I think it was Einstein who said that problems of any kind cannot be solved on the same level of awareness, perception, or consciousness that created them. Solutions are found on a higher level of awareness; when one's perception rises even a little above the level of the problem, solutions are often obvious and immediate.
This is very much a guiding principle for what I intend to share through this blog and through my website in general.
I keep a prayer affirmation on my desk that was written by the great master, Paramhansa Yogananda: I am an instrument for the expression of divine intelligence and beauty. I will dedicate every thought and motive to the service of the divine power. My goal in writing and sharing, in other words, is not to express my opinions on matters--as if they were vitally important to the world--but to rather be a channel through which qualities of higher consciousness can take expression. That, I am convinced, is a far greater service to humankind than yet another blog filled with blathering rants about this and that, or other manifestation of ego-consciousness.
Of course, what one writes is necessarily filtered by the unique point-of-view that each of us has in the universe, as well as the whole life-path that has brought us to that point. Put another way, until one's consciousness is itself infinite, his or her attunement to that higher consciousness will be particularly focused on certain qualities.
For myself, problem-solving is a central part of my own nature (the German surname "Brockschmidt" really means "one who fixes broken stuff"). Problems are borne of darkness, heaviness, cynicism, and confusion--these negatively-directed energies pull one's heart, mind, and spirit to a lower level of awareness. The qualities of light and clarity, on the other hand, serve to lift consciousness into a realm of solutions, as expressed in the tagline of my main website banner.
The title for this blog, Luminarity, similarly, is not some claim to self-importance (deriving from "Luminary") but rather a combination of luminous (light) and clarity. These words represents a commitment on my part about what I share with the world here and on my main website.
Both words have multiple meanings. "Light" is the opposite of darkness, yes: where darkness obscures, light reveals. Darkness also refers to that which is unknown, whereas light refers to knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, in the sense of "illumination." Light is also the opposite of heavy; "lightness" of heart and "lightness" of mind and attitude are very important qualities if one is to rise or float above cynicism or taking life too seriously. (For there is a level of awareness at which everything makes perfect sense and is exactly as it ought to be. That in itself is a fascinating topic I hope to explore.)
Clarity, for its part, first means being transparent to the point of being invisible. As a friend of mine once noted, the most beautiful windows are the ones that we don't even notice! Clarity also implies purity, or being free from pollutants, contaminants, and anything else that clouds perception. And finally, clarity also implies simplicity--not in the sense of addressing a preschool-level mentality but in the sense of going so clearly to the heart of matters that it inherently resonates with one's very soul. If, in fact, you read something of mine and think, "Of course, how obvious! I knew that!" then I've succeeded in touching the Truth that is already within you.
For further thoughts, see Embracing Clarity and Light on my website. A more personal bio can also be found on http://www.kraigbrockschmidt.com/Pages.aspx?page=about.
As I said, clarity and light represent a commitment from myself to you, the reader. Though I certainly struggle with my share of cynicism and confusion, I see no point in dumping the stuggles themselves (or worse, just venting about them) on the rest of the world. My commitment is rather to work through thoughts and questions to a point where I have something uplifting and clarifying to say. You can see this kind of process in the articles on my main website.
On this blog, then, I aspire to apply light and clarity to topics across a spectrum that spans many areas of interest, including my professional work as a Program Manager at Microsoft on a project called "Oslo" (where there is a need to simply post useful technical content). While certainly not unique, this kind of intermix (as also exists in my book, Mystic Microsoft) is not particularly common, especially in an industry where one's self-identity is so often entirely defined by one's job. Still, so as to not burden those readers who are only interested in certain subjects, I do try to categorize the content here somewhat specifically. That way, visitors who come here from the Microsoft Developer's Network won't have to sort through a semester's worth of philosophical or spiritual material, while those who come for the latter don't have to endure the details of model-driven programming environments and domain-specific languages!
Across the board, though, I'm always open to comments and suggestions. Feel free to drop me a line via email: personal--kraig (at) kraigbrockschmidt.com; Microsoft-related--kraigb (at) microsoft.com.
About the Header Image
The header is taken from a photograph of one of the two most extraordinary sunsets I've had the privilege to witness, on December 28th, 2003, at Paradise lodge on the side of Mount Rainier, WA. Myself and a few friends had finished up a day of snowshoeing and were warming up in the lodge when the play of light in the clouds suddenly developed into this burst of veritical flame above the sun. You can't see this in the horizontal header, of course, so here is the source photograph (there's a second sun because this was taken through a window; but the flame effect was there outside the glass; I just didn't want to stand outside in sub-zero temperatures):