THE BOTTOM

Joe Castiglione: "Machado pinwheels the bat, nobody on base, two men out, bottom of the ninth, 5-1 Red Sox ... "

In baseball, each inning is a downward traverse, from the top of the inning to the bottom. This parallels the direction of enlightenment. Our prevailing myths talk about ascension as the direction of success. But when we give something our all, we commonly refer to it as “emptying the tank.” What remains, down there, once everything is given? What’s left when there’s nothing left to give? Meditation and mindfulness practices tell us that it is precisely you that is found there in that emptiness, freed from control, awakened to the universe. This descent can be scary but is life-giving. My new book, KLOBBERLAND, now out for sale on Amazon, explores the terrain of this emptiness through a reimagined decreation story. A story which provides a mythology for the structures upon which mindfulness practices sit. This structure is hidden, but once you find it, it cannot be unseen. You see it everywhere. 

Walking through the city streets I snapped a picture of the following image and, upon reflection, this poem emerged from the Bottom. 

Until There’s Nothing Left
I love your Emptiness, the dark part of you I do not know
The secret part of you that you don’t know, but which radiates from you like the sun
Who you are is hidden there
Shielded from words
At times blazing like a dragon’s fire
From fear of this Source unknown

I’m a knight
Aspiring to eternally find you, tending to your fear through embrace
Adoring your appearance when your brokenness feels loved
When it knows its gift allows Your Emptiness to be seen

A glimpse of You consumes me
Into your well I jump, forever falling
I combust towards Emptiness
Until there’s nothing left

If you enjoyed this new meditation on the deeper meaning of the game, you’ll love THE ART OF WAR AND BASEBALL!! Check it out here: www.theartofwarandbaseball.com