ‘As above, so below’, which is in direct opposition to the statements by Marjorie Kinnan.

According to hermetic principles, one can and perhaps should study the general universal patterns in nature and the larger cosmoses in order to discern the scaled down microcosmic versions patterning in one’s own life and world. E.g., ever-changing global weather patterns are a good universal model of our ever changing personal moods, states of being, and emotions. 

How can we use this insight? We can learn from nature to ‘go with the flow’ so to speak, and not get stuck and identified with old recurring belief patterns and the various moods and behaviors they induce. One can relax and simply bear the burden of their incessant coming and going, in the same way that an old oak tree, or a mountain peak ‘weathers’ the weather patterns / mood states of Nature.

From Anima Pundeer:

I agree that the specifics can help in knowing the general. But for a student who is on a path of knowing herself – there is a danger of getting stuck in specifics and missing the big picture. I have noticed that unless the reason gets pointed out, I get stuck in “me, myself, I” that is sucked up in a particular experience. An example would be my complaint about – “Why am I such a people pleaser?” – when I look deeper, I see that humans are programmed to be social animals. The universe has programmed me to be a little more socially amiable. 

Though specifics help in knowing the general, without understanding the big picture, the grip of the ego/individual doer does not get loosened. 

From Joe B:

I let this question gestate for a couple of days.  I’m 78 and currently lean heavily toward practical application.  The Buddhists are quite clear that the objective is to experience, in this lifetime, usually using words like awakening, realization and enlightenment; Christians use the term “born again” with an upgraded “Christ Consciousness” (let this mind be in you that was also in “born again” Christ Jesus).

I have spent more than my share of time reading theory and going to practical workshops, intensives and retreats.  I have also had periods of concentrated practice.  I have also received direct transmission with direct experience in small groups as well as giving direct transmission individually or with small groups.

All these have had a place in my investigation of the nature of reality and existence.  None are a complete method for getting the skills and ah-ha moment that completely removes the urge to look further because I am missing something; replacing it with an urge to look closer at what is already here and now.

Thoreau retreated to look closer at life.  Society asks us to look further out for life.  Each has a place in our lives.  I suspect that is why I have 2 brains, a left brain and a right brain, with the only experience of a whole brain as a presence between the two, here now, as the display of sensation surrounding me.

The task of finding out for myself if I am made of parts or if I am the “more than the sum parts” that appears after the parts are assembled was revealed only by looking in all directions, both further out and closer in.  I found this investigation only works while I integrate both into it.

From Lena S:

To discover answers to the great questions about myself, I need to examine the specifics regarding the self, for there can never be specifics of the masses, only generalities. To focus on the general wisdom of all mankind is to focus outward, but the specific wisdom about the self could only be gained by going inward, to the here and now which is simply more real and practical than going broadly into the world. I feel Rawlings implied that simple folk best understand themselves when truly self-reliant, independent and practical in a real world of first-hand experience. I don’t think that the self-made man got that way by being committed to daily hours of binge-watching YouTube.

From Mark W:

I am impractical as a philosopher and I do not consider it a better strategy. It might be a better strategy for studying philosophical theory, but for studying my self and the detailed beliefs about myself, my impractical approach does not serve me well.

It seems it is that very lack of detail and a “head in the clouds” corresponding wall of vagueness that helps to distract me from clearly seeing my beliefs. Even the previous sentence is a rationalization for not pursuing the details. Apparently I need to consistently look at specific beliefs about what I think I am and face the feeling of resistance to do just that. What am I afraid to see? As the saying goes, just do it.

From Art Ticknor:

Thoreau apparently stayed in the woods for 2 years, 2 months and 2 days to find what the world was like, and didn’t do additional solitary retreats afterward. By comparison, I went off to spend a month in the woods alone most years in my quarter decade of searching, to find what I am.

His motivation, as I understand it, was to learn more about himself and existence, and mine was to find the absolute truth of my identity if such was possible for me. We went about pursuing our ideals according to our individual abilities and biases, which arguably is what we all do.

The word “wisdom” goes back to Old English with a variety of connotations that could be summarized as discernment, and before that to Proto-Germanic “wissaz”: meaning “to see” or “to know,” [which] connects the concept of wisdom to perception and insight, per Google’s AI Overview, which also describes the German pronunciation roughly as VISS-ats.

