THE MAN LOVES THE WINE SHE SERVES THROUGH HER BODY An Erotic Encounter with the Divine Feminine by David Bryen is a beautiful book. Physically it is a work of art, beginning with the fine paper it is printed on. The cover pages marking the start of each of the twelve sections creatively frame the poetic chapter titles. The calligraphy by Gloria Bryen, David’s wife, helps distinguish the book from the ordinary. There can be little doubt that this small book is a special creation of something very important to the man who wrote it.
After moving to Mexico, I began buying the Kindle editions of books. I quickly began to appreciate the advantages of digital formats. But THE MAN LOVES THE WINE… is a book that demands to be held.
David Bryen is my good friend and he gave me his book as a gift a few years ago. But I just stuck it on my bookshelf as I was not drawn to erotic poetry. Yet I always sensed that the right time to savor the wine would emerge and indeed it did.
I like writing book reports, but this one is different. I am now writing about my encounter with David’s encounter. This is an experience.
It so happened that after I had read the first two chapters, David and I met, as we regularly do, at Pranzo, a local restaurant. I made a mistake by telling him that I was now reading about his midlife crisis. He quickly and emphatically informed me that his experience was an initiation, not a crisis. I grasped what he meant and realized that I was inappropriately projecting my own midlife crisis onto his book. He explained to me that the book, published in 1999, was the culmination of an intense ten year period in his life that was transformative. I had failed to grasp what he had clearly stated in his introduction.
David also knows me well enough to know that I am very sequential. He cautioned me to not read his book that way and so I didn’t. I jumped around randomly to whatever section I was drawn to as I slowly worked my way through the contents over a period of days. I will write my commentary in the same order I read the book. I made some notes as I read, capturing my reactions.
However, I will first digress from the book contents to add some background.
Unlike David, during most of my life, I paid very little attention to archetypes. Only in retirement have I become interested in this way of thinking and David helped spark that interest. My knowledge of divine feminine archetypes is extremely limited. I know very little about Aphrodite beyond her being an ancient Greek goddess. The man reading THE MAN LOVES THE WINE… is very different from the man who wrote the book.
I first sensed something different about David Bryen when I read his book Riding off the Edge of the Map. In 2016 in my book report I wrote,
If Riding off the Edge of the Map was merely a very good adventure story about three men taking a motorcycle trip into the Copper Canyon, it would not appeal to me. But the book is much more. I had high expectations that a book written by a psychotherapist would have much to say about our journey through life and David Bryen did not disappoint.
THE INITIATION
David Bryen explicitly states what THE MAN LOVES THE WINE… is about in its first few sentences, written in uppercase.
THE COLLECTION OF POEMS IN THIS BOOK CAME AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF AN INTENSE, 10 YEAR, LIFE-CHANGING INITIATION. IT WAS MORE THAN THE THAWING OF THE HEART THAT MEN GO THROUGH AT MID-LIFE; IT WAS A COMPLETE IMMERSION INTO THE VERY ESSENCE OF THE DIVINE FEMININE. IN THE END, A DIVINE LOVE FOUND ITS PLACE IN ME.
These sentences surfaced my own memories of my mid-life crisis, an intense 5 year period of transformation, which I hope to write about sometime. But for now I will try to push that off to the side. I do not want my experience to overshadow my attempt to understand the experiences of my friend, no easy task.
POETRY WAS THE ONLY WAY FOR ME TO CHRONICLE AND GIVE SHAPE TO THE CHANGES I WAS UNDERGOING.
I hate poetry, at least I did in high school. I have never developed an appreciation for poetry as an adult. I am a prose guy, and I am now mostly a nonfiction prose guy. But I read all of David’s poems in THE MAN LOVES THE WINE… However, they did not speak to me. I am concerned that my friend may feel I am shitting on his book by being unmoved by his poetry. I hope not. My intention is to honor my friend, his experiences and his legacy.
THE SOUL HAS ITS OWN LOVE OF UNCONVENTIONAL LANGUAGE… POETIC LANGUAGE POINTS TO WHAT CANNOT BE DESCRIBED IN ORDINARY WORDS.
