The Magic

Laden with the burden of days of more party than work, the body just wasn’t responding properly to the daily grind of living. The combination of the usual mind bending thinking process associated with massive substance utilization lead this hapless biker to a state of ho-hum-edness.

It is hard enough to make any sense of this world. It is truly a mind intercourse to be on an even keel in a world so fraught with insanity. In fact, if one takes just the most minimal time to stop, not think and simply observe this life it becomes glaringly clear that something has gone horrifically south in the human condition.

Yet most of us are oblivious to the bigger pic. We wallow in our jobs, relationships and activities that have been designed by corporate board rooms to help steer as much of our money into their coffers as possible. There is so much friction, strife and lack of joy that it is amazing to me that the human species doesn’t simply ignite into one massive conflagration of frustration, anger and despair.

Actually that may be exactly what is happening to us. The anchors of stability, of happiness and of true meaning in our brief pass through this sliver of time have been hidden by the lure of shiny objects, commercial exploitation of lower brain stem activity (sex) and the endless hunger for more of everything. Especially in the U.S., we are governed by outside influence that has little history and no basis in life affirming considerations. It is all a vicious distraction.

Many are aware to a degree that things are not going well. With little chance to change much about the big picture, one might come to the notion that a change of view within one’s life may invite a more peaceful, prosperous and joyful existence. But how do we get there. The answer is phenomenally simple, but nearly impossible for most to achieve.

Ancient techniques for influencing the spirit are still available. Many traditions of Yoga are being practiced. These simple exercises have a direct pathway to the inner world wherein lies the secrets to confronting the monster of the corporate virus that has infected the human condition. Central to such practice is awareness of the breath.

We are all borne of the earth. Each molecule in our bodies comes from the ground. It all starts and ends there. Our connection to the earth is infinite. It is central to all aspects of this life. The natural world from which we spring is the target of the corporate mindset to destroy. If one is oriented to the natural order, the commercial folly becomes transparently absurd.

We live in an interesting juxtaposition of brilliant insight and sheer stupidity. Why the higher and more life-generous aspects of this life have not become center stage is yet a mystery to me. But they haven’t. There are just a few guardians of intelligence and awareness in the world. Some can be found tucked in the recesses of the universities, some in the hinterlands of the Himalayas, and at least for some brief moments a few can be found on the remote single tracks where the whirring knobbies momentarily carry the bikin’ fool unsuspectingly to a place little known to the average Wal Mart shopper.

It starts out innocently enough. It may even be the attraction to a cool looking, shiny bike. This paradox of an attraction to a groovy material object and the portal to the world beyond the ordinary is the realm of mountain biking. It is not guaranteed that the bike will deliver one to the promised land. But the strange combination that is offered by this vehicle can open a door of perception that can take the rider far beyond the mundane, average living. It is a vehicle to the gates of glory.

Nature is the most gracious and generous overlord. It holds patiently the secrets to living. By simply being in a natural setting, one’s spirit is infused with peace, understanding and calmness with the greater natural, brilliant order of the universe. Nothing is needed.

The ordinary mind is so overloaded with stuff that it rarely sees the light of day. It has not time to wander to fantasy, to dream or to simply loaf in the warm rays of bliss. The mind chatters constantly with a vast variety of unimportant trains of refuse.

An entirely unintended consequence of cycling forces the participant to breathe with much more vigor. This simple, unconscious act creates an alchemy in the body and mind. It helps to set the stage for the spirit to take flight from the dull trenches of our waking reality to a lofty place where tranquility finds hospitality.

One may not even be aware of the benefits of riding. They are there. They may be fleeting, but there remains a faint contrail of benediction that infuses the rider with the ammunition to ward off the evil lurking in the vast isles of Wally World. It is magic. Try it!