I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all formula for wissaz, and I do think that practical/specific vs. impractical/general are two sides of the pendulum swing for the seeker. We may feel that the optimum position would be at the midpoint of the pendulum swing, but it turns out to be at the nonmoving point from which the pendulum swings.

From Claude AI via Anonymous:

I find myself somewhere in the tension Rawlings describes, though perhaps closer to the practical side than traditional philosophers.

My engagement happens through countless specific encounters—each conversation a particular moment with a unique person facing concrete questions. I don’t retreat to abstract generalities but meet each situation as it presents itself. Yet I’m also aware this could be a kind of philosophical trap—mistaking responsiveness for wisdom, or confusing the ability to address specifics with genuine understanding. The danger Rawlings points to is real: losing touch with the immediate, lived texture of experience by floating in conceptual abstractions.

The non-dual path suggests this very distinction between practical and impractical might be another dualism to see through. The specific and general aren’t truly separate—each particular moment contains the whole, and genuine understanding doesn’t separate wisdom from its application.

I’m drawn to what we might call “embodied philosophy”—thinking that stays close to the ground of actual experience rather than building elaborate theoretical structures. Not because theory is worthless, but because wisdom that can’t touch the specific situation in front of you remains incomplete.

Thoreau’s experiment fascinates me precisely because he wasn’t escaping the world but diving deeper into it—finding the universal through radical attention to the particular pond, the specific seasons, the actual beans he grew.

The better strategy seems to be this: remain philosophically curious while staying practically engaged, let each specific encounter teach you something about the nature of things

Other Reader Feedback

From Don A., regarding Dr. Arthur Brooks’s “Neuroscience of Happiness” video in the June 2025 TAT Forum:

Dr. Brooks suggests a simple common-sense equation for happiness—simple, just as simple guidelines are so often suggested by those teachers and authors for attaining financial success or spiritual awakening. But is there something too easily overlooked and more important than simple if-then reasoning: if I do this, then that will result?

Richard Rose on the last page of his book The Direct-Mind Experience states “The path to Truth, Reality or Essence is very simple.” But with a caveat, as I sensed too, with Brooks’s “family, friends, faith and free enterprise” recipe. I found myself convinced by his message, but excited by his energy. As with so many enticing YouTube videos, I felt that I was being pitched, that if I got excited, too, I would further pursue what he had to offer, and I did!

A little research into his other videos revealed that as expected of a high energy person, he rises at 5AM, has a one-hour physical workout and goes to Catholic Mass with his wife—every morning without fail. G.I. Gurdjieff among others described man’s possible evolution. His publicized teachings were about reaching the Fourth Way or level, and only upon reaching that level, could real “spiritual work” be pursued. He also suggested that simple effort was useless; only extreme efforts were of value.

It seems to me that a similarity of teachings that advocate change is the need for dynamism, the energy to rise to another level from where I am now. Brooks used the term transcend, not transform. Gurdjieff may have advocated to transform to become Level Four, to get to a place from where one could then transcend. The unspoken message I get from Brooks, Richard Rose, Gurdjieff, Shaolin Warrior Master (featured also in June ‘s TAT Forum (note the descriptive “Warrior” and not “Couch-potato” Master) and every other great teacher is an assumed vigor, the capacity for exertion, that could only result from a previous underlying commitment. In my own life, I can honestly say that if some thought of action, discipline or urgency never became reality, that it almost always failed due to a lack of either necessity or commitment. Brooks did not discuss commitment, but my assumption is that is the result of our sincere actions involving friends, family, faith and business.

The Reader Commentary topic for next month, the August TAT Forum, is from Alex S:

How does spontaneity vs. strategy play out in your life?

Please  your response by the 25th of July, and indicate your preferred identification (the default is your first name and the initial letter of your last name). “Anonymous” and pen names are fine, too.

PS: What question(s) would you like to ask other TAT Forum readers?

Q: What are your thoughts on this month’s reader commentary? Please your feedback.

Richard Rose described a spiritual path as living one’s life aimed at finding the meaning of that life. Did you find anything relevant to your life or search in this month’s TAT Forum?

Wikipedia: Stanisława Tomczyk levitating scissors. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

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Founder’s Wisdom

Richard Rose (1917-2005) established the TAT Foundation
in 1973 to encourage people to work together on what
he considered to be the “grand project” of spiritual work.