This idea resonates with me. I am now at a wonderful stage in life, retirement, and I have become interested in the language of the soul. And I am trying to find my own soul, whatever that means. And I have found contemporary writers who speak the language of the soul. And they write prose I can understand, although some write poetry which does not reach me.
DURING THIS TIME, I DID NOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF A HUMAN GUIDE.
What a remarkable sentence! What is it like to have intense experiences that seem beyond the human realm? Such experiences must seem very special.
I have always been guided, and misguided, by other humans. Today, I have a rich array of thinkers guiding me in a dramatically new direction. None claim to be guided from the beyond but they are respectful of that possibility.
DREAMS PLAYED AN ENORMOUSLY SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THIS INITIATION… THE BOOK IS ORGANIZED AROUND TWELVE SPECIFIC TEACHINGS THAT WERE GIVEN TO ME, FULLY FORMED, IN A SERIES OF DREAMS.
David has shared snippets of his lucid dreaming experiences with me and they fascinate me. I have gained some appreciation for meaningful dreams, very much aided by the experiences of my wife, Pat. But, personally, I almost never remember my dreams and they have almost no impact on my life.
THEY OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH MYSTERIES WHERE SEXUALITY, SENSUALITY, AND SPIRITUALITY MEET…
David’s use of words beginning with the letter S hit me hard and in a way that he could never have imagined. Is this synchronicity? Perhaps.
I am currently guided by Perspectiva and their tagline is Systems Souls Society. They speak the language of soul to me, in prose, and I understand. “Perspectiva is a community of expert generalists working on an urgent one hundred year project to improve the relationships between systems, souls and society in theory and practice.”
I listen to the podcasts of Deep Transformation, who use the tag line Self - Society - Spirit.
It seems to me that perhaps David was far ahead of his time. Perhaps something was emerging in isolation in David Bryen over twenty years ago that is now emerging at the fringes of society in a way I can now see. I am now interested in exploring mysteries more than at previous times in my life. None of this would have resonated with me at the time it was profoundly impacting David’s life. But it seems to me that we are now basically on the same page to some degree.
I INVITE YOU INTO THE DRAMA, THE JOY, THE LONGING, THE PAIN, AND THE INCOMPLETENESS OF OUR JOURNEY IN THIS LIFE, LOYALLY HOLDING THE SACRED AND THE HUMAN, DISCOVERING HOW DELICATELY THE PRISM OF CONSCIOUSNESS REVEALS THE NUANCES OF THEIR BEAUTY.
David, I accept your invitation. And I invite you into the drama of my life. And I hope we can journey together as friends for years to come.
AND WHO OWNS IT WITH YOU MY GARDEN
THIS KOAN ASKS US TO UNDERSTAND THAT SOME KIND OF A JOINT PROJECT IS IN PROCESS…THE UNSEEN WORLDS…TO PERCEIVE THINGS WHICH HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN BEYOND THE PERCEPTUAL CAPACITY OF THE SENSES…
I understand this idea on an intellectual level and I accept it as a possibility. David reached this conclusion based on his prolonged experience, his encounter, his initiation. I have had no such experience which leaves me with a dilemma. How do I honor my friend and his experience and at the same time honor myself and my experience? Of course, for me, my experience trumps his experience and I would expect him to say this too.
TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES AS A GARDEN IN WHICH SOMETHING IS PLANTED, SOMETHING IS CARED FOR, SOMETHING IS PRUNED, SOMETHING IS LOVED, POINTS TO THE MUTUAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GARDEN AND THE GARDENER.
I love my flower garden and I love the experience of gardening. To use the garden as a metaphor is quite meaningful to me. But I use the metaphor differently.
THE FOLLOWING POEMS HAVE TO DO WITH THE NOTION THAT ONE OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES OF THE DIVINE HAS TO DO WITH NEEDING THE CONSCIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN IN ORDER FOR THE UNFOLDING NATURE OF THE DIVINE TO PARTAKE IN THE JOY IT CREATES.
