Rob: We got a little of track. You were going to give me an exercise.
Terry: I am, but I'm giving you context for the exercise.
Rob: Good, good.
Terry: So, God is beyond perspective, but human beings are perspective taking machines. We can't help but take perspectives on that unknowable thing. And so, human spirituality generally takes three forms first, second and third person, just like our language, just like our pronouns. There's first person which is I or me, second person which is you or thou in the old fashioned way of doing it, and then third person which is he or she or it or them.
And we take perspective on God in that way, like there's a third person perspective like me talking about all this stuff. When you look at the nature or you look at existence in a philosophical way, you look at it. You look at that mystery and you can sometimes, particularly in brilliant philosophy, particularly with nature in a more sensate way, you just feel like you're looking upon the mystery of existence itself. You get those goose bumps. It moves you. It takes you to another level.
And you can also, what most people do with meditation most meditation's become popular in the last 25, 30 years has been in forms of first person spirituality where you go to the root of attention, you become the witness of everything that is arising, the subjective source, the self of all.
You open your eyes after meditation, you look out and what you see and who you are they're nonseparate. You are the I am of all things. You are I amness itself. And that's first person spirituality.
And second person spirituality is where you notice that you are always in the presence of something loving and loveable. The otherness of all arising things in the universe, all people, whatever your eyes are beholding at any moment, but that, in some sense, is your intimate beloved.
Now, you can get in touch with all those three perspectives in every day. You can anchor them. You can say, I and then I'm just improvising. We actually have some written out phrases that I use in more internal process so I'm kind of going to make up my own phrasing right here right now but let me offer it. "I look upon, yet the mystery and I am moved. I open my eyes as the I'mness of all things and I am complete. I meet your eyes, beloved; you who are never distant and I am in communion, I'm connected."
If you do that in a real feeling like it's a real sincerity, you take a minute and a half to really feel those invocations and you speak to yourself everyday, your day is different.
Rob: OK. You kind of gave me a feel of Rumi, the second part of it.
Terry: Yeah, Rumi is a wonderful poet of second person spirituality. He's always talking to the beloved, the guest, with gratitude and joy and tenderness. But that's always so beautiful and instructive.
Rob: But we've got two or three more minutes for the radio show part of the interview and then we're going to continue. So, look I'd just want to, let me just do another. This is Rob Kall Futurehealth Radio, WMJC 13:60 a.m. I'm speaking with Terry Patten, coauthor of "Integral Life Practice: The 21st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening." Terry's blog is http://www.integralheart.com/blog.
Terry, anything you want to say to wrap up for the radio listeners?
Terry: Well, I would like them to know that I'm... anybody who's listening from the Bay Area, I'm doing a course that's starting in March. On my website, you'll see the events that I'm doing, including an awesome event in early February in New York and Boston, and I will... And please if you respond to what I've said, please go onto my website and sign up for my email list. I'll be in touch with you, I'm gonna be offering some instructive courses on Integral Life Practice and other related topics. So if people respond to this sign, I want them to know how to reach me.
Rob: Great. Do you want to give your email?