Here, read this!

I've never been a huge fan of Ken Wilbur, mostly because I haven't read his works. But after reading this, I think I may have to go back and take another gander at his work. I like that his conception of mysticism does not rely on magical thinking. There is enough real magic in the natural world without us having to get lost in the supernatural. I found this interview with Wilbur in Salon.com.

From the interview:

So where does God fit into this picture? Do you believe in God?

God is a perfect example of how these two types of religion treat ultimate reality. You asked, "Do you believe in God?" In exoteric religion, it's a matter of belief. Do you believe in the kind of God who rewards and punishes and will sit with you in some eternal heaven? But in the esoteric form of religion, God is a direct experience. Most contemplatives would call it "godhead." It's so different from the mythic conceptions of God -- the old man in the sky with a gray beard. The word "God" is much more misleading than it is accurate. So there's a whole series of terms that are used instead by the esoteric traditions -- super consciousness, Big Mind, Big Self. This ultimate reality is a direct union that is felt or recognized in a state of enlightenment or liberation. It's what the Sufis call the "supreme identity," the identity of the interior soul with the ultimate ground of being in a direct experiential state.

Read the entire interview here.

Thoughts? Stay tuned for the next episode which I will record as soon as I recover from this blasted headcold.