Much of this statement resonates with me but I leave THE DIVINE out of the picture. It is indeed a great mystery that conscious human minds that can think about the purpose of it all exist. I accept the possibility that somehow great cosmic forces may be involved, THE DIVINE, SOURCE, GOD. But based on my personal experience, I DO NOT KNOW what lies beyond the human, if anything. It seems to me that no such force has impacted my life.
The human experience is mysterious in many ways. We create narratives to contain that mystery, and that helps us stay sane. All narratives, in my view, are useful human constructs. Consequently, the frame I put around THE MAN LOVES THE WINE… is that this is a beautiful narrative that enables David Bryen to make sense of his life. But it does not help me make sense of my life because I have had very different experiences and constructed different narratives.
A MASTER GARDENER LIVES IN THE PLEASURE OF WHAT IS BROUGHT FORTH.
Yes. I love my big garden which brings forth beauty. And that beauty gives me joy. And the experience of being conscious of beauty and joy is deeply meaningful for me. And tending my garden is therapeutic.
THE ENERGETIC FORCE BEHIND THE GROWING IS APHRODITE, THE “FLOWERING ONE,” THE GODDESS OF BEAUTY , PLEASURE, SENSUALITY, AND SEXUALITY.
Of course, I am well aware that David Bryen does not literally believe in the goddess Aphrodite. And I am aware that Greek myths, and many other myths, are useful tools for transmitting certain kinds of knowledge. Only late in my own life have I begun to appreciate ideas that have been with David for decades.
ALL LONGING IS A BARTER
THERE IS A SACRED DIMENSION TO OUR HUNGER.
Perhaps. This seems to me to be part of a useful narrative. But at the moment the sacred and the divine are not part of the narratives that give meaning to my life nor help me make sense of the world. At the same time, I want to remain as open as possible that this may change in the future.
APPARENTLY, WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THE OTHER SIDE IS AS LOST IN ITS INCOMPLETENESS AS WE ARE, THE MYSTERY BEING THAT TWO INCOMPLETENESSES REQUIRE EACH OTHER.
This is a very thought-provoking sentence, worthy of much contemplation.
I often think about the incompleteness of the human condition which leaves us hungry. I think about the failed attempts of physicists to come up with a Theory of Everything. I think about the incompleteness of Integral Theory developed by Ken Wilbur. I think about the incompleteness of my own knowledge and the need to create narratives to alleviate the hunger pains.
THESE POEMS ASK THE DEEPER QUESTION: WHAT MIGHT BE SATISFIED IN THE OTHER WORLD IF WE WORKED WITH OUR OWN LONGING AS IF THEY ALSO ANSWERED SOMETHING IN THE UNSEEN?
Whether it was a message from the other world delivered to me by David, I do not know. But during one of our times together he said something that has stayed with me. While discussing my deep longing for community and connection he said, “Deify the longing.” That was a perspective totally new to me, very helpful, very useful.
CELEBRATE THE MISTAKE
SOMETHING GETS CREATED IN THE HUMAN BODY/MIND/PSYCHE/SOUL/SPIRIT THAT BEGINS TO APPREHEND THIS NEW REALITY.
I am plucking this sentence out of context because it suggests something very meaningful to me. I am not interested in the new reality that David discovered. But I am very interested in the string of words BODY/MIND/PSYCHE/SOUL/SPIRIT that he used.
These five words together strongly suggest that all five are necessary for a proper understanding of what a human is. And even these words paint an incomplete picture. Only in the last few years have I come to understand how little I know about what it means to be human. Never mind 1999 when David published his book, there is no comprehensive model of what a human is anywhere today. But I have become aware of several people working on significant pieces of such a model. However, they know that a model is not the real thing. We need much better models and we need to understand that models will never adequately describe the most complex entity in the universe, the human being.
THE LONELINESS IS ACUTE BECAUSE NOTHING IN THE HUMAN WORLD SEEMS ABLE TO COMFORT WHAT THE SPIRITUAL WORLD INITIATED.
