A Circle of Friends

I am gathering a circle of friends around me on Facebook. The days of artificial pointing are blessedly over. If I want to discuss spirituality, I prefer to go directly to the God of Silence. As I see it, there was a new frontier opened by Jerry Katz. It was called The Nonduality Salon and a better sheriff than Katz could not be found. The drinks were undiluted and poured straight from the heart. But before long, people were shooting from the lip.

Brawls broke out and the player piano was more alive than some of the players. People began wearing poker faces when discussing nonduality. They preferred not to talk about their real lives, the stuff of which life is made. They only spoke of being one with everything. Miss Kitty found that funny.

But I rode into town (in a stage out of Atlanta) with a story to tell. My husband was dying slowly and I needed to talk. Sheriff Katz let me do just that. Oh, some of the townspeople tried to shut me up. Tried to tar and feather me. Said I should get a grip, grow up, shut up, etc. I heard it all.

I contributed essays to the salon and begin to think I might have something of value to say. For I had a real teacher who taught the “I am” awareness. He just didn’t gussy it up with fancy words. He kept telling us that we weren’t worth shootin’ unless we woke up. He didn’t use phrases like “pointers.” He gave us the medicine of awareness and that was that.

Sheriff Katz gave me room to talk. He continues to do that. He knows that the new frontier is bigger and busier than ever. He leads with something called effortless openness. At times, I have wanted to shoot him, but I can have a pretty big mouth. I probably needed to dial it down a bit.

These days silence is looking better and better. Everybody that comes in the salon is wired to the max. No one has time to sit down and play poker unless it’s on their iPhone. The times are changing and nobody knows that things can’t go on like they are. The Jersey shore has taken a devastating hit. Mother Earth is drawing a line in the sand.

It is time for the nondual community to take a page from the book of silence. Look around you. The silence is everywhere. It’s getting a foothold even in the saloon. The pretty young wenches are flirting wordlessly with the men wearing those fancy vests. The stars are shining brightly in the desert without the words. Soon the very earth will be humming about the newest frontier—silence. I reckon Sheriff Katz knows about that as well.

*I have two books on amazon now. I have grown a great deal since the days of having a dying husband and a story to tell. I lean on what I know to be true and say it with as few words as possible. Don’t be a stranger. Every now and then the Sheriff allows me to tell one of my stories in The Nondual Highlights. I always look forward to that.

Vicki Woodyard
* Life With A Hole In It
*A Guru in the Guest Room

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