Adam Blatner
Words and Images from the Mind of Adam Blatner
Where the Weird Things Are
When my son David was little he had a fear of monsters for a while. To treat it—this was when he was about half-past-2—we role-played a book he enjoyed, Where the Wild Things Are. I worked on the key element of the book, looking into their yellow eyes without blinking once, and saying firmly, “Be […]
Posted in Autobiographical, Foolin Around, Play and Spontaneity | 1 Comment
Psychiatry History
Yesterday I put up some ideas about permeability that in their implications, metaphysically, may challenge the entire materialistic and positivistic paradigm of the modern era. Lest I seem grandiose, it’s only speculation. I might well be mistaken. But still, that’s my role, to fool around, to explore, to draw cartoons, dance, joke, get serious, get […]
Posted in Autobiographical, Current Events, History, Wisdom-ing | No Comments
Responsibility for Spiritual Journey
I’ll be giving a talk in mid-May, 2014, on the topic of Taking Personal Responsibility for Your Spiritual Journey. (This will be for our local club in Sun City Georgetown Texas, Spirituality Anonymous.) Dare we realize that we do have the freedom to find our way to the Divine in our lives? Indeed, perhaps we […]
Posted in Spirituality and Philosophy, Wisdom-ing | No Comments
A Contemplative Blog?
It occurred to me that this blog may (or may not) be one of my most lasting contributions. I should not assume that it’s just tossed-off nothings, whereas books and papers are real stuff. That may assume that paper-based stuff is intrinsically more valuable and meaningful than “just” a blog. Well it’s true that this […]
Posted in Autobiographical, Essays and Papers, My Favorite Things, Play and Spontaneity | 1 Comment
Permeability and Ability
My thesis this morning is that extraordinary abilities are to some significant degree due to an innate permeability of the mind to what some call “psychic” and others call “inspiration.” It occurred to me that our model of mind may be limited, overly materialistic. The reigning paradigm is that the contents of the mind are […]
Posted in Follies, Psychology, Spirituality and Philosophy, Wisdom-ing | 1 Comment
The Truth of Truth (or Is It Delusion?)
“Aha, it all comes clear!” Such is the compelling feeling of what I heard called an “epiphanous delusion” that is a hallmark of paranoid schizophrenia. (See the Wikipedia on Apophany.) Or mystical insight. Or for that matter, any compelling insight or convergence of notions. Some of these can seem crazy to others, and some indeed […]
Posted in Current Events, Psychology, Spirituality and Philosophy, Wisdom-ing | No Comments
Reconsidering “Sociatry”
Merriam-Webster online: group psychotherapy through the use of sociometric techniques (as psychodrama or sociodrama) Urban Dictionary: as psychiatry is healing of the mind (actually, ‘psyche’ means ‘soul’), pediatrics is the branch of medical practice devoted to children, and geriatrics that devoted to the aged, so SOCIATRY is the healing of society Wikipedia under the topic […]
Posted in History, Psychodrama, Psychotherapy and Psychiatry, Social-Depth Psychology (Sociometry) | 2 Comments
A Theological Confabulation
I am a contemplateur, an affected term I made up to make my lazy thinking about stuff sound fancy. It’s a way to play. So I’ve been thinking about the Big Whats-it-all-about, beyond space, time, matter, and energy. I view these categories as fabulous in their infinitude, but still I have a hunch that […]
Posted in Autobiographical, Spirituality and Philosophy, Wisdom-ing, Zordak's Journal | No Comments
The Ultimate Truth (Not)
Alas, after decades of considering what’s what, it’s not so much that I don’t know—that’s true—but I am quite sure that the “everything” cannot be known. Now there’s an apophatic stance that invites dispute! I guess I agree with the postmodernist view that it’s all co-created. There are no objective standards that transcend our co-creation. […]
Posted in Autobiographical, Spirituality and Philosophy, Wisdom-ing | No Comments
A Kaddish Contemplation
Kaddish is the name of the Jewish prayer said for those in mourning for those who have passed on, also known as a prayer for the dead. But in fact it’s not a prayer for the person who has died, it’s a prayer to re-align the living. Kaddish re-focuses the one praying; its words implicitly […]
Posted in Autobiographical, Psychology, Spirituality and Philosophy, Wisdom-ing | No Comments