I too am very interested in the problem of loneliness and I do not want to disparage the path that David outlines. There need be and can be no single solution. But I personally am not drawn to solutions that involve a spiritual world.
IT IS THIS WHITE HOT BURNING, PAIN AND LONGING THAT PURIFIES AND SENSITIZES OUR ABILITY TO KNOW THE SACRED.
I do believe that we need myths and narratives about the sacred. Without the sacred we have only the profane, or using my preferred word, the secular. Do solutions come from the sacred or the secular? The metamodernist answer appeals to me, that we need both the sacred and the secular. And we need a collective effort because no single individual can know enough or experience enough in isolation. Perhaps David’s contribution is in the realm of the sacred. Perhaps mine is in the realm of the secular. And perhaps together we can create something bigger than each of us individually.
IN THE INITIATION OF SACRED SEXUALITY, THE LONGING IN THE HEART IS DEEPENED, NOT RELIEVED.
Since I have not explored the territory of the sacred very much, it logically follows that I have not explored sacred sexuality. But I have a vague awareness of tantra and sexual yoga and I am intrigued. But this is not my path, certainly not given my age and physical decline.
…DEEP PARADOXES
…LIVE IN THE MYSTERY
These phrases resonate strongly with me.
MATTER HAS TURNED US INTO BEINGS OF LIGHT
AS SOON AS THERE IS CONNECTION, THERE IS EXCRUCIATING AWARENESS OF THE SEPARATION.
Again, much of what David writes touches me at my core, but probably not in the way he intended. Since I lost my Christian faith at midlife, all I have ever heard from the world beyond the physical is profound silence. I am not personally concerned by the loss. But I am deeply concerned by the separation between human beings and how to bridge what seems to be unbridgeable distances.
OUR ALLEGIANCE TO THE MATERIALISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF MATTER IS CONSUMED BY THIS SPIRITUAL, ALCHEMICAL PURIFYING OF THE MATERIAL BODY.
David was seeing certain things far sooner than me. He uses different words and images. But he and I would probably agree on one conclusion. Scientific materialism and reductionism are very incomplete lenses for understanding human beings and our place in the universe. A few prominent atheists are now beginning to see this clearly and are increasingly valuing a spiritual dimension.
SPIRIT IS CAUGHT IN MATERIAL REALITY.
This sounds a lot like “We are spiritual beings in physical bodies.” This is a myth. But perhaps it is an important, useful, even necessary, myth. Perhaps this myth will emerge as a significant theme in a grand new narrative that humanity desperately needs.
BEFORE HE CAN ENJOY HER TASTE IN HIS MOUTH
A NEW CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPS WHEN THE SACRED HAS BEEN SERVED.
Again, I find it significant that David wrote this over twenty years ago. Currently, I have become interested in the historical expansion of human consciousness and its future evolution. I can find some others who share this interest. But the paths that interest me are not the sacred paths. I am mostly interested in the paths of cognitive science, psychology and psychedelics. But I also think the paths of the artists and sacred paths may have significant contributions to make.
WHEN THE BODY HAS GIVEN ITSELF OVER TO PLEASURE, BOTH HUMAN AND DIVINE, NEW PERCEPTIVE CAPACITIES EMERGE… THIS NEW CAPACITY TO PERCEIVE AND PARTICIPATE IN THIS MYSTERY IS PART OF THE MATURING AND DEEPENING THAT ESTABLISHES AN IRREDUCIBLE RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL THAT IS OTHER.
I think I understand what David means but this sentence takes me in a very different direction. I am interested in how new perceptive capacities emerge from complex systems. The importance of the concept of emergence is now emerging. David seems to have been a man out of place in his time, perhaps a forerunner, perhaps indeed a portal through which insights are brought to our material world.
BEFORE WE CAN ENJOY THE TASTE OF THE GODDESS, SOMETHING OF GRACE MUST ALREADY HAVE SHOWN UP AND DONE ITS ENLARGEMENT IN THE SOUL OF THE PARTAKER.
