The In-Between Times

Frank Bedell posted on February 07, 2011

It's always nice to see the lessons of Shivas being appropriately applied to our professional and personal lives outside the realm of golf. This interesting article by a long-time Shivas Irons Society member is a perfect example. (SC)

I know from experience that it's frequently difficult, and sometimes virtually impossible, to appreciate and savor the "in-between times," particularly when you are stressed from facing multiple deadlines in a contentious piece of litigation or you are in the middle of a large, difficult task. But if you can take a moment and think back to other similar experiences in your own life, I imagine you'll be able to recall other times when you were "in between," and that will assist you with the task at hand. And for those of us who have children, let me suggest that the "in-between times" are often the best times.

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Posted in: Philosophy

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Magic Theater of the Soul

Shivas posted on September 18, 2009

In this essay Michael Murphy explores the possibility for rediscovering some of... "the numinous powers and majestic vistas of soul described by the mystics of antiquity..."

He suggests that "once you’ve stepped into golf’s magic theater, there is no telling how it will surprise you..."

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Posted in: Philosophy

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Reflections by Michael Murphy

Shivas posted on June 12, 2009

Golf, it seems, is a mystery school housed in a game, a pastime with a genius for evoking the supernatural. As Shivas Irons said, "golf has a mighty past and promises a greater future." Since Golf in the Kingdom was published in 1972, I have received many letters describing extraordinary events and experiences related to golf. One of my favorites is from the woman who dreamt that the gods practice the creation of universes by playing golf. In this dream, she had risen to the place where they do this, initiating a new universe with each golf shot! Bringing their superhuman consciousness to perfect focus, they compressed the ball into the tiny point from which each universe expands. Each poor shot, it seemed, made a universe that was somehow deformed, while each good shot made a beautiful one. The better the shot, the better the universe!

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Posted in: Art & Literature, The "Gemme", Philosophy, Teachings & Practice

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Victory by Michael Murphy

Shivas posted on June 12, 2009

The highest achievement of the spiritual life is within the full embrace of the ordinary. Our appetite for the big experience--sudden insight, dazzling vision, heart-stopping ecstasy-- is what hides the true way from us." These words head the dust jacket description of Breakfast at the Victory,a memoir by James P. Carse, the director of religious studies at New York University.

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Posted in: Art & Literature, Philosophy

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Entries for the 'Philosophy' Category

The In-Between Times

Magic Theater of the Soul

Reflections by Michael Murphy

Victory by Michael Murphy