March 17, 2004
Oro Valley, Arizona, USA

"Dogma divides, spirit unites." -Albert Schweitzer

3:56pm. I'm at my sister Ivy's house near Tucson, thinking about heading up to Las Vegas(Lost Wages) to meet my friend Mark, who will be staying at the Monte Carlo with his dad and brothers for a week. We'll take off to climb at Red Rocks. Luna also invited me to Burner hot pool and Vegas strip party on the 27th, so I'll stick around for that and try to do some Dragonfly workshops and shows in the mean-time.

After that, I plan to do work with at-risk youth in Utah, then head south, taking the bus to visit my dentist in Mazatlan and see friends in Roblito to clear a FAR OUT gathering there for next winter break.

Touring Sedona with my folks was sweet: lots of hiking, a bit of climbing, a game of golf, and exploring native ruins and petroglyphs. I got a climber's name and number at the gear shop, and we hooked up the last day for Dr. Rubo's Wild Ride, a four pitch 5.9, with three well deserved stars, following a hand crack up a red sandstone spire. The airy rappel was chilling-- dangling there touching nothing, slowly spinning with the hugest view.

The night before last, I camped with AJ, her girls Mia and Mika, and Jilly, who was the star of a short film they were there to shoot. AJ was in charge of keeping the crew fed, and she did it was style. We had a chill night around the fire and I slept in my Cargo net hammock 30ft up in a stand of trees. In the morning, a Ranger told me to come down. When I asked why he said, "Damaging property." The hammock does not damage property, I informed him, and said that if he could show me that climbing trees is against the law, I'd come down. Many police have the view that anything out of the norm must be wrong, and do the opposite of keeping the peace.

"I've asked you nicely," he said.
"And so have I", replied.
"Do you want me to call the sheriff?" he returned.
"No, you don't need to, because I'm not hurting anything."
He came back with a booklet and read aloud, "code blah blah blah states that no camping equipment shall be used in unauthorized areas. And this one's a $500 fine, for resisting to comply with an officer." I just laughed and gave up. There was no reasoning with him.

He also informed me that I could not hike north, south, or west, because trails are closed due to a mountain lion hunt in progress in Sabino Canyon. The lions didn't kill anyone, but people are fearful, so they are killing the lions before it happens. Stay in your cages people, where it is safe. Don't step over that line, or we'll put you in a cage.

I told the ranger that I have a problem with authority. "I do too," he replied.

The short film shoot was nothing too crazy. They shot the sunrise, and then Jilly, dressed as an alien princess with blue hair, combat boots and a red tutu, walked all day long, or so it seemed, until sunset. They will use this film as a back drop when their band plays on stage.

Mom and day flew home today. I'm getting busy organizing The FAR OUT School tribe. Here's something from a couple weeks ago:

11:15am March 6th. I'm at Kate and Mark Sorensen's solar home on the range, reading The Mission of Art, by their friend Alex Grey:

Good leads people toward living spirit and compassionate action. Evil leads people away from life, away from spirit, away from kind and wise action, toward fear, confusion, and emotional and physical violence. A strange from evil has infected the soul of humanity in the twentieth century, and it bears the name nihilism. Nihilism is the belief that all is meaningless and there is no possibility of truth. Nihilism is the hopeless darkness of the spiritually blind. Nihilism blinds us to the interdependence of all beings and concern for their common good. Nihilism leads to greed and sexual predation, and in corporate boardrooms can lead to rape of the environment. Nihilism leads to transgressive and criminal behavior, cynically disregarding the possibility of loving-kindness and heroic action. Nihilism is the attitude of egoic paranoia and amorality that makes murder justifiable. And nihilism has become one of the premier attitudes displayed in popular culture.

Let us distinguish the meanings of the words religious and spirituality. Both words point to what humanity considers sacred. Yet there is a difference between the exoteric dogmas of religion ("you are inherently sinful and will go to hell. Take Jesus as you savior and you will go to heaven when you die") and the esoteric revelations of spiritual practice ("The kingdom of heaven is within me now, as infinite clarity, awareness, and bliss. Christ-consciousness, Buddha-nature, the Atman in the Brahman, all are different names for my innermost spiritual nature, which is beyond the reach of words"). Religion is based on faith in a traditional dogma, whereas spirituality is based on transpersonal experience. Religion offers the external authority and security of a belief system, the guidance of a code of moral conduct, and a community of like-minds believers. Spirituality is a subjective, internal experience of the sacred, an opening to the ultimate reality that positively effects the heart and mind of an individual. The spirit does not depend on any specific religious setting, yet it obviously may be found in individuals within every religion.

Hallo Cory, its Kelly
Its been a couple of years since we've spoken but I remeber you often,and fondly, as I recall my days working at HempNB and having you brightening them. I do hope you have remembered me too. Tony(Ritchie) and I are still together and now we have beautiful little Hannah to share ours days with. Are you returning to Saint John any time soon? Whenever the time, it would be nice to reconnect with you so drops us a line. Thank-you for sharing your self and your visions with the rest of the humans being in this world. An honest life lived is the best advise/gift you could ever give to another....and you are doing that well....living your life as an example of That which You truly Are......warm my heart,you do. anyhow.... take care of yourself, friend. And thanks again for reiterating that love is all there is:) here's a little no thought for you: No-Thought for the Day ®Copyright © 2004 Osho International Foundation

You have the source of energy.
Whatever happens in your life needs your energy.
If you cut the source of energy and —
in other words that´s what I call identification —
if you don´t identify with anything, it immediately becomes dead,
it has no energy of its own.
And non-identification is the other side of watchfulness.

love kelly, tony, and hannah

UNknown quote:

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming WOW -- What a Ride!!!"