I sense that my soul has not been enlarged very much and I am open to the idea that my lack of connection to the sacred may be a factor. But I am also comfortable with the unclear path I am on. I do not think that a sacred path is the one and only path needed for the emergence of new perceptive capacities necessary for humanity to thrive.
IT IS THE TASTE OF THE GODDESS WE MUST TASTE BEFORE WE CAN ENJOY HER TASTE. IT IS THE RETURN TO THE CONNECTION TO THE OTHER SIDE WE MUST EXPERIENCE BEFORE WE CAN REMEMBER WHAT THAT CONNECTION IS ALL ABOUT.
These two sentences contain what is a trigger word for me. But I was not triggered. I am working at recognizing my triggers and overcoming them. But the word must remains a red flag for me. I do not want anyone telling me what I must experience. Ironically, I believe that we must value the experience of others as best we can.
IT TAKES TWO TO SHOW UP
WE ARE INVITED TO BECOME CONSCIOUS OF THE TWO KINGDOMS THAT MEET IN THE SEXUAL ENCOUNTER.
As a former Christian, I know this concept from the Bible. In Genesis 2:24 God commanded, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” I will say little about my sex life other than it has been mostly just a pleasurable physical act with no transcendental overtones.
Of course, I am curious what Gloria, David’s wife, has to say about this book in relation to the sexual aspect of their marriage. But good friendships have boundaries and I am content not knowing. And I have nothing to share about the private lives of Pat and I at this time.
I do not have more comments to make about page 41 of THE MAN LOVES THE WINE… except this. IT TAKES TWO TO SHOW UP is a beautiful myth written by a master craftsman. And we need myths like this and perhaps they can retain some power for good without embracing them as universal truths.
AS AN ONION HE WRAPS HIS BODY AROUND HER AS NO OTHER
WE ARE THE LAYERS, VIEWING AND PARTICIPATING IN THE EVER ENFOLDING REALITY THAT NESTS ONE LAYER WHILE IT IS BEING NESTED BY YET ANOTHER.
Yes, Yes, Yes! Reality is layered and each layer opens access to a deeper layer. And we can follow this process until we reach the bottom layer, ultimate reality. But then we discover that there is no bottom layer, no ultimate reality, no foundation. Most people do not discover this and remain True Believers in their version, or their hero’s version, of ultimate reality.
People are extremely complex with many layers. Sometimes another person can seem bland until we begin discovering their deeper layers. It is a wonderful experience to see others in this way, and to be seen by them. I have such a relationship with Pat, my wife, and we know each other more deeply than anyone else ever could. And David and I have started going down this path and I hope our journey continues.
THEY [we, all of us] ARE PART OF A LARGER UNION THAT TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE MAN AND THE WOMAN, MASCULINE AND FEMININE, SPIRIT AND MATTER, HUMAN AND DIVINE.
I prefer to say much the same thing using different words. We are all a story and part of a bigger story which itself is part of a bigger story which continues in an infinite regress, or an endless loop without beginning or end. It is all stories all the way down. This too is an idea that is too much to bear for many people. But for me, knowing this brings me a strange kind of peace.
WHAT IS BEING WRAPPED? IS IT THE SOUL? IS SHE THE WOMAN? IS IT A GODDESS, THE MOTHER, OR IS IT THE FEMININE MYSTERY, WHICH LAYER ENFOLDS THE NEXT?
These are such good questions! And the questions are better than the answers. And connecting with others who share the experience of not knowing is satisfying to me.
DESIRE COMES FROM OUTSIDE THE BODY
WHERE DOES DESIRE COME FROM? COULD DESIRE EXIST AS A REALITY OUTSIDE THE HUMAN PSYCHE? IS IT POSSIBLE THAT DESIRE PROJECTS ITS CONTENT ON THE SCREEN OF THE HUMAN PSYCHE?
Again, good questions to which there are no good answers. Individually, we solve the MYSTERY by creating stories. And David and I have created different stories. The best we can do is to know and honor each other’s stories as best we can.
