KAIOEN

Dear Friend,

Kaioen held its first discussion on September 21, 2008. Since we've started, we have done our best to provide an enviroment that is safe, open and honest as we pursue the mysteries of spirituality.

I remember reading all the Hardy Boys books in junior high, fascinated by each mystery that Franklin W. Dixon unravelled in each story. Silence of the Lambs kept me guessing along the way with Jodie Foster as she (we) searched for a killer. M. Night Shyamalan has capitalized off of mystery and the idea that "things are not as they seem to be". It is the element of mystery that attracts us to many of the books we read, movies we watch, and television series we follow. But imagine if we knew the endings before any of these books, movies, or shows even started? Imagine knowing who the killer was at the beginning of the Sherlock Holmes novel! All the fun, mystery, and enjoyment would be gone...

Just by looking at our name, Kaioen, you might find it hard to pronounce, difficult to understand, and not forthright in communicating the nature of who we are (as you explore the website, it will get clearer). Hopefully you are intrigued to investigate further. The ironic thing is, that with our intense drive of curiosity and our fascination with mystery, we tend to want to ELIMINATE these elements from spirituality. People claim solutions and answers to many things that have little clarity or a vagueness about them. People oversimplify complex issues with anecdotal phrases that diminish the value of spirituality as a whole. This might be due to our curiosity always being satisfied at the end of our novels, movies, and shows. If the mystery drags out too long for us, we seem to lose intrest or reach a point where the mystery is no longer driving us, but angering us.

As one who does crossword puzzles a lot, I understand this frustration. It is the riddles that drive me to the puzzle, but these same clues that cause me to quit in anger after an hour or two. Does this mean that I want someone standing over my shoulder, whispering the answers in my ear? Of course not!! I WANT to wrestle it out with my mind. The higher the frustration, the greater the victory when the solutions come to mind.

My spiritual life is full of mystery. And I approach it, KNOWING THAT IT WILL ALWAYS BE THERE UNTIL THE DAY I DIE. There will be things I will never understand, figure out, or realize through sudden epiphony. And I have come to terms with that. I have given up chasing the dream/fairy tale that these answers are within my reach. Yes, throughout my lifetime, I have experienced clarity, understanding, and depth that has eluded me before. My searching, reading, prayer, and meditation has made me a better, deeper person with a more secure worldview. But great mysteries of faith still remain out there...seemingly within my reach, but yet just beyond. And I pursue the mysteries of faith like a scientist who pursues the mysteries of the universe. Pursuing while knowing that all the answers are not within reach. But what I do discover, can be used to teach and help others in their journey as well.

So I invite you to join me and others as we search together. I invite you to embrace the mystery and the frustration, letting it drive you but not defeat you. Come be apart of Kaioen...

Jeremy