AI, the Golden Calf and the Andean Vampire
February 3, 2025The title of this post is as provocative as it is likely impenetrable to a casual eye. Whatever could these three have in common? What are they even? When I first heard of AI it was through the offices of my good Peruvian friend, who couldn’t appear to say enough in its favour, but then he has for a long time been a technoconvert and worshipper of the world of ‘science’ and technology with it. The idea of its eventually (inevitably as some still think) becoming conscious particularly intrigued him. For me, however, it was the sort of news that…
Reviving Old Desires
“Now the New Year reviving old Desires, The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires” Writing on the cusp of the looming new year, I found myself remembering these lines from the 19th century translation of the medieval Persian poem: the…
Symbols of Transformation
Anyone who’s an artist (indeed perhaps creative of any kind) will relate to the problem of when to recognise that a work is finished. Most of us know what it’s like to overwork a work in progress and then wish…
A Work in Progress
One of the most revealing, if shocking revelations of my recent experiences in the mountains, was as though seeing briefly and clearly behind a veil across a dimension to reality normally hidden. It showed me this: all my life, all…
Revelations, realisations and epiphanies
We are spiritual beings, although in our materialistic and increasingly secular modern world, fewer and fewer people experience themselves this way, or own it if they do. We have inherited and are still heavily influenced by 18th century Enlightenment Cartesian…
The Power of Pilgrimage
“No man is rich enough to buy back his past”. This quote, attributed to Oscar Wilde, is one of several aphorisms adorning the wall of my dental clinic here in Kochi. The poignant truth of it is undeniable. As with…
In the Shadow
Since returning from the mountains with the understanding – finally – that it was time to move on and back into the world, I have witnessed a number of clear signs that different aspects of my personality – long remaindered…
Changing Times
From north to south, from the mountains to the sea. From the heartlands of Hinduism to the daily calls to prayer. How does one frame life changes to oneself in a way that allows their safe navigation, without being overwhelmed…
Sadhu Free Zone. Moving On
From the heart of Fort Kochi in Kerala whence I arrived just a month ago, I am now ensconced in a small apartment in a largely Muslim residential part of town, which, being surrounded by mosques, offers ample exposure to…
Going Full Sadhu
What do I mean by ‘going full sadhu’? I have sometimes made the point that, especially during the height of the Pilgrimage years. I styled myself more upon the concept of a sadhu, the wandering spiritual seeker espousing the life…
The Song is Over
There’s an old 1970s song by the Who that has, at seminal points across my life, surfaced at times when a key life stage has finally reached an end. Certainly the overall theme of the song itself and words are…