But collectively we can do better. We can create containers that can know and honor many stories. We can create a story that from a collective of such collectives a solution to the MYSTERY will emerge.
IT IS THROUGH DESIRE THAT THE HEART AWAKES INTO AWARENESS THAT THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING BEYOND, PULLING US TO ITS REALITY.
Yes… and no. There are many paths that awaken people into deeper awareness of something more and deeper. David has his path and I do see him as someone more awake than most. But I sense that I am on a different path and have reached a stage where I now have one eye open while hoping for more.
DESIRE IN ITS MANY FORMS IS THE BASIS OF HUMAN DRIVE, HUMAN CREATIVITY, AND HUMAN INITIATIVE THAT PROPELS INTELLECTUAL, SPIRITUAL, MATERIAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT.
Yes… and no. David’s path is a path, a good path, but not THE path. No path can be universal. And considering the uniqueness of individual human beings, we need many, many paths.
THIS KOAN MAKES THE PURSUIT OF BEAUTY, SENSUALITY AND SEXUALITY A SOUL-MAKING ACTIVITY.
Yes… and no. Personally, I am more drawn to the ancient transcendentals. I sense that my path to meaning making is the pursuit of the good, the true and the beautiful.
THE MAN LOVES THE WINE SHE SERVES THROUGH HER BODY
IT IS A MYSTERY THAT THE BODY OF THE HUMAN AND THE BODY OF THE DIVINE ARE SOMEHOW REFLECTIONS OF EACH OTHER, AND THAT LOVEMAKING ALLOW US TO PARTAKE OF TWO WORLDS.
It seems to me that David, through his profound and prolonged INITIATION experience, has created a beautiful story which he has captured in his beautiful book. But it also seems to me, and I am reluctant to say this, that David has been captured by his own story. It seems to me that his story is good and beautiful but true only for him and perhaps a few like-minded others.
WE ARE IN SERVICE TO, AND THE SERVER OF, THE DIVINE REALITY.
I love the idea, the story, that we are in service to something much bigger than ourselves. I like the story that there is much more to it all than what is captured by the story of science. But I do not know what I am in service to, although I try to hold the story of a divine reality in the possibility space.
WHEN I RECEIVED THIS PARTICULAR TEACHING IN A KOAN, I REALIZED THAT MY POETRY WAS TRYING TO EXPRESS AN EXQUISITE PARADOX.
I think that confronting paradox is an important piece of the puzzle, the MYSTERY. But the prose of David in THE MAN LOVES THE WINE… speaks to me far more than the poetry. I wonder which speaks better about the MYSTERY, poetry or prose? In recent years my mind often drifts to the metamodernist answer. We need BOTH prose AND poetry. We need David Bryen, and I believe we need John Stokdijk.
WHEN TWO PEOPLE FALL INTO THIS LOVE EXPERIENCE, SOMETHING OF THE OTHER WORLD COMES INTO THIS ONE, AND IN MYSTERY CREATES A THIRD THING.
I think Pat will agree with me that in the decades of our marriage, we have experienced nothing from another world being brought to this one through our relationship.
IT TAKES TWO TO SERVE THE WINE
WHEN TWO SERVE THAT WINE TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE OTHER, A DEEP CHANGE TAKES PLACE. THE SERVING OF THIS MIXTURE REQUIRES THIS SORT OF AWARENESS THAT UNITES PREVIOUSLY SEPARATED WORLDS. IN THIS MOMENT THERE IS A SPECIAL, MYSTERIOUS COMBINATION OF THE SACRED AND THE HUMAN… IT IS THE MYSTICAL UNION.
I deeply appreciate having met David Bryen and the friendship we now have. Very few people write about their profound life experiences, especially those which fall outside of societal norms. Intuitively, I think that many people who appear ordinary have had extraordinary experiences that they have not publicly shared. I hope many people follow the example of David. I think this move is necessary for collective wisdom to emerge.
I am writing my own story in detail, the life of an average and ordinary person with nothing extraordinary to share. I most definitely have never experienced a threesome involving me, a woman and the Divine.