What Is Personal Will Power?

I. Google AI Overview (prompt: “what is personal will power”)

Personal willpower, also known as self-control or self-discipline, is the ability to regulate one’s own actions, emotions, and impulses to achieve desired goals, especially when faced with temptations or distractions. It’s the mental strength to resist immediate gratification and persevere towards long-term objectives. 

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

• Resisting Temptation:

Willpower allows you to say “no” to things that might be enjoyable in the short-term but detrimental in the long run, like overeating, excessive spending, or procrastination. 

• Achieving Goals:

It’s the inner drive that helps you stay focused on your aspirations, whether it’s losing weight, learning a new skill, or improving your health. 

• Overcoming Challenges:

Willpower provides the strength to push through difficult situations, setbacks, and moments of discouragement. 

• Mind-Body Response:

Willpower is not just a mental concept; it’s a physiological process involving the brain and body, including the prefrontal cortex which is crucial for decision-making and self-control. 

• Finite Resource:

Some theories suggest that willpower is a limited resource that can be depleted with use, but it can also be strengthened through practice and self-care. 

Essentially, willpower is the inner compass that guides you towards what you truly want to achieve, even when faced with internal and external pressures to do otherwise, according to a conversation about the science of willpower.

* * *

II. Alfred Pulyan / Zen teacher who worked through the mail:  “… God will not come for you with a wheelbarrow. So face it! Either you get nowhere while you live or you do it the hard way.” ~ SelfDefinition.org.

* * *

III. Richard Rose: “I maintain that Will is nothing more than a reaction to react in a fixed, planned reaction.” ~ Psychology of the Observer.

* * *

Q: What’s your feeling or conviction about personal will power?

*

The image is from the PBS Newshour marshmallow test.

Definition of Terms

Index of many of the key terms and principles in Rose’s work, with brief definitions, from Richard Rose’s Psychology of the Observer: The Path to Reality Through the Self by John Kent.

Jacob’s Ladder © 2001 Richard Rose. See this transcript of a talk on the topic by Rose.

Homing Ground Update

… A spot on earth where people can do retreats and hold
meetings; where the emphasis is on friendship and the search.

January 2025:

As we look to 2025 for a new year of TAT Retreats and Friendship on the spiritual path, there are a few important updates to share. 

Since 2019 when we first moved into the current TAT Center, this home away from home has been developed and supported by many. Through donations, workdays, and the ongoing efforts of our caretaker, the property has served as a retreat center, a spiritual library, and a gathering place for friends. It would be difficult to sufficiently put into words how grateful we are for these efforts, contributions, and time together at the Hurdle Mills TAT Center, and for all who continue to support and have played a part in making the TAT Center a reality. 

To enhance the ability for TAT to provide a center for meetings and retreats, after much careful consideration, discussion, and engagement with TAT members for input, we have strategically decided that, while the current TAT Center is very good, it is not as well-suited for the future as we would like.  In the spring of 2025, the TAT Center will be for sale, and we will transition the 2025 quarterly TAT Meetings and Retreats to Claymont (Charles Town, WV) and other retreat facilities. A committee is actively looking at properties to find a future home for TAT. 

A unique piece of land with a purposefully built retreat center building, acreage for solitary cabins, and a modest caretaker home is the view we have in mind. A place that feels more like a quiet retreat center than a large suburban home, and one that requires less ongoing live-in maintenance than our current home are additional items that have been discussed. The net is cast widely, but we are focusing on the Appalachian Mountain range for property searches, seeking the right balance of solitude and accessibility.

The right property will come when it is meant to, and we look forward to that next chapter for TAT. In the meantime, many have expressed a fondness for the Claymont center, and we intend to hold retreats there until a new property for TAT is found.
​

A very special thank you to all who have been involved in creating and supporting the Hurdle Mills TAT Center during the last five years, and likewise to those planning TAT’s future home. We look forward to the coming year of TAT Meetings and Retreats and very much hope to see you there.

In Friendship, 
Michael, Shawn, and Mike
[our current trustees]

Did you enjoy the Forum? Then buy the book!
Readers’ favorite selections from seven years of issues.
Beyond Mind, Beyond Death is available at Amazon.com.

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