ENLIGHTENED SEXUALITY HAS THE DEEP AWARENESS OF HUMANITY, GENUINE KNOWLEDGE THAT THIS ACT IS PROFOUND IN THE INTERFACE OF THE HUMAN AND THE DIVINE.
Once again I have the sense that David Bryen was a man before his time, probably a very lonely experience. But now in the metamodernist space I am seeing the emergence of meaningful conversations that align with the themes in his book. One of the many areas of society today needing radical improvement are male-female relationships and healthy sexuality. I sense that David has much to contribute. But I have little to contribute and my work lies elsewhere.
TO KNOW THE BELOVED, BE THE KISS AND WHAT THE KISS TOUCHES
…IT IS THE MYSTERIOUS UNITY OF BEING, THAT KNOWS SUBJECT AND OBJECT HAVE COMBINED. WALLS BETWEEN HERE AND THERE, YOU AND I, DISSOLVE AND WE BECOME WHAT WE SEEK.
The words in this section before the part I quoted are a beautiful description of erotic possibility.
My focus, however, is more in the direction of the illusion of unity. For me, stories of unity are myths, but probably very important and very necessary myths. I am reminded of Sam Harris and his story that the dissolving of the illusion of the self is THE path to spiritual bliss which he wrote about in his book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. David and Sam, and others, probably have pieces of a new grand narrative that will serve humanity well. But there needs to be room in that narrative for everyone, including those who tell the story that it is all just stories all the way down.
SOME GRAPENING OPENING HAND
THE HUMAN QUEST HAS ALWAYS HAD AT ITS CORE, THE DESIRE TO BE, CONNECT WITH, AND RESPOND TO, THAT WHICH IS OTHER, OUTSIDE AND BEYOND.
Yes. This seems to be something that the militant atheists seem incapable of understanding. The secularization of modern society was always doomed to be a project that was impossible to complete. I am excited by my discovery in recent years of those who have a more enlightened view of what it takes for homo sapiens to truly flourish.
WHO IS THIS “I” THAT IS CREATING A SPACE? I KNOW IT AS A DIVINE, FEMININE MYSTERY, A HAND TURNING ME INTO A GRAPE-LIKE SUBSTANCE, OPENING LIKE A BLOSSOM.
I would like to invite David to write an essay entitled THE MAN LOVES THE WINE… TWENTY YEARS LATER. A new self is always emerging from the old self as the experience of life goes on. David Bryen is not the same man in 2022 that he was in 1999.
But knowing David, he will ignore my invitation. I feel both admiration and frustration as I think of this. David lives his life very much as he wants to, doing what moves him at any particular time, and so he should. Everyone should be the sovereign of their own lives. Unfortunately, we live in a time when many are being manipulated by forces they are ignorant of, but not David. Yet I think he has so much more to contribute and I will probably continue my hopeless quest to influence him to do so.
But mostly I just want to continue being his friend and I have some anxiety that what I have written about his book will put that at risk.
I am at a stage in life where I realize that I need to get rid of stuff. Consequently, I have been giving away some of the books I had shipped from Calgary to Mexico. Mostly, I will give a book to anyone who shows interest in it.
But I will not give THE MAN LOVES THE WINE SHE SERVES THROUGH HER BODY An Erotic Encounter with the Divine Feminine by David Bryen to just anyone. This book is too beautiful and too special to risk it ending up in the wrong hands. This book needs to continue its journey with someone who can deeply appreciate both the book itself, including the poetry, and appreciate what I have written about my encounter with it. Such a person will be extremely hard to find. However, I do have one person in mind, someone new in my life that I have begun building a meaningful relationship with
I am far more interested in real women than connecting with the Divine Feminine. In my essay About Women I wrote about three women who I admire - Ria Baeck, Nora Bateson and Bonnitta Roy. There are two more women that I would now like to add to that list - Indra Adnan and Lene Rachel Andersen. And there are three others that I have started keeping an eye on - Jenny Stefanotti, Euvie Ivanova and Kateryna Yasko.
I had the parts of the book that I was most interested in scanned.